[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20168-20169]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10869]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 041798D]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Council (Council) will hold its 
96th<SUP></SUP> meeting in Honolulu, HI.

DATES: The full Council (some members by conference call) will meet on 
May 8, 1998, from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Honolulu time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Council Office Conference 
Room, Honolulu, HI; telephone: (808) 522-8220.
    Council address: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 
Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director; 
telephone: (808)-522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the May 8 meeting, the Council will 
consider two regulatory amendments:
    1. Fishing bank/area-specific harvest guidelines for the 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands lobster fishery (this will be the second 
meeting under the Crustaceans Fishery Management Plan framework 
procedure for a new measure [final action]); and
    2. Prohibition of the taking of pelagic management unit species by 
domestic or foreign fishing vessels longer than 50 feet (length 
overall) from waters within 100 nautical miles of the islands of 
American Samoa.

Summary of Issue

    1. Lobster bank/area guidelines: Using the Amendment 7 and 9 
formula for determining the harvest guideline, the Regional 
Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, has determined that the total 
1998 guideline for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands fishery is 286,000 
lobsters. At its November 1997 meeting, the Council requested NMFS to 
investigate bank or area specific guidelines for review by its advisory 
bodies. At its April 1998 meeting, the Council concurred with the 
recommendations of its advisory bodies (that met in March 1998) to 
limit the harvest of lobsters at specific banks/areas as follows: Maro 
Reef no more

[[Page 20169]]

than 80,000 lobsters, Necker Island no more than 70,000 lobsters, 
Gardner Pinnacles no more than 20,000 lobsters, and the remainder from 
all other banks/areas combined 116,000 lobsters. When the allocation 
for any bank/area is projected to be taken, the Regional Administrator 
will close that area or bank to prevent overfishing. When a total of 
286,000 lobsters is projected to be taken, the Regional Administrator 
will close the fishery for the season. The fishery opens July 1.1998.
    The Council will meet on May 8, 1998 to take final action on this 
allocation of the harvest guidelines. At its April 1998 meeting, the 
Council also recommended that NMFS and industry work together to get 
data on the distribution and abundance of lobsters throughout the 
archipelago, and that observers should be placed on all vessels that 
volunteer for observer coverage during the 1998 season to provide the 
needed data. Documents describing the issue, alternative solutions, the 
preferred Council action and anticipated impacts, are being prepared 
and distributed for review/comment to lobster permit lobster permit 
holders and interested parties prior to the meeting. Copies may be 
obtained from the Council (see ADDRESSES); and
    2. American Samoa closed area: Fishermen in American Samoa who are 
members of the Council's advisory panels have expressed concern about 
the long-term sustainability of the local small-boat pelagics fishery. 
In particular, there is concern that large longline vessels will seek 
new fishing opportunities in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around 
American Samoa as fisheries in other areas of the U.S. EEZ become 
increasingly restricted. Such a rapid influx of large vessels occurred 
in Hawaii during the late 1980s and led to extensive gear conflicts. In 
addition, there is concern that the large vessels supplying fish to 
American Samoa's tuna canneries already occasionally fish in the EEZ. A 
widely held perception among small-scale trollers and longliners is 
that these larger vessels intercept fish migrating to local waters and 
reduce the supply of tuna and other pelagic species available for 
capture by artisanal and recreational fishermen.
    The Council was asked at the 92nd meeting in April 1997 to assist 
in forming a fishermen's working group to consider various management 
options to ensure the long-term sustainability of the small-boat 
fishery. Various meetings of the working group and other fishermen were 
convened by the Council and the American Samoa Department of Marine and 
Wildlife Resources between June and October 1997. The consensus among 
fishermen was that the most effective management action would be to 
close an area around the islands of American Samoa to pelagic fishing 
vessels longer than 50 ft.
    In anticipation of possibly creating such a closed area, the 
Council established a control date of November 13, 1997, after which 
vessels larger than 50 ft entering the fishery will not be assured of 
being allowed to use longline gear to fish for pelagic management unit 
species within 100 nautical miles of the islands of American Samoa. At 
its April 1998 meeting, the Council also considered prohibiting other 
US fishing vessels (e.g. purse seiners, trollers and pole-and-line bait 
boats) greater than 50 feet in length from fishing for pelagic 
management unit species within 100 nautical miles of the islands of 
American Samoa.
    The Council will seek to identify all interested persons and 
organizations and solicit their involvement in discussion of this issue 
and the proposed actions. In addition, a document presenting the issue 
will be distributed to all pelagic advisory groups of the Council who 
have not yet received it, with request for comments. The document will 
also be distributed to the Council's mailing list associated with the 
Pelagics Fishery Management Plan, and to all parties who may be 
affected by the proposed action to solicit their input and to indicate 
that the Council will take action on this issue at the May 8th meeting. 
Copies may be obtained from the Council (see ADDRESSES).
    The meeting is open to the public and public comments are 
encouraged.
    Although other issues not contained in this agenda, may come before 
these groups for discussion, according to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of 
formal action during this meeting.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 808-522-8220 (voice) or 808-
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to meeting date.

    Dated: April 20, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-10869 Filed 4-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F