20168 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 78 /Thursday, April 23, 1998 / Notices

(8) Demonstrate that any cooperative

development activity is consistent with

positive environmental stewardship.

Fiscal Year 1998 Preapplication

Submission

Preapplications must include a clear

statement of the goals and objectives of

the project and a plan which describes

the proposed project as required by the

statute and 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F.

Each preapplication received in the

State Office will be reviewed to

determine if the preapplication is

consistent with the eligible purposes

outlined in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F.

Preapplications without supportive data

to address selection criteria will not be

considered. Copies of 7 CFR part 4284,

subpart F, will be provided to any

interested applicant by making a request

to the Rural Development State Office or

RBS National Office.

Preapplications must be completed

and submitted to the State Rural

Development Office as soon as possible,

but no later than June 15, 1998.

Preapplications received after June 15

will not be considered.

For ease of locating information, each

preapplication must contain a detailed

Table of Contents containing page

numbers for each component of the

preapplication. The preapplication must

also contain a project summary of 250

words or less on a separate page. This

page must include the title of the project

and the names of the primary project

contacts and the applicant organization,

followed by the summary. The summary

should be self-contained and should

describe the overall goals, relevance of

the project, and a listing of all

organizations involved in the project.

The project summary should

immediately follow the Table of

Contents.

The National Office will score

applicants based on the grant selection

criteria contained in 7 CFR part 4284,

subpart F, and will select awardees

subject to the availability of funds and

the awardee’s satisfactory submission of

a formal application and related

materials in accordance with subpart F.

Entities submitting preapplications that

are selected for award will be invited by

the State Office to submit a formal

application prior to September 1. It is

anticipated that grant awardees will be

selected by September 1, 1998.

Dated: April 16, 1998.

Dayton Watkins,

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative

Services.

[FR Doc. 98–10773 Filed 4–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 041698A]

Notice of Workshop

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

NMFS will sponsor a workshop for the

members of its Individual Fishing Quota

(IFQ) Advisory Panels and of the

National Research Council (NRC)

Committee to Study IFQs. The

workshop will be held in Boston,

Massachusetts and will be open for

public observation.

DATES: The workshop will begin at 8:30

a.m. on May 5, 1998, and will end at 2

p.m. on May 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held

at the Harborside Hyatt Conference

Center and Hotel, 101 Harborside Drive,

Boston, MA; telephone: 800–233–1234.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy Gautam, NMFS, Office of Science

and Technology; telephone: (301) 713–

2328.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the

reauthorization of the MagnusonStevens Fisheries Conservation and

Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens

Act), Congress required the NRC to

provide a report with recommendations

on a national policy for implementing

IFQs by October 1, 1998. The

Magnuson-Stevens Act also required the

formation of NMFS Advisory Panels to

provide support to the NRC committee

and to NMFS in their respective roles of

preparing and evaluating the IFQ study.

The workshop is intended to continue

the dialogue between IFQ Advisory

Panel and NRC committee members

related to key questions the NRC has

developed. Issues discussed will

include initial allocation criteria,

restrictions on transferability of quota

shares, enforcement and monitoring

requirements, and long-term

implications of implementing IFQs

relative to other management regimes.

Members of the public are invited to

observe the proceedings, but will not be

allowed to participate.

Dated: April 20, 1998.

Lamarr B. Trott,

Acting Director, Office of Science and

Technology, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 98–10870 Filed 4–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

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.

SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery

Council (Council) will hold its 96th

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
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 78 /Thursday, April 23, 1998 / Notices 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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 041798A]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for

scientific research permits (1147, 1149)

and a request for modification 2 to

permit 1011; issuance of scientific

research permits (1065, 1114, 1115,

1116)

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish

Commission at Portland, OR (CRITFC)

has applied in due form for permits

(1147, 1149) and the Oregon Department

of Fish and Wildlife at La Grande, OR

(ODFW) has applied in due form for a

modification to a permit (1101) that

would authorize takes of anadromous

fish species listed under the Endangered

Species Act for the purpose of scientific

research/enhancement.

Notice is also given that NMFS has

issued scientific research permits that

authorize takes of ESA-listed species for

the purpose of scientific research and/

or enhancement, subject to certain

conditions set forth therein, to:

Humboldt Fish Action Council (HFAC)

(1065); Washington Department of Fish

and Wildlife at Olympia, WA (WDFW)

(1114); Public Utility District No. 1 of

Chelan County (PUDCC) (1115); and

Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas

County (PUDDC) (1116).

DATES: Written comments or requests for

a public hearing on any of the

applications must be received on or

before May 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The applications and

related documents are available for

review in the following offices, by

appointment:

For permits 1101, 1114, 1115, 1116,

1147, and 1149: Protected Resources

Division (PRD), F/NWO3, 525 NE

Oregon Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR

97232–4169 (503–230–5400).

For permit 1065: Administrator,

Southwest Region, NMFS, NOAA, 777

Sonoma Avenue Room 325, Santa Rosa,

CA 95405 (707–575–6050).

All documents may also be reviewed

by appointment in the Office of

Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring,

MD 20910–3226 (301–713–1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

permits 1101, 1147, and 1149: Robert

Koch, Portland, OR (503–230–5424).