Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 111 /Wednesday, June 10, 1998 / Proposed Rules 31713

other for the period December 1, 1998,

through May 31, 1999.

(4) The annual directed fishery quota

for the South Atlantic swordfish stock

for the period June 1, 1999, through May

31, 2000, is 289 mt dw and is divided

into two equal semiannual quotas of

144.5 mt dw, one for the period June 1

through November 30, 1999, and the

other for the period December 1, 1999,

through May 31, 2000.

(5) The annual directed fishery quota

for the South Atlantic swordfish stock

for the period June 1, 2000, through May

31, 2001, is 289 mt dw and is divided

into two equal semiannual quotas of

144.5 mt dw, one for the period June 1

through November 30, 2000, and the

other for the period December 1, 2000,

through May 31, 2001.

* * * * *

(d) Annual adjustments. (1) As

necessary, NMFS will reevaluate the

annual directed fishery quotas for the

north and south Atlantic swordfish

stocks and the annual incidental catch

quota for the north Atlantic swordfish

stock. NMFS will consider the best

available scientific information

regarding the following factors:

(i) Swordfish stock abundance

assessments;

(ii) Swordfish stock age and size

composition;

(iii) Catch and effort in the swordfish

fishery; and

(iv) Consistency with ICCAT

recommendations.

(2) Except for the carryover provisions

of paragraph (d)(3), of this section,

NMFS will announce any adjustments

to the annual quotas by publication of

a notice in the Federal Register,

providing for a 30-day minimum

comment period. NMFS will prepare a

report of its evaluations, a regulatory

impact review, and an environmental

assessment, and such documents will be

made available to the public. The

Assistant Administrator will take into

consideration all information received

during this comment period and will

publish a final rule in the Federal

Register.

(3) If consistent with applicable

ICCAT recommendations, total landings

above or below the specific north

Atlantic or south Atlantic swordfish

annual quota will be subtracted from, or

added to, the following year’s quota for

that management area. Any adjustments

to the 12-month directed fishery quota

will be apportioned equally between the

two semiannual periods. NMFS will

publish notification in the Federal

Register of any adjustment and of the

apportionment made under this

paragraph (d)(3), of this section.

(e) Inseason adjustments. (1) NMFS

may adjust the December 1 through May

31 semiannual directed fishery quota

and gear quotas to reflect actual catches

during the June 1 through November 30

semiannual period, provided that the

12-month directed fishery and gear

quotas are not exceeded.

(2) If NMFS determines that the

annual incidental catch quota will not

be taken before the end of the fishing

year, the excess quota may be allocated

to the directed fishery quotas.

(3) If NMFS determines that it is

necessary to close the directed fishery,

any estimated overharvest or

underharvest of the directed fishery

quota available immediately prior to

that closure will be used to adjust the

annual incidental catch quota

accordingly.

(4) NMFS will publish notification in

the Federal Register of any inseason

adjustment and its apportionment made

under this paragraph (e).

(f) Gear allocations. If NMFS

determines that the annual or

semiannual directed fishery or

incidental catch quotas must be

adjusted pursuant to paragraph (d) or (e)

of this section, the annual or

semiannual gear quotas will be adjusted

so that the new gear quotas represent

the same proportion (percentage) of the

adjusted quota as they did of the quota

before adjustment, provided such

adjusted gear quotas are consistent with

applicable requirements under the

Endangered Species Act and the Marine

Mammal Protection Act.

[FR Doc. 98–15438 Filed 6–9–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 060298A]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a 2-day public meeting on June 24

and 25, 1998, to consider actions

affecting New England fisheries in the

exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on

Wednesday, June 24, 1998, at 10 a.m.

and on Thursday, June 25, 1998, at 8:30

a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Peabody Marriott Hotel, 8A

Centennial Drive, Peabody, MA 01960;

telephone (978) 977–9700. Requests for

special accommodations should be

addressed to the New England Fishery

Management Council, 5 Broadway,

Saugus, MA 01906–1097; telephone:

(781) 231–0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, Executive Director, New

England Fishery Management Council,

(781) 231–0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Wednesday, June 24, 1998

At 9 a.m., the Council will convene a

meeting of its Interspecies Committee to

develop comments on NMFS’ proposed

list of authorized fisheries and gear and

on draft proposed regulations for fishing

vessel buyback programs. The full

Council meeting will begin at 10 a.m.

with discussions on several

experimental fishery proposals for sea

scallops. The Administrator, Northeast

Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator),

will seek public input at this time on a

proposal to allow the use of Atlantic sea

scallop dredge vessels in the Northeast

Multispecies Georges Bank closed areas

to investigate scallop growth, natural

mortality, and population densities and

to collect data that would assist the

Council in the development of a scallop

area management program. The

Interspecies Committee will then review

their comments on the fisheries/gear list

and proposed buyback program

regulations and, if necessary, modify

them based on feedback from the

Council. The Habitat Committee will

approve proposed essential fish habitat

(EFH) designations and alternatives for

American plaice, pollock, redfish,

whiting, sea scallops, Atlantic salmon,

winter and windowpane flounder, and

white hake for purposes of preparing a

public hearing document. The

Committee also will ask for overall

approval of the EFH Amendment public

hearing document.

Thursday, June 25, 1998

The meeting will begin with reports

from the Council Chairman, Executive

Director, Regional Administrator,

Northeast Fisheries Science Center and

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Council liaisons, and representatives of

the Coast Guard and the Atlantic States

Marine Fisheries Commission.

Following reports, the Council will

provide guidance to the Spiny Dogfish

Committee on draft management

measures for inclusion in the fishery
31714 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 111 /Wednesday, June 10, 1998 / Proposed Rules

management plan public hearing

document. The Overfishing Definition

Review Panel will present its final

report on definitions revised or

developed to meet the requirements of

the Sustainable Fisheries Act. During

the afternoon session, the Enforcement

Committee will review its evaluation of

the effectiveness of current management

measures, including trip limits, closed

areas, days-at-sea, and NMFS penalty

schedule. The Whiting Committee will

ask the Council to approve additional

management measures to be considered

at public hearings, including a

moratorium on commercial permits,

limited access qualification criteria,

mesh size restrictions, trip limits, and

other options for the northern and

southern management areas. The

Groundfish Committee Chairman will

review the Committee’s plan to address

Gulf of Maine cod management

proposals and summarize the most

recent Canadian management

information on Georges Bank groundfish

stocks. Prior to addressing any other

outstanding business, the Council will

consider interim management measures

for the monkfish fishery.

Announcement of Experimental Fishery

Applications

The Regional Administrator will

consider the authorization of two

experimental fisheries based on recently

submitted proposals. The first would

allow the harvest of dogfish using

longlines in the Nantucket Shoals

Dogfish Exemption Area. The second

proposal would allow the applicant to

study the effects of a modified whiting

net on flatfish bycatch in the Southern

New England Regulated Mesh Area.

Exempted fishing permits to conduct

experimental fishing would be issued to

exempt participating vessels from

various restrictions in the Atlantic Sea

Scallop and Northeast Multispecies

Fishery Management Plans.

Although other issues not contained

in this agenda may come before this

Council for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal Council action during this

meeting. Council action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

listed in this notice.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5

days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et. seq.

Dated: June 4, 1998.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Serivce.

[FR Doc. 98–15440 Filed 6–9–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F