34358 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 121 /Wednesday, June 24, 1998 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 061698D ]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public hearings; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a series of public hearings to solicit

comments on proposals to be included

in Amendment 9 to the Fishery

Management Plan (FMP) for the

Northeast Multispecies Fishery,

Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Sea

Scallop FMP, the Atlantic Herring FMP,

and in a single amendment that brings

all Council FMPs (Multispecies, Sea

Scallop, Herring, Monkfish and Atlantic

Salmon) into compliance with essential

fish habitat (EFH) requirements of the

Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA).

DATES: Written comments will be

accepted through July 15, 1998, for

Amendment 9 to the Northeast

Multispecies FMP, through July 31,

1998, for the EFH amendment, and

through August 3, 1998, for Amendment

7 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP and

the Atlantic Herring FMP. The hearings

will begin June 29, 1998, and end July

22, 1998. See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for specific dates.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Paul J.

Howard, Executive Director, New

England Fishery Management Council, 5

Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906–1097.

Hearings will be held in Maine, New

Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode

Island, Connecticut; New Jersey,

Virginia, and North Carolina. 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 specific locations,

see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, (781) 231–0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Council proposes to take action to

address the new and revised

requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act, as amended by the SFA of 1996.

The Council will consider comments

from fishermen, interested parties, and

the general public on the proposals and

alternatives described in four separate

public hearing documents. These

documents have been prepared for

amendments to the Northeast

Multispecies and Sea Scallop FMPs, the

Herring FMP, and an amendment for

compliance with EFH, which will

amend the previously mentioned plans

as well as the Monkfish and Atlantic

Salmon FMPs. Once it has considered

public comments, the Council will

approve final measures and prepare

submission packages for NMFS. There

will be additional opportunities for

public comments when the proposed

rules for these actions are published in

the Federal Register.

Amendment 9 to the Northeast

Multispecies FMP

The Council is presenting the

following items for public review and

comment: (1) Proposed new or revised

overfishing definitions for 12 species in

the Northeast Multispecies Fishery

Management Unit (excluding silver hake

and red hake, which the Council will

address in a separate amendment); (2) a

revised specification of optimum yield

(OY) from the fishery; (3) the inclusion

of Atlantic halibut in the Multispecies

FMP, with measures to stop overfishing

and rebuild the halibut stocks; (4)

modification of the rules allowing the

use of square mesh nets by otter trawl

vessels; (5) a 1–inch increase in the

minimum size for winter flounder; (6) a

possession limit for the Southern New

England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder

fisheries; (7) adjustments to trip limit

management methods; (8) postponement

of the Vessel Monitoring Systems

requirement beyond the scheduled

implementation date of May 1, 1999; (9)

a prohibition on the use of

‘‘streetsweeper’’ trawl gear; and (10) a

framework adjustment process for

approval of aquaculture projects in the

EEZ. The Council will consider all

comments received on these proposals

until the end of the comment period on

July 15, 1998.

Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Sea

Scallop FMP

The following proposals will be

discussed in the public hearing

document: (1) A new overfishing

definition and rebuilding targets for

Atlantic sea scallops; (2) a revised

specification of OY from the fishery; (3)

a 10-year rebuilding schedule as the

preferred alternative and a 7-year

schedule as a non-preferred alternative;

(4) options for increasing the minimum

mesh size of the twine top portion of

scallop dredges to reduce the bycatch of

finfish; (5) continuation of mid-Atlantic

closed areas (unless opened under

specific reopening criteria adopted as

part of the amendment); (6) a system for

closing areas to improve yield per

recruit; (7) annual monitoring and

adjustment of measures to rebuild the

resource; and (8) a provision to allow

the following measures to be

implemented through the framework

adjustment process: (a) leasing of

scallop DAS; (b) scallop size

restrictions; and (c) aquaculture

enhancement measures. Measures to

end overfishing and rebuild the scallop

resource will require substantial

reductions in fishing in the next several

years. Although the proposals are

expected to have positive long-term

economic impacts, they also are

expected to have severely negative

short-term economic, social, and fishing

community impacts. These impacts are

summarized in the public hearing

document, which will be available at

the hearings. The Council will consider

all comments received until the end of

the comment period on August 3, 1998.

Atlantic Herring FMP

Major elements of the proposals in the

public hearing document include (1) a

definition of overfishing and

establishment of a total allowable catch

(TAC); (2) various options to distribute

the TAC; (3) options for controlling the

catch, either through mandatory days

out of the fishery (an open access

fishery) or through a controlled access

system; (4) alternatives for addressing

spawning restrictions; (5) the size of

vessels in the fishery; (6) allowed uses

for herring (such as for roe or meal); (7)

regulations for joint venture and

internal waters processing operations;

and (8) administrative requirements

such as vessel, dealer and operator

permits, vessel and dealer reporting

requirements, and observer/sea sampler

provisions. These are joint Council/

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Commission (ASMFC) public hearings.

The ASMFC measures will be adopted

in state waters, while the Council

measures will apply to vessels holding

Federal permits to fish in the EEZ. The

Council will consider all comments

received until the end of the comment

period on August 3, 1998.

Essential Fish Habitat Amendment

The Council will conduct hearings to

consider public comment on

management proposals to address the

EFH requirements of the SFA and to

submit measures to the Secretary of

Commerce as an amendment to all

Council FMPs. The following items will

be available for public review and

comment: (1) The identification and
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 121 /Wednesday, June 24, 1998 / Proposed Rules 34359

description of EFH for Atlantic herring,

sea scallops, Atlantic salmon, and 15

species of groundfish; (2) the

identification of proposed habitat areas

of particular concern (HAPC) for

Atlantic cod and Atlantic salmon; (3) an

assessment of fishing-related threats and

impacts to EFH; (4) consideration of

management measures to mitigate the

adverse impacts of fishing activities on

EFH and HAPC; (5) an assessment of

non-fishing related threats and impacts

to EFH; (6) conservation and

enhancement measures and

recommendations developed to mitigate

the adverse impacts of non-fishing

related activities on EFH and HAPC; (7)

a provision to allow the revision of the

EFH designations and additional

management measures for the

conservation of EFH to be implemented

through the framework adjustment

process; and (8) research and

information requirements to improve

the designation of EFH and better

understand the impacts of fishing and

non-fishing activities on EFH. The

Council will consider all comments

received until the end of the comment

period on July 31, 1998.

Public Hearings

The dates, times, locations and

telephone numbers of the hearings are

scheduled as follows:

Amendment 9 to the Northeast

Multispecies FMP–

Monday, June 29, 1998, 6:00 p.m.—

Seaport Inn, 110 Middle Street,

Fairhaven, MA 02719; telephone (508)

997–1281;

Tuesday, June 30, 1998, 6:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring

Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone

(207) 775–2311;

Wednesday, July 1, 1998, 6:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn, US Route 1 & 3, Ellsworth,

ME 04605; telephone (207) 667–9341;

Monday July 6, 1998, 6:00 p.m.—St.

Peter’s Club, 21–23 Main Street,

Gloucester, MA 01930; telephone (978)

281–3160;

Tuesday, July 7, 1998, 3:00 p.m.—

Radisson Hotel, 35 Governor Winthrop

Boulevard, New London, CT 06320;

telephone (860) 443–7000;

Wednesday, July 8, 1998, 3:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn, 290 Highway 37 East,

Tom’s River, NJ 08753; telephone (732)

244–4000; and

Monday, July 13, 1998, 3:00 p.m.—

Ramada Inn, 1127 Route 132, Hyannis,

MA 02601; telephone (508) 775–1153.

Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Sea

Scallop FMP–

Monday, June 29, 1998, 1:30 p.m.—

Seaport Inn, 110 Middle Street,

Fairhaven, MA 02719; telephone (508)

997–1281;

Wednesday, July 1, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn, US Route 1 & 3, Ellsworth,

ME 04605; telephone (207) 667–9341;

Monday, July 6, 1998, 3:00 p.m.—

Department of Environment and Natural

Resources, 943 Washington Square

Mall, Washington, NC 27889; telephone

(919) 946–6481;

Tuesday, July 7, 1998, 3:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn Executive Center, 5655

Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach, VA

23462; telephone (757) 499–4400; and

Wednesday, July 8, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Grand Hotel, 1045 Beach Drive, Cape

May, NJ 08204; telephone (609) 884–

5611.

Atlantic Herring FMP–

Tuesday, June 30, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Radisson Hotel, 2081 Post Road,

Warwick, RI 03886; telephone (401)

739–3000;

Wednesday July 1, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue,

Gloucester, MA 01930; telephone (978)

281–9763;

Monday, July 6, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Maine Department of Marine Resources,

194 McKown Point Road, West

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575; telephone

(207) 633–9500;

Wednesday, July 8, 1998, 6:00 p.m.—

Grand Hotel, 1045 Beach Drive, Cape

May, NJ 08204; telephone (609) 884–

5611; and

Thursday, July 9, 1998, 2:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn Executive Center, 5655

Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach, VA.

Essential Fish Habitat Amendment–

Tuesday, July 14, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale Avenue,

Gloucester, MA 01930; telephone (978)

281–9763;

Wednesday, July 15, 1998, 6:00

p.m.—Maine Department of Marine

Resources, 194 McKown Point Road,

West Boothbay Harbor, ME 04575;

telephone (207) 633–9500;

Thursday, July 16, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road,

Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone (603)

436–9713;

Friday, July 17, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 101

Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, MA

02532; telephone (508) 830–5000;

Monday, July 20, 1998, 1:00 p.m.—

Holiday Inn, 290 Highway 37 East,

Tom’s River, NJ 08753; telephone (732)

244–4000; and

Wednesday, July 22, 1998, 6:00

p.m.—Radisson Hotel, 2081 Post Road,

Warwick, RI 02886; telephone (401)

739–3000.

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

These meetings are 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 dates.

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

Dated: June 19, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–16785 Filed 6–23–98; 8:45 am]

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