29924 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2001 / Proposed Rules

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

Dated: May 29, 2001.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries,National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13971 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 052101C]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shallow

Water Reeffish Fishery of Puerto Rico

and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Essential

Fish Habitat Generic Amendment to

the Fishery Management Plans of the

U.S. Caribbean; Public Hearings and

Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings and

scoping meetings; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold scoping meetings to obtain input

from fishers, the general public, and

government agencies prior to

developing a Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)

for the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)

Generic Amendment to the Fishery

Management Plans of the U.S. Caribbean

(EFH Generic Amendment). The

Council is also holding public hearings

on Amendment 3 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the Shallow Water

Reeffish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the

U.S. Virgin Islands (Amendment 3).

DATES: Written comments will be

accepted until June 27, 2001. Hearings

and meetings will be held during June.

For specific dates and times of the

hearings and scoping meetings see

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be sent to the Caribbean Fishery

Management Council, 268 Mun ̃ oz

Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan, PR

00918-2577; telephone: 787-766-5926.

Copies of the Scoping Document for

developing the SEIS for the EFH Generic

Amendment can be obtained from the

Council at the same address. Hearings

and meetings will be held in the United

States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for

specific hearing and meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Caribbean Fishery Management Council,

268 Mun ̃oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108,

San Juan, PR 00918–2577; telephone:

787–766–5926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Council published a notice of intent to

prepare an SEIS for the EFH Generic

Amendment (66 FR 15404, March 19,

2001) that provides further detail not

repeated here. The Council will hold

scoping meetings to obtain input from

fishers, the general public, and

Government agencies prior to

developing the SEIS for the EFH Generic

Amendment. The Council is seeking

public input on alternatives for the

designation of EFH and Habitat Areas of

Particular Concern (HAPCs) for the

fisheries and fishery resources under the

Council’s jurisdiction, and on

alternatives for minimizing, to the

extent practicable, the adverse effects of

fishing on EFH. The Council is also

seeking public input on the

environmental impacts associated with

such alternative EFH and HAPC

designations and with measures needed

to mitigate impacts related to both

fishing and non-fishing activities.

Alternatives that would be considered

in the SEIS include, at a minimum, no

action, the preferred alternative

identified in the EFH Generic

Amendment, and multiple alternatives

to the description and identification of

EFH and HAPCs for the managed

fisheries.

The Council will also be convening

public hearings on the proposed

measures included in Amendment 3.

These measures include modifying the

requirement for trap panels, establishing

fishing gear permits, prohibiting the use

of traps in the U.S. Caribbean Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ), and prohibiting

the use of nets in the U.S. Caribbean

EEZ.

Dates, Times, and Locations for the

Public Hearings and Scoping Meetings

The Council will be holding the EFH

Generic Amendment scoping meetings

and the Amendment 3 public hearings

at the same location, with the EFH

Generic Amendment scoping meeting

commencing first, followed by the

Amendment 3 public hearing at the

following locations, times, and dates:

1. June 12, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meetings from 7

p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Amendment 3 Public

Hearings from 7:31 p.m. to 10 p.m.,

Legislature Building, Hilltop Building,

Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI;

2. June 13, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meetings from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.,

Windward Passage Holiday Inn,

Veterans Drive, Charlotte Amalie, St.

Thomas, USVI;

3. June 14, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Hotel on

the Cay, Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI;

4. June 18, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., ‘‘Colegio

de Ingenieros,’’ Antolin Nin corner with

Ricardo Skerret St., Urb. Roosevelt, Hato

Rey, PR;

5. June 19, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Hotel

Villa Real, Rd. 2, Km. 67.2, Santana

Ward, Arecibo, PR;

6. June 20, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.,

Mayaguez Holiday Inn Hotel, 2701, Rd.

2, Mayaguez, PR;

7. June 21, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Ponce

Holiday Inn Hotel, 3315 Ponce By Pass,

Ponce, PR;

8. June 25, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 7

p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7:31 p.m. to 10 p.m.,

‘‘Centro de Usos Mu ́ltiples,’’ Culebra,

PR;

9. June 26, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 7

p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7:31 p.m. to 10 p.m., ‘‘El

Faro’’, Vieques, PR; and

10. June 27, 2001, EFH Generic

Amendment scoping meeting from 2

p.m. to 5 p.m., Amendment 3 public

hearing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., ‘‘Parador

La Familia’’, Rd. 987, Km. 4.1, Fajardo,

PR.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

For more information or request for sign

language interpretation and other

auxiliary aids, please contact Mr.

Miguel A. Rolo ́n (see ADDRESSES) at least

5 days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: May 29, 2001.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13972 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S