31608 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2001 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 053001E]

RIN 0648–A023

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Golden

Crab Fishery off the Southern Atlantic

States; Amendment 3

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

Amendment 3 to the FMP for the golden

crab fishery off the southern Atlantic

states; request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the

South Atlantic Fishery Management

Council (Council) has submitted

Amendment 3 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the Golden Crab

Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

(FMP) for NMFS’ review, approval, and

implementation. Amendment 3 would

make a number of modifications in the

FMP’s management program including

extending the time period for the

allowed use of cable for mainlines

attached to golden crab traps, modifying

vessel permitting requirements,

changing the restrictions regarding

which vessels are allowed to fish in

each of the management zones,

liberalizing the allowed increase in

permitted vessel size, creating a smallvessel subzone in the southern zone,

and specifying maximum sustainable

yield (MSY) and stock status

determination criteria for golden crab

under the FMP. The intended effect of

Amendment 3 and its implementing

rule is to protect the golden crab

resource while allowing the

development of the fishery that is

dependent on that resource.

Specifically, Amendment 3 is designed

to reduce gear conflict in the southern

zone of the fishery, increase

participation in the fishery by easing

permit renewal requirements, and

expand fishing activities in the northern

zone where no fishing currently occurs.

Expected benefits include better

information on the long-term biological

productivity of the resource and an

increase in the supply of golden crab in

the market place with attendant

economic benefits to the fishery.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before August 13, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on

Amendment 3 must be sent to Peter

Eldridge, Southeast Regional Office,

NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive N.,

St. Petersburg, FL 33702. Comments

may also be sent to Peter Eldridge via

fax to 727–570–5583. Comments will

not be accepted if submitted via e-mail

or the Internet.

Requests for Amendment 3, which

includes an Environmental Assessment,

a Regulatory Impact Review, and a

Social Impact Assessment/Fishery

Impact Statement, should be sent to the

South Atlantic Fishery Management

Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite

306, Charleston, SC 29407–4699;

telephone: 843–571–4366; fax: 843–

769–4520; e-mail: safmc@noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peter Eldridge, NMFS; telephone: 727–

570–5305; fax: 727–570–5583; e-mail:

Peter.Eldridge@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each

Regional Fishery Management Council

to submit any fishery management plan

(FMP) or FMP amendment to NMFS for

review and approval, disapproval, or

partial approval. NMFS implements

approved FMP or amendment measures

by issuing a final rule. The MagnusonStevens Act also requires that NMFS,

upon receiving an FMP or amendment,

immediately publish a document in the

Federal Register stating that the FMP or

amendment is available for public

review and comment.

The golden crab fishery off the

southern Atlantic states is managed

under the FMP. This FMP was prepared

by the Council and approved and

implemented by NMFS.

Amendment 3 would (1) extend

through December 31, 2002, the allowed

use of cable for a mainline attached to

golden crab traps; (2) clarify the size of

the required escape panel or door on a

golden crab trap; (3) remove the catch

requirement for renewing a commercial

vessel permit for golden crab; (4) allow

the issuance of a commercial vessel

permit for golden crab for the southern

zone for a vessel that held a valid permit

for the southern zone in October 2000

but did not meet the subsequent 5,000–

lb (2,268–kg) catch requirement for

renewal; (5) allow a vessel greater than

65 feet (19.8 m) in length with a permit

to fish in the southern zone to fish also

in the northern zone; (6) allow two new

commercial vessel permits to be issued

for the northern zone; (7) provide that

a commercial vessel permit will not be

renewed if the NMFS Regional

Administrator does not receive an

application for renewal by June 30 each

year; (8) liberalize the allowed increase

in the size of a permitted vessel; (9)

create a small-vessel sub-zone within

the southern zone in which only

permitted vessels 65 feet (19.8 m) or less

in length may fish for golden crab; such

vessels would be prohibited from

fishing for golden crab in the remainder

of the southern zone; and (10) add to the

FMP’s list of management measures that

may be modified via its framework

procedure for regulatory adjustments

measures related to the southern zone’s

sub-zone.

In addition to the measures described

above, Amendment 3 would establish

the following: (MSY) for golden crab in

the management area; a maximum

fishing mortality threshold (MFMT),

which is the fishing mortality rate that,

if exceeded, constitutes overfishing; and

a minimum stock size threshold

(MSST), which is the stock size below

which golden crab are considered

overfished. The proposed specific

parameters are as follows:

MSY would be an annual yield

between 4 and 12 million lb (1,814 and

5,443 metric tons).

MFMT would be a fishing mortality

rate that is in excess of the fishing

mortality rate that produces MSY.

MSST would be either a ratio of

current biomass to biomass at MSY

(BMSY) or one minus the natural

mortality rate (1 - M) times BMSY where

1 - M should never be less than 0.5.

In accordance with the MagnusonStevens Act, NMFS is evaluating the

proposed rule to determine whether it is

consistent with Amendment 3, the FMP,

the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other

applicable law. If that determination is

affirmative, NMFS will publish the

proposed rule in the Federal Register

for public review and comment.

Comments received by August 13,

2001, whether specifically directed to

Amendment 3 or to the proposed rule,

will be considered by NMFS in its

decision to approve, disapprove, or

partially approve Amendment 3. All

comments received by NMFS on

Amendment 3 or the proposed rule

during their respective comment

periods will be addressed in the final

rule.

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

Dated: June 5, 2001.

William T. Hogarth,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–14772 Filed 6–11–01; 8:45 am]

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