[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 102 (Thursday, May 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 29725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12776]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XW67


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold scoping 
hearings for an amendment (Amendment 14) to the Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) for Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB).

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates of hearings.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for hearing addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 
201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    <bullet>June 14, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Hilton Garden Inn, 
Providence Airport/Warwick, One Thuber Street, Warwick, RI 02886, 
telephone: (401) 734-9600;
    <bullet>June 15, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Holiday Inn Express East 
End, 1707 Old Country Rd., Route 58, Riverhead, NY 11901, telephone: 
(631) 548-1000;
    <bullet>June 17, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Congress Hall, 251 Beach 
Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204, telephone: (609) 884-6592; and
    <bullet>June 23, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Virginia Marine Resources 
Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, VA 23607.
    There will also be a separate written comment period for Amendment 
14 scoping, which will be described in an upcoming Federal Register 
announcement for the ``Notice of Intent (NOI)'' to develop an EIS that 
accompanies Amendment 14. That NOI will also contain information 
regarding these scoping hearings, but to provide the public with 
sufficient advance notice this notice is being published now since the 
NOI will likely publish shortly before the scoping hearings.
    More details on the topics addressed in this supplementary 
information section may be found in the Amendment 14 scoping document. 
The Amendment 14 scoping document is available by contacting Dan 
Furlong (see above) or online at: http://www.mafmc.org/fmp/msb.htm.
    The Council initiated Amendment 14 to the MSB FMP for two reasons: 
(1) There is concern by some stakeholders that there may be too much 
capacity in the squid (both Loligo and Illex) fisheries and that 
uncontrolled activation of latent capacity could cause negative 
economic effects for participants. Implementation of catch shares may 
address some of these concerns; and (2) There is concern by some 
stakeholders that more should be done to monitor and/or minimize the 
incidental catch of river herrings (blueback and alewife) and shads 
(American and hickory) in the MSB fisheries, especially given the 
currently low levels of monitoring in the MSB fisheries and the likely 
poor stock status of shads and river herrings.
    Related to the above concerns, this amendment may address one or 
more of the following issues: (1) The implementation of catch share 
systems for the squid fisheries to further refine the existing 
management process; the biological and socio-economic outcomes of a 
catch share system and how such outcomes depend on specific program 
design features; the possible need for changes to existing information 
collection processes if a catch share system is implemented; and (2) 
The need for additional fishery monitoring in order to determine the 
significance of river herring and shad incidental catch in the MSB 
fisheries; and the effectiveness and impacts of possible management 
measures to minimize bycatch and/or incidental catch of river herrings 
and shads in the MSB fisheries.
    The Council will first gather information during the scoping 
period. This is the first and best opportunity for members of the 
public to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be 
considered in Amendment 14. The Council needs your input both to 
identify management issues and develop effective alternatives. Your 
comments early in the amendment development process will help us 
address issues of public concern in a thorough and appropriate manner. 
Comments can be made during the scoping hearings as described above or 
in writing - the written comment period will be announced soon. If the 
Council decides to move forward with Amendment 14, the Council will 
develop a range of management alternatives to be considered and prepare 
a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to analyze the impacts of 
the management alternatives being considered as required by the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Following a review of any 
comments on the DEIS, the Council will then choose preferred management 
measures for submission with the Final EIS to the Secretary of Commerce 
for publishing of a proposed and then final rule, both of which have 
additional comment periods.

Special Accommodations

    The hearings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to M. Jan Saunders at the Mid-Atlantic Council 
Office, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: May 24, 2010.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-12776 Filed 5-26-10; 8:45 am]
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