17770 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

49 CFR Part 234

[FRA Docket No. RSGC–6; Notice No. 2]

RIN 2130–AA92

Selection and Installation of Grade

Crossing Warning Systems; Notice of

Proposed Rulemaking

AGENCY: Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA), Department of

Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Change of hearing date.

SUMMARY: On March 2, 1995, FRA

published in the Federal Register a

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

(60 FR 11649) regarding the selection

and installation of grade crossing

warning systems. A public hearing was

scheduled for May 9, 1995.

Due to scheduling constraints, FRA

must change the date of the public

hearing. As a consequence, FRA is

rescheduling the public hearing to April

24, 1995. The hearing location remains

the same and will be held in room 2230

of the Nassif Building, DOT

Headquarters Building, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Washington, DC. We

apologize for any inconvenience this

rescheduling may cause.

DATES: A public hearing will be held at

9:30 a.m. on April 24, 1995.

ADDRESSES: A public hearing will be

held in room 2230 of the Nassif

Building, 400 Seventh Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. Persons desiring to

speak at the hearing should notify the

Docket Clerk by telephone (202–366–

0628) or by writing to the Docket Clerk

at the address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bruce F. George, Chief, Highway-Rail

Crossing and Trespasser Programs

Division, Office of Safety, FRA, 400

Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20590 (telephone 202–366–0533), or

Mark Tessler, Trial Attorney, Office of

Chief Counsel, FRA, 400 Seventh Street,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590

(telephone 202–366–0628).

Issued in Washington, DC on March 31,

1995.

Donald M. Itzkoff,

Deputy Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95–8627 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Chapter VI

[Docket No. 950316075–5075–01; I.D.

022895C]

RIN 0648–AH86

Golden Crab Fishery off the Southern

Atlantic States; Control Date

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed

rulemaking; consideration of a control

date.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

the South Atlantic Fishery Management

Council (Council) is considering

whether there is a need to impose

management measures in the golden

crab fishery in the exclusive economic

zone (EEZ) off the southern Atlantic

states, and if there is a need, what

management measures should be

imposed. If it is determined that there

is a need to impose management

measures, the Council may initiate a

rulemaking to do so. Possible measures

include the establishment of a limited

entry program to control participation or

effort in the fishery. If a limited entry

program is established, the Council is

considering April 7, 1995, as a possible

control date. Consideration of a control

date is intended to discourage new entry

into the fishery based on economic

speculation during the Council’s

deliberation on the issues.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by

May 8, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

directed to the South Atlantic Fishery

Management Council, Southpark

Building, Suite 306, 1 Southpark Circle,

Charleston, SC 29407–4699.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peter J. Eldridge, 813–570–5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

golden crab fishery is not currently

managed under a fishery management

plan (FMP) prepared under the

authority of the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

However, there is a small scale trap

fishery for golden crabs (Chaceon

fenneri) in the EEZ off the southern

Atlantic states. The fishery is

prosecuted primarily in depths of 110 to

220 fathoms (approximately 200 to 400

m) on sand, mud, and clay bottoms. The

fishery has operated sporadically off

North and South Carolina and off the

east coast of Florida. The fishery is

currently operating 8 to 10 miles (15 to

19 km) off Miami, FL. Information on

the fishery is limited—the number of

fishermen, number of traps, and current

production are unknown.

In February 1995, the Council held a

scoping meeting to solicit input from

the industry and public on the need for

management of the golden crab fishery.

Based on the results of the meeting, the

Council began development of

management options for the fishery. The

range of options the Council will

consider include data collection, area

restrictions, seasons, size limits, trap

escape panel requirements, prohibition

on harvest of females, and limited entry

or access. Implementation of any

management measures for the fishery

would require preparation by the

Council of a new FMP or amendment to

an existing FMP to include golden crab.

The Council will discuss these issues at

its April 10–14, 1995, meeting in

Savannah, GA. In either event,

publication of a proposed rule with a

public comment period, NMFS’

approval of the FMP or amendment, and

publication of a final rule would be

required.

As the Council considers management

options, including limited entry or

access-controlled management regimes,

some fishermen who do not currently

harvest golden crab, and have never

done so, may decide to enter the fishery

for the sole purpose of establishing a

record of making commercial landings

of golden crab. When management

authorities begin to consider use of a

limited access management regime, this

kind of speculative entry often is

responsible for a rapid increase in

fishing effort in fisheries that are already

fully developed or overdeveloped. The

original fishery problems, such as

overcapitalization or overfishing, may

be exacerbated by the entry of new

participants. If management measures to

limit participation or effort in the

fishery are determined to be necessary,

the Council is considering April 7, 1995

as the control date. After that date,

anyone entering the fishery may not be

assured of future participation in the

fishery if a management regime is

developed and implemented that limits

the number of participants in the

fishery.

Consideration of a control date does

not commit the Council or NMFS to any

particular management regime or

criteria for entry into the golden crab

fishery. Fishermen are not guaranteed

future participation in the golden crab

fishery regardless of their date of entry

or intensity of participation in the

fishery before or after the control date
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 67 / Friday, April 7, 1995 / Proposed Rules 17771

under consideration. The Council may

subsequently choose a different control

date, or it may choose a management

regime that does not make use of such

a date. The Council may choose to give

variably weighted consideration to

fishermen in the fishery before and after

the control date. Other qualifying

criteria, such as documentation of

commercial landings and sales, may be

applied for entry. The Council may

choose also to take no further action to

control entry or access to the fishery, in

which case the control date may be

rescinded.

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

Dated: April 3, 1995.

Gary Matlock,

Program Management Officer, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–8623 Filed 4–6–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F