[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 105 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27042-27043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13452]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 229
[I.D. 051396B]

Pacific Offshore Fisheries Take Reduction Plan; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Public scoping meeting; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intention to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Assessment (EA) for anticipated 
proposed rulemaking under the Take Reduction Plan (TRP) provisions of 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). A draft TRP will be developed 
by the Pacific Offshore Cetacean Take Reduction Team (TRT) and will be 
forwarded to NMFS by August 12, 1996. NMFS then has 60 days to publish 
a proposed TRP, along with any proposed implementing regulations, as 
necessary.

DATES: The scoping meeting will be held on June 25, 1996 at 7 p.m. 
until 10 p.m. Written comments on the scope of the EIS must be 
submitted on or before August 12, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the JAMS/Endispute 
offices in the Santa Monica Business Park, 3340 Ocean Park Boulevard, 
Suite 1050, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Scoping comments, requests for 
additional information, and requests for special

[[Page 27043]]

accomodations should be sent to Irma Lagomarsino, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, Southwest Regional Office, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, 
Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Irma Lagomarsino, (310) 980-4016, fax 
(310) 980-4047, or Victoria Cornish, (301) 713-2322, fax (301) 713-
0376.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 118(f) of the MMPA requires NMFS to 
develop and implement a TRP designed to assist in the recovery or 
prevent the depletion of each strategic marine mammal stock(s) that 
interacts with certain fisheries. The immediate goal of a TRP is to 
reduce, within 6 months of its implementation, the incidental mortality 
or serious injury of strategic marine mammal stocks incidentally taken 
in the course of commercial fishing to levels less than the Potential 
Biological Removal level, or PBR, established for that stock. The long-
term goal of the plan is to reduce, within 5 years of its 
implementation, the incidental mortality or serious injury of marine 
mammals incidentally taken in the course of commercial fishing to 
insignificant levels approaching a zero mortality and serious injury 
rate, taking into account the economics of the fishery, the 
availability of existing technology, and existing state or regional 
fishery management plans.
    Each TRP shall include a review of the information in the final 
stock assessment published under section 117(b) and any new 
information, an estimate of the total number and, if possible, age and 
gender of animals from the stock that are being incidentally lethally 
taken or seriously injured each year during the course of commercial 
fishing operations, recommended regulatory or voluntary measures for 
the reduction of incidental mortality and serious injury, and 
recommended dates for achieving the specific objectives of the plan.
    In accordance with section 118(f)(6)(A), NMFS established the 
Pacific Offshore Cetacean TRT for the California/Oregon thresher shark 
and swordfish drift gillnet fishery on February 12, 1996 (61 FR 5385). 
This fishery interacts with several strategic marine mammal stocks 
including: Mesoplodont sp. beaked whales, Baird's beaked whale, 
Cuvier's beaked whale, the sperm whale, the humpback whale, the pygmy 
sperm whale, and the short-finned pilot whale. These stocks are 
considered strategic under the MMPA, because they are either listed as 
an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, 
or the levels of human-caused mortality are greater than their PBR 
levels.
    The purpose of the scoping meeting is to receive comments in 
anticipation of an EIS or EA that may be prepared for the final TRP and 
any regulations that may be necessary to implement TRP provisions. Any 
EIS or EA prepared would examine the environmental impacts of 
management alternatives considered in the TRP to reduce the incidental 
mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in this fishery as well 
as assessing, based on currently available information, the impacts of 
the TRP and implementing regulations on the human environment, marine 
mammals, and other protected species.
    The scoping meeting is scheduled to coincide with the first day of 
the last meeting of the TRT on June 25-27, 1996. All interested parties 
are encouraged to attend. The scoping meeting will include a short 
presentation from NMFS staff outlining the TRP process and options that 
are being considered and will allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for public 
comment. NMFS is also requesting written comments to be submitted by 
mail or by fax, until August 12, 1996, and background materials are 
available (see ADDRESSES). The meeting is open to the public and is 
physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign 
language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to 
Irma Lagomarsino at (310) 980-4016 by June 20, 1996.

    Dated: May 22, 1996.
Patricia Montanio,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-13452 Filed 5-29-96; 8:45 am]
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