[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 29, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26847-26848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13341]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 651

[I.D. 052196A]


Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Amendment 7; Resubmission of the 
Measure for the Nonregulated Species Permit Category

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the New England Fishery Management Council 
(Council) has resubmitted a previously disapproved proposal contained 
in Amendment 7 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) concerning the Possession Limit category permit. The Council 
revised the permit and submitted it for Secretarial review. The 
intended effect of this measure is to allow fishing for nonregulated 
multispecies (silver hake, red hake, and ocean pout) in fisheries 
having minimal bycatch of regulated multispecies.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 24, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Dr. Andrew A. Rosenberg, Regional Director, 
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Possession 
Limit Permit Category.''
    Copies of the original Amendment 7 and related documents are 
available from the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway 
(U.S. Rte. 1), Saugus, MA, 01906-1097.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter W. Christopher, Fishery 
Management Specialist, 508-281-9288.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendment 7 was prepared by the Council and 
submitted to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review under 
section 304(b) of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson Act). The Magnuson Act requires the Secretary to approve, 
disapprove, or partially disapprove FMPs or amendments, based upon a 
determination of consistency with national standards and other 
applicable laws. On February 14, 1996, the Secretary announced 
disapproval of three measures contained in Amendment 7: The additional 
allowance of days-at-sea (DAS) for trawl vessels enrolled in the 
Individual DAS category that use exclusively 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh, 
the 300-lb (136.1 kg) possession allowance of regulated species for 
vessels that use 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh in an exempted fishery, and the 
establishment of a limited access category for vessels that fished in 
the Possession Limit open access category under Amendment 5. The 
remainder of Amendment 7 was published as a proposed rule on March 5, 
1996 (61 FR 8540), and the first two of the three disapproved measures 
were resubmitted by the Council. The measure that would have allowed a 
300-lb (136.1 kg) regulated species possession limit for vessels 
fishing with 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh in an exempted fishery was again 
disapproved and the measure that would give additional multispecies DAS 
to all limited access multispecies vessels fishing exclusively with 
large mesh was published as a proposed rule on April 18, 1996 (61 FR 
16892). Amendment 7, with the exception of the three measures, was 
approved on May 16, 1996. The resubmitted measure that would give 
additional DAS to all groundfish vessels fishing under the Large Mesh 
Individual DAS category was approved on May 17, 1996, and has been 
added to the final rule to implement Amendment 7.
    Pursuant to section 304(b)(3)(A) of the Magnuson Act, the Council 
has resubmitted the third disapproved measure. This proposed measure is 
designed to allow fishing for nonregulated multispecies by vessels that 
do not qualify for a limited access permit.
    Regulations proposed by the Council to implement the resubmitted 
measure for Amendment 7 to the FMP are scheduled to be published within 
15 days.

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


[[Page 26848]]


    Dated: May 22, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-13341 Filed 5-23-96; 8:45 am]
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