[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 112 (Monday, June 10, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 29339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14494]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 641

[I.D. 052096A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Public hearings; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene five public hearings on Draft Amendment 14 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP) and 
a draft environmental assessment (EA).

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until July 1, 1996. The public 
hearings will be held from June 17 to June 21, 1996. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to and copies of the draft 
amendment are available from Mr. Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 5401 West Kennedy Boulevard, 
Tampa, FL 33609.
    The hearings will be held in Florida. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
for locations of the hearings and public accommodations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, 813 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will be holding public hearings 
on Draft Amendment 14 to the FMP and its draft EA. Amendment 14 
includes management alternatives for regulating the fish trap fishery. 
Alternatives under consideration include: (1) Creation of a commercial 
vessel license system limiting participants in the trap fishery along 
with provisions for the transfer of vessel permits, (2) extending the 
current moratorium on the issuance of fish trap endorsements for 4 more 
years, (3) limiting permits to current trap fishery participants and 
phasing out the trap fishery after 10 years, and (4) evaluating the 
effectiveness of enforcement of trap rules over 2 years before taking 
further action. The current moratorium on new fish trap endorsements 
expires in February 1997. Amendment 14 also includes several 
alternatives related to area prohibitions on the use of fish traps 
including prohibiting: (1) The use of fish traps south of 24 deg.54' N. 
lat. (i.e., off Dry Tortugas, FL);
    (2) use of traps in the Gulf of Mexico west of Cape San Blas, FL 
(Appalachicola area); (3) use of traps on Riley's Hump (a 20 square 
mile (51 km) spawning aggregation site, south of Dry Tortugas); and (4) 
all fishing on Riley's Hump year round, making it a marine sanctuary. 
Amendment 14 would modify the provisions for tending traps and 
establish compliance conditions for the trap permit.
    Additional management measures in Amendment 14 include: (1) 
Modifying the FMP framework procedure for specifying total allowable 
catch by allowing the Regional Director, in addition to being able to 
open and close a commercial fishery, to reopen a closed commercial 
fishery if needed to ensure that the fishery quota is harvested; (2) 
modifying the transfer provisions for reef fish vessel permits (under 
the reef fish commercial vessel permit moratorium) to allow transfers 
of permits to an income qualifying operator; also allowing a vessel 
owner 1 year to meet the income qualifications if the permit has been 
issued based on income qualifications of the operator; and (3) 
prohibiting the harvest of Nassau grouper in the Gulf of Mexico because 
of resource declines.
    The hearings are scheduled from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. as follows:
    1. Monday, June 17, 1996--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 North 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040
    2. Tuesday, June 18, 1996--Naples Depot Civic-Cultural Center, 1051 
Fifth Avenue South, Naples, FL 33940
    3. Wednesday, June 19, 1996--Plantation Inn and Golf Resort, West 
Fort Island Trail (CR 44W), Crystal River, FL 34423
    4. Thursday, June 20, 1996--Steinhatchee Elementary School, First 
Avenue South, Steinhatchee, FL 32359
    5. Friday, June 21, 1996--Crawfordville Board of County 
Commissioners Conference Room, Old Aaron Road (behind the Courthouse), 
Crawfordville, FL 32326

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by June 12, 1996.

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

    Dated: June 3, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-14494 Filed 6-7-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F