33906 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 127 / Monday, July 1, 1996 / Notices

1. Require a minimum weakfish size

of 12 inches total length;

2. Require that weakfish harvested in

the EEZ be landed in accordance with

the landing laws of the state in which

they are landed, with the exception that

weakfish harvested in the EEZ may not

be landed in a ‘‘de minimus’’ state;

3. Require minimum mesh sizes in the

EEZ ‘‘consistent’’ with a 12–inch

minimum fish size. Non-directed

fisheries using smaller mesh sizes may

possess no more than 150 pounds of

weakfish in any one day; and

4. Require that any ‘‘flynets’’ used in

the EEZ south of Cape Hatteras be

operated in compliance with the

applicable regulations of the adjacent

state(s).

All states which have declared an

interest in the management of fisheries

for weakfish are to implement

Amendment 3 by October 1, 1996.

NMFS will assess the Commission’s

recommendations during the SEIS

process.

Management responsibility for

weakfish resides primarily with the

coastal states through the Commission’s

Fishery Management Plan For Weakfish

(Plan). This Plan was adopted in 1985

by the coastal states from Maine through

Florida in response to severe declines in

the weakfish catches and populations

along the coast. Increasingly strict state

regulations have been imposed by

amendments to the Plan since 1985 to

restrict further the harvest of weakfish

by recreational and commercial fisheries

and to allow rebuilding of the stocks.

However, as indicated in the FEIS

published in September 1995, even with

these restrictions, the weakfish

population is not showing signs of

recovery . The FEIS clearly indicates

that the weakfish stock is overfished

and beginning to suffer recruitment

failure. Harvest restrictions are

definitely needed if weakfish are to

recover.

Based on the recent stock

assessments, NMFS will consider

measures to regulate the Atlantic Coast

weakfish fishery in the EEZ for the 1996

fishing year and beyond, including: (1)

A prohibition on the taking or

possession of weakfish in the EEZ; (2)

applying state regulations to the EEZ; (3)

imposition of specific Federal

regulations on weakfish fishing in the

EEZ as recommended by the

Commission’s Amendment 3 to Plan;

and (4) status quo or no action taken.

The Mid-Atlantic Council’s workload

will not permit it to undertake a Plan at

this time. NMFS has determined that

regulations in the EEZ must be

implemented to support the CFMP for

weakfish if there is to be a cooperative

state and Federal effort to rebuild the

weakfish stock.

NMFS has determined that the

preparation of an SEIS is appropriate,

because of the potentially significant

impact of EEZ regulations on the human

environment, and because no specific

EEZ recommendations were available in

the Commission’s Plan when the 1995

FEIS was prepared. The current

Amendment 3 to the Plan has such

recommendations (alternative 3), which

will be assessed during the SEIS

process. Participants in this fishery will

be affected and may face more restricted

harvest of the weakfish resource while

the natural stocks of weakfish are

allowed to recover.

Date: June 25, 1996.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and

Management, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 96–16623 Filed 6–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 051696C]

Marine Mammals; Scientific Research

Permit No. 1004 (P595)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service, (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a

permit for scientific research has been

issued to the Whale Conservation

Institute, 191 Weston Road, Lincoln,

MA 01773.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment,

in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Director, Northeast Region, NMFS,

One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA

01930–2298 (508/281–9250).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

September 28, 1995, notice was

published in the Federal Register (60

FR 50189) that a request for a scientific

research permit had been submitted by

the above-named organization. The

request was to import biopsy samples

collected from both dead stranded and

living, free-ranging animals in the

territorial waters of Argentina, Mexico,

Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile,

over a 2-year period. The requested

permit has been issued under the

authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972 as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA)

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the regulations governing endangered

species permits (50 CFR parts 217–227).

Issuance of this Permit as required by

the ESA of 1973 was based on a finding

that the permit: (1) Was applied for in

good faith; (2) will not operate to the

disadvantage of the endangered species

which is the subject of this permit; and

(3) is consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA.

Dated: June 21, 1996.

William W. Windom,

Acting Chief, Permits and Documentation

Division, Office of Protected Resources,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–16622 Filed 6–28–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Correction of Information Collection

Activity Proposed

AGENCY: Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS).

ACTION: Correction to information

collection activity proposed.

SUMMARY: This document contains

corrections to the notice of 60-day

comment period prior to submitting

Volunteers In Service To America PreApplication Inquiry, Volunteers In

Service To America Project Application,

Volunteers In Service To America

Project Grant Application, and

AmeriCorps*VISTA Project Progress

Report forms, published in the Federal

Register Volume 61, No. 116 (June 14,

1996), pp. 30226–30227.

DATES: AmeriCorps*VISTA will

consider written comments on the

proposed applications and reporting

requirements received no later than

August 13, 1996.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

As published, the Notice omitted the

need for each proposed collection of

information to solicit comments which:

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility:

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used: