46580 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 155 / Monday, August 11, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

remain anonymous). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 

Adobe PDF file formats only. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gordon Colvin, phone: 301–713–2367; 

fax: 301–713–1875; or e-mail: 

gordon.colvin@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A 

proposed rule to implement the 

National Saltwater Angler Registry 

Program was published on June 12, 

2008 (73 FR 33381). The comment 

deadline established in the proposed 

rule was August 11, 2008. Subsequently, 

NMFS received a request from the Gulf 

of Mexico Fishery Management Council 

to extend the comment period until after 

the Council’s scheduled August 8 to 11 

meeting. The comment period is being 

extended for ten days until August 21, 

2008, to accommodate the request of the 

Council, and to provide additional time 

for other interested parties to submit 

comments. 

Authority: Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1881. 

Dated: August 4, 2008. 

John Oliver 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Operations, National Marine Fisheries 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–18408 Filed 8–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 665 

RIN 0648–AS71 

Fisheries in the Western Pacific; 

Pelagic Fisheries; Squid Jig Fisheries 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery 

management plan amendment; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council proposes to amend the Fishery 

Management Plan for Pelagic Fisheries 

of the Western Pacific Region. If 

approved by the Secretary of Commerce, 

Amendment 15 would add three species 

of pelagic squid to the management 

unit, and establish Federal permitting 

and reporting requirements for squid jig 

fishing vessels over 50 ft in length. 

These vessels would also be required to 

carry observers if requested by NMFS. 

Combined, these measures are intended 

to enable the Council and NMFS to 

better monitor and manage the U.S. 

domestic pelagic squid fisheries. 

DATES: Comments on Amendment 15, 

which includes an environmental 

assessment, must be received by 

October 10, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

amendment, identified by 0648–AS71, 

may be sent to either of the following 

addresses: 

• Electronic Submission: Via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal 

www.regulations.gov; or 

• Mail: William L. Robinson, 

Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific 

Islands Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani 

Blvd, Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814–

4700. 

Instructions: All comments received 

are a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted to 

www.regulations.gov without change. 

All Personal Identifying Information 

(e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 

voluntarily by the commenter may be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

Confidential Business Information, or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. NMFS will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields, if you wish to 

remain anonymous). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, 

or Adobe PDF file formats only. 

Copies of Amendment 15, including 

an environmental assessment, are 

available from the Western Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council), 

1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, 

HI 96813, tel 808–522–8220, fax 808–

522–8226, or www.wpcouncil.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob 

Harman, NMFS PIR, 808–944–2271. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Federal Register document is also 

accessible at the Office of the Federal 

Register Web site: www.gpoaccess.gov/ 

fr. 

A small nearshore squid jig fishery 

operates around the Hawaiian islands of 

Kauai and Hawaii, targeting purple 

flying squid. An international squid jig 

fishery, comprised of U.S. and foreign 

vessels, operates on the Pacific high 

seas. The high seas U.S. squid jiggers 

have targeted neon flying squid in the 

North Pacific, and potentially could 

move into U.S. Exclusive Economic 

Zone waters in the western Pacific. 

Although no resource concerns have 

arisen to date, monitoring programs and 

mechanisms to implement management 

measures (should they become 

necessary) are both necessary. To 

address these needs, the Council 

recommends in Amendment 15 

management measures that would 

improve data compiled on U.S. squid 

fisheries through new permitting, 

monitoring and reporting requirements, 

as follows: 

• Add three pelagic squid species to 

the pelagic management unit (neon 

flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii, 

diamondback squid Thysanoteuthis 

rhombus, and purple flying squid 

Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis); and 

• Require U.S. vessels greater than 50 

ft in length overall that fish for pelagic 

squid in U.S. EEZ of the western Pacific 

to: 

i. obtain Federal permits; 

ii. carry Federal observers if requested 

by NMFS; and 

iii. report any Pacific pelagic squid 

catch and effort either in Federal squid 

logbooks or via existing local reporting 

systems. 

U.S. squid jig vessels that fish only on 

the high seas in the Pacific would be 

required to report their catch and effort 

using the Federal squid logbooks. The 

information collected on squid jig 

fishing would be compiled into a 

centralized database easily available to 

resource scientists and managers. 

These measures, if implemented, 

would provide additional data and 

provisions to enable the Council and 

NMFS to better monitor and manage the 

U.S. domestic pelagic squid fisheries in 

the future. 

Amendment 15 includes an 

environmental assessment (EA) that 

describes the existing squid fishery, 

management, and environment, and 

describes the potential environmental 

impacts of implementing the provisions 

recommended in Amendment 15. The 

EA tiers from a 2005 Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (70 FR 

24038, May 6, 2005), and incorporates 

by reference the previous environmental 

impact analysis of five of the 

alternatives considered in Amendment 

15. New information about future 

fishery management policies became 

available after the Final EIS was 

completed and the additional 

alternative considered in Amendment 

15 is analyzed in the EA. 

Public comments on proposed 

Amendment 15 must be received by 

October 10, 2008 to be considered by 

NMFS in the decision to approve, 

partially approve, or disapprove the 

amendment. A proposed rule to 

implement the amendment has been 

submitted for Secretarial review and 

approval. NMFS expects to publish and 

request public comment on the 

proposed regulation in the near future. 

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


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 155 / Monday, August 11, 2008 / Proposed Rules 46581 

Dated: August 1, 2008. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–18404 Filed 8–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS