Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 219 / Thursday, November 13, 2014 / Proposed Rules 67411 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Parts 600 and 622 

[Docket No. 080225276–4124–01] 

RIN 0648–AS65 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf, and 

South Atlantic; Aquaculture 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: NMFS reopens the comment 

period on the proposed rule to 

implement the Fishery Management 

Plan for Regulating Offshore 

Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico 

(FMP) that published on August 28, 

2014. The original comment period 

closed on October 27, 2014. NMFS is 

reopening the comment period for an 

additional 15 days to provide the public 

additional time to comment on this 

proposed rule. If implemented, the 

proposed rule would establish a 

comprehensive regulatory program for 

managing the development of an 

environmentally sound and 

economically sustainable aquaculture 

industry in Federal waters of the Gulf of 

Mexico (Gulf). The purpose of the 

proposed rule is to increase the yield of 

Federal fisheries in the Gulf by 

supplementing the harvest of wild 

caught species with cultured product. 

DATES: The comment period for the 

proposed rule that published on August 

28, 2014 (79 FR 51424), and closed on 

October 27, 2014, will reopen on 

November 13, 2014 and remain open 

through November 28, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the proposed rule, identified by 

‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2008–0233,’’ by any of 

the following methods: 

• Electronic Submissions: Submit 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2008- 

0233, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Jess Beck-Stimpert, Southeast Regional 

Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, 

St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

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

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. 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, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. 

Electronic copies of the FMP, which 

includes a final programmatic 

environmental impact statement 

(FPEIS), an initial regulatory flexibility 

analysis (IRFA), and a regulatory impact 

review (RIR) may be obtained from the 

Southeast Regional Office Web site at 

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. 

Comments regarding the burden-hour 

estimates or other aspects of the 

collection-of-information requirements 

contained in this proposed rule may be 

submitted in writing to Anik Clemens, 

Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 

13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 

33701; and the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB), by email at 

OIRASubmission@omb.eop.gov, or by 

fax to 202–395–7285. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jess 

Beck-Stimpert, 727–824–5301. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Aquaculture in the Gulf will be 

managed under the FMP. The FMP was 

prepared by the Council and is being 

implemented through regulations at 50 

CFR part 622 under the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

On August 28, 2014, NMFS published 

a proposed rule to implement the FMP 

to authorize the development of 

commercial aquaculture operations in 

Federal waters of the Gulf (79 FR 

51424). The FMP provides a 

comprehensive framework for 

authorizing and regulating offshore 

aquaculture activities. The FMP also 

establishes a programmatic approach for 

evaluating the potential impacts of 

proposed aquaculture operations in the 

Gulf. 

NMFS received several requests from 

the public to extend the comment 

period of the proposed rule. Due to the 

extensive nature of the FMP and the 

proposed rulemaking, NMFS is 

reopening the comment period on the 

proposed rule for an additional 15 days. 

Comments submitted during the prior 

comment period will be incorporated 

into the public record and will be fully 

considered during the preparation of the 

final rule. 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 561 and 16 U.S.C. 1801 

et seq. 

Dated: November 4, 2014. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–26801 Filed 11–12–14; 8:45 am] 

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