[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 20, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56479-56481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27354]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 101399A]
Pelagics Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS); Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA);
scoping meetings; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: On October 6, 1999, NMFS announced its intent to prepare an
EIS on Federal management of the fishery for pelagic species in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters of the Western Pacific Region. The
scope of the EIS analysis will include all activities related to the
conduct of the fishery authorized and managed under the Fishery
Management Plan for the Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region
(FMP) and all amendments thereto. Additionally, NMFS announced its
intention to prepare an EA on the fishery for pelagic species in the
EEZ waters of the Western Pacific Region. The scope of the analysis of
the EA will include all activities related to the conduct of the
fishery for the 2-year period NMFS anticipates is necessary to prepare
the EIS. Both the EIS and EA will examine the impacts of pelagics
harvest on, among other things, sea turtles and seabirds.
NMFS will hold concurrent scoping meetings to provide for public
input into the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts that the EIS
and EA should consider. Scoping for the EIS and EA commenced with
publication of the document published on October 6, 1999. In addition
to holding the scoping meetings, NMFS is accepting written comments on
the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts it should be
considering for this EIS, as well as comments on the scope of the EA.
DATES: Written comments will be accepted through December 6, 1999. See
ADDRESSES for location to mail written comments. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for meeting times and special accommodations.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests to be included on a mailing
list of persons interested in the EIS should be sent to Marilyn
Luipold, Pacific Islands Area Office, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite
1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting locations and special
accommodations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn Luipold, 808-973-2937 or 2935
extension 204.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, the United States has exclusive
fishery management authority over all living marine resources within
the EEZ between the seaward boundary of each state or U.S. island
possession seaward to 200 nautical miles from the baseline used to
measure the territorial sea. The management of these marine resources
is vested in the Secretary of Commerce and in eight regional fishery
management councils. The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) has the responsibility to prepare FMPs for the marine
resources that require conservation and management in the Western
Pacific Region. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires
preparation of EISs for major Federal actions significantly impacting
the quality of the human environment (40 CFR 1502.9(a)).
The FMP was developed by the Council, and regulations implementing
management measures were published on February 17, 1987 (52 FR 5983).
An EA was prepared for the action implementing the FMP. The FMP has
been amended seven times, and NEPA
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environmental documents (environmental assessments, categorical
exclusions, findings of no significant impact, and an EIS) have been
prepared for each FMP and regulatory amendment. However, many of these
earlier documents have become outdated and/or focused on individual
management actions, making it difficult to obtain a comprehensive view
of issues and management options for the fishery as it exists today.
NMFS is undertaking preparation of a comprehensive EIS in order to
analyze the fishery as it is currently conducted, to address any and
all impacts that might have been overlooked in earlier analyses, and to
improve management of the fishery. The Federal action under review is
defined as, among other things, all activities authorized and managed
under the FMP, as amended.
The EIS will present an overall picture of the environmental
effects of fishing as conducted under the FMP, rather than focusing
narrowly on one management action, and will include a range of
reasonable management alternatives and an analysis of their impacts in
order to define issues and provide a clear basis for choice among
options by the public, the Council, and NMFS. NMFS intends to assess
the biological and socio-economic impacts that result from regulation
of the pelagic fisheries of the Western Pacific Region, including
license limitation, as well as present and potential controls on
effort, harvest levels, location, timing, and methods of fishing. The
effects on associated species, including interactions with protected
species, will be assessed. NMFS intends to evaluate the significant
changes that have occurred in the pelagic fisheries, including the
significant cumulative effects of changes in fishing activities, socio-
economics, the environment, and management. The assessment will include
analysis of the cumulative or incremental impacts of actions and
alternatives. Impacts associated with status quo management (i.e.,
continuation of fishing as currently conducted) will be presented and
compared to situations simulating limits on fishing areas and/or gears
over all or parts of the management area. Possible alternatives to the
current conduct of the fishery include a range of area and/or seasonal
closures for the longline fishery, gear restrictions and/or
modifications, including prohibitions on the use of longline gear in
some or all of the management area, and adjustments to requirements for
handling incidental hookings and takings of protected species. The
impacts of EEZ fishing activity and harvest on the marine environment
will be assessed under representative alternative management scenarios
that will ensure consideration of impacts that may reach beyond the
EEZ. As the number of possible alternatives is virtually infinite, the
EIS will not consider detailed alternatives for every aspect of the
FMP. Therefore, a principal objective of the scoping and public input
process is to identify a reasonable set of management alternatives
that, with adequate analysis, will sharply define critical issues and
provide a clear basis for choice among the alternatives.
Issues
The environmental consequences section of the EIS will display the
impacts of pelagics harvest accruing with present management
regulations and under a range of representative alternative management
regulations on Western Pacific ecosystem issues. These issues include:
Essential fish habitat (EFH), target and non-target species of fish
(including tunas, swordfish, and sharks), fish that are discarded,
marine mammals (Hawaiian monk seals and cetaceans), sea turtles, and
seabirds present in the Western Pacific ecosystem. In addition, the
environmental consequences section will contain a summary,
interpretation, and predictions for socio-economic issues associated
with conduct of the fishery on the following groups of individuals: (1)
Those who participate in harvesting the fishery resources and other
living marine resources, (2) those who process and market the fish and
fishery products, (3) those who are involved in allied support
industries, (4) those who consume fishery products, (5) those who rely
on living marine resources in the management area either for
subsistence needs or for recreational benefits, (6) those who benefit
from non-consumptive uses of living marine resources, (7) those
involved in managing and monitoring fisheries, and (8) fishing
communities.
EA Issues
In the EA, NMFS intends to evaluate whether the conduct of the
current fisheries over the next 2 years will have significant
environmental impacts. The Federal action under review in the EA is
defined as all activities authorized and managed under the FMP, as
amended, for the 2-year period anticipated to be necessary for
preparation of the EIS. The EA will present an overall picture of the
environmental effects over the next 2 years of fishing as conducted
under the FMP. Efforts will be made to quantify and explain the
intensity of projected impacts on EFH, target and non-target species of
fish (including tunas, swordfish, and sharks), fish that are discarded,
marine mammals (Hawaiian monk seals and cetaceans), sea turtles, and
seabirds present in the Western Pacific ecosystem. Additionally, the EA
will evaluate socio-economic impacts associated with the fishery on
groups of individuals, including fishing communities, harvesters,
processors and marketers, consumers, subsistence and recreational users
of living marine resources in the management area, non-consumptive
users, and individuals involved in allied support industries and
management and monitoring of the fisheries. Although the focus of the
EA will be analysis of impacts associated with continuation of fishing
as currently conducted, reasonable alternatives for application in the
2-year period, including area and/or seasonal closures for the longline
fishery, gear restrictions and/or modifications including prohibitions
on the use of longline gear in part or all of the management area, and
adjustments to requirements for handling incidental hookings and
takings of protected species, will be addressed.
Public Involvement
Scoping for the EIS and EA began with publication of the document
on October 6, 1999, at 64 FR 54272. Informational presentations of the
project will be made at scoping meetings held in the Hawaiian Islands
on Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii. at the following times and locations:
Dates and Times
1. Lihue, Kauai, HI--October 25, 1999, 6 - 8 p.m., Outrigger Kauai
Beach Hotel, 4331 Kauai Beach Dr., Lihue, HI 96766.
2. Kona, Hawaii, HI--October 27, 1999, 6 - 8 p.m., Hotel King
Kamehameha, 75-5660 Palani Rd., Kailua Kona, HI 96740 3. Hilo, Hawaii,
HI--October 28, 1999, 6 - 8 p.m., Hawaii Naniloa Resort, 93 Banyan Dr.,
Hilo, HI 96720
4. Kihei, Maui, HI--November 4, 1999, at 6 - 8 p.m., Maui Coast
Hotel, 2259 South Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753.
5. Haleiwa, Oahu, HI--November 8, 1999, 6 - 8 p.m., Haleiwa Alii
Beach Park, 66167 Haleiwa Rd., Haleiwa, HI 96712.
6. Waianai, Oahu, HI -- November 30, 1999, 6 - 8 p.m., Waianai
Public Library, 85625 Farrington Hwy., Waianai, HI 96792 Arrangements
are being made for meetings to be held on or about November 15, 1999,
in Pago Pago,
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American Samoa; November 17, 1999, in Saipan, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands; and November 18, 1999, in Tumon Bay, Guam.
Specific times and locations will be announced in a separate Federal
Register document. The Responsible Program Manager for this EIS is
Rodney R. McInnis, Acting Southwest Regional Administrator, NMFS.
Special Accommodations
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Marilyn Luipold, (see ADDRESSES),
808-973-2937 (voice) or 808-973-2941 (fax), at least 5 days before
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 14, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-27354 Filed 10-15-99; 3:22 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
