[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 222 (Wednesday, November 18, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64032-64033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30836]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[I.D. 110998F]
RIN 0648-AJ33
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 7 to the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan; Amendments to Address the
Sustainable Fisheries Act Requirements and Other Measures
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management
plan; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the New England Fishery Management Council
(Council) has submitted Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan (Amendment 7) for Secretarial review and is requesting
comments from the public. Included in Amendment 7 are the new
Sustainable Fisheries Act requirements for Atlantic sea scallops.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 19, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed amendment should be sent to Jon C.
Rittgers, Acting Regional Administrator, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester,
MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on Amendment 7
to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP.''
Copies of Amendment 7, its regulatory impact review, initial
regulatory flexibility analysis, the final supplemental environmental
impact statement, and the supporting documents for Amendment 7 are
available from Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery
Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1036.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978-281-9273.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendment 7 proposes to: (1) Establish a 10-
year stock rebuilding schedule; (2) initiate a new overfishing
definition and rebuilding target for Atlantic sea scallops; (3) revise
the specification of optimum yield; (4) continue the Mid-Atlantic
closed areas, with a sunset date of March 1, 2001; (5) implement a
system for closing and opening areas to improve yield per recruit; (6)
establish an annual monitoring and adjustment
[[Page 64033]]
system to ensure stock rebuilding; and (7) add measures to those that
the Council may implement through the framework adjustment process.
A proposed rule that would implement Amendment 7 may be published
in the Federal Register for public comment, following NMFS' evaluation
of the proposed rule under the procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Public comments on the
proposed rule must be received by the end of the comment period on
Amendment 7 to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on
the FMP amendment. All comments received by January 19, 1999, whether
specifically directed to the FMP amendment or the proposed rule, will
be considered in the approval/disapproval decision. Comments received
after that date will not be considered in the approval/disapproval
decision on the FMP amendment.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 12, 1998.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-30836 Filed 11-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
