[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59162-59163]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28642]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 071698B]
RIN 0648-AJ67
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries; Supplementary
Environmental Impact Statement; Notice of Intent
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a Supplementary Environmental
Impact Statement (SEIS) document.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare an SEIS to assess the
impact on the natural and human environment of management strategies
designed to reduce bycatch from pelagic longlines. The SEIS will
examine time/area management alternatives available to NMFS to reduce
the incidence of bycatch of undersized swordfish, Atlantic billfish,
and other overfished HMS, as well as protected species (including sea
turtles) by pelagic longlines fished along the Atlantic coastal waters
of the United States. The purpose of this notice is to inform the
interested public of the intent to prepare the SEIS document, and to
announce the availability of a draft Technical Memorandum that provides
background information on the materials and analytical methods used by
NMFS in developing potential time/area closure fishery management
alternatives to reduce bycatch from the U.S. Atlantic pelagic longline
fishery.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management
Plan (HMS FMP), Amendment 1 of the Atlantic Billfish FMP, the final
rule, supporting documents, and the HMS Time/Area draft Technical
Memorandum can be obtained from Rebecca Lent, Chief, Highly Migratory
Species Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Buck Sutter, NMFS, (727) 570-5447, or
Jill Stevenson, NMFS, (301) 713-2347.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In a September 1997 Report to Congress, NMFS identified north
Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic blue marlin and Atlantic white marlin as
overfished; west Atlantic sailfish were included in the 1998 report.
The HMS FMP and Amendment 1 of the Atlantic billfish FMP amendment,
including final environmental impact statements (revised final SEIS for
the Atlantic billfish amendment), were published in April, 1999, to
comply with provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) for fisheries identified as
overfished. The final rule implementing actions included in these FMPs
was published on May 28, 1999 (64 FR 29090). Among the fishery
conservation and management measures contained within the HMS FMP and
Atlantic billfish FMP amendment are actions specifically addressing
bycatch concerns associated with HMS fisheries, as required under
national standard 9. NMFS is also subject to other national and
international requirements to minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality,
most notably under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered
Species, and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, which provides
authority to implement International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommendations.
Complicating bycatch management of swordfish and Atlantic billfish
is the highly migratory nature of these species, resulting in movement
outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where they are available
for capture by other countries. The United States accounts for 29
percent of the north Atlantic swordfish quota (1997-1999) while
Atlantic billfish mortality levels from all U.S. sources (commercial
dead discards and recreational landings) during the 1990s averaged only
5.2 percent for Atlantic blue marlin, 5.8 percent for white marlin, and
6.6 percent of west Atlantic sailfish, relative to the total mortality
as reported to ICCAT. It is important to note, however, that despite
the highly migratory nature of these species, changes in fishing
patterns or management measures that impact fishing mortality levels in
a portion of their range may result in localized increases or decreases
in abundance.
Time/area closures have been utilized as a fishery management tool
to reduce bycatch for several U.S. marine fisheries, including North
Pacific fisheries (herring, crab and groundfish fisheries), the
northeast groundfish gillnet fishery (through the Northeast
[[Page 59163]]
Multispecies FMP), and the bluefin tuna fishery off the coast of New
Jersey during the month of June. In the case of billfish and undersized
swordfish, time/area closures for the pelagic longline fishery appear
to show promise as interaction with billfish and undersized swordfish
bycatch tend to occur in discernable patterns.
The draft HMS FMP and Atlantic billfish FMP amendment included a
preferred alternative for time/area closure in the Florida Straits
(26 deg. to 28 deg. N. lat., 78 deg. to 81 deg. W. long.) to pelagic
longline fishing activity during the months of July, August, and
September as part of a management strategy to reduce bycatch of
undersized swordfish and Atlantic billfish. NMFS received many written
and verbal comments on this proposed closure. The majority of comments
received questioned the effectiveness of the Florida Straits closure
based on the small size of the selected area relative to the range of
the target species within the U.S. EEZ and Atlantic Ocean. In the final
HMS FMP, NMFS agreed that this closure would likely be ineffective, and
that NMFS would consider, under the framework provisions of the HMS
FMP, a larger area or areas. Because of the potential magnitude of the
economic and social impacts that would likely result from a more
extensive time/area closure, NMFS delayed implementation until
completion of further analyses and consultation with the Highly
Migratory Species and Atlantic Billfish Advisory Panels (AP's).
On June 10 and 11, 1999, NMFS met with the HMS and Billfish APs to
discuss the issue of expanded time/area closures. NMFS has prepared a
draft Technical Memorandum that provides a preliminary discussion of
the information, methods, and procedures used to identify and analyze
alternative time/area closures for U.S. pelagic longlines operating in
the Atlantic Ocean. A copy of the HMS Time/Area Technical Memorandum is
currently available (see ADDRESSES).
Management Measures Under Consideration
NMFS will consider various spatial and temporal closures of waters
along the continental U.S. Atlantic coast, including the Gulf of
Mexico, to U.S. pelagic longlines. Analyses will likely be limited to
areas generally within the U.S. EEZ where most of the incidental catch
of species not sought occurs. It is anticipated that the spatial
boundaries for time/area closures will follow specific latitudes or
longitudes, as appropriate, to facilitate practical application of
potential closures to both commercial vessels and enforcement entities.
NMFS will also consider the impacts under various assumptions regarding
displaced fishing effort, in order to fully evaluate environmental,
social, economic and biological impacts of the alternatives.
NMFS has determined that preparation of an SEIS is appropriate
because of the potentially significant impact of regulations on the
human environment. Based on discussions with the APs, NMFS is preparing
a SEIS to fully assess potential impacts on the natural and human
environment of various time/area closure alternatives to reduce bycatch
of undersized swordfish, Atlantic billfish, other overfished or
approaching overfished HMS, and protected species, from U.S. Atlantic
pelagic longlines.
Timing of the Analysis and Tentative Decisionmaking Schedule
The public will be provided ample opportunity for written and
verbal comments following the publication of the proposed rule. NMFS
anticipates that a proposed rule outlining a time/area fishery closure
for pelagic longlines will be completed by mid-December, 1999, with a
final rule completed by May 1, 2000.
Dated: October 27, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-28642 Filed 11-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
