[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 214 (Friday, November 5, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60402-60404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29081]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 102899A]
Pelagics Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings; notice of cancellation of one
scoping meeting; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On October 6, 1999, and on October 20, 1999, NMFS announced
its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (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 Pelagics Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FMP) and all
amendments thereto. Additionally, NMFS announced its intention to
prepare an Environmental Assessment (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. NMFS is holding 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 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 or fax written comments. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting times and special accommodations.
ADDRESSES: The Responsible Program Manager for this EIS is Rodney R.
McInnis, Acting Southwest Regional Administrator, NMFS. 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. Comments also may be sent, via facsimile, to 808-973-
2941. NMFS will not accept comments sent by e-mail or the Internet. 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 affecting
the quality of the human environment (42 U.S.C. 4332).
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 environmental documents
(environmental assessments, categorical exclusions, findings of no
significant
[[Page 60403]]
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
at 64 FR 54272, October 6, 1999. An informational presentation of the
project will be made at a scoping meeting to be held in the Hawaiian
Islands on Oahu at the following time and location:
Waianae, Oahu, HI--November 30, 1999, 6--8 p.m., Waianae Public
Library, 85625 Farrington Hwy., Waianae, HI 96792.
Scoping meetings in American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, and Guam will be held at the following times and
locations:
1. Fagatogo, American Samoa, --November 15, 1999, 3--5 p.m.,
Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) Conference Room, AS.
Phone contact c/o DMWR (684) 633-4456.
2. Agana (Hagatna), GUAM, --November 16, 1999, 7--8 p.m., Guam
Fishermen's Cooperative Association, Hagatna Boat Basin, Agana
(Hagatna), GU. Phone contact c/o Guam Dept. of Commerce (671) 475-0321.
3. Susupe, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(CNMI), --November 17, 1999, from 7:00-8:00 p.m., Joeten-Kiyu Library,
Beach Road, Susupe, Saipan, CNMI. Phone Division of Fish and Wildlife
Resources (DFWR) 670-322-9627 for information.
The meeting scheduled for Haleiwa, Oahu, HI for November 8, 1999,
from 6--8 p.m., at Haleiwa Alii Beach Park,
[[Page 60404]]
66167 Haleiwa Rd., Haleiwa, HI 96712 has been canceled. The
cancellation is due to loss of access to the Haleiwa Alii Beach Park
site. Interested persons are invited to attend the meeting scheduled
for November 30, 1999, 6--8 p.m., at the Waianae Public Library, 85625
Farrington Hwy., Waianae, HI 96792.
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: November 2, 1999.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-29081 Filed 11-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
