[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 247 (Tuesday, December 27, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31649]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: December 27, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 628
[I.D. 120994B]
Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS); request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the intention of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) to prepare an EIS for proposed Amendment 1
to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Current stock
assessment information indicates that bluefish are overfished, and the
FMP contains no fishing mortality rate reduction strategy. Additional
management measures are necessary for both the recreational and the
commercial fisheries. In the development of Amendment 1, the Council
proposes to consider additional management measures for both
recreational and commercial fisheries along with a reevaluation of
existing management objectives. The Council also announces a public
process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for
identifying the significant issues relating to revising the management
of bluefish. The purpose of this document is to inform the public of
the commencement of a scoping process and to provide the opportunity
for public participation in the development of Amendment 1 to the FMP.
All persons affected by, or otherwise interested in, the proposed
amendment are invited to participate in determining the scope of
significant issues to be considered in the EIS by submitting written
comments. The scoping process also will identify and eliminate from
detailed study issues that are not significant.
DATES: The Council will discuss Amendment 1 at regularly scheduled
meetings. The public will be notified (by a Federal Register document)
of the specific agendas and starting times at least 2 weeks prior to
Council meetings. The currently scheduled scoping meetings will be held
on December 21, 1994, and throughout January 1995 (see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION).
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the scoping process and the scope
of the EIS to David R. Keifer, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, Room 2115 Federal Building, 300 South New Street,
Dover, DE 19904-6790.
The meetings will be held in NJ, FL, NC, NY, VA, RI, MA, and MD
(see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). As additional meetings are scheduled,
they will be announced in the Federal Register. Public hearings will be
scheduled after completion of the Draft EIS; notification of the
hearings will be published in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David R. Keifer, Executive Director,
302-674-2331; FAX: 302-674-5399.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The scheduled scoping meetings are as
follows:
1. December 21, 1994, 7 p.m., Long Branch--Hilton, 1 Ocean Blvd.,
Long Branch, NJ
2. January 4, 1995, 6 p.m., Stuart--Stuart City Hall, 121 SW.
Flagler Ave., Stuart, FL
3. January 9, 1995, 7 p.m., Washington--Beaufort County Community
College, Hwy. 264, Washington, NC
4. January 9, 1995, 7:30 p.m., Ronkonkoma--Holiday Inn, 3845
Veterans Memorial Hwy., Ronkonkoma, NY
5. January 10, 1995, 7 p.m., Norfolk--Quality Inn Lake Wright, 6280
Northampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA
6. January 10, 1995, 7 p.m., Galilee--Dutch Inn, 307 Great Island
Road, Galilee, RI
7. January 11, 1995, 7 p.m., Cape May--Cape May Extension Office,
Dennisville Road, Cape May, NJ
8. January 11, 1995, 5 p.m., Danvers--Kings Grant Inn, Rt. 128,
Danvers, MA
9. January 12, 1995, 7 p.m., Ocean City--Carousel, 118th St. &
Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD
The management unit for Atlantic bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is
all bluefish in U.S. waters in the western Atlantic Ocean. Current
stock assessment information indicates that bluefish are overfished.
Based on the overfishing definition in the FMP, the exploitation rate
would have to be reduced by 50 percent to end overfishing. Because the
FMP contains no strategy for reducing fishing mortality, additional
management measures are necessary in both the recreational and the
commercial fisheries.
Bluefish management is further complicated by the multi-species/
multi-gear nature of the fishery. Any management program developed for
this Amendment must recognize that bluefish may continue to be caught
and killed if these gears continue to be fished, even though their use
may be directed at other species.
Possible Management Measures
Current Management Objectives. Part of the scoping process is the
possible reevaluation of the existing objectives. The major goal of the
FMP is to conserve the bluefish resource along the Atlantic coast. Five
major objectives have been adopted to achieve this goal:
1. Increase understanding of the stock and of the fishery.
2. Provide the highest availability of bluefish to U.S. fishermen
while maintaining, within limits, traditional uses of bluefish (defined
as the commercial fishery not exceeding 20 percent of total catch).
3. Provide for cooperation among the coastal states, the various
Regional Marine Fishery Management Councils, and Federal agencies
involved along the coast to enhance the management of bluefish
throughout its range.
4. Prevent recruitment overfishing.
5. Reduce waste in both commercial and recreational fisheries.
Fishery Management Measures. Possible management measures for the
commercial fishery include, but are not limited to, minimum and/or
maximum fish size, minimum mesh size, closed seasons and areas, quotas
(including adjustments among states), a moratorium on vessels,
individual transferable quotas, dealer and vessel permits and reports,
operator permits, trip limits, and gear restrictions.
Possible management measures for the recreational fishery
(including that sector of the fishery that carries recreational
fishermen for hire) include, but are not limited to, minimum and/or
maximum fish size, maximum possession limit, closed seasons and areas,
gear restrictions, quotas (including adjustment among states),
restrictions on the sale of recreationally caught fish, dealer and
vessel permits and reports, and operator permits.
It is anticipated that permits would be mandatory for: Vessels
landing bluefish for sale; dealers purchasing bluefish from permitted
vessels; party and charter boats in the Atlantic bluefish fishery.
Further, it is anticipated that vessels landing bluefish for sale would
need to submit logbooks; dealers purchasing bluefish from permitted
commercial vessels would need to submit reports; and operators of
charter and party boats would need to submit logbooks.
In the Paperwork Reduction Act forms (SF-83) prepared by NMFS for
Amendment 2 to the Summer Flounder FMP, the Dealer Purchase Report was
estimated to involve 1,255 respondents and 26+ responses per respondent
per year, for a total of 33,135 responses at 0.0448 hours per response,
for a total of 1,485 burden hours. The Vessel Logbook was estimated at
1,314 respondents, 12 responses per respondent, at 0.08 hours per
response, for a total of 1,261 burden hours. The Vessel Permit was
estimated at 24,943 annual responses at 0.2878 hours per response, for
a total of 7,179 burden hours.
Similar burden hours should be experienced through bluefish
management. There may be a reduction because vessels with summer
flounder permits may qualify for the bluefish fishery. Currently,
operating permits are required in the Northeast Multispecies, Atlantic
Sea Scallop, and Summer Flounder FMPs. It is expected that the burden
hours for the operator permit will be similar to those estimated for
the Summer Flounder Operator Permit.
Timetable for EIS Preparation and Decisionmaking
The Council has adopted a tentative amendment preparation, review,
and approval schedule for Amendment 1. Under this schedule, the Draft
EIS is planned for completion prior to the Council's September 1995
meeting. If an acceptable Draft is completed, the Council would decide
at that meeting whether to submit the draft EIS for public review. Oral
comments to the Council on their decision could be made at that
meeting. If the Council's decision is affirmative, public review of the
draft EIS would occur during 45 days in October and November 1995. At
its January 1996 meeting, the Council would decide on any revisions to
the proposed management regime of bluefish, and oral comments on the
decision could be made to the Council at that meeting. If the Council's
decision is affirmative, the EIS would be made final and submitted with
the amendment recommendation and other rulemaking documents to NMFS for
review and approval. The Council reserves the right to modify or
abandon this schedule if necessary.
Under the Magnuson Act, NMFS review and approval of a proposed
amendment is completed in no more than 95 days and includes concurrent
public comment periods on the amendment and proposed regulations. If
approved by NMFS under this schedule, the revised bluefish management
measures would be effective in 1996.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 20, 1994.
David S. Crestin,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service
[FR Doc. 94-31649 Filed 12-23-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
