[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 29, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26847-26848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13341]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 651
[I.D. 052196A]
Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Amendment 7; Resubmission of the
Measure for the Nonregulated Species Permit Category
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the New England Fishery Management Council
(Council) has resubmitted a previously disapproved proposal contained
in Amendment 7 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) concerning the Possession Limit category permit. The Council
revised the permit and submitted it for Secretarial review. The
intended effect of this measure is to allow fishing for nonregulated
multispecies (silver hake, red hake, and ocean pout) in fisheries
having minimal bycatch of regulated multispecies.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 24, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Dr. Andrew A. Rosenberg, Regional Director,
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Possession
Limit Permit Category.''
Copies of the original Amendment 7 and related documents are
available from the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway
(U.S. Rte. 1), Saugus, MA, 01906-1097.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter W. Christopher, Fishery
Management Specialist, 508-281-9288.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendment 7 was prepared by the Council and
submitted to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review under
section 304(b) of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson Act). The Magnuson Act requires the Secretary to approve,
disapprove, or partially disapprove FMPs or amendments, based upon a
determination of consistency with national standards and other
applicable laws. On February 14, 1996, the Secretary announced
disapproval of three measures contained in Amendment 7: The additional
allowance of days-at-sea (DAS) for trawl vessels enrolled in the
Individual DAS category that use exclusively 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh,
the 300-lb (136.1 kg) possession allowance of regulated species for
vessels that use 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh in an exempted fishery, and the
establishment of a limited access category for vessels that fished in
the Possession Limit open access category under Amendment 5. The
remainder of Amendment 7 was published as a proposed rule on March 5,
1996 (61 FR 8540), and the first two of the three disapproved measures
were resubmitted by the Council. The measure that would have allowed a
300-lb (136.1 kg) regulated species possession limit for vessels
fishing with 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh in an exempted fishery was again
disapproved and the measure that would give additional multispecies DAS
to all limited access multispecies vessels fishing exclusively with
large mesh was published as a proposed rule on April 18, 1996 (61 FR
16892). Amendment 7, with the exception of the three measures, was
approved on May 16, 1996. The resubmitted measure that would give
additional DAS to all groundfish vessels fishing under the Large Mesh
Individual DAS category was approved on May 17, 1996, and has been
added to the final rule to implement Amendment 7.
Pursuant to section 304(b)(3)(A) of the Magnuson Act, the Council
has resubmitted the third disapproved measure. This proposed measure is
designed to allow fishing for nonregulated multispecies by vessels that
do not qualify for a limited access permit.
Regulations proposed by the Council to implement the resubmitted
measure for Amendment 7 to the FMP are scheduled to be published within
15 days.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
[[Page 26848]]
Dated: May 22, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-13341 Filed 5-23-96; 8:45 am]
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