[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24899-24900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11835]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
I.D. 022497A
Fisheries Bycatch Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the extension of the public comment period on
the draft NMFS bycatch plan, Managing the Nation's Bycatch: Priorities,
Programs and Actions for the National Marine Fisheries Service. The
NMFS bycatch plan will guide the agency's bycatch-related research and
management for the next decade. The public comment period is hereby
extended to June 30, 1997, to give members of the public additional
time to review and comment on the draft plan. Any written comments
received will be considered by NMFS in the adoption and implementation
of the final bycatch plan.
DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before June 30, 1997.
[[Page 24900]]
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the NMFS bycatch plan should be
directed to the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD. 20910. PHONE:(301)713-2363. FAX: (301)713-
1875. The NMFS bycatch plan is also available in its entirety on the
Internet at http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Witzig or Liz Lauck, (301) 713-
2365.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Interest in bycatch in the Nation's fisheries has received
increased attention in the last decade. During this time, NMFS and its
constituents have come to agree that fisheries bycatch is an issue of
great concern to those interested in sustainable fisheries and marine
ecosystems. Congress has emphasized NMFS' responsibility to address
bycatch in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
Issues in each of NMFS' administrative regions and on the national
level are addressed in detail in the draft NMFS bycatch plan. This
discussion forms the basis for a set of research and management
recommendations that will help guide the agency's bycatch-related
activities. Broadly, recommendations in the plan address the
acquisition of bycatch data, gear technology and selectivity research,
the effects of bycatch, research on individual incentive programs to
manage bycatch, development and implementation of conservation and
management measures to address bycatch, and information exchange and
cooperative management.
A notice of availability of the draft NMFS bycatch plan was
published in the Federal Register on April 2, 1997 (62 FR 15659). The
draft NMFS bycatch plan continues to generate significant public
interest and NMFS would like to ensure that all interested members of
the public have adequate time to comment on the draft plan. Thus, NMFS
is extending the deadline for public comments on the draft plan to June
30, 1997. All comments received on or before that date will be
considered in development of the final plan.
Request for Comments
NMFS intends that the final version of the bycatch plan will take
advantage of information and recommendations from all interested
parties. Therefore, comments and suggestions are hereby solicited from
the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific
community, industry, and any other person concerned with this draft
NMFS Bycatch Plan.
Dated: May 1, 1997.
Nancy Foster,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-11835 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
