[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 16, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 32210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15327]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 061099A]
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Coral Reef
Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan of the Western Pacific Region
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an EIS; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NOAA announces its intention to prepare an EIS in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the proposed
Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan of the Western Pacific
Region (FMP).
DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an EIS will be
accepted on or before July 15, 1999. Initial scoping meetings are
scheduled as follows:
1. 100th Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) meeting/public hearing, June 16, 1999, Ala Moana Hotel,
Honolulu, HI.
2. Coral Reef Ecosystem Plan Team Meeting, July 13-15, 1999,
Council Office Conference Room, Honolulu, HI.
3. Additional field hearings for public scoping are tentatively
planned for July and August in American Samoa, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Hawaii (details regarding times and
locations will follow in a separate Federal Register announcement).
ADDRESSES: Written comments on suggested alternatives and potential
impacts should be sent to Kitty Simonds, Executive Director, Western
Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400,
Honolulu, HI 96813, and to Charles Karnella, Administrator, NMFS,
Pacific Islands Area Office, 2570 Dole St. Honolulu, HI 96822.
The following locations have been set for scoping meetings:
1. 100th Council Meeting/public hearing, June 16, 1999,
2 - 5:00 p.m. (estimated time), Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Road,
Honolulu, HI.
2. Coral Reef Ecosystem Plan Team Meeting, July 13-15, 1999, 8:30
a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Council Office Conference Room, 1164 Bishop St.,
Honolulu, HI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty Simonds, (808) 522-8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action would include permit and
reporting requirements for non-subsistence harvest of coral reef
resources, establishment of several Marine Protected Areas and a list
of allowable gear types to harvest coral reef resources in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It would also include Essential Fish
Habitat, Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, fishing and non-fishing
threats, as well as other required provisions under the Sustainable
Fisheries Act (SFA). A framework amendment process will be included to
allow for the addition of new measures rapidly. The proposed Coral Reef
Ecosystem EIS/FMP, being developed by the Council will be its fifth FMP
for Federal waters, which is the EEZ for all U.S. Pacific Islands. This
area includes nearly 11,000 km2 (4,000 square miles) of
coral reefs. Development of the FMP is timely considering new mandates
and initiatives such as Ecosystem Principles in Fisheries Management,
the President's 1998 Executive Order on Coral Reefs, and priorities of
the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and the U.S. Coral Reef Initiative, as
well as the SFA and other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act. The draft FMP describes the importance
of coral reef resources to the region and current and potential threats
that warrant a fishery management plan at this time. Information
regarding the harvest of these resources in the EEZ is largely unknown.
Potential for unregulated harvest and bio-prospecting for reef fish,
live grouper, live rock and coral exists throughout the region. Marine
debris, largely from fishing gear, is impacting reefs in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. To identify the scope of issues that
will be addressed in the EIS and to identify potential impacts on the
quality of the human environment, public participation is invited by
providing written comments to the Council and attending the scoping
meetings/hearings.
Public Information Meetings:
Additional public information meetings and public hearings on the
proposed EIS/FMP will be held in various locations around the region
later in the year. These meetings will be advertised in the Federal
Register and the local newspapers.
Special Accommodations:
The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Kitty Simonds (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Dated: June 11, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-15327 Filed 6-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
