[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 154 (Thursday, August 10, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 40815-40816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19701]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 646
[I.D. 072895E]
The Snapper-Grouper Fishery and other Finfish Fisheries of the
South Atlantic; Public Scoping Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is
holding public scoping meetings to solicit comments on: The sale of
fish (all species) caught under the recreational bag limits established
by the Council's fishery management plans (FMPs); and on the issue of
recreational catch and the commercial bycatch of wreckfish under the
FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic. See the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for additional information on the
scoping meetings.
DATES: The public scoping meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
on Monday, August 21, 1995, in Charleston, SC.
ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings will be held in conjunction with
the South Atlantic Council public meetings at the Town and Country Inn,
2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407; telephone (1-800) 334-
6660.
Requests for copies of public scoping documents should be sent to
the Council at the following address: South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert K. Mahood, Council Executive
Director; telephone: (803) 571-4366; fax: (803) 769-4520.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A public scoping meeting will be held to
solicit comments on the sale of fish caught under the recreational bag
limit (all species). The Council has considered this issue on numerous
occasions over the past several years, and both commercial and
recreational fishermen have expressed concerns about this matter.
Currently, all of the Council's FMPs allow for the sale of fish taken
under a legal bag limit. The issue regarding the sale of fish caught
under bag limits involves several considerations including: (1) The
definitions of recreational and commercial fishermen; (2) the ethical
question of a ``recreational'' fisherman selling his catch; and (3) the
impacts of selling fish caught under an FMP-established bag limit on an
FMP-established commercial quota for the same species. The Council will
consider prohibiting the sale of fish by recreational anglers. The
Council is inviting and will consider the views of recreational and
commercial fishermen and other interested persons on this matter prior
to taking any formal and final action; the Council is particularly
interested in hearing about the possible impacts of prohibiting the
sale of recreationally-caught fish.
The Council will also hold a public scoping meeting to solicit
comments on wreckfish caught by recreational fishermen and on the
commercial bycatch of wreckfish outside of the Blake Plateau.
Amendments 3 and 4 to the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the
South Atlantic (Snapper-Grouper FMP) established a management program
for wreckfish in the South Atlantic region. A regulatory adjustment
framework measure was also included in the Snapper-Grouper FMP allowing
the Council to set total allowable catch (TAC) each year and at the
same time consider other management changes or options.
[[Page 40816]]
Amendment 5 to the Snapper-Grouper FMP established an individual
transferable quota (ITQ) system in the wreckfish fishery that allows
only ITQ shareholders to land and sell wreckfish, and allows only
permitted dealers to handle wreckfish and to buy wreckfish from ITQ
shareholders. Recently, reports indicate that wreckfish is being caught
by recreational fishermen fishing primarily for red grouper off Key
West, FL. Also, commercial snapper-grouper fishermen, especially off
south Florida, are experiencing occasional wreckfish bycatch. These
reports do not indicate frequency or poundage of catches, how the
catches are being disposed of, that the catches are of significant
quantities or the frequency of these occurrences.
The Council is considering the following management options for
regulating this fishery: (1) No action (i.e., continue to prohibit the
taking or landing of wreckfish in the South Atlantic region except by
individual transferable quota (ITQ) shareholders; (2) set a
recreational bag limit of 1 or 2 fish per fisherman per trip; (3) set a
recreational bag limit of 1 or 2 fish per boat per trip; (4) set a
recreational bag limit of 1 or 2 fish per boat per day; (5) set an
undetermined recreational bag limit; (6) set a bag limit of 1 or 2 fish
per boat per trip for commercial fishermen in the South Atlantic region
who are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (7) set a bag limit of 1 or 2
fish per boat per day for commercial fishermen in the South Atlantic
region who are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (8) set a bag limit of 1
or 2 fish per boat per trip for commercial fishermen in the south
Florida area who are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (9) set a bag
limit of 1 to 2 fish per boat per day for commercial fishermen in the
south Florida area who are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (10) allow
for an undetermined commercial bag limit in the South Atlantic region;
and (11) allow for an undetermined commercial bag limit only in the
South Florida area.
Written public comments on the subjects of the scoping meetings,
including any Council scoping documents made available to the public,
may be submitted to the Council from the time of the scoping meetings
until such time as the Council has prepared appropriate and related
public hearing documents that are available for public comment. For
copies of the public scoping documents (see ADDRESSES).
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office by June 16,
1995.
For special accommodations regarding the meetings and hearing,
contact the Council (see ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et. seq.
Dated: August 3, 1995.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-19701 Filed 8-9-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
