[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 156 (Thursday, August 13, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 43364-43366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21766]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[I.D. 073098B]
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Public hearings, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) will hold
public hearings to allow for input on Amendment 1 to the Bluefish
Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
DATES: Written comments on Amendment 1 will be accepted until September
15, 1998. The public hearings are scheduled to be held from August 24
to September 3, 1998. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates
and times.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Christopher M. Moore, Acting Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115 Federal
Building, 300 South New Street, Dover, DE 19904.
The hearings will be held in Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, and Florida. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for locations of
the hearings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Acting Executive
Director, 302-674-2331, ext 16.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Amendment 1 to the FMP, prepared by the Council and the Commission,
is intended to manage the bluefish fishery under both the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, as amended by
the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act. The management unit is bluefish (Pomatomus
saltatrix) in U.S. waters in the western Atlantic Ocean. The goal of
the management plan is to conserve the bluefish resource along the
Atlantic coast.
The SFA requires that an FMP's definition of overfishing contain
status determination criteria comprised of two components: (1) A
maximum fishing mortality threshold and (2) a minimum stock size
threshold. For bluefish, the maximum F threshold is specified as
FMSY, or the fishing mortality rate which produces maximum
sustainable yield (MSY). The minimum biomass threshold is specified as
one-half the biomass level associated with maximum sustainable yield
(BMSY).
The Council and Commission propose to rebuild the bluefish stock to
the Bmsy level over a 9-year rebuilding period through the
implementation of Amendment 1. The preferred alternative will eliminate
overfishing and rebuild the bluefish stock through a graduated
reduction in the fishing mortality rate. For the first 2 years of the
rebuilding plan (1999-2000), F will remain at the
[[Page 43365]]
current level (F = 0.51) and then will be reduced to F = 0.41 in years
3-5 (2001-2003) and finally to F = 0.31 in years 6-9 (2004-2007). This
schedule would allow for stock rebuilding to the level which would
support harvests at or near MSY by the year 2007.
The following is a summary of the management measures proposed to
be adopted by the Council and the Commission for implementation in
Amendment 1.
Permitting and Reporting Requirements
1. Operator permits for commercial and party and charter boats.
2. Vessel permits for party and charter boats.
3. Vessel permits for commercial vessels (permit to sell).
4. Dealer permits (permits to purchase).
5. Permitted vessels may only sell to permitted dealers and
permitted dealers may only buy from permitted vessels.
6. Party and charter boat, commercial vessel, and dealer reporting
requirements.
Establishment of a Bluefish Monitoring Committee
The Bluefish Monitoring Committee would be a joint committee of the
Council and Commission that would consist of staff representatives of
the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and South Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils, the Northeast Regional Office, the Northeast Fisheries
Center, and Commission representatives. The Bluefish Monitoring
Committee would annually review the best available data and recommend
to the Council Committee and Commission Bluefish Management Board
commercial (annual quota, minimum fish size, and minimum mesh size) and
recreational (possession and size limits and seasonal closures)
measures designed to assure that the target mortality level for
bluefish is not exceeded.
Framework Adjustment Process
In addition to the annual review and modifications to management
measures associated with the monitoring committee process, the Council
could add or modify management measures through a framework adjustment
procedure. This adjustment procedure would allow the Council to add or
modify management measures through a streamlined public review process.
As such, management measures that have been identified in the plan
could be implemented or adjusted at any time during the year. The
Commission could implement the same modifications through its adaptive
management process.
Commercial Management Measures
It would be illegal for individuals who possess commercial bluefish
permits to possess bluefish less than 12 inches (30.5 cm) total length
(TL). If appropriate, the minimum fish size may be changed following
the Bluefish FMP Monitoring Committee process or the framework
adjustment process. Minimum mesh restrictions for otter trawls and gill
nets may be implemented according to framework provisions.
A quota would be allocated to the commercial fishery to control
fishing mortality. The quota would be based on the most recent
estimates of stock size coupled with the target fishing mortality rate
(which would allow for a calculation of total allowable landings).
Based on the historical proportion of commercial and recreational
landings for the period 1981-1989, 17 percent of the total allowable
landings (TAL) would be allocated to the commercial fishery. If 17
percent of the TAL was less than 10.5 million lb (4,763 mt), the quota
could be increased up to 10.5 million lb (4,763 mt), providing that the
recreational fishery was not anticipated to land its entire allocation
for the upcoming year. A state-by-state system to distribute and manage
the annual commercial quota would be implemented by the Council and
Commission. Quotas would be distributed to the states based on their
percentage share of commercial landings for the period 1981-1989.
De Minimus Specifications
Any state that has commercial landings less than 0.1 percent of the
total coastwide commercial landings in the last preceding year for
which data are available would be eligible for de minimus status. The
de minimus specifications apply only to the commercial fishery. Any
state granted de minimus status would be allocated 0.1 percent of the
coastwide commercial quota. The sum of the allocations to de minimus
states would be deducted from the coastwide commercial quota before the
remainder is allocated to the other states.
Recreational Fishery Measures
The recreational fishery throughout the management unit would be
managed through an annual evaluation of a framework system of
possession limits, size limits, and seasonal closures. The annual
recreational possession limit, size limit, and season would be set at a
range of 0 and the maximum allowed by the recreational share of the
adopted fishing mortality rate reduction strategy. Initially, in
addition to the current 10 fish possession limit, it would be illegal
for recreational fishermen to possess whole bluefish or parts of
bluefish less than 12 inches (30.5 cm) TL. Parts of bluefish could be
less than the minimum size if the party/charter vessel had a permit
from the state of landing that allowed smaller parts to be landed.
States could develop and implement alternative recreational management
measures that were equivalent to the coastwide measures.
A recreational harvest limit would be allocated to the recreational
fishery to reduce exploitation rates on the fully recruited age groups.
The harvest limit would be based on the most recent estimates of stock
size coupled with the target fishing mortality rate (which would allow
for a calculation of TAL). Based on the historical proportion of
commercial and recreational landings from 1981-89, 83 percent of the
TAL would be allocated to the recreational fishery.
Public Hearings
The dates, locations, and times of the hearings are scheduled as
follows:
1. Monday, August 24, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Kingborough Community
College, Marine and Academic Center, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Manhattan
Beach, NY.
2. Monday, August 24, 1998, 7 p.m.--Holiday Inn Toms River, 290
Highway 37 East, Toms River, NJ.
3. Monday, August 24, 1998, 7 p.m.--Sheraton Fontainebleau Hotel,
10100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD.
4. Tuesday, August 25, 1998, 1 p.m.--Comfort Inn Airport, 1940 Post
Road, Providence, RI.
5. Tuesday, August 25, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Holiday Inn, 3845 Veterans
Memorial Highway, Ronkonkoma, NY.
6. Tuesday, August 25, 1998, 7 p.m.--Grand Hotel, Oceanfront and
Philadelphia Avenue, Cape May, NJ.
7. Wednesday, August 26, 1998, 7 p.m.--Sandwich Community School,
365 Quaker Meetinghouse Road, Buzzards Bay, MA.
8. Thursday, August 27, 1998, 7 p.m.--Days Inn, 375 East Main
Street, Branford, CT.
9. Monday, August 31, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Division of Fish and
Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway,
Dover, DE.
10. Monday, August 31, 1998, 7 p.m.--Stuart City Hall, 121
Southwest Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL.
11. Tuesday, September 1, 1998, 7 p.m.--VA Marine Resources
[[Page 43366]]
Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA.
12. Wednesday, September 2, 1998, 7 p.m.--North Carolina Aquarium,
374 Airport Road, Manteo, NC.
13. Thursday, September 3, 1998, 7 p.m.--Duke University Marine
Lab, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC.
The hearings will be taped and the tapes will be filed as the
official transcript of the hearings.
Special Accommodations
These hearings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Council office
at least 5 days prior to the hearing date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. et seq.
Dated: August 6, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-21766 Filed 8-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
