[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 159 (Thursday, August 17, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42830-42831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-20377]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 625
[I.D. 081195A]
Summer Flounder Fishery; Notice of Availability; Amendment 7
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management
plan and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice to advise the public that the Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 7
to the Fishery Management Plan for Summer Flounder (FMP) for
Secretarial review and is requesting comments from the public. The
Amendment would revise the fishing mortality rate reduction schedule
for summer flounder. Copies of the Amendment may be obtained from the
Council (see ADDRESSES).
DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 10, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Dr. Andrew Rosenberg, Regional Director,
National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Regional Office, 1
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-3799. Mark the outside of the
envelope ``Comments on Summer Flounder Plan.''
Copies of Amendment 7, the environmental assessment and the
regulatory impact review are available from David R. Keifer, Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115,
[[Page 42831]]
Federal Building, 300 S.New Street, Dover, DE 19904-6790.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina L. Spallone, Fishery Policy
Analyst, 508-281-9221.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) (Magnuson Act) requires that
each fishery management council submit any fishery management plan or
plan amendment it prepares to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for
review and approval, disapproval, or partial disapproval. The Magnuson
Act also requires that the Secretary, upon receiving the plan or
amendment, immediately make a preliminary evaluation of whether the
Amendment is sufficient to warrant continued review, and publish a
notice that the plan or amendment is available for public review and
comment. The Secretary will consider the public comments in determining
whether to approve the amendment.
Amendment 2 to the FMP enacted a broad spectrum of measures to stop
overfishing and allow the stock to rebuild. These measures include a
fishing mortality rate (F) reduction schedule. The reduction schedule
was set at F of 0.53 for 1993-1995, and Fmax (0.23) in 1996 and
thereafter. Fmax is the biological reference point that
corresponds to the level of fishing mortality that produces the maximum
yield per recruit. The schedule was developed and adopted by the
Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
after lengthy deliberations. It was deemed an appropriate balance
between effective reduction in fishing mortality and short-term
economic burdens placed on participants in the fishery.
The Council and ASMFC conducted analyses of the fishing mortality
rate reduction schedules during the development of Amendment 2. Based
on these analyses, the Council believed that by the fourth year of the
rebuilding schedule (1996), the level of rebuilding in the stock would
offset any significant reductions in the total coastwide commercial and
recreational quota (quota). That is, it was assumed that the stock
growth from years 1 to 3 would be large enough that by 1996, the quota
would not be significantly different from the 1995 level even with the
reduction in the mortality rate.
However, although the stock has rebuilt from its 1989 low level, it
has not recovered to the extent projected. Lower than expected
recruitment levels in 1993, and redirected exploitation patterns on
more ages 0 and 1 fish, produced a higher F than expected. Thus, in
order to reach the target F of 0.23 in 1996, the resulting quota would
be approximately 11 million pounds (4,990 mt), or about a 50% reduction
from the 1995 quota. Because of the magnitude of this reduction, and
the resulting short-term negative economic burdens on industry, the
Council and ASMFC initiated a reexamination of the fishing mortality
rate reduction schedule for summer flounder.
Amendment 7, if approved, would revise the fishing mortality rate
reduction schedule for summer flounder by deferring attainment of
Fmax until 1998. This will allow for more stable landings from one
year to the next. This change will alleviate short-term negative
economic impacts on the industry, yet slow the rate of stock rebuilding
only slightly. The Council and ASMFC have adopted the following
strategy: the fishing mortality rate would be reduced from the 1995
target (0.53) to 0.41 in 1996, 0.3 in 1997, and Fmax in 1998 and
beyond. In addition, the Amendment specifies that the quota for 1996
and 1997 could not exceed 18.51 million pounds (8,400 mt). This cap on
the quota could result in an F in 1996 and 1997 lower than 0.41 and 0.3
respectively, but would not exceed these values. A quota level above
the cap could be set in 1996 or 1997 only if the resulting quota had an
associated F of 0.23.
The receipt date for this Amendment is August 10, 1995. Proposed
regulations to implement this Amendment are scheduled to be published
within 15 days of the receipt date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 11, 1995.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-20377 Filed 8-14-95; 3:19 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
