[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52761-52763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25413]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 092499I]
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting/public scoping hearing/public
hearings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Council (Council) will hold its
101st meeting in Honolulu, HI. The Council expects to
initiate action on shark management and expects to adopt a draft Coral
Reef Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan (FMP) at this meeting. The
Council may take final action on regulatory amendments for precious
corals and incidental catch of seabirds in the Hawaii longline fishery.
A public hearing will be held on the management alternatives being
considered in the draft Coral Reef Ecosystem FMP of the U.S. Western
Pacific Region and being analyzed in associated documents, including a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). A public scoping hearing
on the intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will
be held on the Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish FMP.
DATES: The full Council meeting will be held on October 19-21, 1999.
The Council's Standing Committees will meet on October 18, 1999. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times for these
meetings.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be held at the Lanai
Ballroom, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, 2255 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, Phone:
(808) 922-4422.
Council address: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164
Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director;
telephone 808-522-8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Dates and Times
Enforcement/Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00
a.m., International Fisheries/Pelagics Fisheries from 9:30 a.m. to
11:30 a.m., Bottomfish Fisheries from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,
Ecosystem & Habitat from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Native and Indigenous
Rights from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Precious Corals Fisheries from 3:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Crustaceans Fisheries from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm, and
Executive/Budget & Program from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The full Council
will meet on October 19, 20 and 21, 1999, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
each day. Public hearings will be conducted as follows: Draft Coral
Reef Ecosystem FMP/DEIS-October 19, 1999; regulatory amendment
governing incidental catch of seabirds in Hawaii longline fishery-
October 20, 1999; scoping on bottomfish FMP EIS-October 21, 1999; and
regulatory amendment for precious corals-October 21, 1999.
Agenda
The agenda during the full Council meeting will include the items
below. The order in which agenda items are addressed may change. The
Council will meet as late as necessary to complete scheduled business.
1. Introductions
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of 100st Meeting Minutes
4. Island Reports
A. American Samoa
B. Guam
C. Hawaii
D. Northern Mariana Islands
5. Reports from Fishery Agencies and Organizations
A. Department of Commerce
(1) NMFS
(a) Southwest Region, Pacific Island Area Office
(b) Southwest Fisheries Science Center LaJolla and Honolulu
Laboratory
(2) NOAA General Counsel, Southwest Region
B. Department of the Interior
(1) Fish and Wildlife Service
6. Enforcement
A. Cooperative enforcement presentation to American Samoa B. U.S.
Coast Guard enforcement activities
C. NMFS enforcement activities and status of violations
[[Page 52762]]
D. Cooperative agreements for Guam
E. Illegal immigration related to the foreign fishing fleet
7. VMS
A. Hawaii VMS report
B. National VMS plans
8. Ecosystems and Habitat
A. Honolulu Lab Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) research
B. Draft coral reef ecosystem FMP/DEIS (Council will take initial
action to select preferred management alternatives and may direct staff
to finalize the draft FMP/DEIS for distribution for public review
(1) Introduction to the FMP
(2) Description of the fisheries
(3) Description of threats/management issues
(4) Management objectives, program and impacts
(a) Fishing permits (alternatives include, but are not limited to,
exploratory permit and reporting requirements, general permit based on
standard eligibility requirements, moratorium to prohibit all harvest
of coral reef species, and status quo (no action))
(b) Marine Protected Areas (alternatives include, but are not
limited to, candidate areas, such as remote U.S. atolls and the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) shallower than 20 meters, or
status quo (no action))
(c) Restrictions of gear and methods (alternatives include, but are
not limited to, allow only selective, non-destructive gear and methods,
allow no gear or methods, allow use of other gears and/or methods,
restrict other methods and practices, or status quo (no action))
(d) Restrict harvest of a particular management unit species
(alternatives include, but are not limited to, restrict harvest of
corals and live rock, restrict harvest of other selected species,
restrict the harvest of all management unit species, or no restrictions
(no action))
(e) Framework provisions (alternatives include, but are not limited
to, establish a framework regulatory process with specified options for
future consideration, or status quo (no action))
(5) Description of resource ecosystem
(6) EFH
(7) Sustainable Fisheries Act determinations
(8) Relationship to existing laws and policies
(9) Future needs
(10) Plan Team recommendations
(11) Advisory Panel recommendations
(12) Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
(13) Public hearing on draft FMP/DEIS
9. Fishery Rights of Indigenous Peoples
A. Review of marine conservation plans. Council will review the
plan submitted by the Governor of Guam and any other plan submitted and
may take final action.
B. Status of community development program/demonstration projects
10. Pelagic FMP issues
A. 2nd quarter 1999 Hawaii and American Samoa longline
fishery report
B. Shark management
(1) Update on catch trends and NMFS shark studies
(2) Status of study of the cultural-historic significance of sharks
to the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the
Northern Mariana Islands.
(3) Discussion of optimal utilization of sharks in the Western
Pacific, including transshipment of shark products. The increase in
shark finning has raised concerns about the perceived waste associated
with this practice. In addition, there are concerns about the impacts
of increased fishing pressure on shark stocks. The Council will discuss
various management options to address these issues and expects to
initiate action. Management options include, but are not limited to,
harvest quotas, size limits, finning restrictions, release conditions
and reporting requirements.
(4) Federal-State coordination in shark management in waters around
the Hawaiian Islands
C. Incidental catch of seabirds in the Hawaii longline fishery
(1) Update on catch trends and numbers
(2) Final report by Garcia and Associates on evaluation of
mitigation measures
(3) Final action on measures to reduce the incidental catch of
seabirds in the Hawaii longline fishery. The preferred action initially
identified by the Council at the June 16-18, 1999, Council meeting is
to require vessels with Hawaii Longline Limited Entry Permits operating
with longline gear above 25 deg. N. latitude to adhere to two or more
of the following measures to mitigate seabird-longline interactions:
(i) Maintain adequate quantities of blue dye on board and use only
completely thawed, blue-dyed bait; (ii) use strategic offal discards
while setting and hauling the line; (iii) tow a NMFS-approved deterrent
(such as a tori line or a buoy) while setting and hauling the line;
(iv) deploy line with a shooter, so that the line is set faster than
the vessel's speed; (v) ensure that weights greater than 45 grams are
attached to branch lines within 1 meter of each hook; and (vi) begin
setting at least 1 hour after sunset and complete setting at least 1
hour before sunrise, using minimal vessel lighting. In addition,
vessels would be required to make every reasonable effort to ensure
that birds brought onboard alive are released alive and that hooks are
removed without jeopardizing the life of the birds, and all vessel
captains must complete an annual protected species educational workshop
conducted by NMFS. Although these measures were identified as the
preferred actions, the other alternatives are still being analyzed and
considered. This will be the second meeting under the Council's two-
meeting framework process in the pelagics FMP for implementing ``new
management measures.'' The Council may take final action on the
proposed adjustments to the regulations implementing the FMP.
(4) Public hearing
D. Turtles-longline fishery interactions
(1) Update on interaction trends and numbers
(2) Update on interaction mitigation studies
(3) Outcome of recent litigation
E. Marine debris
F. International meetings
G. Recreational fisheries data task force
H. Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
11. Bottomfish FMP issues
A. Bottomfish FMP issues
(1) Update on status of activities
(a) Main Hawaiian Islands bottomfish meeting
(b) Need to prepare an EIS for Bottomfish FMP
(2) Public scoping hearing on Bottomfish FMP
B. Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
12. Precious corals FMP issues
A. A final action on adjustments to regulations implementing the
FMP regarding harvest quotas, definitions, size limits, gear
restrictions, bed classifications and reporting and recordkeeping
requirements. Recent research and surveys have provided new information
on precious corals in the waters around Hawaii, including information
on the size and condition of certain classified precious coral beds,
potential increases in fishing pressure on black corals, the presence
of a new precious coral bed near French Frigate Shoals and the possible
importance of precious coral beds as foraging areas for Hawaiian monk
seals. Based on a discussion of these issues at the 100th
Council meeting, the Council identified the following preferred
actions: Suspend the harvest quota for gold coral at the Makapu'u Bed
until additional information is available on the impact of harvesting
on subsequent recruitment of
[[Page 52763]]
gold coral at the Makapu'u Bed; redefine precious coral as precious
coral that has live coral polyps or tissue, and redefine dead precious
coral as precious coral that no longer has any live coral polyps or
tissue; apply size limits to live coral only; prohibit the harvest of
black coral unless it has attained either a minimum stem diameter of 1
inch (254 cm), measured 1 inch (254 cm) from the top of the living
holdfast, or a minimum height of 48 inches (cm), measured from the base
to the greatest vertical extremity of the colony; only selective gear
may be used to harvest precious corals from all permit areas; apply the
current size limit for pink coral to all permit areas; revise the
boundaries of Brooks Bank, Permit Area C-B-3, to include the area
within a radius of 2.5 nautical miles (nm) of a point 23 deg. 58.8' N
lat. and 166 deg. 42' W long., and change the harvest quota for pink
coral to 200 kg and suspend the harvest quota for gold coral until
additional scientific information becomes available on the impact of
harvesting gold coral on monk seal foraging habitat; classify the
newly-discovered FFS-Gold Pinnacles Bed as a conditional bed, Permit
Area C-B-5, which includes the area within a radius of 0.25 nm of a
point at 23 deg. 55' N lat. and 165 deg. 23.11' W long., and set the
annual harvest quota for all types of precious coral at zero until
additional information becomes available on the impact of harvesting
gold coral on monk seal foraging habitat; list all managed species of
precious corals on the NMFS Daily Precious Coral Harvest Log and
Precious Coral Sales Trip Report, and revise reporting and
recordkeeping requirements as follows: A permit holder shall, within 72
hours of landing, mail to NMFS Pacific Island Area Office (PIAO) a copy
of the NMFS Daily Precious Coral Harvest Log with complete information
including:
(1) Vessel information - (i) Name of vessel; (ii) Call sign of
vessel; and (iii) Permit number of vessel.
(2) Fishing information - (i) Beginning and ending time, and date,
of all dives, including the dives when no harvest is made; (ii)
beginning and ending position in degrees latitude and longitude of each
dive and distance traveled; (iii) maximum and minimum depth of each
dive; (iv) number of live and dead colonies harvested on each dive by
species; (v) weight of harvested coral on each dive by species, to the
nearest tenth of a kilogram (landed weight air dried for at least 24
hours); (vi) number of live and dead colonies damaged but not harvested
on each dive by species; (vii) method of harvest; and (viii)
observations that may be made about the habitat (current, bottom type,
bottom topography, bottom slope, etc.).
(3) Sale information - (i) Amount of coral sold (by species); (ii)
sale price; (iii) date of sale; and (iv) name(s) and address(es) of
buyer(s).
(4) Any other information specified in the permit. Any video tapes
made during harvest operations shall be made available to the NMFS PIAO
upon request. The video recording should continuously display date and
time. Although these measures were identified as the preferred actions,
the other alternatives are still being analyzed and considered. This
will be the second meeting under the Council's two-meeting framework
process in the Precious Corals FMP for implementing ``new management
measures.'' The Council may take final action on the proposed
adjustments to regulations implementing the FMP.
B. Plan Team recommendations
C. Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
D. Public Hearing
13. Crustaceans FMP issues
A. Crustaceans FMP issues (NWHI lobster fishery)
(1) Status of the fishery
(2) Public education project
(3) Necker Island refuge boundary
(4) Status of state regulations for NWHI import license
B. Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
C. Public comments
14. Program Planning
A. Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act amendments
B. Carbon monoxide-treated tuna update
C. Food and Drug Administration Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point requirements aboard vessels
D. Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network
E. Educational initiatives and technical reports
F. Science and Statistical Committee recommendations
15. Administrative Matters
A. Administrative reports
B. Meetings and workshops
C. 102nd Council Meeting
Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
of formal Council action during this meeting. Council action will be
restricted to those issues specifically listed in this document and any
issue arising after publication of this document that requires
emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take
final action to address the emergency.
16. Other Business
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 808-522-8220 (voice) or 808-
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 24, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-25413 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
