65 FR 175 pgs. 54475-54476 - Fisheries off West Coast States and in the WesternPacific; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Amendment 12
Type: PRORULEVolume: 65Number: 175Pages: 54475 - 54476
Docket number: [I.D. 082800F]
FR document: [FR Doc. 00-23131 Filed 9-7-00; 8:45 am]
Agency: Commerce Department
Sub Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 082800F]
RIN 0648-AO31
Fisheries off West Coast States and in the WesternPacific; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Amendment 12
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery managementplan; request for comments.
SUMMARY:
NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council(Council) has submitted Amendment 12 to the Pacific CoastGroundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Secretarial review.Amendment 12 is intended to provide procedures for the PacificFishery Management Council (Council) to develop rebuilding plansfor overfished species, to set guidelines for rebuilding plancontents, and to provide rebuilding plans for NMFS review andapproval/disapproval. Amendment 12 would also declare allPacific coast groundfish to be fully utilized by domesticharvesters and processors.
DATES:
Comments on Amendment 12 must be received on or before November 7, 2000.
ADDRESSES:
Comments on Amendment 12 or supporting documents should besent to William Stelle, Jr., Administrator, Northwest Region,NMFS, Sand Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Seattle, WA98115-0070; or to Rebecca Lent, Administrator, SouthwestRegion, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach,CA 90802-4213.
Copies of Amendment 12 and the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review are available from Donald McIsaac,Executive Director, Pacific Fishery Management Council, 2130 SWFifth Ave., Suite 224, Portland, OR 97201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Yvonne deReynier at 206-526-6140, Svein Fougner at562-980-4000, or the Pacific Fishery ManagementCouncil at 503-326-6352.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each regional fisherymanagement council submit any new FMP or plan amendment itprepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partialapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, uponreceiving an FMP or amendment, immediately publish a notificationin the Federal Register that the FMP or amendment is availablefor public review and comment. NMFS will consider the publiccomments received during the comment period described here indetermining whether to approve the FMP or amendment.
In 1998, the Council adopted Amendment 11 to the FMP to makethe FMP consistent with revisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.Among other things, Amendment 11 set control rules to definerates of "overfishing," and set defined levels atwhich managed stocks are considered "overfished."Amendment 11 was approved and incorporated into the FMP in March1999.
While implementing Amendment 11 provisions for rebuildingoverfished stocks, the Council determined that it needed to setprocedures within the groundfish FMP for developing overfishedspecies rebuilding plans and for providing NMFS with theopportunity to review and approve/disapprove those plans.Amendment 12 provides for a process in which the Council willdevelop overfished species rebuilding plans during its annualspecifications and management measures process.
During the Council's two-meeting process for setting annualspecifications and management measures (usually September andNovember) the Council will make overfished species rebuildingplans available for public review, and will incorporate measuresto implement those plans within the annual specifications andmanagement measures. Rebuilding plan contents are defined in theFMP and rely upon the Council's annual stock assessment andreview process. Once the Council approves a new rebuilding plan,it will submit that plan for NMFS review and approval/disapprovalgenerally at the same time that it submits its annualspecifications package for review and approval/disapproval. Thisprocess will ensure that rebuilding efforts are incorporated intofishery management measures as quickly and efficiently as practicable, and that they are consistent with managementmeasures for other groundfish species
Public comments on Amendment 12 must be received by November 7, 2000, to be considered by NMFS in the decisionwhether to approve Amendment 12. A proposed rule to implementAmendment 12 has been submitted for Secretarial review andapproval. NMFS expects to publish and request public comment onthe proposed regulations to implement Amendment 12 in the nearfuture.
Authority:
16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 1, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-23131 Filed 9-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22-S