70 FR 66 pgs. 17658-17659 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;Extension of the Gulf of Mexico Charter Vessel/Headboat PermitMoratorium
Type: NOTICEVolume: 70Number: 66Pages: 17658 - 17659
Docket number: [I.D. 040105C]
FR document: [FR Doc. 05-6939 Filed 4-6-05; 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
[I.D. 040105C]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;Extension of the Gulf of Mexico Charter Vessel/Headboat PermitMoratorium
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice of intent; request forcomments.
SUMMARY:
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council(Council) and NMFS intend to prepare a draft supplemental environmentalimpact statement (DSEIS) in support of a proposed Amendment to Extend theCharter Vessel/Headboat Permit Moratorium (Moratorium Amendment). TheDSEIS will evaluate alternatives for allowing the permit moratorium toexpire, extending the moratorium for a finite time period, or establishinga permanent limited access program. The purpose of this notice of intentis to solicit public comments on the range of alternatives and scope ofissues to be addressed in the DSEIS.
DATES:
Written comments on the scope of the DSEIS mustbe received by 5 p.m. May 9, 2005.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments on the scope of theDSEIS by any of the following methods:
• E-mail: 0648-AS70.NOI@noaa.gov .Include in the subject line of the e-mail comment the following documentidentifier: Charter Headboat Permit Moratorium.
• Mail: Andy Strelcheck, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS,263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
• Fax: 727-824-5308; Attention: AndyStrelcheck. Requests for the scoping document may be directed to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, The Commons at Rivergate, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619; telephone: 813-228-2815; fax: 813-225-7015. Scoping documents are also available to download at http://www.gulfcouncil.org .
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stu Kennedy (phone:813-228-2815; fax: 813-225-7015; e-mail:Stu.Kennedy@gulfcouncil.org); or Andy Strelcheck (phone:727-824-5305; fax: 727-824-5308; e-mail: Andy.Strelcheck@noaa.gov ).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Council and NMFSintend to prepare a DSEIS in support of the proposed Moratorium Amendment.For-hire vessel permits were initially required in the coastal migratorypelagic (CMP) fishery starting in 1987 and in the reef fish fishery in1997. Amendments establishing the charter vessel/headboat permitmoratorium for the CMP fishery (Amendment 14) and the Reef Fish fishery(Amendment 20) were approved by NMFS on May 6, 2003, and implemented onJune 16, 2003 (68 FR 26280). The intended effect of these amendments wasto cap the number of for-hire vessels operating in these two fisheries atthe current level (as of March 29, 2001) while the Council evaluatedwhether limited access programs were needed to constrain effort. In thisproposed Moratorium Amendment, the Council is considering alternatives thatwould: allow the moratorium on for-hire reef fish and CMP permits toexpire; extend the moratorium for a finite period of time (5 or 10 years);or establish a permanent limited access program. In any case, except forallowing the moratorium to expire, there would be no new permits issued.The DSEIS will evaluate the impacts of these alternatives. Alternativeswhich have been under consideration are described in detail in The Scoping Document for Extending the Charter Vessel/HeadboatPermit Moratorium by Amending the FMPs for: Reef Fish (Amendment 25) andCoastal Migratory Pelagics (Amendment 17) , which is available from theCouncil (see ADDRESSES ). The Council is soliciting publiccomment on the range of alternatives and scope of issues that should beconsidered in this DSEIS.
In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order NAO 216-6, Section502(c)4, the Council previously held nine scoping hearings during June 2004to solicit input from interested parties on proposed actions andalternatives identified in the above-mentioned scoping document. Thesehearings were held in the following locations: Port Isabel, Port Aransas,and Galveston, TX; Kenner, LA; Biloxi, MS; Orange Beach, AL; Destin,Madeira Beach, and Naples, FL.
Additionally, public comments may be accepted at the following Councilmeetings and during public hearings that will be announced in future Federal Register notices:
July 11-14, 2005, Diamondhead All-Suite Beach Resort, 2000 EsteroBoulevard, Ft. Myers Beach, FL 33931; and
September 12-15, 2005, New Orleans, LA (Location TBA).
The meetings will be physically accessible to people with disabilities.Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should bedirected to the Gulf Council (see ADDRESSES ).
The completed DSEIS associated with the draft Moratorium Amendment willbe filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced inthe Federal Register , and open to public comment for a45-day period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued bythe Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act (NEPA), and to NOAA's Administrative Order216-6 on complying with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
The Council will consider public comments received on the DSEIS indeveloping the final supplemental environmental impact statement (FSEIS),and before taking final action on the Moratorium Amendment. The Councilwill submit both the final amendment and the supporting FSEIS to NMFS forSecretarial review, approval, and implementation under the requirements ofthe Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
NMFS will announce, through a document published in the Federal Register , the availability of the final MoratoriumAmendment for public review during the Secretarial review period. DuringSecretarial review, NMFS will also file the FSEIS with the EPA for a final30-day public comment period. This comment period will be concurrentwith the Secretarial review period and will end prior to final agencyaction to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the final MoratoriumAmendment.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the FederalRegister , all public comment periods on the final Moratorium Amendment,any proposed implementing regulations, and its associated FSEIS. NMFS willconsider all public comments received during the Secretarial review period,whether they are on the final amendment, any proposed regulations, or theFSEIS, prior to final agency action.
Dated: April 1, 2005.
Alan D.Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National MarineFisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-6939 Filed 4-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S