[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 92 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 26920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11461]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-AY12
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Spiny Dogfish Amendment
3 Scoping Process
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS); request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils
(Councils), in cooperation with NMFS, announce that they may address
two issues that were not noted in the initial Notice of Intent (NOI)
for Amendment 3 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
This notice announces a public process to solicit scoping comments on
the two additional issues, which relate to Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
designations and commercial quota management. The scoping comment
period for issues previously announced for Amendment 3 to the Spiny
Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) closed on September 4, 2009.
Please focus comments on these two additional issues not listed in the
original NOI.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on
June 1, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following
methods:
E-mail to the following address: [email protected]. Please
note on your correspondence and in the subject line of e-mail comments
the following identifier: ``Spiny Dogfish Amendment 3--Additional
Scoping Comments.'';
Mail or hand deliver to Daniel T. Furlong, Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 N.
State Street, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Spiny
Dogfish Amendment 3--Additional Scoping Comments''; or
Fax to (302) 674-5399.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel T. Furlong, Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 N. State Street, Dover, DE
19901, (telephone 302-674-2331).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The initial NOI was published in the Federal
Register on August 5, 2009 (74 FR 39063). This NOI solicited comments
for the following issues to be addressed in Amendment 3: Including a
Research-Set-Aside (RSA) provision in the FMP, reviewing various
commercial quota allocation alternatives, specifying the spiny dogfish
quota and/or trip limits by sex, creating a limited access spiny
dogfish permit, and developing management measures for the recreational
spiny dogfish fishery. Since the initial scoping meetings, two
additional issues have been identified for consideration in this
Amendment:
1) Identify the geographic extent and ecological characteristics of
EFH for spiny dogfish, and evaluate impacts of the spiny dogfish
fishery on EFH for all federally managed species in the Northeast
region. Amendment 3 will include revisions to EFH designations and the
fishing impact analysis that were originally done in the 1999 FMP. It
will also include any new information on non-fishing-related activities
that may adversely impact spiny dogfish EFH, any appropriate habitat
conservation and enhancement recommendations, revisions to the
descriptions of prey species and their habitats, and a list of research
and information needs. It could also identify Habitat Areas of
Particular Concern for spiny dogfish, if appropriate.
2) Rollover of Annual Management Measures: Annual management
measures are specified for each spiny dogfish fishing year (May 1
through April 30). If there is a delay in the development of annual
management measures for spiny dogfish, the FMP does not currently
specify that measures, such as the commercial quota, would continue in
effect from one fishing year to the next. The Council is considering
modifying the FMP to allow measures to remain in effect at the start of
any fishing year if new management measures have not yet been specified
for that year.
The scoping document for Amendment 3 has been modified to
accommodate these two additional issues and may be obtained from the
Council office (see ADDRESSES), or by request to the Council by
telephone (302) 674-2331, or via the Internet at http://www.mafmc.org/mid-atlantic/comments/comments.htm.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 10, 2010
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-11461 Filed 5-12-10; 8:45 am]
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