[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57262-57263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23441]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XZ11
New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils;
Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Supplemental Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental
assessment (EA); request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This supplemental notice is to alert the interested public of
the New
[[Page 57263]]
England Fishery Management Council's (Council) intent to change the
level of NEPA analysis for Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) from an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
an EA and to provide for public comment on this course of action. The
primary purpose of Amendment 5 is to address the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
requirements for annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures
(AMs), to set multi-year specifications of days-at-sea (DAS) and trip
limits, and to make other adjustments to measures in the FMP.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on
October 5, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following
methods:
E-mail to the following address: [email protected];
Mail or hand deliver to Paul Howard, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2,
Newburyport, MA, 01950. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Monkfish
Amendment 5 EA Comments''; or
Fax to (978) 465-3116.
Questions about this action may be directed to the Council office
at the previously provided address, or by request to the Council by
telephone (978) 465-0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Howard, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport,
MA, 01950, (telephone 978-465-0492).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 20, 2009, the Council announced
its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in
accordance with NEPA to assess potential effects on the human
environment of alternative measures to address the new Magnuson-Stevens
Act requirements for ACLs and AMs (74 FR 7880). The Magnuson-Stevens
Act also required that the ACLs and AMs be adopted by 2011. During the
early development stages of Amendment 5, the Council considered
including proposals for adopting a major revision to the management
program, shifting from effort controls (DAS and trip limits) to catch
share management (individual vessel quotas or sectors). By September
2009, the Council recognized that, due to their complexity, development
of catch share alternatives would likely delay Amendment 5, and risk
not meeting the statutory ACL/AM deadline. At that time, the Council
decided to separate the catch shares portion of the amendment so it
could focus on the remaining elements. It also agreed to consider catch
shares in the next management action. With this decision, it was
determined that remaining measures contained in Amendment 5 were not
likely to be significant under NEPA, and the development of an EIS was
no longer necessary.
The Council held six public hearings on the EA prepared for
Amendment 5 between February 8 and March 9, 2010. Based on comments
received and the preliminary analysis contained in the EA, the
preparation of an EIS no longer appears necessary.
Dated: September 15, 2010.
Carrie Selberg,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-23441 Filed 9-17-10; 8:45 am]
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