[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 64 (Monday, April 4, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18504-18505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7947]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
RIN 0648-BA65
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quotas
and Atlantic Tuna Fisheries Management Measures
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of public hearing.
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[[Page 18505]]
SUMMARY: On March 14, 2011, NMFS published a proposed rule to modify
Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) base quotas for all domestic fishing
categories; establish BFT quota specifications for the 2011 fishing
year; reinstate pelagic longline target catch requirements for
retaining BFT in the Northeast Distant Gear Restricted Area (NED);
amend the Atlantic tunas possession at sea and landing regulations to
allow removal of Atlantic tunas tail lobes; and clarify the transfer at
sea regulations for Atlantic tunas. This action was necessary to
implement recommendations of the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as required by the Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management
objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). On March 21, 2011, NMFS
published a correction notice that extended the comment period for this
action until April 28, 2011, allowing a 45-day comment period,
rescheduled the Gloucester, MA, public hearing that was originally
scheduled for March 21, 2011, to April 1, 2011, and announced that
additional public hearings would be scheduled in a future notice. In
this document NMFS is announcing additional public hearings in
Fairhaven, MA, and Portland, ME, in order to provide greater
opportunity for public comment on the proposed rule.
DATES: A hearing will be held on April 25, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. in
Portland, ME, and a hearing will be held on April 26, 2011, from 6 to 9
p.m. in Fairhaven, MA. Public comments on the proposed rule must be
received on or before April 28, 2011. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
further details.
ADDRESSES: As published on March 14, 2011 (76 FR 13583), you may submit
comments, identified by ``0648-BA65'', by any one of the following
methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
Fax: 978-281-9340, Attn: Sarah McLaughlin.
Mail: Sarah McLaughlin, Highly Migratory Species
Management Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 55
Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930
Instructions: All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying
Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required fields,
if you wish to remain anonymous). You may submit attachments to
electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF
file formats only. To be considered, electronic comments must be
submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit electronic comments to individual
NMFS staff.
Supporting documents, including the draft Environmental Assessment,
Regulatory Impact Review, and Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis,
are available by sending your request to Sarah McLaughlin at the
mailing address specified above. These documents and others, such as
the Fishery Management Plans described below, also may be downloaded
from the HMS Web site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/.
The additional public hearing locations are:
1. Portland, ME--Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring St., Portland,
ME 04101.
2. Fairhaven, MA--Seaport Inn and Marina, 110 Middle Street,
Fairhaven, MA 02719.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah McLaughlin or Brad McHale, 978-
281-9260.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore
tuna, yellowfin tuna, and skipjack tuna (hereafter referred to as
``Atlantic tunas'') are managed under the dual authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) to promulgate regulations, as may be necessary and
appropriate, to implement ICCAT recommendations. The authority to issue
regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA has been delegated
from the Secretary to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA
(AA).
In the proposed rule, NMFS announced four public hearings. NMFS has
received several comments requesting additional public hearings. NMFS
has determined that it is reasonable to conduct additional public
hearings to provide greater opportunities for public comment and is
conducting additional hearings in Fairhaven, MA, and Portland, ME.
These hearings will allow NMFS to collect additional public comments on
the proposed rule, which will assist NMFS in determining final
management measures to conserve and manage the Atlantic tunas
fisheries, consistent with the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, ATCA, and other applicable law.
Dated: March 29, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7947 Filed 4-1-11; 8:45 am]
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