[Federal Register: August 2,
2006 (Volume 71, Number 148)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 43706-43707]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02au06-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 072806A]
RIN 0648-AS67
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Individual Fishing Quota
Program for Gulf Commercial Red Snapper Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of availability of fishery management plan
amendment; request for comments.
Jim
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of Amendment 26 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resource of the Gulf of Mexico
(Amendment 26) prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council (Council). Amendment 26 would establish an Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ) program for the Gulf of Mexico commercial red snapper
fishery. The intended effect of Amendment 26 is to reduce overcapacity
in the commercial red snapper fishery and to eliminate, to the extent
possible, the problems associated with derby fishing, in order to
assist the Council in achieving optimum yield (OY) from the fishery.
DATES: Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern
time, on October 2, 2006.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
line the following document identifier: 0648-AS67-NOA.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Copies of Amendment 26, which includes a supplemental environmental
impact statement (SEIS), a regulatory impact review (RIR), and an
initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA), may be obtained from
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 N. Lois Avenue,
Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813-348-1630; fax: 813-348-
1711; e-mail:
gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org. In
[[Page 43707]]
addition, copies of the final SEIS, a revised RIR, and a revised IRFA,
prepared by NMFS are also available from the Council at the address
above. Copies of all of these documents may also be downloaded from the
Council's Web site at
http://www.gulfcouncil.org.
The final supplemental environmental impact statement (FSEIS) for
this amendment includes discussion and analyses NMFS added to the
environmental impact statement contained in the amendment the Council
approved and submitted for Secretarial review. In the FSEIS, NMFS also
included a revision of the IFRA originally integrated in the Council
amendment. Additional text and analyses clarify the distinction between
IFQ shareholders and IFQ allocation holders, and more clearly
distinguish the roles and responsibilities of these two participant
types.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phil Steele, 727 824 5305; fax 727-
824-5308; e-mail:
phil.steele@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council addressed overcapacity in the
red snapper fishery in 1995 through Amendment 8 to the FMP. In this
amendment, the Council examined several management alternatives
including license limitation, IFQs, and more traditional management
measures (i.e., open access), and determined an IFQ program had the
most potential to address the immediate overcapitalization problems and
achieve OY from the fishery. However, Amendment 8 was never implemented
because of congressional action. Following the expiration of the
congressional IFQ moratorium, NMFS conducted a referendum required by
Section 407(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to determine whether commercial
red snapper fishermen supported further consideration of an IFQ
program. The Council began developing this amendment following a
majority ``yes'' vote on the referendum. NMFS conducted the second
referendum required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to determine whether
fishermen approved the IFQ amendment developed by the Council for
submission to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Following a
majority ``yes'' vote in the second referendum, the Council at its
March 2006 meeting voted to submit the IFQ amendment to the Secretary
for review.
The main action in this amendment (Action 1) is to establish an IFQ
program. The following actions (Actions 2-11) determine the structure
of the program. These actions are: IFQ program duration; ownership caps
and restrictions on IFQ share certificates; eligibility for initial IFQ
allocation; initial apportionment of IFQ shares; establishment and
structure of an appeals process; transfer eligibility requirements; use
it or lose it clause for IFQ shares or allocations; adjustments in
commercial quota; use of a vessel monitoring system; and a cost
recovery plan.
A proposed rule that would implement the measures outlined in
Amendment 26 has been received from the Council. In accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is evaluating the proposed rule to determine
whether it is consistent with the FMPs, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and
other applicable law. If that determination is affirmative, NMFS will
publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register for public review and
comment.
Comments received by October 2, 2006, whether specifically directed
to Amendment 26 or the proposed rule, will be considered by NMFS in its
decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the amendment.
Comments received after that date will not be considered by NMFS in
this decision. All comments received by NMFS on the amendment or the
proposed rule during their respective comment periods will be addressed
in the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 28, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06-6645 Filed 7-28-06; 2:19 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S