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Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Amendment to the Fishery Management Plans of the Gulf of Mexico
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: July 19, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 139)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 37635-37636]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19jy01-33]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Parts 622 and 640
[I.D. 020801A]
RIN 0648-AN83
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment to the Fishery Management Plans of the Gulf of Mexico
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council (Gulf Council) has submitted for review, approval, and
implementation under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) those measures of its Generic
Amendment Addressing the Establishment of the Tortugas Marine Reserves
in the Fishery Management Plans of the Gulf of Mexico (Generic Tortugas
Amendment) that would amend the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal
Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic
and the Fishery Management Plan for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the
Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. The Generic Tortugas Amendment would
establish two marine reserves in the exclusive economic zone in the
vicinity of the Dry Tortugas, FL. Within the marine reserves, fishing
for any species and anchoring by fishing vessels would be prohibited.
The intended effect is to protect and conserve important marine
resources. NMFS previously approved those measures of the Generic
Tortugas Amendment that amend the Gulf Council's other fishery
management plans (FMPs).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 17,
2001.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the subject measures of the Generic
Tortugas Amendment must be sent to Michael Barnette, Southeast Regional
Office, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702.
Comments may also be sent via fax to 727-570-5583. Comments will not be
accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet.
[[Page 37636]]
Requests for copies of the Generic Tortugas Amendment, which
includes a regulatory impact review and a final supplemental
environmental impact statement, should be sent to the Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000,
Tampa, FL 33619-2266; phone: 813-228-2815; fax: 813-225-7015; e-mail: gulf.council@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Barnette, NMFS; phone: 727-
570-5305; fax: 727-570-5583; e-mail: Michael.Barnette@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf Council previously submitted its
Generic Tortugas Amendment to NMFS for Secretarial review, approval,
and implementation. A notice of its availability for public comment was
published in the Federal Register on March 7, 2001 (66 FR 13692). On
June 6, 2001, NMFS approved those management measures in the Generic
Tortugas Amendment that amend the following FMPs: Fishery Management
Plan for Coral and Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico; Fishery
Management Plan for the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Fishery
Management Plan for the Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico;
Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico;
and Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of
Mexico.
The amendment's proposed management measures that would amend the
two FMPs prepared jointly (joint FMPs) by the Gulf Council and the
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council),
namely the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic and the Fishery
Management Plan for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and
South Atlantic, had yet to be adopted by the South Atlantic Council.
Therefore, those amendment measures proposed for amending the two joint
FMPs were not eligible for Secretarial review and approval under the
Magnuson-Stevens Act at the time the Gulf Council first submitted the
amendment to NMFS for Secretarial review.
At its meeting of June 18-23, 2001, the South Atlantic Council
adopted the amendment's proposed management measures that would amend
the two joint FMPs. Based on this action by the South Atlantic Council,
NMFS has determined that the amendment's measures that would amend the
two joint FMPs have been properly submitted for Secretarial review by
the Gulf Council and can now be reviewed and, if approved, implemented.
Accordingly, NMFS is publishing this notice of availability of these
amendment measures for public comment.
To date, NMFS has not published a proposed rule for the Generic
Tortugas Amendment. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS
is evaluating the proposed rule to determine whether it is consistent
with the Generic Tortugas Amendment, 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. The proposed rule will include amendment measures approved by
NMFS on June 6, 2001, for the following FMPs: Fishery Management Plan
for Coral and Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico; Fishery Management
Plan for the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Fishery Management
Plan for the Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Fishery
Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; and
Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of
Mexico. The proposed rule will also include those proposed management
measures for amending the two joint FMPs that are the subject of this
notice. These latter measures would amend the Fishery Management Plan
for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South
Atlantic and the Fishery Management Plan for the Spiny Lobster Fishery
of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.
Considerable background information on the Generic Tortugas
Amendment is contained in the original notice of availability published
March 7, 2001 (66 FR 13692) and is not repeated here. Under the Generic
Tortugas Amendment, the Gulf Council proposes that the marine reserves
be established for a period of at least 10 years, during which the
ecological benefits of the reserves will be evaluated. The prohibition
on fishing and anchoring of fishing vessels should minimize human
disturbances in the Tortugas reserves and help to restore and maintain
their ecological integrity, including a full assemblage of fish, coral,
and other benthic invertebrates. The reserves will also create a
reference or baseline area for studying human impacts on coral reef
ecosystems.
Comments received by September 17, 2001, whether specifically
directed to those management measures in the Generic Tortugas Amendment
that would amend the joint FMPs or to the proposed rule, will be
considered by NMFS in its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially
approve those measures amending the joint FMPs. Comments received after
that date will not be considered by NMFS in this decision. All comments
received by NMFS on the Generic Tortugas Amendment (under both the
current and previous Secretarial review periods) or the proposed rule
during their respective comment periods will be addressed in the
preamble of the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 12, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-17937 Filed 7-18-01; 8:45 am]
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