Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Public Hearings

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 011994A]

50 CFR Part 285

Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings and extension of comment period;

request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will hold three public hearings to receive comments from

fishery participants and other members of the public regarding proposed

amendments to regulations governing the Atlantic tuna fisheries. The

proposed rule would establish fishing category quota allocations for

the 1994 bluefin fishing season; amend the specified amount of other

species to be landed as a condition for landing an incidental catch of

bluefin in the southern longline fishery to 1,500 pounds (680 kg) from

January to April and 3,500 pounds (1588 kg) from May to December;

adjust to 34 degrees N. latitude the line that separates the northern

and southern regulatory areas for vessels using longline gear and

possessing an Incidental Catch permit for bluefin; and make corrections

to the regulatory text to include prohibiting the retention of bluefin

less than 70 inches (178 cm) by persons on vessels without an Angling

category permit. In addition, NMFS requests comments on the use of

curved length measurements for bluefin and on alternate means to

provide closure notices. To accommodate people unable to attend a

hearing or wishing to provide additional comments, NMFS also solicits

written comments on the proposed rule. The comment period is extended

by one week to end on February 15, 1994.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and locations of

the public hearings. Written comments on the proposed rule must be

received on or before February 15, 1994.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the public hearing

locations. Written comments should be sent to Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management (F/CM),

National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910. Clearly mark the outside of the envelope ``Atlantic

Tuna Comments.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Foster at 508-281-9260 for the

Gloucester, MA, hearing; Michael Justen at 813-893-3721 for the Madeira

Beach, FL, hearing; and Christopher Rogers at 301-713-2347 for the

Silver Spring, MD, hearing, or for general information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed regulatory amendments that are

the subject of the hearings are necessary to improve management and

monitoring of the U.S. Atlantic tuna fisheries, to implement the 1993

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

recommendations, and to enhance collection of data to improve

assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the

fisheries.

A complete description of the measures, and the purpose and need

for the proposed action, are contained in the proposed rule published

January 19, 1994 (59 FR 2813) and are not repeated here. Copies of the

proposed rule may be obtained by writing (see ADDRESSES) or calling one

of the contact persons (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

The proposed rule notice indicated a comment period of 20 days

duration ending on February 8, 1994. Due to scheduling conflicts, NMFS

must conduct the public hearings outside of the originally indicated

comment period. Thus, NMFS hereby extends the comment period to end on

February 15, 1994.

The public hearing schedule is as follows:

Monday, February 14, 1994, Gloucester, MA, 7-9 p.m.

NOAA/NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, room 102, Gloucester, MA 01930, For

information call: (508) 281-9260

Monday, February 14, 1994, Silver Spring, MD, 9 a.m.-12 noon

NOAA/NMFS, 1325 East-West Highway, room 2358, Silver Spring, MD

20910, For information call: (301) 713-2347

Friday, February 11, 1994, Madeira Beach, FL, 7-9 p.m.

Madeira Beach City Hall, 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, FL

33708, For information call: (813) 893-3721

The purpose of this notice is to alert the interested public of

hearings and provide for public participation. These hearings are

physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign

language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to

Richard H. Schaefer by February 8, 1994 (see ADDRESSES).

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.

Dated: January 24, 1994.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 94-1971 Filed 1-25-94; 5:01 pm]

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