Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 082096D]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;

Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a fishery management plan; request

for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Caribbean Fishery Management Council

(Council) has submitted the Fishery Management Plan for Queen Conch

Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (FMP) for review,

approval, and implementation by NMFS. Written comments are requested

from the public.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 18, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be mailed to the Southeast Regional Office,

NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702.

Requests for copies of the FMP, which includes a regulatory impact

review, an initial regulatory flexibility analysis, a social impact

assessment, and a final environmental impact statement, should be sent

to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 268 Munoz Rivera Avenue,

Suite 1108, San Juan, PR 00918-2577, telephone 787-766-5926, FAX 787-

766-6239.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Georgia Cranmore, 813-570-5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (Magnuson Act) requires that a council-prepared fishery

management plan (plan) be submitted to NMFS for review and approval,

disapproval, or partial disapproval. The Magnuson Act also requires

that NMFS, upon receiving a plan, immediately publish notification that

it is available for public review and comment.

The FMP would: (1) Require that a Caribbean conch resource be

landed in its shell; (2) prohibit the possession or sale of queen conch

less than 9 inches (22.9 cm) in total length and less than 3/8 inch

(9.5 mm) in lip width at its widest point; (3) establish a recreational

daily bag limit of 3 queen conch per person, or 12 queen conch per boat

if more than 4 persons are aboard; (4) establish a daily harvest limit

of 150 queen conch per licensed commercial fisherman; (5) prohibit

taking of queen conch from July 1 through September 30; and (6)

prohibit the taking of queen conch by diving while using a device that

provides a continuous air supply from the surface. The FMP and its

implementing rule should rebuild the overfished queen conch resources

by protecting the spawning stock and reducing fishing effort. Proposed

regulations to implement the FMP are scheduled for publication within

15 days.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: August 23, 1996.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96-22042 Filed 8-26-96; 4:12 pm]

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