Fisheries Bycatch Plan

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

I.D. 022497A

Fisheries Bycatch Plan

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the extension of the public comment period on

the draft NMFS bycatch plan, Managing the Nation's Bycatch: Priorities,

Programs and Actions for the National Marine Fisheries Service. The

NMFS bycatch plan will guide the agency's bycatch-related research and

management for the next decade. The public comment period is hereby

extended to June 30, 1997, to give members of the public additional

time to review and comment on the draft plan. Any written comments

received will be considered by NMFS in the adoption and implementation

of the final bycatch plan.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before June 30, 1997.

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ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the NMFS bycatch plan should be

directed to the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD. 20910. PHONE:(301)713-2363. FAX: (301)713-

1875. The NMFS bycatch plan is also available in its entirety on the

Internet at http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Witzig or Liz Lauck, (301) 713-

2365.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Interest in bycatch in the Nation's fisheries has received

increased attention in the last decade. During this time, NMFS and its

constituents have come to agree that fisheries bycatch is an issue of

great concern to those interested in sustainable fisheries and marine

ecosystems. Congress has emphasized NMFS' responsibility to address

bycatch in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management

Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Issues in each of NMFS' administrative regions and on the national

level are addressed in detail in the draft NMFS bycatch plan. This

discussion forms the basis for a set of research and management

recommendations that will help guide the agency's bycatch-related

activities. Broadly, recommendations in the plan address the

acquisition of bycatch data, gear technology and selectivity research,

the effects of bycatch, research on individual incentive programs to

manage bycatch, development and implementation of conservation and

management measures to address bycatch, and information exchange and

cooperative management.

A notice of availability of the draft NMFS bycatch plan was

published in the Federal Register on April 2, 1997 (62 FR 15659). The

draft NMFS bycatch plan continues to generate significant public

interest and NMFS would like to ensure that all interested members of

the public have adequate time to comment on the draft plan. Thus, NMFS

is extending the deadline for public comments on the draft plan to June

30, 1997. All comments received on or before that date will be

considered in development of the final plan.

Request for Comments

NMFS intends that the final version of the bycatch plan will take

advantage of information and recommendations from all interested

parties. Therefore, comments and suggestions are hereby solicited from

the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific

community, industry, and any other person concerned with this draft

NMFS Bycatch Plan.

Dated: May 1, 1997.

Nancy Foster,

Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97-11835 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]

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