Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska; Commercial Fishing Regulations and Environmental Assessment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

36 CFR Part 13

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska; Commercial Fishing Regulations

and Environmental Assessment

AGENCIES: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Availability of Commercial Fishing Environmental Assessment

(EA) and public comment period extension for Proposed Rule and EA.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of

the Environmental Assessment (EA) and extension of the public comment

period for the proposed rule concerning Glacier Bay National Park

commercial fishing (62 FR 18547). The public comment period for the EA

and proposed rule will end June 1, 1998. This is the second extension

of the public comment period on the proposed rule.

This document also announces the dates and locations of open houses

and public hearings to solicit comments on the proposed rule and EA

which are listed in the under Supplementary Information section, below.

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule and EA will be accepted through

June 1, 1998. For dates of open houses and hearings, see Supplementary

Information.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed rule and EA should be submitted to

the: Superintendent, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box

140, Gustavus, Alaska 99826. For locations of open houses and hearings,

see Supplementary Information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the environmental assessment

and an executive summary are available by writing Glen Yankus, National

Park Service, Alaska Support Office, 2525 Gambell St., Anchorage, AK

99503-2838, or calling (907) 257-2645. A copy of the Executive Summary

for the EA will be available on the park's web site at http://

www.nps.gov/glba in the management issues section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Open houses and public hearings are

scheduled on the dates and at the time and locations indicated below:

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Gustavus.......... May 4.......... Gustavus Library. 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Gustavus School.. (open house).

7:00-10:00 p.m.

Hoonah............ May 5.......... Council Chambers. 3:00-5:00 p.m.;

7:00-10:00 p.m.

Pelican........... May 7.......... Community Hall... 3:00-5:00 p.m.;

7:00-10:00 p.m.

Elfin Cove........ May 8.......... School Library... 4:00-6:00 p.m.;

7:00-10:00 p.m.

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Juneau............ May 11......... Egan Room, 3:00-5:00 p.m.;

Centennial Hall. 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Sitka............. May 12......... Mausseau Room, 3:00-5:00 p.m.;

Centennial. 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Seattle........... May 14......... Klondike Gold 3:00-5:00 p.m.;

Rush, NHP 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Theater.

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The first 2 hours of each meeting will be an open house, discussion

session. Representatives of the NPS will be available to answer

questions and hear your comments in a more informal setting. The rest

of the meeting will be a public hearing; a brief introduction by the

hearing facilitator will be followed by public testimony on the plan.

The environmental assessment evaluates the proposed action and four

alternatives for managing commercial fishing in the marine waters of

the park.

The proposed action (Alternative One) would allow commercial

fishing by qualified fishers in non-wilderness marine waters of Glacier

Bay proper to continue for 15 years; commercial fishing in wilderness

waters would end at the time the regulations go into effect. Commercial

fishing would generally be authorized to continue in non-wilderness

waters outside Glacier Bay proper under a cooperative fisheries

management plan developed by the NPS and State of Alaska.

Alternative Two-No Action--This alternative would enforce the

existing statutory and regulatory prohibitions regarding commercial

fishing activities within the marine waters of the park. Enforcement of

NPS regulations would result in the immediate cessation of all

commercial fisheries in all park waters with no opportunity to phase

out fishing through limited exemptions.

Alternative Three--This alternative incorporates marine reserve

concepts consistent with the park's purposes. Specifically, this

alternative would focus on protecting those species for which the park

serves as an appropriate marine reserve (i.e., resident species) while

allowing continued harvest of species that are subject to harvest

outside park waters (i.e., transient species).

Alternative Four--This alternative would allow local individuals to

continue commercial fishing throughout Glacier Bay National Park. This

alternative would prohibit only those fisheries that cannot be

sustained or that cause unacceptable habitat degradation.

Alternative Five--This alternative would implement a fisheries plan

described in a NPS proposed regulations released in 1991. It would end

all commercial fishing activities in the park after seven years, and

until that time would allow commercial fishing in non-wilderness waters

by traditional methods.

Dated: April 16, 1998.

Paul R. Anderson,,

Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region.

[FR Doc. 98-11080 Filed 4-29-98; 8:45 am]

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