Atlantic Swordfish Fishery; Reopening of Comment Period and Hearing Announcement

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 630

[I.D. 121597D]

Atlantic Swordfish Fishery; Reopening of Comment Period and

Hearing Announcement

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Reopening of comment period and hearing announcement.

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SUMMARY: NMFS reopens the public comment period on a proposed rule to

establish annual quotas for the South Atlantic swordfish fishery and to

change quota adjustment procedures. Also, NMFS announces three

hearings.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 1, 1998.

Hearings will be held on August 26, 1998, in Warwick, RI; August 28,

1998, in Fairhaven, MA; and September 1, 1998, in St. Croix, USVI.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to, and the proposed

rule and draft Environmental Assessment are available from, Jill

Stevenson, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Hearings will be held at the

following locations: August 26, 1998, 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Radisson

Airport Hotel Providence, 2081 Post Road, Warwick, RI; for directions

only, (401) 739-3000; August 28, 1998, 7-10 p.m. at the Seaport Inn,

Fairhaven, MA, for directions only (800) 835-7678; September 1, 1998,

7-9 p.m. at the Hotel on the Cay, Protestant Cay, St. Croix, USVI, for

directions only, (340) 773-2035.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Stevenson or Steve Meyers,

telephone: (301) 713-2347, fax: (301) 713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic swordfish fishery is managed

under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act, (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and the Atlantic Tunas

Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). On June 10, 1998, NMFS

published a proposed rule (63 FR 31710) to establish annual quotas for

the South Atlantic swordfish fishery. The notice also contained

proposed measures to change the quota adjustment procedures for the

North and South Atlantic swordfish fisheries. Initial comments in

response to that notice included requests to extend the comment period

on these measures due to the far-ranging nature of the swordfish

fishing fleet and the need to schedule public hearings on these issues.

Therefore, NMFS reopens the public comment period through September 1,

1998.

Dated: August 14, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 98-22360 Filed 8-14-98; 4:39 pm]

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