Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS Fisheries); Fishery Management Plan, Plan Amendment and Consolidation of Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 285, 600, 630, 635, 644, and 678

[I.D. 071698B; 010799A]

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS Fisheries); Fishery

Management Plan, Plan Amendment and Consolidation of Regulations

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of the comment period; additional

public hearing.

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SUMMARY: On January 20, 1999, NMFS requested comments on a draft

Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and Sharks (HMS

FMP), and draft Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Billfish FMP, and the

proposed rule that would implement these FMPs. On February 25, NMFS

announced the availability of an addendum to the HMS FMP and published

a supplemental proposed rule to implement the addendum. Comments on all

documents were requested by March 4, 1999. NMFS hereby extends the

public comment period from March 4, 1999, to March 12, 1999, except for

proposed import restrictions for swordfish. NMFS also announces an

additional public hearing during the extended comment period.

DATES: Comments on the draft HMS FMP and its addendum, Amendment 1 to

the Billfish FMP, and their proposed implementing regulations must be

received by March 12, 1999. An additional public hearing will be held

in Spray Beach, NJ, on March 11, 1999, from 7 to 10 p.m.

ADDRESSES: To submit comments on, or to obtain copies of, the draft HMS

FMP, the Addendum to the draft HMS FMP, draft Amendment 1 to the

Billfish FMP, the proposed rule, supplemental proposed rule and

supporting documents, including the revised Initial Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis, or a summary of these items, contact Rebecca

Lent, Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, Office of

Sustainable Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910-3282, phone (301) 713-2347, fax (301) 713-1917. Copies

of the addendum and supplement are also available on the Sustainable

Fisheries Act web site at www.nmfs.gov/sfa/hms/hmspg.html. Send

comments regarding the burden-hour estimates or other aspects of the

collection-of-information requirements contained in this proposed rule

to Rebecca Lent and to the Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503

(Attention: NOAA Desk Officer).

The hearing location is the Spray Beach Inn, Oceanfront

and 24th Street, Spray Beach, NJ 08004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Scida regarding tuna issues at

(978) 281-9260; Jill Stevenson regarding swordfish issues at (301) 713-

2347; Margo Schulze regarding shark issues at (301) 713-2347; Buck

Sutter regarding billfish issues at (727) 570-5447; Karyl Brewster-

Geisz regarding limited access at (301) 713-2347; and Chris Rogers

regarding the regulatory consolidation at (301) 713-2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 9, 1998 (63 FR 54433), NMFS

announced the availability of draft Amendment 1 to the Billfish FMP,

and on October 26, 1998, NMFS announced the availability of the draft

HMS FMP (63 FR 57093). Information regarding the management of HMS

under the HMS and Billfish FMPs was provided in the preamble to the

proposed rule to implement those FMPs (64 FR 3154, January 20, 1999)

and is not repeated here. NMFS indicated that the preferred alternative

for western Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) rebuilding would be identified

following the November 1998 meeting of the International Commission for

the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), that the preferred

alternative and associated analyses would be published as an addendum

to the draft HMS FMP, and that proposed measures to implement the

preferred rebuilding alternative would be published in a supplement to

the proposed rule. The supplement to the proposed rule (February 25,

1999; 64 FR 9298) would implement the rebuilding and bycatch reduction

measures of the FMP Addendum and would specify BFT General category

effort controls for the 1999 fishing season and clarify mandatory data

collection requirements.

In response to public requests that additional time is needed to

review the above-referenced documents and prepare responses, NMFS

hereby extends the comment period to March 12, 1999.

Specific provisions in the proposed rule regarding swordfish import

restrictions had been previously proposed on October 13, 1998 (63 FR

54661). These provisions were restated in the proposed rule to

implement the HMS FMP due to the consolidated format of the new 50 CFR

part 635 regulations for HMS. Because the public comment period on

swordfish import restrictions has been adequate, and NMFS must begin

implementation of import monitoring, NMFS intends to finalize these

regulations under 50 CFR part 630. The final import restriction

regulations will subsequently be incorporated into 50 CFR part 635 when

the final consolidated regulations are issued.

Special Accommodations

This hearing is physically accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Rebecca Lent (see ADDRESSES) at least 7 days

prior to the hearing.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

[[Page 10439]]

Dated: February 26, 1999.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 99-5281 Filed 3-1-99; 9:57 am]

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