New England Fishery Management Council; Public Hearing

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 650

[I.D. 042996G]

New England Fishery Management Council; Public Hearing

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Public hearing; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold

a public hearing to seek input on Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Sea

Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Amendment 5 would close an area

to some fishing activities over an 18-month period to allow an

experiment and demonstration project involving sea scallop research,

resource enhancement, and aquaculture.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 4, 1996. The

hearing will be held on Friday, May 17, 1996, at 1 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Requests for special accommodations should be addressed to

the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA

01906-1097. Copies of proposed Amendment 5 will be available at the

hearing, but may be obtained in advance by calling or writing the

Council office.

The hearing will take place at the University of Massachusetts

Cranberry Experiment Station, Glen Charlie Road, Wareham, MA;

telephone: (508) 295-2212.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas G. Marshall, Executive

Director, New England Fishery Management Council, (671) 231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fishermen and any other interested members

of the public are encouraged to attend this hearing to review a

proposal to amend the FMP. Amendment 5 would establish a temporary

experimental use area in Federal waters approximately 12 miles (22.22

km) southwest of Martha's Vineyard. During the 18-month-long project,

the area would be used to determine whether it is feasible to enhance

wild stocks through bottom seeding, and to study the interactions of

the harvesting gear, sea scallops and their habitat, open-ocean pen

engineering, and the growth rates of transferred juvenile brood stock

in both pen culture and open bottom culture.

Otter trawling, mid-water trawling and the use of other mobile

gear, shellfish dredging and gillnetting would be prohibited within the

9 square-mile (23.31 square-km) site. Other fishing gear such as

lobster traps and longline gear would be controlled but allowed within

the area and the operation of hand gear would not be restricted. If the

project is approved, the Council will amend the FMP accordingly.

Discussion of this issue will be included on the agenda at the

Council's June 5-6, 1996, meeting at the King's Grant Inn, Danvers, MA.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at that time.

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Douglas G. Marshall (see ADDRESSES) at least 5

days prior to the meeting date.

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

Dated: May 6, 1996.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96-11772 Filed 5-9-96; 8:45 am]

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