Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources; Public Hearings

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 101299F]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;

Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources; Public Hearings

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will

convene six public hearings on Draft Amendment 12 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic

Region (Draft Amendment 12) and its draft supplemental environmental

impact statement (draft SEIS).

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on November 29,

1999. The hearings will be held from November 3 to November 29, 1999.

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Bob Mahood, Executive

Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One Southpark

Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699. Copies of Draft Amendment

12 and the draft SEIS are available from Kerry O'Malley at 803-571-4366

and will also be available to the public at the hearings.

The hearings will be held in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and

North Carolina. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for locations of the

hearings and special accommodations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerry O'Malley, South Atlantic Fishery

Management Council, 803-571-4366; Fax: 803-769-4520; E-mail address:

[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will hold public hearings on

Draft Amendment 12 and the associated draft SEIS. Draft Amendment 12

includes management measures that would (1) prohibit the harvest and

possession of red porgy; (2) require the Council to review the status

of the red porgy resource every 3 years to determine whether the

moratorium on harvest should be repealed; (3) establish a maximum

sustainable yield of 5,285.4 metric tons (mt) for red porgy; (4) set

optimum yield for red porgy at the yield produced by a stock size of

10,000 mt; (5) establish the two components of the overfishing

definition for red porgy as: (a) the maximum fishing mortality

threshold is the fishing mortality rate (F) in excess of F35% static

spawning potential ratio (SPR) which is between 0.58 (F30%) and 0.33

(F40%) based on a 14 inch (35.6 cm) total length minimum size limit and

data through 1996, and (b) minimum stock size threshold is the stock

size associated with 20% SPR which is estimated at 3,000 mt. Current

stock size was estimated to be 685 mt based on data through 1996; (6)

set the rebuilding timeframe for red porgy at 18 years; (7) in the

snapper grouper limited access system, allow same owner permit transfer

regardless of vessel size for individuals harvesting snapper grouper

species with a non-transferable 225 pound trip limit permit; and (8)

modify the framework procedure for regulatory adjustments of the

Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South

Atlantic Region by adding the following list of management options and

measures that could be implemented via such framework procedure as:

Description, identification, and regulation of fishing activities to

protect essential fish habitat (EFH) and EFH-habitat areas of

particular concern (EFH-HAPC); management measures to reduce or

eliminate the adverse effects of fishing activities or fishing gear on

EFH or EFH-HAPCs; and regulation of EFH-HAPCs.

In the following locations the hearings will begin at 6 p.m. and

end when all business is completed:

1. Wednesday, November 3, 1999--Sombrero Resort and Marina,19

Sombrero Blvd., Marathon, FL 33050; Phone: 305-743-2250;

2. Wednesday, November 10, 1999--Richmond Hill City Hall, 40

Richard R. Davis Drive, Richmond Hill, GA 31324; Phone: 912-756-3345;

3. Thursday, November 11, 1999--Carteret Community College, 3505

Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557; Phone: 252-247-3093;

4. Monday, November 15, 1999--Ramada Inn Surfside, 3125 S. Atlantic

Avenue, Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118; Phone: 1-800-255-3838;

5. Wednesday, November 17, 1999--Town & Country Inn, 2008 Savannah

Highway, Charleston, SC 29407; Phone: 843-571-1000; and

6. Monday, November 29, 1999--Blockade Runner, 275 Waynick

Boulevard, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480, Phone: 910-256-2251.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically accessible to people with

disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES)

by October 29, 1999.

Dated: October 19, 1999.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 99-27769 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]

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