[Federal Register: March 18, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 52)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 12888-12889]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18mr03-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 030303D]
Pacific Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS); request for written comments; notice of public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: On April 16, 2002, NMFS and the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) announced their intent to prepare an EIS in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
[[Page 12889]]
(NEPA) of 1969 for Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery
Management Plan (FMP). The FMP would be amended to establish procedures
for periodic review and revision of rebuilding plans and to incorporate
rebuilding plans for overfished groundfish species. NMFS and the
Council subsequently decided to prepare two (or more) separate analyses
for these actions. Establishing procedures for reviewing and revising
rebuilding plans is not anticipated to result in significant
environmental impacts. Therefore, an environmental assessment (EA) will
be prepared for those procedural actions, which will be implemented
through Amendment 16 to the FMP. An EIS will then be prepared to
evaluate the environmental impacts of implementing rebuilding plans for
at least four of the nine species currently declared overfished by the
Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: A public scoping meeting on the four rebuilding plans EIS is
scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 2003, from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. in conjunction
with the Council's April 7-11, 2003, meeting (see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION) covering various rebuilding-plan-related issues. Written
comments will be accepted no later than 5 p.m., local time on May 30,
2003. After this date, a scoping responsiveness summary document,
summarizing the public's issues and alternatives to be evaluated in the
EIS, will be drafted and made available on the Council's website
(www.pcouncil.org) or by request from the address below. All parties
present at the scoping meeting shall be mailed copies of the scoping
responsiveness summary document once it is prepared.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues and alternatives for the four
rebuilding plans EIS should be sent to Dr. Donald McIsaac, Pacific
Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 200,
Portland, OR 97220. Comments also may be sent via facsimile (fax) to
503-820-2299.
Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council 7700 NE
Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220-1384.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Matthew Harrington, NMFS,
Northwest Region, 206-526-4742; fax: 206-526-6426 and email:
matthew.harrington@noaa.gov, or Kit Dahl, Pacific Fishery Management
Council, 503-820-8220 or 866-806-7204 (toll free); fax: 503-820-2299
and email: kit.dahl@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and the Council published a notice of
intent to prepare an EIS evaluating groundfish rebuilding plans in the
Federal Register on April 16, 2002. (That document contains additional
background information on the need for rebuilding plans.) At that time,
NMFS and the Council planned to prepare a single EIS evaluating the
effects of two sets of alternatives that might be adopted under a
single amendment (Amendment 16) to the Groundfish FMP. The first set of
alternatives would address the effects of different procedures that
might be followed for revising rebuilding plans. As currently
developed, these alternatives, or options, cover: (1) the form and
content of rebuilding plans, (2) procedures for periodic review of
rebuilding plans (as required by Section 304(e)(7) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act at 16 U.S.C. 1854(e)(7)), (3) standards for evaluating
stock rebuilding processes, and (4) procedures that would be followed
in the event that an overfished species is listed under the Endangered
Species Act. These actions are procedural, establishing a framework for
the adoption of rebuilding plans. As such, no significant direct or
indirect environmental effects are anticipated. Environmental effects
would result from the adoption of rebuilding measures subsequent to the
implementation of this procedural framework. Therefore, after further
consideration, NMFS and the Council have decided to evaluate these
procedural options in a separate EA and confine the EIS analysis to the
impacts of rebuilding-plan-related measures.
The EIS will now evaluate the environmental impacts stemming from
adoption of rebuilding plans, and in particular, the management targets
that will be used to determine harvest levels. These target parameters
include the target rebuilding period, the fishing mortality management
strategy (e.g., constant catch versus constant fishing mortality rate)
and rates associated with the strategy, and levels of probability or
risk that rebuilding targets will be achieved. Rebuilding plans for at
least four overfished species will be evaluated, with darkblotched
rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, lingcod, and canary rockfish the most
likely species for which rebuilding plans would be evaluated in this
EIS. The effects of adopting rebuilding measures for the remaining five
overfished species (bocaccio rockfish, cowcod, whiting, widow rockfish,
and yelloweye rockfish) will be evaluated in one or more subsequent
EISs or EAs.
Scoping
Because of the change in approach described above, an additional
public scoping meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 2003, from 3
p.m. to 5 p.m. This scoping session will coincide with the Council
meeting and will occur at the same location, the Red Lion at The Quay
Hotel, 100 Columbia St., Vancouver, WA 98660 (360-694-8341). Although
the primary purpose of the scoping meeting shall be to obtain the
public's comments and issues with regards to the four rebuilding plans
EIS, issues related to the rebuilding plan adoption framework (subject
of the EA) and rebuilding measures for all overfished species (not just
those species that will be covered in the EIS noticed here) may be
raised at this scoping meeting. These other comments will be used to
formulate the scope of those particular NEPA documents. Likewise,
comments raised on the four rebuilding plans EIS will be used to focus
the analysis on the real issues and concerns of the public (40 CFR part
1500.5(d) and 40 CFR part 1501.7). Public comment also may be made
during the April Council meeting, under the agendum wherein the Council
plans to consider these proposed actions. The agenda for this meeting
is available from the Council website or by request from Council
offices (see ADDRESSES), once finalized.
Written comments on the scope of issues and alternatives may be
submitted as described under ADDRESSES.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Porter at 820-2280 at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 12, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-6469 Filed 3-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S