[Federal Register: December 26, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 246)]
[Notices]
[Page 72994-72996]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26de07-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD93
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish
Fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for written comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS, in consultation with the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) on salmon bycatch reduction measures in the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI), in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The proposed action
would replace the current Chinook and Chum Salmon Savings Areas in the
BSAI with new regulatory closures, salmon bycatch limits, or a
combination of both. These management measures could incorporate
current or new bycatch reduction methods. The scope of the EIS will be
to determine the impacts to the human environment resulting from these
salmon bycatch reduction measures. NMFS will accept written comments
from the public to determine the issues of concern and the
[[Page 72995]]
appropriate range of management alternatives for analysis in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments must be received by February 15, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues and alternatives for the EIS
should be sent to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator,
Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen
Sebastian. Comments may be submitted by
E-mail: 0648-AW25-SalmonBycatchEIS@noaa.gov. Include in
the subject line the following document identifier: Salmon Bycatch EIS.
E-mail comments, with or without attachments, are limited to 5
megabytes;
Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802;
Hand Delivery to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK; or
Fax: 907-586-7557.
All Personal Identifying Information (e.g., name, address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
NMFS will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or
Adobe portable document file (pdf) formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Anderson, (907) 586-7228 or
jason.anderson@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the United
States has exclusive fishery management authority over all living
marine resources found within the exclusive economic zone. The
management of these marine resources, with the exception of certain
marine mammals and birds, is vested in the Secretary of Commerce. The
North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has the
responsibility to prepare fishery management plans for those marine
resources off Alaska requiring conservation and management. Management
of the Federal groundfish fishery in the BSAI is carried out under the
Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Management Area (FMP). The FMP, its amendments, and
implementing regulations (found at 50 CFR part 679) are developed in
accordance with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other
applicable Federal laws and executive orders, notably the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Council is considering replacing the current Chinook and Chum
Salmon Savings Areas in the BSAI with new regulatory closures, salmon
bycatch limits, or a combination of both. These management measures
could incorporate current or new bycatch reduction methods. NMFS and
the Council have determined the preparation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) may be required for this action because some important
aspects of the impacts of salmon bycatch in the BSAI on the salmon
stocks of origin and users of these salmon are uncertain or unknown and
may result in significant impacts on the human environment not
previously analyzed. Thus, NMFS and the Council are initiating scoping
for an EIS in the event that an EIS is needed.
NMFS and the Council are seeking information from the public
through the EIS scoping process on the range of alternatives to be
analyzed, and on the environmental, social, and economic issues to be
considered in the analysis. Written comments generated during this
scoping process will be provided to the Council and incorporated into
the EIS.
Chinook and Chum Salmon Savings Areas
To address Chinook salmon bycatch concerns, the Council adopted
several management measures designed to reduce overall Chinook salmon
bycatch in the BSAI trawl fisheries. In 1995, the Council adopted, and
NMFS approved, Amendment 21b to the FMP. Based on historic information
on salmon bycatch, Amendment 21b established a Chinook Salmon Savings
Area (60 FR 61215, November 29, 1995). Under Amendment 21b, the Chinook
Salmon Savings Area closed when the bycatch of Chinook salmon in BSAI
trawl fisheries reached 48,000 fish. Amendment 58 to the FMP revised
the Chinook Salmon Savings Area measures (65 FR 60587, October 12,
2000). Amendment 58 reduced the Chinook salmon bycatch limit from
48,000 fish to 29,000 fish, mandated year-round accounting of Chinook
bycatch in the directed pollock fishery, revised the boundaries of the
Chinook Salmon Savings Area closure, and implemented new closure dates.
The Council also adopted a time-area closure designed to reduce
overall non-Chinook salmon bycatch in the BSAI trawl fisheries. In
1995, Amendment 35 to the FMP established the Chum Salmon Savings Area
(60 FR 34904, July 5, 1995). This area is closed to all trawling from
August 1 through August 31 of each year. Additionally, if 42,000 non-
Chinook salmon are caught in the Catcher Vessel Operational Area during
the period August 15 through October 14, the area remains closed for
the remainder of the calendar year.
The Chinook and Chum Salmon Savings Areas were adopted based on
historic observed salmon bycatch rates and were designed to avoid high
spatial and temporal levels of salmon bycatch. From 1990 through 2001,
the BSAI salmon bycatch average was 37,819 Chinook and 69,332 non-
Chinook annually. Recently, however, salmon bycatch numbers have
increased substantially. The numbers of Chinook and non-Chinook salmon
bycatch in the BSAI groundfish fisheries from 2003 through December 7,
2007, are shown in the following table:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Number of
Year Chinook non-Chinook
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2003 55,422 197,287
2004 63,188 457,817
2005 74,967 711,938
2006 87,730 326,445
2007 through December 7 130,246 97,904
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NMFS and the Council are concerned with this level of salmon bycatch
because of the potential negative impacts on salmon stocks in general,
and on western Alaska salmon stocks in particular.
Recent Salmon Bycatch Management Measures
To address these increasing salmon bycatch amounts, the Council
adopted, and NMFS implemented on October 29, 2007, Amendment 84 to the
FMP (72 FR 61070, October 29, 2007). Spatial and temporal comparisons
of non-community development quota (CDQ) vessels fishing outside of the
salmon savings areas with CDQ vessels fishing inside of the salmon
savings areas indicated that salmon bycatch rates were much higher
outside of the savings areas, and closures were displacing vessels to
higher bycatch areas. Amendment 84 exempts non-CDQ and CDQ pollock
vessels participating in a salmon bycatch reduction inter-cooperative
agreement (ICA) from closures of the Chinook and Chum Salmon Savings
Areas in the BSAI. Additionally, vessels participating in trawl
fisheries for species other than pollock are exempt from Chum Salmon
Savings Area Closures
The purpose of the salmon bycatch avoidance ICA is to use real-time
salmon bycatch information to avoid areas of high non-Chinook and
Chinook
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salmon bycatch rates. The ICA utilizes a system of base bycatch rates,
assignment of vessels to tiers based on bycatch rates relative to the
base rate, a system of closures for vessels in certain tiers, and
monitoring and enforcement through private contractual arrangements.
Amendment 84 was adopted by the Council because it was perceived to
be relatively simple to implement, with the potential to reduce salmon
bycatch rates. Meanwhile, the Council also initiated analysis on this
proposed action to further address salmon bycatch issues, and provide
additional management measures should ICA members choose not to
participate in the ICA in the future.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to replace the current Chinook and Chum
Salmon Savings Areas in the BSAI with new regulatory closures, salmon
bycatch limits, or a combination of both based on current salmon
bycatch information. These management measures could incorporate
current or new bycatch reduction methods. The purpose of the proposed
action is to minimize non-Chinook and Chinook salmon bycatch to the
extent practicable. The proposed action is necessary to maintain a
healthy marine ecosystem, ensure long-term conservation and abundance
of salmon, provide maximum benefit to fishermen and communities that
depend on these resources, and comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Alternative Management Measures
NMFS, in consultation with the Council, will evaluate a range of
alternative management measures for the BSAI groundfish fisheries. The
Council's Salmon Bycatch Workgroup is reviewing the latest scientific
information regarding the impacts of salmon interactions with
groundfish fisheries and developing alternative salmon bycatch
reduction measures. Alternatives may be formulated based on the
elements identified here, and those developed through the public
scoping and Council processes. Possible alternatives could be
constructed from one or more of the following measures:
1.Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) limit Establish a PSC limit for non-
Chinook and Chinook salmon bycatch in the CDQ and non-CDQ pollock
fisheries. PSC limits could be allocated among pollock fishery sectors
or fishery cooperatives. Fishery participants would be required to stop
fishing when a PSC limit is reached.
2.Fixed closures Establish one or more salmon savings area closures
based on current salmon bycatch information. These closures would occur
on an annual or seasonal basis regardless of salmon bycatch amounts at
the time of the closure.
3.Triggered closures Establish one or more salmon savings area closures
based on current salmon bycatch information. These closures would occur
based on criteria evaluated in the EIS. Criteria could include a
threshold salmon bycatch number or rate.
4.PSC accounting period Revise the current PSC accounting period to
coincide with the salmon biological year to provide additional
protections to salmon in the BSAI. Accounting would begin annually in
the ``B'' season, and continue through the following ``A'' season.
Additionally, the Council may incorporate the current or a new
version of the salmon bycatch reduction ICA into one or more
alternatives.
Preliminary Identification of Issues
A principal objective of the scoping and public input process is to
identify potentially significant impacts to the human environment that
should be analyzed in the EIS. The analysis will evaluate the impacts
of the alternatives for all resources, species, and issues that may be
directly or indirectly affected by salmon bycatch in the BSAI pollock
fisheries. The following components of the biological and physical
environment may be evaluated: (1) target and non-target fish stocks,
forage fish, and prohibited species, including salmon species; (2)
species listed under the ESA and their critical habitat; (3) seabirds;
(4) marine mammals; and (5) the ecosystem.
Social and economic impacts also would be considered in terms of
the effects that changes to salmon bycatch management measures would
have on the following groups of individuals: (1) those who participate
in harvesting pollock; (2) those who process and market pollock and
pollock products; (3) those who consume pollock products; (4) those who
rely on living marine resources caught in the management area,
particularly salmon; (5) those who benefit from commercial,
subsistence, and recreational salmon fisheries; and (6) fishing
communities.
Public Involvement
Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of
issues to be addressed in an EIS and for identifying the significant
issues related to the proposed action. A principal objective of the
scoping and public involvement process is to identify a range of
reasonable of management alternatives that, with adequate analysis,
will delineate critical issues and provide a clear basis for
distinguishing among those alternatives and selecting a preferred
alternative. Through this notice, NMFS is notifying the public that an
EIS and decision-making process for this proposed action have been
initiated so that interested or affected people may participate and
contribute to the final decision.
NMFS is seeking written public comments on the scope of issues,
including potential impacts, and alternatives that should be considered
in revising salmon bycatch management measures. Written comments will
be accepted at the address above (see ADDRESSES). Written comments
should be as specific as possible to be the most helpful. Written
comments received during the scoping process, including the names and
addresses of those submitting them, will be considered part of the
public record of this proposal and will be available for public
inspection.
The public is invited to participate and provide input at Council
and Salmon Bycatch Workgroup meetings where the latest scientific
information regarding salmon bycatch in the BSAI groundfish fisheries
is reviewed and alternative salmon bycatch reduction measures are
developed and evaluated. Notice of future Council and Salmon Bycatch
Workgroup meetings will be published in the Federal Register and on the
Internet at http://www.fakr.gov. Please visit this website for more
information on this EIS and for guidance on submitting effective public
comments.
Dated: December 18, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-24953 Filed 12-21-07; 8:45 am]
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