[Federal Register: April 24, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 79)]
[Notices]
[Page 20162-20163]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24ap02-122]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Biscayne National Park; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Fisheries
Management Plan With Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Fisheries Management Plan with
Environmental Impact Statement for Biscayne National Park.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service (NPS) will prepare a Fisheries Management Plan
(FMP) with Environmental Impact Statement for Biscayne National Park.
The plan will identify the current status of the fishery, describe
desired future conditions, develop fisheries management objectives and
present a range of alternatives that will directly contribute to the
long-term protection and perpetuation of the Park's marine resources.
Specific issues to be addressed include commercial and recreational
harvest limits, park visitor use/access, availability of educational
opportunities about fisheries resources within the Park, conservation
and preservation of natural aquatic habitats, and the overall health
and vitality of the fishery community. The plan will also address
current tackle, techniques, methods, and practices pertaining to the
recreational and commercial fisheries.
DATES: To determine the scope of issues to be addressed in the FMP and
to identify significant issues related to the project, the NPS will
hold three public scoping meetings. The first public meeting will be
held in Miami, Florida on May 14, 2002. The second meeting will be held
in Homestead, Florida on May 15, 2002, and the third will be held in
Key Largo on May 16, 2002. An additional meeting will be held in Miami,
Florida on May 13, 2002, to provide an opportunity for the NPS to
respond to issues and concerns raised by commercial fishermen. A press
release and advance mailing will be sent out providing details about
the exact times and locations of each meeting. Representatives of the
NPS will be available to discuss issues, resource concerns, and the
planning process at each of the public meetings.
ADDRESSES: Any comments or requests for information should be addressed
to Rick Clark, Chief, Resource Management, Biscayne National Park, 9700
SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL 33033-5634.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: (1) Monika Mayr, Assistant
Superintendent, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street,
Homestead, FL 33033-5634, by telephone at 305-230-1144, ext. 3004 or by
e-mail at Monika_Mayr@nps.gov. (2) Rick Clark, Chief, Resource
Management, Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL
33033-5634, by telephone at 305-230-1144, ext. 3007 or by e-mail at
Rick_Clark@nps.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Biscayne National Monument was established
by Congress in 1968 (Pub. L. 90-606). The Monument was later expanded
in 1974 (PL 93-477), and again in 1980 (Pub. L. 96-287) to its current
size of 173,000 acres (270 square miles), when it was also redesignated
Biscayne National Park to ``preserve and protect for the education,
inspiration, recreation, and enjoyment of present and future
generations a rare combination of terrestrial, marine, and amphibious
life in a tropical setting of great natural beauty.'' As part of the
enabling legislation, Congress recognized ``the unique and special
values'' of the resources within the Park as well as the
``vulnerability of these resources to destruction or damage due to easy
human access by water.'' Congress therefore directed the NPS to
``manage this area in positive and scientific way in order to protect
the area's natural resource integrity.'' With respect to fisheries
management, Congress provided additional direction by stipulating in
the enabling legislation (Pub. L. 96-287) that ``The Secretary shall
preserve and administer the park in accordance with the provisions of
the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535; U.S.S. 1-4), as amended and
supplemented. The waters within the park shall continue to be open to
fishing in conformity with the laws of the State of Florida except as
the Secretary, after consultation with appropriate officials of said
State, designates species for which, areas and times within which, and
methods by which fishing is prohibited, limited, or otherwise regulated
in the interest of sound conservation to achieve the purposes for which
the park is established.''
Biscayne National Park is predominantly made up of submerged lands
(95%), and may generally be divided into three major environments:
coral reef, estuarine and terrestrial. The boundaries of the Park are
from the mangrove shoreline to the west, extend east to Biscayne Bay
(including seagrass communities and shoals), the keys (including
hardwood hammocks, mangrove wetlands, sandy beaches and rocky inter-
tidal areas), the reef, and continue to a contiguous 60-foot depth
contour to the east. The northern boundary for the Park is near the
southern extent of Key Biscayne, while the southern boundary is near
the northern extent of Key Largo, adjacent to the Barnes Sound and Card
Sound areas. This fisheries planning effort will evaluate a range of
management recommendations to provide a quality visitor experience
while maximizing the protection of the Park's resources.
Public comments received in writing and from the public meetings,
including names and home addresses of respondents will be available for
public review at the Park office during regular business hours. If you
wish to withhold your name and/or address, please state this
prominently at the beginning of your comment. Anonymous comments will
be included in the public record, however, the NPS is not legally
required to consider or respond to anonymous comments. All submissions
from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will also be made available for public inspection in their
entirety.
The draft and final fisheries management plans will be distributed
to all known interested parties and appropriate agencies. Full public
participation by federal, state, and local agencies, as well as other
concerned organizations and private citizens, is invited during the
scoping process and
[[Page 20163]]
after the draft Fisheries Management Plan is prepared.
The responsible official for this environnmental impact statement
is Jerry Belson, Regional Director, National Park Service, Southeast
Region, 100 Alabama Street S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
Dated: April 2, 2002.
Patricia A. Hooks,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 02-10024 Filed 4-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M