Marine mammals: Endangered fish or wildlife— Atlantic pelagic fishery; longline vessel operators; workshops,

[Federal Register: October 21, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 203)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Page 56094-56095]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr21oc98-10]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 216, 227, and 600

[I.D. 091498A]

Atlantic Pelagic Fishery; Marine Mammals; Endangered and Threatened Fish and Wildlife; Public Workshops

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the dates and locations of four additional workshops for longline vessel operators scheduled during 1998. NMFS held one workshop on October 9, 1998, in New Bedford, MA. Additional workshops will be held through February 1999, to meet requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The purpose of the workshops is to educate longliners on avoidance, handling, and release techniques for marine mammals and sea turtles and to provide information and receive feedback on different management options in the pelagic longline fishery.

DATES: The workshop dates are:

1. October 23, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Montauk, NY.

2. November 19, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nags Head Beach, NC.

3. December 11, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Charleston, SC.

4. December 17, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Barnegat Light, NJ.

   Workshop dates for 1999 will be announced in the Federal Register once they are scheduled.

   ADDRESSES: The workshop locations are:

1. Montauk--Firehouse, 12 Flamingo Avenue, Montauk, NY 11954.

2. Nags Head Beach--Comfort Inn South, 8031 Old Oregon Inlet Road, Nags Head Beach, NC 27959.

3. Charleston--NMFS Charleston Laboratories, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412.

4. Barnegat Light--Firehouse, West 10‹SUP›th‹/SUP› Street (corner of West 10‹SUP›th‹/SUP› Street and Central Avenue), Barnegat Light, NJ 08006.

   Workshop locations for 1999 will be announced in the Federal Register once they are scheduled.

   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Lent, 301-713-2347, Cathy Eisele, 301-713-2322, or Therese Conant, 301-713-1401.

   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

   Introduction

   NMFS will conduct workshops with owners/operators in the pelagic longline fishery throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The purpose of the workshop is threefold: To supplement information gathered in a survey of fishery participants to evaluate alternatives for a comprehensive management system for pelagic longline fishery; to implement the recommendations of the NMFS Biological Opinion to hold workshops for vessel operators in order to reduce mortality of incidentally caught sea turtles; and to meet the requirements of the Atlantic Offshore Cetacean Take Reduction Team to hold workshops to educate pelagic longline vessel operators on marine mammal release and avoidance techniques.

   Background

1. Section 304 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires NMFS to evaluate the feasibility of implementing changes to the management system for the Atlantic pelagic longline fishery. These requirements include (1) forming a pelagic longline advisory panel (Longline AP) to assist in the collection and evaluation of information relevant to future management of the fishery; (2) preparing a report evaluating the feasibility of implementing a comprehensive management system for the pelagic longline fishery, including consideration of limited access and individual fishing quota systems; and (3) conducting a survey and holding workshops with affected fishery participants to gather input on future management of the fishery.

   NMFS formed the Longline AP in April 1997 and, with the assistance of the Longline AP, prepared a report to Congress outlining the feasibility of implementing several types of comprehensive management systems (``Study of the Feasibility of Implementing a Comprehensive Management System for the Pelagic Longline Fishery for Atlantic HMS,'' December 30, 1997). NMFS hereby gives notice of the first of a series of workshops that will be held with pelagic longline fishery participants to gather input on the feasibility of implementing a comprehensive management system for the fishery. The portion of the workshop dealing with endangered species and marine mammals will be conducted by NMFS personnel. The portion of the workshop evaluating alternatives for a comprehensive management system will be conducted by non-NMFS staff from the University of Hawaii and the University of Maryland.

   The Longline AP identified the following seven areas of concern that should be considered in evaluating a future management system for the pelagic longline fishery: Overfished stocks; effects of international fisheries; effort control; bycatch reduction; the need to evaluate discrete gear harvests on a range of species; the need to improve communication among managers, the public, and the fishery; and reliance on historical data that may be inadequate. Management systems considered in the report to Congress are as follows: Open access; limited access to the shark and swordfish and bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack tunas fisheries; and individual quota programs. One purpose of the workshops is to solicit input from fishery participants regarding the areas

   [[Page 56095]]

   of concern and management systems outlined in the report to Congress.

2. Section 118 of the MMPA requires NMFS to convene Take Reduction Teams (TRT) to develop plans for reducing the mortality and serious injury of marine mammals incidental to commercial fisheries. NMFS established the Atlantic Offshore Cetacean TRT in 1996, and the TRT developed a draft plan to reduce bycatch of the strategic marine mammal stocks taken in the U.S. Atlantic pelagic longline and driftnet fisheries. The TRT recommended that workshops be conducted to educate vessel owner/operators and crew members about strategies for reducing incidental harvest of marine mammals, guidelines for releasing entangled animals, and the MMPA and its implementing regulations. Another purpose of these workshops is to provide a forum for information exchange regarding successful strategies for reducing incidental takes of marine mammals. Although participation is not mandatory under the MMPA, it is likely that attendance at these workshops will be a requirement of NMFS' proposed Atlantic Offshore Cetacean Take Reduction Plan.

3. Section 7 of the ESA requires all Federal agencies to ensure that any action, funded, authorized, or carried out, is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species. If such action adversely affects a listed marine species under NMFS jurisdiction, a consultation must be conducted, and NMFS must provide a written biological opinion on the effects. A consultation was conducted on the Atlantic Pelagic Fishery, and NMFS concluded in the biological opinion (May 29, 1997; amended July 10, 1998) that the longline component of the Atlantic Pelagic Fishery was likely to adversely affect, but not jeopardize, the continued existence of listed sea turtles. The opinion requires NMFS to develop a schedule of workshops throughout the geographical range of the fishery to educate vessel operators on appropriate sea turtle resuscitation, and handling and release techniques. All vessel operators must attend a workshop before commencing fishing operation in September 2000. Thus, for purposes of the ESA, participation in at least one workshop is mandatory.

   Special Accommodations

   These hearings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Rebecca Lent (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

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

   Dated: October 15, 1998. Gary C. Matlock, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

   [FR Doc. 98-28210Filed10-16-98; 1:13 pm]

   BILLING CODE 3510-22-F