[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54644-54645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21588]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 081902B]
Draft Code of Conduct for Responsible Aquaculture in the U. S.
Exclusive Economic Zone
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; schedule change; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the
availability of a draft Code of Conduct for Responsible Aquaculture in
the U. S. Exclusive Economic Zone (Code of Conduct). The purpose of the
Code of Conduct is to provide general guidance for siting and operating
aquaculture facilities in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) seaward of
coastal state boundaries and authorities. NMFS solicits written
comments on the Code of Conduct. NMFS also announces a schedule change
for the publication of a final Code of Conduct.
DATES: Submit written comments on the draft Code of Conduct to the
appropriate address or fax number by 5 p.m. on September 23, 2002.
ADDRESSES: The draft Code of Conduct is available on the NMFS Web site:
www.nmfs.gov/aquaculture.htm. The document will also be provided in
hard copy upon request (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Comments
on the Code of Conduct may be sent to Colin Nash, NMFS/WASC, P.O. Box
130, Manchester, WA 98353 or by fax to 206-842-8364. Comments may also
be hand-delivered during business hours to: NMFS Manchester Research
Station, 7305 Beach Drive East, Port Orchard, WA, 98366-8204. Comments
will not be accepted via telephone, e-mail, or Internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bunsick, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or call 301-
713-2334 Extension 102. You may also fax your request to 301-713-0596
or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Comments on the Code of
Conduct will not be accepted at these contact points.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
NMFS has Federal responsibility for the living marine resources of
the United States. Under authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, NMFS has responsibility for federally
managed species and for the conservation and enhancement of essential
fish habitat in the zone seaward of coastal state boundaries to the
200-nautical mile limit of the EEZ. NMFS has additional
responsibilities for threatened and endangered species and for marine
mammals under authorities of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine
Mammal Protection Act.
The United States was an active participant in the 1993-1995
consultations that led to the adoption by the Food and Agriculture
Organization
[[Page 54645]]
of the United Nations (FAO) of the Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries (FAO Code). While the FAO Code is a voluntary and non-binding
instrument, the United States has consistently supported its usefulness
as an internationally agreed upon statement of principles that should
govern the policies of FAO members in all sectors of the fishing
industry, including aquaculture, which is addressed in Article 9 of the
FAO Code. Although the Code of Conduct for the U.S. EEZ does not have
to follow the FAO model, the FAO Code is an important reference
instrument. A copy of the aquaculture section (Article 9) of the FAO
Code can be obtained from the contact person listed above, and can be
found on the Internet at http://www.fao.org/fi/agreem/codecond/ficonde.asp.
Stakeholder Input
NMFS held a series of six regional workshops during 2000 to obtain
stakeholder input on the development of the draft Code of Conduct.
These were held in Seattle (WA), Danvers (MA), and Galveston (TX) in
September 2000, and in Honolulu (HI), Miami (FL), and Silver Spring
(MD) in November 2000. NMFS announced the meetings in two separate
Federal Register notices, dated August 24, 2000 (65 FR 51591), and
October 30, 2000 (65 FR 64682), and encouraged stakeholder
participation through more than 200 contacts in state and Federal
agencies, Sea Grant College Program Centers, education and research
institutions, non-governmental organizations, and commercial
enterprises. NMFS specifically asked for input on the scope, content,
specificity and use of a Code of Conduct that can be used to help guide
aquaculture development in the EEZ. Areas for discussion included, but
were not limited to, species choices, siting, transboundary
considerations, design and construction of facilities, disease
prevention and control, feeds and feeding protocols, effluents and
pollution, interactions with wild species and protected resources,
general operations, stock enhancement, use conflict resolution, and on-
shore impacts. The workshops were open to all interested persons, and a
total of 181 persons attended. In addition, NMFS received written
comments from an additional 23 contributors.
The Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct provides guidance to potential users of the
U.S. EEZ for aquaculture. It provides general guidance to the
aquaculture industry for siting and operating aquaculture facilities in
this zone, and provides NMFS with a framework that can be used to
ensure a more consistent review of aquaculture projects that require
agency actions. NMFS may also use the Code of Conduct as a starting
point for the development of regulatory standards in the future.
The Code of Conduct was developed with input secured from
stakeholders and in consultation with other Federal agencies with
authorities in Federal waters. Public comments received regarding this
document will be addressed in the notice of availability of the final
Code of Conduct, which will be published in the Federal Register within
60 days of the closing of the public comment period. The two previous
Federal Register notices, dated August 24, 2000 (65 FR 51591), and
October 30, 2000 (65 FR 64682), provided a tentative time frame for the
production of a Code of Conduct. The time frame has been revised as
provided here.
Time Frame
August 2002: Release draft Code of Conduct for public comment via
posting of the document on the NMFS Web site (www.nmfs.gov/aquaculture.htm). The document will also be provided in hard copy upon
request (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
September 2002: Public comment period on draft Code of Conduct
ends.
November 2002: Release final Code of Conduct via a Federal Register
notice of availability and posting on the NMFS Web site (www.nmfs.gov/aquaculture.htm). The document will also be provided in hard copy upon
request (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Dated: August 20, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-21588 Filed 8-22-02; 8:45 am]
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