D'IBERVILLE, Mississippi – June 6 2012 – This story makes note of the low turnout at a hearing on a proposed rule to require turtle excluder devices on shrimp skimmer trawls.
Bill Richardson, a senior fisheries biologist with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources‚ Shrimp and Crab Bureau, commenting on the sparse crowd, said shrimpers might have been busy in the Sound following the May 30 opening of the season.
"I would think that would have a lot to do with turnout" he said. "We just opened (the season) last week, and if you drive down the beach you can see where the boats are."
Saving Seafood asked NOAA why the hearing was scheduled when it was, and how fisherman who might like to comment, but who could not make the hearing can participate.
Their response follows:
– The public comment period is open for 60 days, through July 9, 2012. Public comments on the proposed regulations can be submitted at the public comment sessions or by mail, e-mail, or fax. All comments, regardless of format (i.e., verbal comments delivered at public hearings, mail, e-mail, or fax), are treated the same.
– The public hearings were scheduled within the statutory 60-day proposed rule comment period.
– The hearings were scheduled during the first half of the 60-day comment period to allow NOAA Fisheries time to address any issues or concerns raised during the hearings before the comment period ends on July 9.
Public comment on the proposed rule may also be submitted in writing until July 9. All
comments will be part of the public record, and are generally posted without change for public
viewing to http://www.regulations.gov. All personal identifying information voluntarily submitted
by the commenter, such as name and address, may be publicly accessible. Confidential
business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information should not be submitted.
To submit comments electronically, visit http://www.regulations.gov and enter docket
number “NOAA-NMFS-2012-0095” into the Search box to reach the web form. Attachments of
up to 10 MB will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats.
Comments submitted by mail can be directed to:
NOAA Fisheries Service
Southeast Regional Office
Protected Resources Division
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505.
Read the article at Gulf Live.