National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May 19, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS announces the 2023 recreational fishing season for the Federal charter vessel/headboat (for-hire) component for red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) through this temporary rule. The red snapper recreational for-hire component in the Gulf EEZ opens on June 1, 2023, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on August 25, 2023. This closure is necessary to prevent the Federal for-hire component from exceeding its quota and to prevent overfishing of the Gulf red snapper resource.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council.

In accordance with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and based on the area's qualities and boundaries described in the community-based nomination on December 31, 2015 (https://nominate.noaa.gov/), NOAA is initiating a scoping process to consider designating a national marine sanctuary in the eastern Lake Erie adjacent to Pennsylvania. The nomination provides a description of the cultural and historical resources in the region, the potential benefits of a national marine sanctuary designation, recommendations for management of the sanctuary, and a proposed sanctuary boundary. As a first step in this scoping process, NOAA invites comments on the factors that will contribute to its determination of whether and how to designate the area as a national marine sanctuary. The results of this scoping process will inform NOAA's next steps in the designation process, which would include the preparation and release of draft designation documents, as well as the formulation of action alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). This scoping process will also inform the initiation of consultations with Indigenous Nations and Tribes, Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested parties, as appropriate. In support of the scoping process, the nomination package and additional information regarding the qualities of the Lake Erie Quadrangle area can be found at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-erie.

The Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that two Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications warrant further consideration. Both applications are from the California Wetfish Producers Association and request an exemption from the expected prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific sardine during the 2023-2024 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as part of industry-based scientific research. NMFS requests public comment on the applications.