Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustment and Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area Closure for the Common Pool Fishery, 42696-42697 [2014-17287]
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42696
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 23, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
Species
Historic Range
Common name
*
U.S.A. (AK, CA, ID, MT,
OR, WA), Canada
(BC).
*
*
U.S.A. (ID, MT), Canada
(BC), (Kootenai R.
system).
Scientific name
*
Sturgeon, white (Kootenai
River DPS).
*
Acipenser
transmontanus.
*
SNAILS
Abalone, black ................
Haliotis cracherodii ........
Abalone, white ................
Haliotis sorenseni ..........
*
CORALS
Coral, elkhorn ..................
*
Acropora palmata ..........
Coral, staghorn ...............
Acropora cervicornis .....
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2014–16756 Filed 7–22–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 140106011–4338–02]
RIN 0648–XD357
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Northeast Multispecies
Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustment and
Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area
Closure for the Common Pool Fishery
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason
adjustment and area closure.
AGENCY:
This action increases the trip
limit for Southern New England/Mid-
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:54 Jul 22, 2014
Jkt 232001
*
North America (West
coast from Crescent
City, CA, USA, to
Cape San Lucas, Baja
California, Mexico.
North America (West
coast from Point Conception, CA, U.S.A., to
Punta Abreojos, Baja
California, Mexico).
*
Dated: June 20, 2014.
Stephen Guertin,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Vertebrate population
where endangered or
threatened
Frm 00050
Fmt 4700
*
17.95(e)
549
*
Special
rules
NA
*
Entire .............................
E
776
226.221
NA
Entire .............................
E
748
NA
NA
*
*
*
Entire .............................
T
756
226.216
223.208
Entire .............................
T
756
226.216
223.208
Atlantic winter flounder for Northeast
multispecies common pool vessels for
the remainder of the 2014 fishing year
and closes the Gulf of Maine Cod
Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area
for the remainder of Trimester 1,
through August 31, 2014. Increasing the
trip limit is intended to provide
additional fishing opportunities and
help allow the common pool fishery to
catch its allowable quota for this stock.
The closure is required because the
common pool fishery has caught more
than 90 percent of its Trimester 1 quota
for Gulf of Maine cod. This closure is
intended to prevent the overharvest of
the common pool’s allocation this stock.
DATES: The trip limit increase is
effective July 23, 2014, through April
30, 2015. The Gulf of Maine Cod
Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area
closure is effective July 23, 2014,
through August 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brett Alger, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978–675–2153.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
regulations at § 648.86(o) authorize the
Regional Administrator (RA) to adjust
the possession limits for common pool
vessels in order to prevent the
overharvest or underharvest of the
PO 00000
Critical
habitat
E
*
*
U.S.A. (FL, PR, VI,
Navassa); and wider
Caribbean—Belize,
Colombia, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Venezuela,
and all the islands of
the West Indies.
U.S.A. (FL, PR, VI,
Navassa); and wider
Caribbean—Belize,
Colombia, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Venezuela,
and all the islands of
the West Indies.
When listed
*
Status
Sfmt 4700
common pool quotas. As of July 10,
2014, the common pool had caught 17
percent of its sub-annual catch limit
(ACL) of Southern New England/MidAtlantic (SNE/MA) winter flounder. To
allow the common pool fishery to catch
more of its quota for that stock, effective
July 23, 2014, the trip limit of SNE/MA
winter flounder, defined as winter
flounder caught within the Inshore
Georges Bank and SNE/MA Broad Stock
Areas (as defined in § 648.10(k)(3)(ii)
and (iv)), for all common pool vessels,
is increased from 1,500 lb (630.4 kg) per
day-at-sea (DAS) and 2,000 lb (907.2 kg)
per trip, to 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per DAS
and 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) per trip.
The regulations also require the RA to
close a Trimester Total Allowable Catch
(TAC) Area for a stock when 90 percent
of the Trimester TAC is projected to be
caught. In such cases, the Trimester
TAC Area for a stock closes to all
common pool vessels fishing with gear
capable of catching that stock for the
remainder of the trimester. The fishing
year 2014 (May 1, 2014, through April
30, 2015) common pool sub-ACL for
Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod is 18.0 mt and
the Trimester 1 (May 1, 2014, through
August 30, 2014) TAC is 4.9 mt. Based
on the most recent data, which include
E:\FR\FM\23JYR1.SGM
23JYR1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 141 / Wednesday, July 23, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES
vessel trip reports, dealer reported
landings, and vessel monitoring system
information, we have determined that
90 percent of the Trimester 1 TAC was
caught as of July 12, 2014. Therefore,
effective July 23, 2014, the GOM Cod
Trimester TAC Area is closed for the
remainder of Trimester 1, through
August 31, 2014, to all common pool
vessels fishing with trawl gear, sink
gillnet gear, and longline/hook gear. The
area will reopen at the beginning of
Trimester 2 on September 1, 2014. Any
overages of a trimester TAC will be
deducted from Trimester 3, and any
overages of the common pool’s sub-ACL
at the end of the fishing year will be
deducted from the common pool’s subACL the following fishing year. Any
uncaught portion of the Trimester 1 and
Trimester 2 TAC will be carried over
into the next trimester. Any uncaught
portion of the common pool’s sub-ACL
may not be carried over into the
following fishing year.
Weekly quota monitoring reports for
the common pool fishery can be found
on our Web site at: https://
www.nero.noaa.gov/ro/fso/
MultiMonReports.htm. We will continue
to monitor common pool catch through
vessel trip reports, dealer-reported
landings, vessel monitoring system
catch reports, and other available
information and, if necessary, we will
make additional adjustments to
common pool management measures.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:02 Jul 22, 2014
Jkt 232001
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part
648 and is exempt from review under
Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive prior notice
and the opportunity for public comment
and the 30-day delayed effectiveness
period because it would be
impracticable and contrary to the public
interest.
The regulations at § 648.86(o)
authorize the Regional Administrator to
adjust the Northeast multispecies trip
limits for common pool vessels in order
to prevent the overharvest or
underharvest of the pertinent common
pool sub-ACLs. The catch data used to
justify increasing the trip limits for
SNE/MA winter flounder only recently
became available. The trip limit increase
implemented through this action allows
for increased harvest of SNE/MA winter
flounder, to help ensure that the fishery
may achieve the optimum yield (OY) for
this stock. As a result, the time
necessary to provide for prior notice and
comment, and a 30-day delay in
effectiveness, would prevent NMFS
from increasing the trip limit for SNE/
MA winter flounder in a timely manner,
which could prevent the fishery from
achieving the OY, thereby undermining
management objectives of the Northeast
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 9990
42697
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan,
and causing negative economic impacts
to the common pool fishery. There is
additional good cause to waive the
delayed effective period because this
action relieves restrictions on fishing
vessels by increasing a trip limit.
The Trimester TAC Area closure is
required by regulation in order to
reduce the probability of the common
pool fishery exceeding its sub-ACL of
GOM cod. Any overages of the common
pool’s sub-ACLs would undermine
conservation objectives and trigger the
implementation of accountability
measures that would have negative
economic impacts on common pool
vessels. The time necessary to provide
for prior notice and comment, and a 30day delay in effectiveness, would
prevent NMFS from implementing the
necessary Trimester TAC Area closure
for GOM cod in a timely manner, which
could undermine management
objectives of the Northeast Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan, and cause
negative economic impacts to the
common pool fishery.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 18, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–17287 Filed 7–18–14; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\23JYR1.SGM
23JYR1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42696-42697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17287]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 140106011-4338-02]
RIN 0648-XD357
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast
Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustment and Trimester Total
Allowable Catch Area Closure for the Common Pool Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment and area closure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action increases the trip limit for Southern New England/
Mid-Atlantic winter flounder for Northeast multispecies common pool
vessels for the remainder of the 2014 fishing year and closes the Gulf
of Maine Cod Trimester Total Allowable Catch Area for the remainder of
Trimester 1, through August 31, 2014. Increasing the trip limit is
intended to provide additional fishing opportunities and help allow the
common pool fishery to catch its allowable quota for this stock. The
closure is required because the common pool fishery has caught more
than 90 percent of its Trimester 1 quota for Gulf of Maine cod. This
closure is intended to prevent the overharvest of the common pool's
allocation this stock.
DATES: The trip limit increase is effective July 23, 2014, through
April 30, 2015. The Gulf of Maine Cod Trimester Total Allowable Catch
Area closure is effective July 23, 2014, through August 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brett Alger, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-675-2153.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations at Sec. 648.86(o) authorize
the Regional Administrator (RA) to adjust the possession limits for
common pool vessels in order to prevent the overharvest or underharvest
of the common pool quotas. As of July 10, 2014, the common pool had
caught 17 percent of its sub-annual catch limit (ACL) of Southern New
England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) winter flounder. To allow the common pool
fishery to catch more of its quota for that stock, effective July 23,
2014, the trip limit of SNE/MA winter flounder, defined as winter
flounder caught within the Inshore Georges Bank and SNE/MA Broad Stock
Areas (as defined in Sec. 648.10(k)(3)(ii) and (iv)), for all common
pool vessels, is increased from 1,500 lb (630.4 kg) per day-at-sea
(DAS) and 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per trip, to 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per DAS
and 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) per trip.
The regulations also require the RA to close a Trimester Total
Allowable Catch (TAC) Area for a stock when 90 percent of the Trimester
TAC is projected to be caught. In such cases, the Trimester TAC Area
for a stock closes to all common pool vessels fishing with gear capable
of catching that stock for the remainder of the trimester. The fishing
year 2014 (May 1, 2014, through April 30, 2015) common pool sub-ACL for
Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod is 18.0 mt and the Trimester 1 (May 1, 2014,
through August 30, 2014) TAC is 4.9 mt. Based on the most recent data,
which include
[[Page 42697]]
vessel trip reports, dealer reported landings, and vessel monitoring
system information, we have determined that 90 percent of the Trimester
1 TAC was caught as of July 12, 2014. Therefore, effective July 23,
2014, the GOM Cod Trimester TAC Area is closed for the remainder of
Trimester 1, through August 31, 2014, to all common pool vessels
fishing with trawl gear, sink gillnet gear, and longline/hook gear. The
area will reopen at the beginning of Trimester 2 on September 1, 2014.
Any overages of a trimester TAC will be deducted from Trimester 3, and
any overages of the common pool's sub-ACL at the end of the fishing
year will be deducted from the common pool's sub-ACL the following
fishing year. Any uncaught portion of the Trimester 1 and Trimester 2
TAC will be carried over into the next trimester. Any uncaught portion
of the common pool's sub-ACL may not be carried over into the following
fishing year.
Weekly quota monitoring reports for the common pool fishery can be
found on our Web site at: https://www.nero.noaa.gov/ro/fso/MultiMonReports.htm. We will continue to monitor common pool catch
through vessel trip reports, dealer-reported landings, vessel
monitoring system catch reports, and other available information and,
if necessary, we will make additional adjustments to common pool
management measures.
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive prior
notice and the opportunity for public comment and the 30-day delayed
effectiveness period because it would be impracticable and contrary to
the public interest.
The regulations at Sec. 648.86(o) authorize the Regional
Administrator to adjust the Northeast multispecies trip limits for
common pool vessels in order to prevent the overharvest or underharvest
of the pertinent common pool sub-ACLs. The catch data used to justify
increasing the trip limits for SNE/MA winter flounder only recently
became available. The trip limit increase implemented through this
action allows for increased harvest of SNE/MA winter flounder, to help
ensure that the fishery may achieve the optimum yield (OY) for this
stock. As a result, the time necessary to provide for prior notice and
comment, and a 30-day delay in effectiveness, would prevent NMFS from
increasing the trip limit for SNE/MA winter flounder in a timely
manner, which could prevent the fishery from achieving the OY, thereby
undermining management objectives of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan, and causing negative economic impacts to the common
pool fishery. There is additional good cause to waive the delayed
effective period because this action relieves restrictions on fishing
vessels by increasing a trip limit.
The Trimester TAC Area closure is required by regulation in order
to reduce the probability of the common pool fishery exceeding its sub-
ACL of GOM cod. Any overages of the common pool's sub-ACLs would
undermine conservation objectives and trigger the implementation of
accountability measures that would have negative economic impacts on
common pool vessels. The time necessary to provide for prior notice and
comment, and a 30-day delay in effectiveness, would prevent NMFS from
implementing the necessary Trimester TAC Area closure for GOM cod in a
timely manner, which could undermine management objectives of the
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and cause negative
economic impacts to the common pool fishery.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 18, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-17287 Filed 7-18-14; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P