Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP); Amendment 7, 78310-78311 [2014-30521]

Download as PDF 78310 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 2014 / Rules and Regulations telephone number (913) 551 7147 or by email at bhesania.amy@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Due to an adverse comment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing the direct final rule to approve a revision submitted by the State of Missouri and received by EPA on December 17, 2013, pertaining to Missouri’s rule ‘‘Controlling Emissions During Episodes of High Air Pollution Potential.’’ In the direct final rule published on November 4, 2014 (79 FR 65346), we stated that if we received adverse comment by December 4, 2014, the rule would be withdrawn and not take effect. EPA subsequently received an adverse comment. EPA will address the comment received in a subsequent final action based upon the proposed action also published on November 4, 2014, (79 FR 65362). EPA will not institute a second comment period on this action. List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, Incorporation by reference, Intergovernmental relations, Lead, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Sulfur oxides, Volatile organic compounds. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for installation dates, times, and locations. DATES: [FR Doc. 2014–30389 Filed 12–29–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 635 RIN 0648–BC09 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP); Amendment 7 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of installation schedule for electronic monitoring equipment. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES AGENCY: On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (Amendment 7) to ensure sustainable management of bluefin tuna consistent with the 2006 HMS FMP and address ongoing challenges in the Atlantic VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:00 Dec 29, 2014 Jkt 235001 Installation of EM equipment is scheduled at the following ports: Cape Canaveral, FL; Panama City, FL; Dulac, LA; Wanchese, NC, Beaufort, NC, and Barnegat Light, NJ. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates, times, and locations. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren or Brad McHale at 978– 281–9260; or Craig Cockrell at 301–427– 8503. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic tuna fisheries are managed under the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS must manage fisheries to maintain optimum yield on a continuing basis while preventing overfishing. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to promulgate regulations as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The authority to issue regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA has been delegated from the Secretary to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS. Management of these species is described in the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, which is implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635. ADDRESSES: Dated: December 15, 2014. Mark J. Hague, Acting Regional Administrator, Region 7. SUMMARY: bluefin tuna fisheries. The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an owner or operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be permitted in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic longline gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and maintain an electronic monitoring (EM) system on the vessel. To enable vessels to comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations for installation of, and training on the operation of, EM equipment on up to 135 vessels that were deemed eligible for initial bluefin tuna quota shares in Amendment 7. Although most Amendment 7 measures are effective as of January 1, 2015, the final rule specifies that EM installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic longline gear after that date. Therefore, in this notice NMFS is scheduling EM installations between January 1 and June 1, 2015. Pursuant to Amendment 7, NMFS is also providing information about the EM installation process. PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP may be found online at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/ documents/fmp/am7/. On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP to, among other things, take actions related to the operation and management of the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery, including measures applicable to the pelagic longline fishery, including Individual Bluefin Quotas (IBQs) and expanded monitoring requirements, including electronic monitoring via cameras (79 FR 71510). The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an owner or operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be permitted in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic longline gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and maintain an EM system on the vessel. To enable eligible vessels to comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations for installation of and training on the operation of EM equipment. Although most Amendment 7 measures are effective as of January 1, 2015, EM installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic longline gear after that date. NMFS has identified funds to pay for the required equipment and its initial installation prior to June 1, 2015, for the currently eligible vessels (135 vessels with Atlantic Tunas Longline permits deemed eligible to receive Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) shares pursuant to Amendment 7). This will ease the regulated community’s burden associated with the new monitoring requirements. NMFS sent certified letters on December 4, 2014, to the permit holders to inform them of the eligibility status of their Atlantic Tunas Longline permit. Funding for future equipment and installations, and installations of EM on vessels other than the 135 initially identified is uncertain, as is installation after June 1, 2015, even for eligible vessels. The following descriptions and instructions are consistent with the Amendment 7 final rule: Vessel owners and/or operators should, in the near future, call Saltwater, Inc., the NMFS-approved contractor, at 800–770–3241, to schedule EM installation and training for eligible vessels at one of the ports specified in Table 1, and to discuss logistics (time, precise location, etc.) with the contractor. As specified in the final rule, prior to the scheduled date of installation, vessel owners/operators must purchase a fitting for the pressure side of the line of the drum hydraulic E:\FR\FM\30DER1.SGM 30DER1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 2014 / Rules and Regulations system. The fitting may be either ‘‘T’’ or inline, with a female 1⁄4 threaded National Pipe Thread (NPT) port, to enable connection to the pressure transducer (a component of the EM system). Before the scheduled date of installation, the NMFS-approved contractor may contact vessel operators in person or by phone to ask questions to help them determine power supply, vessel configuration, and other considerations necessary to facilitate installation of the EM system and to ensure the system’s compatibility with the vessel. The vessel owner and/or operator should be present on the day of installation to facilitate equipment installation and provide access to the vessel and information to Saltwater, Inc., about the power supply and other vessel infrastructure and other information as needed. The dates and locations of the EM installations are listed below in Table 1. These dates and locations were chosen based on several factors to reduce the potential for the installation schedule to interfere with fishing trips and to minimize the distances vessel may have to travel. In order to provide as much flexibility as possible for the locations of a limited number of installations, NMFS will announce any additional locations or changes in locations, if warranted, in a future notice (‘‘To Be Determined’’). TABLE 1—DATES AND LOCATIONS OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING INSTALLATIONS Name of port January 16 through 25. February 14 through 23. March 16 through 25 Cape Canaveral, FL. Panama City, FL. Cape Canaveral, FL. Dulac, LA. Wanchese, NC. Beaufort, NC. Wanchese, NC. Dulac, LA. To Be Determined. Barnegat Light, NJ. tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES May 11 through 17, and 19 through 25. Other Installations If a vessel owner and/or operator of an eligible vessel is not able to coordinate installation with Saltwater, Inc., on one of the dates and locations listed in Table 1, the vessel operator should contact Saltwater, Inc., at 800–770–3241 to determine whether another mutuallyagreed upon location and date before June 1, 2015, is feasible for installation and training. NMFS cannot guarantee that an alternate location or date will be provided given the limited funding and time available to complete installation of the EM equipment and training. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:00 Dec 29, 2014 Jkt 235001 Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq. Dated: December 23, 2014. Alan D. Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2014–30521 Filed 12–24–14; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 648 [Docket No. 140117052–4402–02] RIN 0648–XD651 Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; 2015 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Specifications and 2015 Commercial Summer Flounder Quota Adjustments National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: 2015 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Specifications and 2015 commercial summer flounder state quotas. AGENCY: NMFS is announcing revised commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits for the 2015 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries, as well as the commercial summer flounder state quotas for fishing year 2015. This is necessary to incorporate adjustments to the quotas due to the suspension of the Research Set-Aside program, implement an accountability measure for the commercial black sea bass fishery, and, for summer flounder state quotas, account for any previously unaccounted for overages from fishing year 2013 and any known overages to date from fishing year 2014. The intent of this action is to modify the established harvest levels to ensure that these species are not overfished or subject to overfishing in 2015. SUMMARY: Date range (2015) April 14 through 23 ... Therefore, vessel owners and/or operators should make a concerted effort to make plans to adhere to the EM installation schedule in Table 1. Effective January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015. DATES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moira Kelly, Fishery Policy Analyst, (978) 281–9218. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 78311 Background The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manage the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. Specifications for these fisheries include the acceptable biological catch (ABC) limit, various catch and landing subdivisions (such as the commercial and recreational sector annual catch limits (ACLs)), annual catch targets (ACTs), sector-specific landing limits (i.e., the commercial fishery quotas and recreational harvest limits), and research set-aside quotas established for one or more fishing years. Typically, these specifications are set on an annual or multi-year basis and announced in the Federal Register in December. The specifications rulemaking for 2014 was delayed because of a summer flounder stock assessment. This delay allowed the Council to establish the 2015 specifications in May 2014, in conjunction with the revised 2014 specifications (May 22, 2014; 79 FR 29371). The 2015 specifications were based on recommendations that the Council made in October 2013, and included commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits as adjusted for a 3-percent reduction in landings to accommodate the Research Set-Aside program. Research Set-Aside Quota Restoration The Research Set-Aside program has recently been the subject of significant debate regarding its effectiveness in providing useful research and for enforcement concerns. At its August 2014 meeting, the Council voted to suspend the Research Set-Aside program for fishing year 2015 and to conduct a comprehensive review of the program. As a result, the previously deducted Research Set-Aside amounts will be redistributed to the respective commercial quota and recreational harvest limits, as follows: TABLE 1—PREVIOUSLY DEDUCTED RESEARCH SET-ASIDE QUOTA lb Commercial Summer Flounder ................ Recreational Summer Flounder ................ Commercial Scup ..... Recreational Scup .... Commercial Black Sea Bass ............... Recreational Black Sea Bass ............... E:\FR\FM\30DER1.SGM 30DER1 mt 332,898 151 220,462 637,136 205,030 100 289 93 70,548 32 66,139 30

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 78310-78311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30521]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

RIN 0648-BC09


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); 2006 Consolidated HMS 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP); Amendment 7

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

ACTION: Notice of installation schedule for electronic monitoring 
equipment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for 
Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (Amendment 7) to ensure 
sustainable management of bluefin tuna consistent with the 2006 HMS FMP 
and address ongoing challenges in the Atlantic bluefin tuna fisheries. 
The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an owner or 
operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be permitted 
in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic longline 
gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and maintain an 
electronic monitoring (EM) system on the vessel. To enable vessels to 
comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations 
for installation of, and training on the operation of, EM equipment on 
up to 135 vessels that were deemed eligible for initial bluefin tuna 
quota shares in Amendment 7. Although most Amendment 7 measures are 
effective as of January 1, 2015, the final rule specifies that EM 
installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic 
longline gear after that date. Therefore, in this notice NMFS is 
scheduling EM installations between January 1 and June 1, 2015. 
Pursuant to Amendment 7, NMFS is also providing information about the 
EM installation process.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for installation dates, times, and 
locations.

ADDRESSES: Installation of EM equipment is scheduled at the following 
ports: Cape Canaveral, FL; Panama City, FL; Dulac, LA; Wanchese, NC, 
Beaufort, NC, and Barnegat Light, NJ. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
specific dates, times, and locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren or Brad McHale at 978-
281-9260; or Craig Cockrell at 301-427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic tuna fisheries are managed under 
the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention 
Act (ATCA). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS must manage fisheries 
to maintain optimum yield on a continuing basis while preventing 
overfishing. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to 
promulgate regulations as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out 
recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of 
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The authority to issue regulations under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA has been delegated from the Secretary to 
the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS. Management of these 
species is described in the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, which is 
implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635. Amendment 7 to the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP may be found online at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am7/.
    On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for Amendment 7 
to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP to, among other things, take actions 
related to the operation and management of the Atlantic bluefin tuna 
fishery, including measures applicable to the pelagic longline fishery, 
including Individual Bluefin Quotas (IBQs) and expanded monitoring 
requirements, including electronic monitoring via cameras (79 FR 
71510). The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an 
owner or operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be 
permitted in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic 
longline gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and 
maintain an EM system on the vessel. To enable eligible vessels to 
comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations 
for installation of and training on the operation of EM equipment. 
Although most Amendment 7 measures are effective as of January 1, 2015, 
EM installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic 
longline gear after that date. NMFS has identified funds to pay for the 
required equipment and its initial installation prior to June 1, 2015, 
for the currently eligible vessels (135 vessels with Atlantic Tunas 
Longline permits deemed eligible to receive Individual Bluefin Quota 
(IBQ) shares pursuant to Amendment 7). This will ease the regulated 
community's burden associated with the new monitoring requirements. 
NMFS sent certified letters on December 4, 2014, to the permit holders 
to inform them of the eligibility status of their Atlantic Tunas 
Longline permit. Funding for future equipment and installations, and 
installations of EM on vessels other than the 135 initially identified 
is uncertain, as is installation after June 1, 2015, even for eligible 
vessels. The following descriptions and instructions are consistent 
with the Amendment 7 final rule:
    Vessel owners and/or operators should, in the near future, call 
Saltwater, Inc., the NMFS-approved contractor, at 800-770-3241, to 
schedule EM installation and training for eligible vessels at one of 
the ports specified in Table 1, and to discuss logistics (time, precise 
location, etc.) with the contractor. As specified in the final rule, 
prior to the scheduled date of installation, vessel owners/operators 
must purchase a fitting for the pressure side of the line of the drum 
hydraulic

[[Page 78311]]

system. The fitting may be either ``T'' or inline, with a female \1/4\ 
threaded National Pipe Thread (NPT) port, to enable connection to the 
pressure transducer (a component of the EM system).
    Before the scheduled date of installation, the NMFS-approved 
contractor may contact vessel operators in person or by phone to ask 
questions to help them determine power supply, vessel configuration, 
and other considerations necessary to facilitate installation of the EM 
system and to ensure the system's compatibility with the vessel. The 
vessel owner and/or operator should be present on the day of 
installation to facilitate equipment installation and provide access to 
the vessel and information to Saltwater, Inc., about the power supply 
and other vessel infrastructure and other information as needed. The 
dates and locations of the EM installations are listed below in Table 
1. These dates and locations were chosen based on several factors to 
reduce the potential for the installation schedule to interfere with 
fishing trips and to minimize the distances vessel may have to travel. 
In order to provide as much flexibility as possible for the locations 
of a limited number of installations, NMFS will announce any additional 
locations or changes in locations, if warranted, in a future notice 
(``To Be Determined'').

   Table 1--Dates and Locations of Electronic Monitoring Installations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Date range (2015)                      Name of port
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 16 through 25.....................  Cape Canaveral, FL.
                                            Panama City, FL.
February 14 through 23....................  Cape Canaveral, FL.
                                            Dulac, LA.
March 16 through 25.......................  Wanchese, NC.
                                            Beaufort, NC.
April 14 through 23.......................  Wanchese, NC.
                                            Dulac, LA.
May 11 through 17, and 19 through 25......  To Be Determined.
                                            Barnegat Light, NJ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other Installations

    If a vessel owner and/or operator of an eligible vessel is not able 
to coordinate installation with Saltwater, Inc., on one of the dates 
and locations listed in Table 1, the vessel operator should contact 
Saltwater, Inc., at 800-770-3241 to determine whether another mutually-
agreed upon location and date before June 1, 2015, is feasible for 
installation and training. NMFS cannot guarantee that an alternate 
location or date will be provided given the limited funding and time 
available to complete installation of the EM equipment and training. 
Therefore, vessel owners and/or operators should make a concerted 
effort to make plans to adhere to the EM installation schedule in Table 
1.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 23, 2014.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-30521 Filed 12-24-14; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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