Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; State Waters Exemption, 46531-46533 [2015-19149]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 150 / Wednesday, August 5, 2015 / Proposed Rules
■
9. Revise § 296.40 to read as follows:
§ 296.40
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Billing procedures.
Submission of voucher. For
contractors operating under more than
one MSP Operating Agreement, the
contractor may submit a single monthly
voucher applicable to all its MSP
Operating Agreements. Each voucher
submission shall include a certification
that the vessel(s) for which payment is
requested were operated in accordance
with § 296.31(d) MSP Operating
Agreements with MARAD, and
consideration shall be given to
reductions in amounts payable as set
forth in § 296.41(b) and (c). All
submissions shall be forwarded to the
Director, Office of Accounting, MAR–
330, Maritime Administration, 2nd
Floor, West Building, 1200 New Jersey
Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Payments shall be paid and processed
under the terms and conditions of the
Prompt Payment Act, 31 U.S.C. 3901.
■ 10. Amend § 296.41 by revising
paragraph (a) to read as follows:
§ 296.41
Payment procedures.
(a) Amount payable. An MSP
Operating Agreement shall provide,
subject to the availability of
appropriations and to the extent the
MSP Operating Agreement is in effect,
for each Agreement Vessel, an annual
payment equal to $2,600,000 for FY
2006, FY 2007, FY 2008; $2,900,000 for
FY 2009, FY 2010, FY 2011; and
$3,100,000 for FY 2012, FY 2013, FY
2014, FY 2015, FY 2016, 2017, and
2018; $3,500,000 for FY 2019, 2020, and
2021; and $3,700,000 for FY 2022, 2023,
2024, and 2025. This amount shall be
paid in equal monthly installments at
the end of each month. The annual
amount payable shall not be reduced
except as provided in paragraphs (b)
and (c) of this section.
*
*
*
*
*
Subpart G [Removed]
11. Remove Subpart G, consisting of
§ 296.60.
Lhorne on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
■
Dated: July 31, 2015.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr.,
Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015–19254 Filed 8–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–81–P
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Jkt 235001
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
48 CFR Parts 1, 4, 9, 17, 22, and 52
[FAR Case 2014–025; Docket No. 2014–
0025; Sequence No. 1]
RIN 9000–AM81
Federal Acquisition Regulation; Fair
Pay and Safe Workplaces; Second
Extension of Time for Comments
Department of Defense (DoD),
General Services Administration (GSA),
and National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; second extension
of comment period.
AGENCY:
DoD, GSA, and NASA issued
a proposed rule (FAR Case 2014–025)
on May 28, 2015, amending the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to
implement Executive Order (E.O.)
13673, ‘‘Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces,’’
which is designed to improve contractor
compliance with labor laws and
increase efficiency and cost savings in
Federal contracting.
On July 14, 2015, DoD, GSA, and
NASA published an extension of the
comment period by 15 days, from July
27, 2015, to August 11, 2015. The
deadline for submitting comments is
being further extended by an additional
15 days from August 11, 2015, to August
26, 2015, to provide additional time for
interested parties to comment on the
FAR case. The due date for comments
on DOL’s Guidance for Executive Order
13673, ‘‘Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces’’,
which also implements the E.O., is
being extended to August 26, 2015 as
well.
SUMMARY:
The comment period for the
purposed rule published on May 28,
2015 (80 FR 30548), is extended. Submit
comments by August 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments in
response to FAR Case 2014–025 by any
of the following methods:
• Regulations.gov: https://
www.regulations.gov. Submit comments
via the Federal eRulemaking portal by
searching for ‘‘FAR Case 2014–025’’.
Select the link ‘‘Comment Now’’ that
corresponds with ‘‘FAR Case 2014–
025.’’ Follow the instructions provided
at the ‘‘Comment Now’’ screen. Please
include your name, company name (if
any), and ‘‘FAR Case 2014–025’’ on your
attached document.
DATES:
PO 00000
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46531
• Mail: General Services
Administration, Regulatory Secretariat
(MVCB), ATTN: Ms. Flowers, 1800 F
Street NW., 2nd Floor, Washington, DC
20405.
Instructions: Please submit comments
only and cite FAR Case 2014–025, in all
correspondence related to this case. All
comments received will be posted
without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal and/or business confidential
information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Edward Loeb, Procurement Analyst, at
202–501–0650, for clarification of
content. For information pertaining to
status or publication schedules, contact
the Regulatory Secretariat at 202–501–
4755. Please cite FAR Case 2014–025.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
DoD, GSA, NASA published a
proposed rule in the Federal Register at
80 FR 30548, May 28, 2015. The
comment period is extended to provide
additional time for interested parties to
submit comments on the FAR case until
August 26, 2015.
List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 1, 4, 9,
17, 22, and 52
Government procurement.
Dated: July 30, 2015.
William F. Clark,
Director, Office of Government-wide
Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition
Policy, Office of Government-wide Policy.
[FR Doc. 2015–19169 Filed 8–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–EP–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No.: 150626556–5556–01]
RIN 0648–BF20
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery;
State Waters Exemption
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes regulations to
allow an exemption for Northern Gulf of
Maine federally permitted vessels with
state-waters permits issued from the
SUMMARY:
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46532
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 150 / Wednesday, August 5, 2015 / Proposed Rules
State of Maine to continue fishing in the
Maine state-waters portion of the
Northern Gulf of Maine management
area once NMFS has announced that the
Federal total allowable catch has been
fully harvested in a given year. Maine
requested this exemption as part of the
Scallop State Water Exemption Program,
which specifies that a state may be
eligible for a state waters exemption to
specific Federal regulations if it has a
scallop fishery and a scallop
conservation program that does not
jeopardize the biomass and fishing
mortality/effort limit objectives of the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan. The regulations
further state that the Regional
Administrator, Greater Atlantic Regional
Fisheries Office, NMFS, shall determine
if a state meets that criteria and shall
authorize the exemption for such state
by publishing a rule in the Federal
Register. Based on the information that
Maine has submitted, NMFS has
preliminarily determined that Maine
qualifies for this exemption and that
this exemption would not have an
impact on the effectiveness of Federal
management measures for the scallop
fishery overall or within the Northern
Gulf of Maine management area.
DATES: Comments must be received by
5 p.m., local time, on September 4,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Documents supporting this
action, including the State of Maine’s
(Maine) request for the exemption and
Framework Adjustment 26 to the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan (Scallop FMP) are
available upon request from John K.
Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930.
You may submit comments on this
document, identified by NOAA–NMFS2015–0079 by any of the following
methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20150079, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Mark the outside of the envelope,
‘‘Comments on Maine State Waters
Exemption Program.’’
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
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14:26 Aug 04, 2015
Jkt 235001
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous). Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978–281–9244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Scallop State Waters Exemption
Program (Program) has been in place
since 1994. The purpose of the Program
is to allow Federal permit holders to
harvest scallops in the state waters
fishery on a more equitable basis where
Federal and state laws are inconsistent,
while ensuring they continue to submit
catch and effort data to NMFS. The
Program specifies that a state with a
scallop fishery may be eligible for state
waters exemptions if it has a scallop
conservation program that does not
jeopardize the biomass and fishing
mortality/effort limit objectives of the
Scallop FMP. Under the Program, if
NMFS determines that a state is found
to be eligible, federally permitted
scallop vessels fishing in state waters
may be exempted from the following
Federal scallop regulations: Limited
access scallop vessels may fish in state
waters outside of scallop days-at-sea,
limited access and limited access
general category (LAGC) individual
fishing quota vessels may be exempt
from Federal gear and possession limit
restrictions, and vessels with selected
scallop permit types may be exempt
from specific regulations pertaining to
the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM)
management area.
The exemption from specific
regulations pertaining to the NGOM
management area was recently added to
the Program via Framework 26 to the
Scallop FMP, implemented on May 1,
2015, which specifically allows states to
apply for a specific exemption that
would enable some scallop vessels to
continue to fish in state waters within
the NGOM management area once the
Federal NGOM total allowable catch
(TAC) is reached. Any state interested in
applying for this exemption must
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
identify the scallop-permitted vessels
that would be subject to the exemption
(i.e., limited access, LAGC individual
fishing quota, LAGC incidental, or
LAGC NGOM). However, vessels would
not be able to fish for scallops in the
Federal portion of the NGOM once the
TAC is harvested.
Maine currently has the state waters
exemptions from gear and effort control
restrictions for vessels issued Federal
scallop permits and Maine commercial
scallop licenses that are fishing
exclusively in Maine waters (74 FR
37952; July 30, 2009). Following the
implementation of Framework 26,
NMFS received a request from the state
to expand its current exemptions to
allow federally NGOM-permitted
vessels with Maine state-waters permits
to fish in the Maine state-waters portion
of the NGOM management area once we
project the Federal NGOM TAC to be
fully harvested. This provision would
allow those vessels to continue to fish
in state waters along with state
permitted vessels without Federal
permits. Although the 70,000-lb (31,751kg) NGOM Federal TAC has never been
exceeded since the NGOM management
area was created in 2008, there is now
a higher potential that the TAC will be
reached because scallop effort has
increased in the NGOM in recent years
as the stock has improved, particularly
in state waters. Without this exemption,
these federally permitted vessels would
be prevented from participating in
Maine’s state water fishery if the Federal
NGOM TAC is reached. State-only
permitted scallop vessels are able to
continue to fish in state waters after the
Federal closure.
Based on the information Maine
submitted regarding its scallop
conservation program, NMFS has
preliminarily determined that the state
qualifies for the NGOM state waters
exemption under the Scallop FMP. As
required by the scallop fishery
regulations, exemptions can only be
granted if the state’s scallop fishery
would not jeopardize the biomass and
fishing mortality/effort limit objectives
of the FMP. Maine’s scallop fishery
restrictions are as restrictive as Federal
scallop fishing regulations. Maine’s
scallop fishery became limited access in
2008. Fishing time and effort on scallop
trips are limited by possession limits
and a short season. The fishery is open
only 70 days of the year, between
December and March. Maine manages
the fishery in its waters by a rotational
management plan and employs a trigger
mechanism that closes a given area if 30
to 40 percent of the harvestable biomass
has been removed. Maine has issued
545 commercial dragger scallop
E:\FR\FM\05AUP1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 150 / Wednesday, August 5, 2015 / Proposed Rules
Lhorne on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
licenses, in addition to 82 commercial
dive licenses. In 2014, 438 of these
licenses were active (i.e., landed
scallops at least once). There are
currently 40 federally NGOM-permitted
vessels also issued Maine commercial
scallop licenses, and 12 of them are
currently active in the state fishery. If
these federally permitted vessels were
allowed to continue fishing for scallops
in Maine state waters after the NGOM
TAC is harvested, Maines’s restrictive
scallop fishery regulations would still
limit mortality and effort. Allowing for
this NGOM exemption would have no
impact on the effectiveness of Federal
management measures for the scallop
fishery overall or within the NGOM
management area because the NGOM
Federal TAC is set based only on the
portion of the resource in Federal
waters.
Maine is the only state that has
requested a NGOM closure exemption.
Maine requested that this exemption
apply only to vessels with Federal
NGOM permits. As such, all other
federally permitted scallop vessel
categories would be prohibited from
retaining, possessing, and landing
scallops from within the NGOM
management area, in both Federal and
state waters, once the NGOM hard TAC
is fully harvested.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator has determined
that this proposed rule is consistent
with the FMP, other provisions of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other
applicable law, subject to further
consideration after public comment.
This proposed rule has been
determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
The Chief Council for Regulation of
the Department of Commerce certified
to the Chief Council for Advocacy of the
Small Business Administration that this
proposed rule, if adopted, would not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
The ability for states with territorial
waters located within the NGOM
management area to apply for this
specific exemption was included into
the Scallop FMP through Framework 26,
which was implemented in May 2015.
That action included a Final Regulatory
Flexibility Analyses (FRFA) that
analyzed the economic impacts of this
NGOM exemption on small entities.
This action would impact up to 40
NGOM-permitted vessels home ported
in Maine. Although only 12 of these
vessels are currently active, more
vessels could enter the fishery at any
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14:26 Aug 04, 2015
Jkt 235001
time and benefit from the exemption.
Based on available information, NMFS
has determined that all 40 NGOMpermitted vessels that would be
impacted by this rule are small entities
under the Small Business
Administration’s size standards because
they are all engaged in the business of
fish harvesting, are independently
owned or operated, are not dominant in
their field of operation, and have annual
gross receipts not in excess of $5.5
million if fishing for shellfish (NAICS
code: 114112).
This exemption is expected to have
positive impacts on the revenues of
applicable scallop vessels and positive
impacts on the overall economic
benefits from the scallop resource in
state waters. Should the Federal NGOM
fishery close, this exemption will result
in moderate to high positive impacts on
scallop revenue in Maine because
NGOM scallopers will be able to
continue fishing for scallops in state
waters. This proposed action would not
have any additional impacts on
federally permitted vessels beyond what
was analyzed in Framework 26 and
would not create any additional
economic impacts that were not
considered in that action’s FRFA.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648
Fisheries, Fishing, Recordkeeping and
reporting requirements.
Dated: July 30, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is proposed
to be amended as follows:
PART 648—FISHERIES OF THE
NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
1. The authority citation for part 648
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
2. In § 648.54, paragraph (a)(4) is
revised to read as follows:
■
§ 648.54
State waters exemption.
(a) * * *
(4) The Regional Administrator has
determined that the State of Maine has
a scallop fishery conservation program
for its scallop fishery that does not
jeopardize the biomass and fishing
mortality/effort limit objectives of the
Scallop FMP. A vessel fishing in State
of Maine waters may fish under the
State of Maine state waters exemption,
subject to the exemptions specified in
paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section,
provided the vessel is in compliance
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46533
with paragraphs (e) through (g) of this
section. In addition, a vessel issued a
Federal Northern Gulf of Maine permit
fishing in State of Maine waters may
fish under the State of Maine state
waters exemption specified in
paragraph (d) of this section, provided
the vessel is in compliance with
paragraphs (e) through (g) of this
section.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2015–19149 Filed 8–4–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 697
[Docket No. 150610515–5515–01]
RIN 0648–BF16
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act
Provisions; American Lobster Fishery
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
Based on Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission
recommendations, we, the National
Marine Fisheries Service, are proposing
to modify the Lobster Conservation
Management Area 4 seasonal closure
and are requesting comment. This
action is necessary to reduce fishing
effort in Area 4 by 10 percent. This
action is intended to ensure fishery
regulations for the lobster fishery in
Federal waters remain consistent with
the Commission’s Interstate Fishery
Management Plan for American Lobster
and previously implemented state
measures and the intent of the Atlantic
Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before September 4, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2015–0075, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20150075, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\05AUP1.SGM
05AUP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 150 (Wednesday, August 5, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46531-46533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19149]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No.: 150626556-5556-01]
RIN 0648-BF20
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop
Fishery; State Waters Exemption
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to allow an exemption for Northern
Gulf of Maine federally permitted vessels with state-waters permits
issued from the
[[Page 46532]]
State of Maine to continue fishing in the Maine state-waters portion of
the Northern Gulf of Maine management area once NMFS has announced that
the Federal total allowable catch has been fully harvested in a given
year. Maine requested this exemption as part of the Scallop State Water
Exemption Program, which specifies that a state may be eligible for a
state waters exemption to specific Federal regulations if it has a
scallop fishery and a scallop conservation program that does not
jeopardize the biomass and fishing mortality/effort limit objectives of
the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The regulations
further state that the Regional Administrator, Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, NMFS, shall determine if a state meets that
criteria and shall authorize the exemption for such state by publishing
a rule in the Federal Register. Based on the information that Maine has
submitted, NMFS has preliminarily determined that Maine qualifies for
this exemption and that this exemption would not have an impact on the
effectiveness of Federal management measures for the scallop fishery
overall or within the Northern Gulf of Maine management area.
DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m., local time, on September 4,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Documents supporting this action, including the State of
Maine's (Maine) request for the exemption and Framework Adjustment 26
to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (Scallop FMP) are
available upon request from John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator,
NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2015-0079 by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2015-0079, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on
Maine State Waters Exemption Program.''
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978-281-9244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Scallop State Waters Exemption Program (Program) has been in
place since 1994. The purpose of the Program is to allow Federal permit
holders to harvest scallops in the state waters fishery on a more
equitable basis where Federal and state laws are inconsistent, while
ensuring they continue to submit catch and effort data to NMFS. The
Program specifies that a state with a scallop fishery may be eligible
for state waters exemptions if it has a scallop conservation program
that does not jeopardize the biomass and fishing mortality/effort limit
objectives of the Scallop FMP. Under the Program, if NMFS determines
that a state is found to be eligible, federally permitted scallop
vessels fishing in state waters may be exempted from the following
Federal scallop regulations: Limited access scallop vessels may fish in
state waters outside of scallop days-at-sea, limited access and limited
access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota vessels may be
exempt from Federal gear and possession limit restrictions, and vessels
with selected scallop permit types may be exempt from specific
regulations pertaining to the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) management
area.
The exemption from specific regulations pertaining to the NGOM
management area was recently added to the Program via Framework 26 to
the Scallop FMP, implemented on May 1, 2015, which specifically allows
states to apply for a specific exemption that would enable some scallop
vessels to continue to fish in state waters within the NGOM management
area once the Federal NGOM total allowable catch (TAC) is reached. Any
state interested in applying for this exemption must identify the
scallop-permitted vessels that would be subject to the exemption (i.e.,
limited access, LAGC individual fishing quota, LAGC incidental, or LAGC
NGOM). However, vessels would not be able to fish for scallops in the
Federal portion of the NGOM once the TAC is harvested.
Maine currently has the state waters exemptions from gear and
effort control restrictions for vessels issued Federal scallop permits
and Maine commercial scallop licenses that are fishing exclusively in
Maine waters (74 FR 37952; July 30, 2009). Following the implementation
of Framework 26, NMFS received a request from the state to expand its
current exemptions to allow federally NGOM-permitted vessels with Maine
state-waters permits to fish in the Maine state-waters portion of the
NGOM management area once we project the Federal NGOM TAC to be fully
harvested. This provision would allow those vessels to continue to fish
in state waters along with state permitted vessels without Federal
permits. Although the 70,000-lb (31,751-kg) NGOM Federal TAC has never
been exceeded since the NGOM management area was created in 2008, there
is now a higher potential that the TAC will be reached because scallop
effort has increased in the NGOM in recent years as the stock has
improved, particularly in state waters. Without this exemption, these
federally permitted vessels would be prevented from participating in
Maine's state water fishery if the Federal NGOM TAC is reached. State-
only permitted scallop vessels are able to continue to fish in state
waters after the Federal closure.
Based on the information Maine submitted regarding its scallop
conservation program, NMFS has preliminarily determined that the state
qualifies for the NGOM state waters exemption under the Scallop FMP. As
required by the scallop fishery regulations, exemptions can only be
granted if the state's scallop fishery would not jeopardize the biomass
and fishing mortality/effort limit objectives of the FMP. Maine's
scallop fishery restrictions are as restrictive as Federal scallop
fishing regulations. Maine's scallop fishery became limited access in
2008. Fishing time and effort on scallop trips are limited by
possession limits and a short season. The fishery is open only 70 days
of the year, between December and March. Maine manages the fishery in
its waters by a rotational management plan and employs a trigger
mechanism that closes a given area if 30 to 40 percent of the
harvestable biomass has been removed. Maine has issued 545 commercial
dragger scallop
[[Page 46533]]
licenses, in addition to 82 commercial dive licenses. In 2014, 438 of
these licenses were active (i.e., landed scallops at least once). There
are currently 40 federally NGOM-permitted vessels also issued Maine
commercial scallop licenses, and 12 of them are currently active in the
state fishery. If these federally permitted vessels were allowed to
continue fishing for scallops in Maine state waters after the NGOM TAC
is harvested, Maines's restrictive scallop fishery regulations would
still limit mortality and effort. Allowing for this NGOM exemption
would have no impact on the effectiveness of Federal management
measures for the scallop fishery overall or within the NGOM management
area because the NGOM Federal TAC is set based only on the portion of
the resource in Federal waters.
Maine is the only state that has requested a NGOM closure
exemption. Maine requested that this exemption apply only to vessels
with Federal NGOM permits. As such, all other federally permitted
scallop vessel categories would be prohibited from retaining,
possessing, and landing scallops from within the NGOM management area,
in both Federal and state waters, once the NGOM hard TAC is fully
harvested.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the
NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that this proposed rule is
consistent with the FMP, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
and other applicable law, subject to further consideration after public
comment.
This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
The Chief Council for Regulation of the Department of Commerce
certified to the Chief Council for Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration that this proposed rule, if adopted, would not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The ability for states with territorial waters located within the NGOM
management area to apply for this specific exemption was included into
the Scallop FMP through Framework 26, which was implemented in May
2015. That action included a Final Regulatory Flexibility Analyses
(FRFA) that analyzed the economic impacts of this NGOM exemption on
small entities.
This action would impact up to 40 NGOM-permitted vessels home
ported in Maine. Although only 12 of these vessels are currently
active, more vessels could enter the fishery at any time and benefit
from the exemption. Based on available information, NMFS has determined
that all 40 NGOM-permitted vessels that would be impacted by this rule
are small entities under the Small Business Administration's size
standards because they are all engaged in the business of fish
harvesting, are independently owned or operated, are not dominant in
their field of operation, and have annual gross receipts not in excess
of $5.5 million if fishing for shellfish (NAICS code: 114112).
This exemption is expected to have positive impacts on the revenues
of applicable scallop vessels and positive impacts on the overall
economic benefits from the scallop resource in state waters. Should the
Federal NGOM fishery close, this exemption will result in moderate to
high positive impacts on scallop revenue in Maine because NGOM
scallopers will be able to continue fishing for scallops in state
waters. This proposed action would not have any additional impacts on
federally permitted vessels beyond what was analyzed in Framework 26
and would not create any additional economic impacts that were not
considered in that action's FRFA.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648
Fisheries, Fishing, Recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Dated: July 30, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is
proposed to be amended as follows:
PART 648--FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
0
1. The authority citation for part 648 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
0
2. In Sec. 648.54, paragraph (a)(4) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 648.54 State waters exemption.
(a) * * *
(4) The Regional Administrator has determined that the State of
Maine has a scallop fishery conservation program for its scallop
fishery that does not jeopardize the biomass and fishing mortality/
effort limit objectives of the Scallop FMP. A vessel fishing in State
of Maine waters may fish under the State of Maine state waters
exemption, subject to the exemptions specified in paragraphs (b) and
(c) of this section, provided the vessel is in compliance with
paragraphs (e) through (g) of this section. In addition, a vessel
issued a Federal Northern Gulf of Maine permit fishing in State of
Maine waters may fish under the State of Maine state waters exemption
specified in paragraph (d) of this section, provided the vessel is in
compliance with paragraphs (e) through (g) of this section.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2015-19149 Filed 8-4-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P