International Fisheries; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species; Fishing Effort Limits in Purse Seine Fisheries for 2015, 51476-51478 [2015-20957]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 164 / Tuesday, August 25, 2015 / Rules and Regulations
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Dated: July 28, 2015.
Roy E. Wright,
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the effective dates of the final rule that
was published on June 4, 2015.
Dated: July 29, 2015.
Roy Wright,
Deputy Associate Administrator, Federal
Insurance and Mitigation Administration,
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2015–20942 Filed 8–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–12–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
48 CFR Part 46
[FR Doc. 2015–20893 Filed 8–24–15; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
CFR Correction
In Title 48 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Chapter 1, Parts 1 to 51,
revised as of October 1, 2014, on page
952, remove section 46.806.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
44 CFR Part 64
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
[Docket ID FEMA–2015–0001; Internal
Agency Docket No. FEMA–8385]
[FR Doc. 2015–20995 Filed 8–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505–01–D
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Suspension of Community Eligibility
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Final rule; withdrawal.
48 CFR Part 22
The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) is
withdrawing a duplicate final rule
which it published inadvertently on
June 23, 2015.
DATES: This withdrawal is effective
August 25, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bret
Gates, Federal Insurance and Mitigation
Administration, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, 500 C Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646–4133.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June
23, 2015, FEMA published a final rule,
Suspension of Community Eligibility
(Docket ID FEMA–2015–0001; Internal
Docket No. FEMA–8385) (80 FR 35851),
that had previously been published on
June 4, 2015 (80 FR 31847). The June 23,
2015 final rule publication was in error,
and FEMA withdraws publication of the
duplicate rule. This error does not alter
CFR Correction
AGENCY:
SUMMARY:
Lhorne on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with RULES
Quality Assurance
BILLING CODE 9110–12–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:04 Aug 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Application of Labor Laws to
Government Acquisitions
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 150406346–5700–02]
In Title 48 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Chapter 1, Parts 1 to 51,
revised as of October 1, 2014, on page
526, in section 22.1008–2, in the last
sentence of paragraph (d)(1), remove ‘‘,
as amended’’.
■
[FR Doc. 2015–20997 Filed 8–24–15; 8:45 am]
International Fisheries; Western and
Central Pacific Fisheries for Highly
Migratory Species; Fishing Effort
Limits in Purse Seine Fisheries for
2015
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
BILLING CODE 1501–01–D
PO 00000
RIN 0648–BF03
This rule makes final an
interim rule that established a fishing
effort limit for calendar year 2015 for
U.S. purse seine vessels in the U.S.
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and on
the high seas between the latitudes of
20° N. and 20° S. in the area of
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4700
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 164 / Tuesday, August 25, 2015 / Rules and Regulations
application of the Convention on the
Conservation and Management of
Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean
(Convention Area). The limit is 1,828
fishing days. This action is necessary for
the United States to implement
provisions of a conservation and
management measure (CMM) adopted
by the Commission for the Conservation
and Management of Highly Migratory
Fish Stocks in the Western and Central
Pacific Ocean (WCPFC or Commission)
and to satisfy the obligations of the
United States under the Convention on
the Conservation and Management of
Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean
(Convention), to which it is a
Contracting Party.
DATES: This rule is effective on August
25, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Copies of supporting
documents prepared for this final rule,
including the regulatory impact review
(RIR) and the environmental assessment
(EA) and supplemental EA prepared for
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) purposes, as well as the interim
rule, are available via the Federal erulemaking Portal, at
www.regulations.gov (search for Docket
ID NOAA–NMFS–2015–0058). Those
documents are also available from
NMFS at the following address: Michael
Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO),
1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176,
Honolulu, HI 96818.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Crigler, NMFS PIRO, 808–725–
5036.
As established in existing regulations
for purse seine fishing effort limits in
the ELAPS, NMFS monitors the number
of fishing days spent in the ELAPS
using data submitted in logbooks and
other available information. On June 8,
2015, NMFS issued a temporary rule in
the Federal Register announcing that
the purse seine fishery in the ELAPS
would close as a result of reaching the
limit of 1,828 fishing days (80 FR
32313). The closure took effect June 15,
2015, and will remain in effect through
December 31, 2015.
This final rule is issued under the
authority of the WCPFC Implementation
Act (16 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), which
authorizes the Secretary of Commerce,
in consultation with the Secretary of
State and the Secretary of the
Department in which the United States
Coast Guard is operating (currently the
Department of Homeland Security), to
promulgate such regulations as may be
necessary to carry out the obligations of
the United States under the Convention,
including the decisions of the
Commission. The authority to
promulgate regulations has been
delegated to NMFS. The preamble to the
interim rule provides background
information on a number of matters,
including the Convention and the
Commission, the provisions of the
WCPFC decisions being implemented in
this rule, and the bases for the proposed
regulations, which are not repeated
here.
On May
21, 2015, NMFS published an interim
rule in the Federal Register (80 FR
29220) to establish a limit on fishing
effort by U.S. purse seine vessels in the
U.S. EEZ and on the high seas between
the latitudes of 20° N. and 20° S. in the
Convention Area for the calendar year
2015. This area is known in U.S. fishing
regulations as the Effort Limit Area for
Purse Seine, or ELAPS. The limit
established in the interim rule is 1,828
fishing days. The interim rule was open
for public comment until June 5, 2015.
The 2015 purse seine fishing effort
limit for the ELAPS was formulated as
in previous rules to establish limits for
the ELAPS: The applicable limit for the
U.S. EEZ portion of the ELAPS, 558
fishing days per year, is combined with
the applicable limit for the high seas
portion of the ELAPS, 1,270 fishing days
per year, resulting in a combined limit
of 1,828 fishing days in the ELAPS for
calendar year 2015.
Comments and Responses
Lhorne on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with RULES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:04 Aug 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
The Action
This final rule makes final the interim
rule that established the limit of 1,828
fishing days for the calendar year 2015.
NMFS received two sets of comments
on the interim rule. The comments are
summarized below, followed by
responses from NMFS.
Comment 1: Our oceans are seriously
overfished and are on the verge of
collapse due to warming, acidification,
toxins, and plastics, etc. Limits need to
be placed upon fisheries. Economic gain
of the fisheries has got to be curtailed
now to save all ocean life.
Response: NMFS acknowledges the
comment.
Comment 2: Due to the fact that U.S.
purse seine fleet located in Pago Pago,
American Samoa, is already under
duress because of low fish prices and
high access fees for fishing in the waters
of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement
(PNA), closing the U.S. EEZ and high
seas to U.S. purse seine fishing will only
add to the demise of the U.S. fleet in
American Samoa.
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
51477
Response: NMFS acknowledges the
concerns expressed by the commenter.
However, this final rule establishes
limits adopted by the Commission in
Conservation and Management Measure
(CMM) 2014–01. We believe that taking
this action to implement the 1,828 day
limit in the ELAPs is necessary to satisfy
the obligations of the United States
under the Convention and CMM 2014–
01.
No changes from the interim rule have
been made in this final rule.
Petition for Rulemaking
On May 12, 2015, as the interim rule
was being finalized for publication,
NMFS received a petition for
rulemaking from Tri Marine
Management Company, LLC (Tri
Marine). The company requested, first,
that NOAA undertake an emergency
rulemaking to implement the 2015 limit
on fishing effort by U.S. purse seine
vessels on the high seas and in the U.S.
exclusive economic zone in the
Convention Area, and second, that
NOAA issue a rule exempting from that
limit any U.S. purse seine vessel that,
pursuant to contract or declaration of
intent, delivers or will deliver at least
half its catch to tuna processing
facilities in American Samoa. This final
rule addresses the first part of the
petition by implementing the 2015 limit
on fishing effort for U.S. purse seiners
on the high seas and in the U.S. EEZ.
On July 17, 2015, NMFS published a
notice of receipt of, and request for
comment on, the Tri Marine petition (80
FR 42464). Any action taken by NMFS
in response to the second petitioned
action will be taken separately from the
rulemaking in this document, after
consideration of public comment on the
notice of receipt of the petition.
Fishing Restrictions During Closure
Periods
The regulations at 50 CFR 300.223
implementing the ELAPS closure
prohibit U.S. purse seine vessels from
conducting bunkering operations in the
ELAPS during the closure period, since
bunkering is included in the definition
of fishing (see 50 CFR 300.211). During
the ELAPS closure, the U.S. purse seine
fleet generally continues to be allowed
to fish under the South Pacific Tuna
Treaty in some foreign EEZs; however,
the vessels are not necessarily
authorized by those nations to conduct
bunkering activities in their waters.
Consequently, they are effectively
forced to conduct bunkering operations
in foreign waters or ports, which can
result in substantial costs to fishing
businesses. In a separate, but related
rulemaking (RIN 0648–BF23), which is
E:\FR\FM\25AUR1.SGM
25AUR1
51478
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 164 / Tuesday, August 25, 2015 / Rules and Regulations
being published elsewhere in this issue
of the Federal Register, NMFS is
removing, through an interim rule, the
restrictions on bunkering operations, if
otherwise authorized by applicable laws
and regulations, in the ELAPS during
the closure period.
Classification
The Administrator, Pacific Islands
Region, NMFS, has determined that this
final rule is consistent with the WCPFC
Implementation Act and other
applicable laws.
Administrative Procedure Act
NMFS may waive the 30-day delay in
effectiveness required under the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C.
553(d), upon a finding of good cause
that the delay is impracticable,
unnecessary, or contrary to the public
interest. NMFS finds that it would be
contrary to the public interest to delay
the effective date of this final rule. The
requirements have been in effect
through the interim rule since May 21,
2015, and the ELAPS has been closed to
fishing by U.S. purse seiners since June
15, 2015. If this final rule does not enter
into effect immediately, there could be
public confusion as to whether the
ELAPS is reopened to fishing until the
rule enters into effect. Thus, this final
rule is effective upon publication in the
Federal Register so there is no
perceived regulatory gap in the
implementation of the fishing effort
limit in the ELAPS for 2015.
Executive Order 12866
This final rule has been determined to
be not significant for purposes of
Executive Order 12866.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Because prior notice and opportunity
for public comment were not required
for the interim rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or
any other law, the analytical
requirements of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., are
inapplicable. Therefore, no final
regulatory flexibility analysis was
required and none has been prepared.
Lhorne on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with RULES
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 300
Administrative practice and
procedure, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing,
Marine resources, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Treaties.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:04 Aug 24, 2015
Jkt 235001
Dated: August 19, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
PART 300—INTERNATIONAL
FISHERIES REGULATIONS
Subpart O—Western and Central
Pacific Fisheries for Highly Migratory
Species
Accordingly, the interim rule revising
§ 300.223, paragraph (a)(1), which was
published at 80 FR 29220 on May 21,
2015, is adopted as a final rule without
change.
■
[FR Doc. 2015–20957 Filed 8–24–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 150629563–5703–01]
RIN 0648–BF23
International Fisheries; Western and
Central Pacific Fisheries for Highly
Migratory Species; Purse Seine
Fishing Restrictions During Closure
Periods
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Interim rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
This interim rule amends the
regulations to remove the restriction
that prohibits U.S. purse seine vessels
from conducting bunkering (refueling)
activities in the U.S. exclusive economic
zone (EEZ) and on the high seas
between the latitudes of 20° N. and 20°
S. in the area of application of the
Convention on the Conservation and
Management of Highly Migratory Fish
Stocks in the Western and Central
Pacific Ocean (Convention), also known
as the Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine
or ELAPS, when this area is closed to
U.S. purse seine fishing. This action
would relieve U.S. purse seine vessels
from the burden of the prohibition
while continuing to satisfy U.S.
obligations pursuant to the Western and
Central Pacific Fisheries Convention
Implementation Act.
DATES: This rule is effective on August
25, 2015. Comments must be submitted
in writing by September 24, 2015.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2015–0098, and the regulatory
impact review (RIR) prepared for the
interim rule, by either of the following
methods:
• Electronic submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
1. Go to www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20150098,
2. Click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and
3. Enter or attach your comments.
—OR—
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Michael D. Tosatto, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands
Regional Office (PIRO), 1845 Wasp
Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, HI
96818.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, might 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 and address),
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).
Copies of the RIR and the Record of
Environmental Consideration prepared
for National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) purposes are available at
www.regulations.gov or may be obtained
from Michael D. Tosatto, Regional
Administrator, NMFS PIRO (see address
above).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Crigler, NMFS PIRO, 808–725–
5036.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Background on the Convention
The Convention focuses on the
conservation and management of highly
migratory species (HMS) and the
management of fisheries for HMS. The
objective of the Convention is to ensure,
through effective management, the longterm conservation and sustainable use
of HMS in the western and central
Pacific Ocean (WCPO). To accomplish
this objective, the Convention
established the Commission on the
Conservation and Management of
Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean
(WCPFC or Commission). The
E:\FR\FM\25AUR1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51476-51478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20957]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 150406346-5700-02]
RIN 0648-BF03
International Fisheries; Western and Central Pacific Fisheries
for Highly Migratory Species; Fishing Effort Limits in Purse Seine
Fisheries for 2015
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This rule makes final an interim rule that established a
fishing effort limit for calendar year 2015 for U.S. purse seine
vessels in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and on the high seas
between the latitudes of 20[deg] N. and 20[deg] S. in the area of
[[Page 51477]]
application of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of
Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
(Convention Area). The limit is 1,828 fishing days. This action is
necessary for the United States to implement provisions of a
conservation and management measure (CMM) adopted by the Commission for
the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC or Commission) and to satisfy
the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the
Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the
Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention), to which it is a
Contracting Party.
DATES: This rule is effective on August 25, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Copies of supporting documents prepared for this final rule,
including the regulatory impact review (RIR) and the environmental
assessment (EA) and supplemental EA prepared for the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) purposes, as well as the interim rule,
are available via the Federal e-rulemaking Portal, at
www.regulations.gov (search for Docket ID NOAA-NMFS-2015-0058). Those
documents are also available from NMFS at the following address:
Michael Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Regional
Office (PIRO), 1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Crigler, NMFS PIRO, 808-725-
5036.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 21, 2015, NMFS published an interim
rule in the Federal Register (80 FR 29220) to establish a limit on
fishing effort by U.S. purse seine vessels in the U.S. EEZ and on the
high seas between the latitudes of 20[deg] N. and 20[deg] S. in the
Convention Area for the calendar year 2015. This area is known in U.S.
fishing regulations as the Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine, or ELAPS.
The limit established in the interim rule is 1,828 fishing days. The
interim rule was open for public comment until June 5, 2015.
The 2015 purse seine fishing effort limit for the ELAPS was
formulated as in previous rules to establish limits for the ELAPS: The
applicable limit for the U.S. EEZ portion of the ELAPS, 558 fishing
days per year, is combined with the applicable limit for the high seas
portion of the ELAPS, 1,270 fishing days per year, resulting in a
combined limit of 1,828 fishing days in the ELAPS for calendar year
2015.
As established in existing regulations for purse seine fishing
effort limits in the ELAPS, NMFS monitors the number of fishing days
spent in the ELAPS using data submitted in logbooks and other available
information. On June 8, 2015, NMFS issued a temporary rule in the
Federal Register announcing that the purse seine fishery in the ELAPS
would close as a result of reaching the limit of 1,828 fishing days (80
FR 32313). The closure took effect June 15, 2015, and will remain in
effect through December 31, 2015.
This final rule is issued under the authority of the WCPFC
Implementation Act (16 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), which authorizes the
Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State and
the Secretary of the Department in which the United States Coast Guard
is operating (currently the Department of Homeland Security), to
promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the
obligations of the United States under the Convention, including the
decisions of the Commission. The authority to promulgate regulations
has been delegated to NMFS. The preamble to the interim rule provides
background information on a number of matters, including the Convention
and the Commission, the provisions of the WCPFC decisions being
implemented in this rule, and the bases for the proposed regulations,
which are not repeated here.
The Action
This final rule makes final the interim rule that established the
limit of 1,828 fishing days for the calendar year 2015.
Comments and Responses
NMFS received two sets of comments on the interim rule. The
comments are summarized below, followed by responses from NMFS.
Comment 1: Our oceans are seriously overfished and are on the verge
of collapse due to warming, acidification, toxins, and plastics, etc.
Limits need to be placed upon fisheries. Economic gain of the fisheries
has got to be curtailed now to save all ocean life.
Response: NMFS acknowledges the comment.
Comment 2: Due to the fact that U.S. purse seine fleet located in
Pago Pago, American Samoa, is already under duress because of low fish
prices and high access fees for fishing in the waters of the Parties to
the Nauru Agreement (PNA), closing the U.S. EEZ and high seas to U.S.
purse seine fishing will only add to the demise of the U.S. fleet in
American Samoa.
Response: NMFS acknowledges the concerns expressed by the
commenter. However, this final rule establishes limits adopted by the
Commission in Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) 2014-01. We
believe that taking this action to implement the 1,828 day limit in the
ELAPs is necessary to satisfy the obligations of the United States
under the Convention and CMM 2014-01.
No changes from the interim rule have been made in this final rule.
Petition for Rulemaking
On May 12, 2015, as the interim rule was being finalized for
publication, NMFS received a petition for rulemaking from Tri Marine
Management Company, LLC (Tri Marine). The company requested, first,
that NOAA undertake an emergency rulemaking to implement the 2015 limit
on fishing effort by U.S. purse seine vessels on the high seas and in
the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Convention Area, and second,
that NOAA issue a rule exempting from that limit any U.S. purse seine
vessel that, pursuant to contract or declaration of intent, delivers or
will deliver at least half its catch to tuna processing facilities in
American Samoa. This final rule addresses the first part of the
petition by implementing the 2015 limit on fishing effort for U.S.
purse seiners on the high seas and in the U.S. EEZ. On July 17, 2015,
NMFS published a notice of receipt of, and request for comment on, the
Tri Marine petition (80 FR 42464). Any action taken by NMFS in response
to the second petitioned action will be taken separately from the
rulemaking in this document, after consideration of public comment on
the notice of receipt of the petition.
Fishing Restrictions During Closure Periods
The regulations at 50 CFR 300.223 implementing the ELAPS closure
prohibit U.S. purse seine vessels from conducting bunkering operations
in the ELAPS during the closure period, since bunkering is included in
the definition of fishing (see 50 CFR 300.211). During the ELAPS
closure, the U.S. purse seine fleet generally continues to be allowed
to fish under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty in some foreign EEZs;
however, the vessels are not necessarily authorized by those nations to
conduct bunkering activities in their waters. Consequently, they are
effectively forced to conduct bunkering operations in foreign waters or
ports, which can result in substantial costs to fishing businesses. In
a separate, but related rulemaking (RIN 0648-BF23), which is
[[Page 51478]]
being published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, NMFS
is removing, through an interim rule, the restrictions on bunkering
operations, if otherwise authorized by applicable laws and regulations,
in the ELAPS during the closure period.
Classification
The Administrator, Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, has determined
that this final rule is consistent with the WCPFC Implementation Act
and other applicable laws.
Administrative Procedure Act
NMFS may waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness required under the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553(d), upon a finding of good
cause that the delay is impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the
public interest. NMFS finds that it would be contrary to the public
interest to delay the effective date of this final rule. The
requirements have been in effect through the interim rule since May 21,
2015, and the ELAPS has been closed to fishing by U.S. purse seiners
since June 15, 2015. If this final rule does not enter into effect
immediately, there could be public confusion as to whether the ELAPS is
reopened to fishing until the rule enters into effect. Thus, this final
rule is effective upon publication in the Federal Register so there is
no perceived regulatory gap in the implementation of the fishing effort
limit in the ELAPS for 2015.
Executive Order 12866
This final rule has been determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Because prior notice and opportunity for public comment were not
required for the interim rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, the
analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601
et seq., are inapplicable. Therefore, no final regulatory flexibility
analysis was required and none has been prepared.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 300
Administrative practice and procedure, Fish, Fisheries, Fishing,
Marine resources, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Treaties.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
Dated: August 19, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
PART 300--INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES REGULATIONS
Subpart O--Western and Central Pacific Fisheries for Highly
Migratory Species
0
Accordingly, the interim rule revising Sec. 300.223, paragraph (a)(1),
which was published at 80 FR 29220 on May 21, 2015, is adopted as a
final rule without change.
[FR Doc. 2015-20957 Filed 8-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
