Fisheries Off West Coast States; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1; Amendments to the Fishery Management Plans for Coastal Pelagic Species, Pacific Coast Groundfish, U.S. West Coast Highly Migratory Species, and Pacific Coast Salmon, 76924-76925 [2015-31236]

Download as PDF 76924 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 238 / Friday, December 11, 2015 / Proposed Rules Competition Bureau, 202–418–1477, michele.berlove@fcc.gov. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE This is a summary of the Commission’s document, Report No. 3035, released December 4, 2015. The full text of the Petition is available for viewing and copying at the FCC Reference Information Center, 445 12th Street SW., Room CY–A257, Washington, DC 20554, or may be accessed online via the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System at https://apps.fcc.gov/ ecfs/. The Commission will not send a copy of this Notice pursuant to the Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801(a)(1)(A) because this notice does not have an impact on any rules of particular applicability. While the petition is styled a petition for clarification, at least one of the forms of relief it seeks may require a modification to the Commission’s rules. As a result, the Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau has determined that the petition is more properly treated as a petition for reconsideration, for the purpose of seeking public input. Subject: Technology Transitions; Policies and Rules Governing Retirement of Copper Loops by Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers; Special Access for Price Cap Local Exchange Carriers; AT&T Corporation Petition for Rulemaking to Reform Regulation of Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier Rates for Interstate Special Access Services, published at 80 FR 63322, October 19, 2015, in GN Docket No. 13–5, WC Docket No. 05–25, FCC 15–97. This Notice is published pursuant to 47 CFR 1.429(e). See also 47 CFR 1.4(b)(1). Number of Petitions Filed: 1. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal Communications Commission. Gloria J. Miles, Federal Register Liaison Officer, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015–31265 Filed 12–10–15; 8:45 am] jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS BILLING CODE 6712–01–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 14:54 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 238001 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 660 RIN 0648–BF15 Fisheries Off West Coast States; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1; Amendments to the Fishery Management Plans for Coastal Pelagic Species, Pacific Coast Groundfish, U.S. West Coast Highly Migratory Species, and Pacific Coast Salmon National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 (CEBA 1) for Secretarial review. CEBA 1 would bring new ecosystem component species (collectively, ‘‘Shared EC Species’’) into each of the Council’s four fishery management plans (FMPs) through amendments to those FMPs, and would prohibit the future development of new directed commercial fisheries for Shared EC Species within the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). DATES: Comments on CEBA 1 must be received on or before February 9, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on CEBA 1, identified by NOAA– NMFS–2015–0123, 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-20150123, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. • Mail: Submit written comments to William W. Stelle, Jr., Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115–0070; Attn: Yvonne deReynier. 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.), SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 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). Electronic copies of CEBA 1 may be obtained from the Council Web site at https://www.pcouncil.org. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier, 206–526–6129, yvonne.dereynier@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ocean fisheries in the EEZ off Washington, Oregon, and California are managed under the CPS, Groundfish, HMS, and Salmon FMPs. CEBA 1 includes the following amendments to the Council’s FMPs: Amendment 15 to the CPS FMP, Amendment 25 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish FMP, Amendment 3 to the FMP for U.S. West Coast HMS, and Amendment 19 to the Pacific Coast Salmon FMP. All FMPs are implemented under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., by regulations at 50 CFR part 660. The MSA requires that each regional fishery management council submit any FMP or amendment to NMFS for review and approval, partial approval, or disapproval. The MSA also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a plan or amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal Register notifying the public that the plan or amendment is available for review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received during the comment period described above in determining whether to approve the FMP amendments that would implement CEBA 1. Background The Council maintains a Fishery Ecosystem Plan, which includes an ecosystem initiative process for reviewing fisheries management issues that may affect multiple FMPs and for developing policies and regulations to address those issues under the authority of its FMPs. Under the ecosystem initiative process, the Council has reviewed trophic connections between the West Coast EEZ’s unfished forage fish species and the EEZ’s predator species managed under the MSA, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Through that review, the Council determined that it wanted to bring a suite of unfished and unmanaged forage fish species into its FMPs as ecosystem component (EC) E:\FR\FM\11DEP1.SGM 11DEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 238 / Friday, December 11, 2015 / Proposed Rules jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS species, and to prohibit directed commercial fisheries for those species. The Council has recommended including the following species as Shared EC Species in all four of its FMPs: Round herring (Etrumeus teres) and thread herring (Opisthonema libertate and O. medirastre); mesopelagic fishes of the families Myctophidae, Bathylagidae, Paralepididae, and Gonostomatidae; Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus); Pacific saury (Cololabis saira); silversides (family Atherinopsidae); smelts of the family Osmeridae; and pelagic squids (families: Cranchiidae, Gonatidae, Histioteuthidae, Octopoteuthidae, Ommastrephidae except Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), Onychoteuthidae, and Thysanoteuthidae). Under Federal regulations at 50 CFR 600.310(d)(5)(iii), a species may be included in an FMP as an EC species: For data collection purposes; to inform the understanding of ecosystem considerations related to specification of OY for the associated fishery; to assist in the development of conservation and management measures for the associated fishery; or to address other ecosystem issues. The Council recommended including the suite of Shared EC Species in its FMPs as EC VerDate Sep<11>2014 14:54 Dec 10, 2015 Jkt 238001 species to address ‘‘other ecosystem issues,’’ because these species are broadly used as prey by marine mammals, seabird, and fish of the U.S. West Coast EEZ. The Council also noted that Shared EC Species are among the known prey of fishery management unit species of all four of the Council’s FMPs; therefore, Shared EC Species support predator species’ growth and development and may also be identified as EC species ‘‘for ecosystem considerations related to specification of optimum yield for the associated fishery.’’ CEBA 1, through its implementing FMP amendments and regulations, would prohibit the future development of fisheries for Shared EC Species within the U.S. West Coast EEZ until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to assess the scientific information relating to any proposed directed fishery and to consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the greater marine ecosystem. The Council deemed this action necessary to proactively protect unmanaged, unfished forage fish of the U.S. West Coast EEZ, in recognition of the importance of these forage fish to the species managed under the Council’s FMPs and to the larger California Current Ecosystem. This PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 9990 76925 action would not supersede tribal or state fishery management for these species. Consideration of Public Comments NMFS welcomes comments on CEBA 1 and the proposed FMP amendments through the end of the comment period. CEBA 1 is available on the Council’s Web site (www.pcouncil.org). The Council also transmitted a proposed rule to implement CEBA 1 for Secretarial review and approval. NMFS expects to publish and request public review and comment on that rule in the near future. Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by the end of the comment period for CEBA 1 in order to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the FMP amendments. All comments received by the end of the CEBA 1 comment period, whether specifically directed to the FMP amendments or the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: December 8, 2015. Alan D. Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2015–31236 Filed 12–10–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P E:\FR\FM\11DEP1.SGM 11DEP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 238 (Friday, December 11, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76924-76925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31236]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

RIN 0648-BF15


Fisheries Off West Coast States; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based 
Amendment 1; Amendments to the Fishery Management Plans for Coastal 
Pelagic Species, Pacific Coast Groundfish, U.S. West Coast Highly 
Migratory Species, and Pacific Coast Salmon

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council) has submitted Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 (CEBA 
1) for Secretarial review. CEBA 1 would bring new ecosystem component 
species (collectively, ``Shared EC Species'') into each of the 
Council's four fishery management plans (FMPs) through amendments to 
those FMPs, and would prohibit the future development of new directed 
commercial fisheries for Shared EC Species within the U.S. West Coast 
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

DATES: Comments on CEBA 1 must be received on or before February 9, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on CEBA 1, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2015-0123, 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-2015-0123, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to William W. Stelle, Jr., 
Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way 
NE., Seattle, WA 98115-0070; Attn: Yvonne deReynier.
    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).
    Electronic copies of CEBA 1 may be obtained from the Council Web 
site at https://www.pcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier, 206-526-6129, 
yvonne.dereynier@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Ocean fisheries in the EEZ off Washington, 
Oregon, and California are managed under the CPS, Groundfish, HMS, and 
Salmon FMPs. CEBA 1 includes the following amendments to the Council's 
FMPs: Amendment 15 to the CPS FMP, Amendment 25 to the Pacific Coast 
Groundfish FMP, Amendment 3 to the FMP for U.S. West Coast HMS, and 
Amendment 19 to the Pacific Coast Salmon FMP. All FMPs are implemented 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (MSA), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., by regulations at 50 CFR 
part 660. The MSA requires that each regional fishery management 
council submit any FMP or amendment to NMFS for review and approval, 
partial approval, or disapproval. The MSA also requires that NMFS, upon 
receiving a plan or amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal 
Register notifying the public that the plan or amendment is available 
for review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received 
during the comment period described above in determining whether to 
approve the FMP amendments that would implement CEBA 1.

Background

    The Council maintains a Fishery Ecosystem Plan, which includes an 
ecosystem initiative process for reviewing fisheries management issues 
that may affect multiple FMPs and for developing policies and 
regulations to address those issues under the authority of its FMPs. 
Under the ecosystem initiative process, the Council has reviewed 
trophic connections between the West Coast EEZ's unfished forage fish 
species and the EEZ's predator species managed under the MSA, the 
Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Through that review, the Council determined 
that it wanted to bring a suite of unfished and unmanaged forage fish 
species into its FMPs as ecosystem component (EC)

[[Page 76925]]

species, and to prohibit directed commercial fisheries for those 
species.
    The Council has recommended including the following species as 
Shared EC Species in all four of its FMPs: Round herring (Etrumeus 
teres) and thread herring (Opisthonema libertate and O. medirastre); 
mesopelagic fishes of the families Myctophidae, Bathylagidae, 
Paralepididae, and Gonostomatidae; Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes 
hexapterus); Pacific saury (Cololabis saira); silversides (family 
Atherinopsidae); smelts of the family Osmeridae; and pelagic squids 
(families: Cranchiidae, Gonatidae, Histioteuthidae, Octopoteuthidae, 
Ommastrephidae except Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), 
Onychoteuthidae, and Thysanoteuthidae). Under Federal regulations at 50 
CFR 600.310(d)(5)(iii), a species may be included in an FMP as an EC 
species: For data collection purposes; to inform the understanding of 
ecosystem considerations related to specification of OY for the 
associated fishery; to assist in the development of conservation and 
management measures for the associated fishery; or to address other 
ecosystem issues. The Council recommended including the suite of Shared 
EC Species in its FMPs as EC species to address ``other ecosystem 
issues,'' because these species are broadly used as prey by marine 
mammals, seabird, and fish of the U.S. West Coast EEZ. The Council also 
noted that Shared EC Species are among the known prey of fishery 
management unit species of all four of the Council's FMPs; therefore, 
Shared EC Species support predator species' growth and development and 
may also be identified as EC species ``for ecosystem considerations 
related to specification of optimum yield for the associated fishery.''
    CEBA 1, through its implementing FMP amendments and regulations, 
would prohibit the future development of fisheries for Shared EC 
Species within the U.S. West Coast EEZ until the Council has had an 
adequate opportunity to assess the scientific information relating to 
any proposed directed fishery and to consider potential impacts to 
existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the greater marine 
ecosystem. The Council deemed this action necessary to proactively 
protect unmanaged, unfished forage fish of the U.S. West Coast EEZ, in 
recognition of the importance of these forage fish to the species 
managed under the Council's FMPs and to the larger California Current 
Ecosystem. This action would not supersede tribal or state fishery 
management for these species.

Consideration of Public Comments

    NMFS welcomes comments on CEBA 1 and the proposed FMP amendments 
through the end of the comment period. CEBA 1 is available on the 
Council's Web site (www.pcouncil.org). The Council also transmitted a 
proposed rule to implement CEBA 1 for Secretarial review and approval. 
NMFS expects to publish and request public review and comment on that 
rule in the near future. Public comments on the proposed rule must be 
received by the end of the comment period for CEBA 1 in order to be 
considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the FMP amendments. 
All comments received by the end of the CEBA 1 comment period, whether 
specifically directed to the FMP amendments or the proposed rule, will 
be considered in the approval/disapproval decision.

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

    Dated: December 8, 2015.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-31236 Filed 12-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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