Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; 2016 Closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area, 30202-30203 [2016-11494]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
will be done in accordance with the
policies defined in the Report and Order
in Gen. Docket No. 87–112 (See § 90.16).
The following channels are available
only for mutual aid purposes as defined
in Gen. Docket No. 87–112: Channels 1,
39, 77, 115, 153. Mobile and portable
radios operating on the mutual aid
channels shall employ analog FM
emission.
*
*
*
*
*
6. Section 90.619 is amended by
revising paragraphs (a)(5)(i) and (c)(6)(i)
to read as follows:
■
§ 90.619 Operations within the U.S./Mexico
and U.S./Canada border areas.
(a) * * *
(5) * * *
(i) Channel numbers 1–230 are also
available to eligible applicants in the
Public Safety Category in the Canada
Border Regions. The assignment of these
channels will be done in accordance
with the policies defined in the Report
and Order of Gen. Docket No. 87–112
(See § 90.16). The following channels
are available only for mutual aid
purposes as defined in Gen. Docket No.
87–112: Channels 1, 39, 77, 115, 153.
Mobile and portable radios operating on
the mutual aid channels shall employ
analog FM emission.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) * * *
(6) * * *
(i) Channel numbers 1–230 are also
available to eligible applicants in the
Public Safety Category in the Canada
Border Regions. The assignment of these
channels will be done in accordance
with the policies defined in the Report
and Order of Gen. Docket No. 87–112
(See § 90.16). The following channels
are available only for mutual aid
purposes as defined in Gen. Docket No.
87–112: Channels 1, 39, 77, 115, 153.
Mobile and portable radios operating on
the mutual aid channels shall employ
analog FM emission.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2016–11336 Filed 5–13–16; 8:45 am]
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49 CFR Parts 171, 173, and 178
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RIN 2137–AF15
Hazardous Materials: Incorporation by
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Correction
In rule document 2016–10027
appearing on pages 25613–25618 in the
issue of Friday, April 29, 2016, make the
following correction:
On page 25614, in the first column, in
the ‘‘DATES:’’ section, beginning on the
14th line, ‘‘[insert date 60 days after
publication in the Federal Register]’’
should read ‘‘June 28, 2016’’.
[FR Doc. C1–2016–10027 Filed 5–13–16; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 151210999–6348–02]
RIN 0648–XE620
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery;
2016 Closure of the Northern Gulf of
Maine Scallop Management Area
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop
Management Area will close for the
remainder of the 2016 fishing year. No
vessel issued a federal scallop permit,
with the exception of Northern Gulf of
Maine permit holders also holding a
Maine state scallop permit and fishing
under the state waters exemption
program in Maine state waters, may fish
for, possess, or land scallops from the
Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop
Management Area. Regulations require
this action once NMFS projects that 100
percent of the 2016 total allowable catch
for the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop
Management Area will be harvested.
SUMMARY:
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Effective 0001 hr local time, May
13, 2016, through February 28, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shannah Jaburek, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 282–8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reader
can find regulations governing fishing
activity in the Northern Gulf of Maine
(NGOM) Scallop Management Area in
50 CFR 648.54 and § 648.62. These
regulations authorize vessels issued a
valid federal scallop permit to fish in
the NGOM Scallop Management Area
under specific conditions, including a
total allowable catch (TAC) of 67,454 lb
(30.6 mt) for the 2016 fishing year, and
a State Waters Exemption Program for
the state of Maine. NMFS reduced the
2016 NGOM Scallop Management Area
TAC from 70,000 lb (31.8 mt) to 67,454
lb (30.6 mt) to account for a 2,546-lb
(1,155-kg) over harvest of the 2015 TAC
during the 2015 fishing year. Section
648.62(b)(2) requires the NGOM Scallop
Management Area to be closed to
federally permitted scallop vessels for
the remainder of the fishing year once
the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional
Administrator determines that the TAC
for fishing year 2016 is projected to be
harvested. Any vessel that holds a
federal NGOM permit (category LAGC
B) may continue to fish in the Maine
state waters portion of the NGOM
Scallop Management Area under the
State Waters Exemption Program found
in § 648.54 provided they have a valid
Maine state scallop permit and fish in
state waters only.
Based on trip declarations by
federally permitted scallop vessels
fishing in the NGOM Scallop
Management Area, and analysis of
fishing effort, we project that the 2016
TAC will be harvested as of May 13,
2016. Therefore, in accordance with
§ 648.62(b)(2), the NGOM Scallop
Management Area is closed to all
federally permitted scallop vessels as of
May 13, 2016. No vessel issued a federal
scallop permit may fish for, possess, or
land scallops in or from the NGOM
Scallop Management Area after 0001
local time, May 13, 2016, unless the
vessel is fishing exclusively in state
waters and is participating in an
approved state waters exemption
program as specified in § 648.54. Any
federally permitted scallop vessel that
has declared into the NGOM Scallop
Management Area, complied with all
trip notification and observer
requirements, and crossed the VMS
demarcation line on the way to the area
before 0001, May 13, 2016, may
complete its trip. All limited access
scallop vessels fishing on a day-at-sea
must exit the NGOM Scallop
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\16MYR1.SGM
16MYR1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 94 / Monday, May 16, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
Management Area before 0001 hr local
time, May 13, 2016. This closure is in
effect through February 28, 2017.
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part
648 and is exempt from review under
Executive Order 12866.
NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior notice
and the opportunity for public comment
because it would be contrary to the
public interest and impracticable. The
NGOM Scallop Management Area
opened for the 2016 fishing year on
March 1, 2016. The regulations at
§ 648.60(b)(2) require this closure to
ensure that federally permitted scallop
vessels do not harvest more than the
allocated TAC for the NGOM Scallop
Management Area. The projections of
the date on which the NGOM Scallop
Management Area TAC will be
harvested become apparent only as trips
into the area occur on a real-time basis
and as activity trends begin to appear.
As a result, an accurate projection only
can be made very close in time to when
the TAC is harvested. In addition,
proposing a closure would likely
increase activity, triggering an earlier
closure than predicted. To allow
federally permitted scallop vessels to
continue to take trips in the NGOM
Scallop Management Area during the
period necessary to publish and receive
comments on a proposed rule would
likely result in vessels over harvesting
the 2016 TAC for the NGOM Scallop
Management Area. Over harvest from
the NGOM Scallop Management Area
would result in excessive fishing effort
in the area, where effort controls are
critical, thereby undermining
conservation objectives of the Atlantic
Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
and requiring more restrictive future
management measures. Also, the public
had prior notice and full opportunity to
comment on this closure process when
we put these provisions in place. NMFS
further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3), good cause to waive the 30day delayed effectiveness period for the
reasons stated above.
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Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 11, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–11494 Filed 5–11–16; 4:15 pm]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 160126053–6398–02]
RIN 0648–BF74
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery;
Annual Specifications and
Management Measures for the 2016
Tribal and Non-Tribal Fisheries for
Pacific Whiting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
NMFS issues this final rule
for the 2016 Pacific whiting fishery
under the authority of the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Pacific
Whiting Act of 2006. This final rule
announces the 2016 U.S. Total
Allowable Catch (TAC) of 367,553
metric tons of Pacific whiting,
establishes the tribal allocation of
64,322 metric tons, establishes a setaside for research and bycatch of 1,500
metric tons, and announces the
allocations of Pacific whiting to the nontribal fishery for 2016. This rule will
ensure that the 2016 Pacific whiting
fishery is managed in accordance with
the goals and objectives of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, the
Pacific Whiting Act of 2006, and other
applicable laws.
DATES: Effective May 12, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Miako Ushio (West Coast Region,
NMFS), phone: 206–526–4644, and
email: Miako.Ushio@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Electronic Access
This final rule is accessible via the
Internet at the Office of the Federal
Register Web site at https://
www.federalregister.gov. Background
information and documents are
available at the NMFS West Coast
Region Web site at https://
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
fisheries/management/whiting/pacific_
whiting.html and at the Pacific Fishery
Management Council’s Web site at
https://www.pcouncil.org/.
The final environmental impact
statement (FEIS) regarding Harvest
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30203
Specifications and Management
Measures for 2015–2016 and Biennial
Periods Thereafter is available on the
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Web
site at:
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
publications/nepa/groundfish/
groundfish_nepa_documents.html and
copies are available from Donald
McIsaac, Executive Director, Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council),
7700 NE Ambassador Place, Portland,
OR 97220, phone: 503–820–2280.
Background
This final rule announces the TAC for
Pacific whiting, expressed in metric
tons (mt). This is the fifth year that the
TAC for Pacific whiting has been
determined under the terms of the
Agreement with Canada on Pacific
Hake/Whiting (the Agreement) and the
Pacific Whiting Act of 2006 (the
Whiting Act), 16 U.S.C. 7001–7010. The
Agreement and the Whiting Act
establish bilateral bodies to implement
the terms of the Agreement, each with
various responsibilities, including: The
Joint Management Committee (JMC),
which is the decision-making body; the
Joint Technical Committee (JTC), which
conducts the stock assessment; the
Scientific Review Group (SRG), which
reviews the stock assessment; and the
Advisory Panel (AP), which provides
stakeholder input to the JMC (The
Agreement, Art. II–IV; 16 U.S.C. 7001–
7005). The Agreement establishes a
default harvest policy (F–40 percent
with a 40/10 adjustment) and allocates
73.88 percent of the TAC to the United
States and 26.12 percent of the TAC to
Canada. The JMC is primarily
responsible for developing a TAC
recommendation to the Parties (United
States and Canada). The Secretary of
Commerce, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, has the authority to
accept or reject this recommendation.
Historic Catch
Coastwide Pacific whiting landings
averaged 224,376 mt from 1966 to 2015,
with a low of 89,930 mt in 1980 and a
peak of 363,135 mt in 2005. The coastwide catch in 2015 was 190,663 mt of
a 440,000 mt bilateral TAC. The U.S.
harvested 47.4 percent and Canada 31.8
percent of their respective allocations.
The overall catch of Pacific whiting in
U.S. waters was much less than
anticipated. Industry reported that this
lower catch was due to several factors
including unusual, dispersed
distribution of the fish later in the
season after the at-sea fleet returned
from Alaska, possibly due to
anomalously warm ocean conditions.
Catches may also have been impacted
E:\FR\FM\16MYR1.SGM
16MYR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30202-30203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11494]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 151210999-6348-02]
RIN 0648-XE620
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop
Fishery; 2016 Closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management
Area
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop
Management Area will close for the remainder of the 2016 fishing year.
No vessel issued a federal scallop permit, with the exception of
Northern Gulf of Maine permit holders also holding a Maine state
scallop permit and fishing under the state waters exemption program in
Maine state waters, may fish for, possess, or land scallops from the
Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area. Regulations require
this action once NMFS projects that 100 percent of the 2016 total
allowable catch for the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area
will be harvested.
DATES: Effective 0001 hr local time, May 13, 2016, through February 28,
2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 282-8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reader can find regulations governing
fishing activity in the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop
Management Area in 50 CFR 648.54 and Sec. 648.62. These regulations
authorize vessels issued a valid federal scallop permit to fish in the
NGOM Scallop Management Area under specific conditions, including a
total allowable catch (TAC) of 67,454 lb (30.6 mt) for the 2016 fishing
year, and a State Waters Exemption Program for the state of Maine. NMFS
reduced the 2016 NGOM Scallop Management Area TAC from 70,000 lb (31.8
mt) to 67,454 lb (30.6 mt) to account for a 2,546-lb (1,155-kg) over
harvest of the 2015 TAC during the 2015 fishing year. Section
648.62(b)(2) requires the NGOM Scallop Management Area to be closed to
federally permitted scallop vessels for the remainder of the fishing
year once the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator determines
that the TAC for fishing year 2016 is projected to be harvested. Any
vessel that holds a federal NGOM permit (category LAGC B) may continue
to fish in the Maine state waters portion of the NGOM Scallop
Management Area under the State Waters Exemption Program found in Sec.
648.54 provided they have a valid Maine state scallop permit and fish
in state waters only.
Based on trip declarations by federally permitted scallop vessels
fishing in the NGOM Scallop Management Area, and analysis of fishing
effort, we project that the 2016 TAC will be harvested as of May 13,
2016. Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 648.62(b)(2), the NGOM
Scallop Management Area is closed to all federally permitted scallop
vessels as of May 13, 2016. No vessel issued a federal scallop permit
may fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the NGOM Scallop
Management Area after 0001 local time, May 13, 2016, unless the vessel
is fishing exclusively in state waters and is participating in an
approved state waters exemption program as specified in Sec. 648.54.
Any federally permitted scallop vessel that has declared into the NGOM
Scallop Management Area, complied with all trip notification and
observer requirements, and crossed the VMS demarcation line on the way
to the area before 0001, May 13, 2016, may complete its trip. All
limited access scallop vessels fishing on a day-at-sea must exit the
NGOM Scallop
[[Page 30203]]
Management Area before 0001 hr local time, May 13, 2016. This closure
is in effect through February 28, 2017.
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior
notice and the opportunity for public comment because it would be
contrary to the public interest and impracticable. The NGOM Scallop
Management Area opened for the 2016 fishing year on March 1, 2016. The
regulations at Sec. 648.60(b)(2) require this closure to ensure that
federally permitted scallop vessels do not harvest more than the
allocated TAC for the NGOM Scallop Management Area. The projections of
the date on which the NGOM Scallop Management Area TAC will be
harvested become apparent only as trips into the area occur on a real-
time basis and as activity trends begin to appear. As a result, an
accurate projection only can be made very close in time to when the TAC
is harvested. In addition, proposing a closure would likely increase
activity, triggering an earlier closure than predicted. To allow
federally permitted scallop vessels to continue to take trips in the
NGOM Scallop Management Area during the period necessary to publish and
receive comments on a proposed rule would likely result in vessels over
harvesting the 2016 TAC for the NGOM Scallop Management Area. Over
harvest from the NGOM Scallop Management Area would result in excessive
fishing effort in the area, where effort controls are critical, thereby
undermining conservation objectives of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan and requiring more restrictive future management
measures. Also, the public had prior notice and full opportunity to
comment on this closure process when we put these provisions in place.
NMFS further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), good cause to waive
the 30-day delayed effectiveness period for the reasons stated above.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 11, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-11494 Filed 5-11-16; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
