Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 19 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, 47152-47154 [2016-17158]
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47152
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 139 / Wednesday, July 20, 2016 / Proposed Rules
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Authority: 21 U.S.C. 346a.
Dated: June 30, 2016.
Susan Lewis,
Director, Registration Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2016–17164 Filed 7–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
48 CFR Part 752
RIN 0412–AA82
Agency for International Development
Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR):
Preference for Privately Owned U.S.Flag Commercial Vessels
U.S. Agency for International
Development.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
This proposed rule is a
companion document to the U.S.
Agency for International Development
(USAID) direct final rule (published in
the ‘‘Rules and Regulations’’ section of
this Federal Register), amending the
AIDAR to conform to the current
requirements of the Cargo Preference
Act of 1954 and provide up-to-date
submission instructions to the Maritime
Administration (MARAD).
DATES: Submit comments on or before
September 19, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments
concerning this notice to Lyudmila
Bond, Bureau for Management, Office of
Acquisition and Assistance, Policy
Division (M/OAA/P), Room 867–G, SA–
44, Washington, DC 20523–2052.
Submit comments by any of the
following methods:
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SUMMARY:
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Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Email: Submit electronic comments to
lbond@usaid.gov. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for file formats and other
information about electronic filing.
Mail: USAID, Bureau for Management,
Office of Acquisition & Assistance,
Policy Division, Room 867–G, SA–44,
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20523–2052.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lyudmila Bond, Telephone: 202–567–
4753 or Email: lbond@usaid.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USAID is
publishing this amendment as a direct
final rule because the Agency views it
as a conforming and administrative
amendment and does not anticipate any
adverse comments. A detailed
discussion of the rule is set forth in the
preamble of the direct final rule.
If no adverse comments are received
in response to the direct final rule, no
further action will be taken related to
this proposed rule.
If adverse comment(s) are received on
the direct final rule, USAID will publish
a timely withdrawal in the Federal
Register informing the public that the
direct final rule will not take effect. All
public comments received on the direct
final rule will be addressed in a
subsequent final rule based on this
proposed rule. USAID will not institute
a second comment period. Any parties
interested in commenting on this action
should do so at this time.
A. Instructions
All comments must be in writing and
submitted through one of the methods
specified in the Addresses section
above. All submissions must include the
title of the action and RIN for this
rulemaking. Please include your name,
title, organization, postal address,
telephone number, and email address in
the text of the message.
Comments submitted by email must
be included in the text of the email or
attached as a PDF file. Please avoid
using special characters and any form of
encryption. Please note, however, that
because security screening precautions
have slowed the delivery and
dependability of surface mail to USAID/
Washington, USAID recommends
sending all comments to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal.
After receipt of a comment and until
finalization of the action, all comments
will be made available at https://
www.regulations.gov for public review
without change, including any personal
information provided. Do not submit
information that you consider to be
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Confidential Business Information (CBI),
Personally Identifiable Information or
any information that is otherwise
protected from disclosure by statute.
As noted above, in the ‘‘Rules and
Regulations’’ section of this Federal
Register, USAID is publishing a direct
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announces revisions to the Agency for
International Development Acquisition
Regulation (AIDAR). For detailed
information on these revisions, please
see the direct final rule.
Dated: July 1, 2016.
Mark Walter,
Acting Chief Acquisition Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016–17136 Filed 7–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648–BF72
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the
Northeastern United States;
Amendment 19 to the Atlantic Sea
Scallop Fishery Management Plan
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery
management plan amendment; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council has submitted to
NMFS Amendment 19 to the Atlantic
Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
which proposes to incorporate a
specifications process into the Atlantic
Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
and to change the start of the fishing
year from March 1 to April 1. The
ability to develop specifications to set
annual or biennial allocations would
allow for a more timely process for
setting annual allocations than currently
possible with framework adjustments.
By adjusting the start of the scallop
fishing year from March 1 to April 1,
NMFS would be able to implement
simple specification actions at the start
of the fishing year on a more consistent
basis. NMFS requests public comments
on whether NMFS should approve this
amendment and the draft
Environmental Assessment incorporated
in the amendment.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 139 / Wednesday, July 20, 2016 / Proposed Rules
Comments must be received on
or before September 19, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by NOAA–NMFS–2016–0028,
by any one 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-20160028,
2. Click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields.
3. Enter or attach your comments.
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).
Copies of Amendment 19 to the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan (Amendment 19), and
of the draft Environmental Assessment
(EA) and Regulatory Impact Review, are
available from the Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
The EA/RIR is also accessible via the
Internet at:
www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978–281–9244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that
each Regional Fishery Management
Council submit any Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) amendment it
prepares to NMFS for review and
approval, disapproval, or partial
approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving
an FMP amendment, immediately
publish notification in the Federal
Register that the amendment is
available for public review and
comment. The New England Fishery
Management Council approved
Amendment 19, which would authorize
the Council to develop specifications to
set annual or biennial allocations and
change the start of the scallop fishing
year from March 1 to April 1. The
Council submitted its final version of
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DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Amendment 19 to NMFS for review on
June 16, 2016. NMFS has declared a
transmittal date of July 14, 2016. The
Council has reviewed the Amendment
19 proposed rule regulations as drafted
by NMFS and deemed them to be
necessary and appropriate as specified
in section 303(c) of the MSA. If
approved by NMFS, this amendment
would simplify the specificationssetting process and enable scallop
allocations to be implemented closer to
the scallop fishing year.
Background
The scallop fishery’s management
unit ranges from the shorelines of Maine
through North Carolina to the outer
boundary of the Exclusive Economic
Zone. The Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan (FMP), established in
1982, includes a number of amendments
and framework adjustments that have
revised and refined the fishery’s
management. The Council has had to
rely on the framework adjustment
process to set scallop fishery measures,
often referred to as specifications, that
occur annually or biennially. Typically,
these specifications include annual
catch limits, days-at-sea (DAS),
rotational area management, possession
limits, access area trip allocations,
individual fishing quota (IFQ)
allocations, and allocations for vessels
with Northern Gulf of Maine permits.
These framework adjustments often
include other management measures
and are often implemented 2 to 3
months after the March 1 start of the
scallop fishing year (March 1 through
February 28/29).
Amendment 4 to the Scallop FMP (59
FR 2757, January 19, 1994), was a major
shift in scallop fishery management. It
established a limited access permit and
effort control program and the new
permits and effort control became
effective on March 1, 1994. Framework
Adjustment 1 (59 FR 36720, July 19,
1994) formally adopted March1 as the
start of the scallop fishing year. There
was no biological or economic rationale
originally for selecting this date as the
start of the fishing year: Framework 1
codified the March 1 Amendment 4
effective date as the start of the fishing
year so that allocations for 1994
spanned a 12-month period in order to
ensure a reduction in fishing effort the
first year of the DAS effort-control
program. This fishing year has remained
in place since that time, even though
specifications have become increasingly
more complicated with the development
of the scallop access area rotation
program in 2004 and IFQ fishery in
2010.
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
47153
In the last 16 years following
Framework 11, there have been 12
actions that set annual scallop
specifications. Four of those actions set
specifications for 2 years, which
ensured that the second year’s
specifications for each of those actions
were implemented on March 1. Aside
from these biennial frameworks, we
have only been able to set specifications
by March 1 on two occasions, both
involving special circumstances (i.e.,
the proposed rule was waived for one
framework action and Council took final
action 2 months earlier than usual for
the other action).
Typically, the Council begins
developing a specifications-setting
framework in June. Scallop biomass
estimates are provided through scallop
surveys conducted by NMFS and other
research institutions in the spring and
summer. These estimates are not
generally available for consideration
until the early fall, at which point the
Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT)
develops and analyzes fishery allocation
alternatives for Council consideration.
In order to incorporate the most recent
available scallop survey information
into these alternatives, which has
proved essential in setting appropriate
access area catch levels, the Council has
been taking final action in November
and NMFS has typically implemented
allocations in May or June.
In 2013, the Council began developing
specifications on an annual basis via
frameworks at the request of the
industry to avoid biennial specifications
that resulted in the second year
specifications being out of sync with
what the most recent annual surveys
indicate could be harvested in a given
area. However, this meant that the
annual specifications were likely to be
late every year due to availability of
relevant data. To address this problem,
the Council has been specifying
‘‘default’’ specifications for the year
after annual specifications are set to fill
the gap between the end of the fishing
year and the setting of new
specifications for the next fishing year.
Implementing these ‘‘default’’
specifications every year is an
administrative burden to NMFS staff
and can result in complex inseason
changes in fishery specifications. In
addition, default specifications lead to
confusion and uncertainty for the fleet,
as well as potentially negative impacts
on the resource and fishery if effort
shifts into areas or seasons that are less
desirable as a result of delayed
measures.
The Council initiated Amendment 19
to develop an alternative to the
framework adjustment process to
E:\FR\FM\20JYP1.SGM
20JYP1
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with PROPOSALS
47154
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 139 / Wednesday, July 20, 2016 / Proposed Rules
implement specifications closer to the
start of the scallop fishing year. To
address these timing issues while still
supporting the current timeline for
integrating the best available science in
to the management process,
Amendment 19 proposes to:
• Establish a specifications process so
that allocations would not be tied only
to actions that tend to have longer
timelines (e.g., frameworks or
amendments); and
• Adjust the scallop fishing year to
April 1 through March 31.
Adding the ability to adjust
allocations through a specifications
setting process would produce some
time-savings because the Council would
not be required to discuss measures over
the course of two Council meetings, as
is required under the framework
adjustment process. However, it would
not guarantee allocations would be in
place by March 1 of each year. As a
result, the Council is recommending
that the fishing year be changed to April
1 through March 31. Pushing the fishing
year back one month would increase the
likelihood that NMFS would be able to
implement simple specifications actions
at the start of the scallop fishing year on
a more consistent basis, avoiding the
need to implement default measures.
Amendment 19 would also adjust the
scallop permit year so that it continues
to match the official fishing year (i.e.,
scallop permits would need to be
renewed by April 1 of each year).
In addition, NMFS and Council staff
discussed other, non-regulatory
streamlining initiatives that will result
in time-savings in implementing final
allocations. These include preparing a
decision draft of an EA immediately
following the Council’s final action on
a framework and publishing a proposed
rule prior to NMFS’ formal review of the
EA. These measures will assist in
implementing simple, non-controversial
specifications actions on a quicker
timeline than typical frameworks.
We are soliciting public comments on
Amendment 19 and its incorporated
documents through the end of the
comment period stated in this notice of
availability. A proposed rule that would
implement Amendment 19 will be
published in the Federal Register for
additional public comment. NMFS will
evaluate the proposed rule under the
procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. Public comments on the proposed
rule must be received by the end of the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:58 Jul 19, 2016
Jkt 238001
comment period provided in this notice
of availability to be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision on
Amendment 19. All comments received
by close of business on September 19,
2016, whether specifically directed to
Amendment 19 or the proposed rule,
will be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the
amendment.
Comments received after that date
will not be considered in the decision
to approve or disapprove Amendment
19, including those postmarked or
otherwise transmitted, but not received
by NMFS, by the last day of the
comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 15, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–17158 Filed 7–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 160617540–6540–01]
RIN 0648–XE695
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries;
Annual Specifications; Correction
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; correction.
AGENCY:
This document corrects a
typographical error in the ADDRESSES
section to a proposed rule published on
June 23, 2016.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule
must be submitted on or before July 25,
2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2016–0048, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2016SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Sfmt 9990
0048, 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: Joshua
Lindsay.
Instructions: Comments must be
submitted by one of the above methods
to ensure that the comments are
received, documented, and considered
by NMFS. 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. 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.) submitted
voluntarily by the sender will be
publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NMFS will accept
anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in
the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous). Copies of the report
‘‘Pacific Mackerel (Scomber japonicus)
Stock Assessment for USA Management
in the 2015–2016 Fishing Year’’ may be
obtained from the West Coast Region
(see ADDRESSES).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joshua Lindsay, West Coast Region,
NMFS, (562) 980–4034,
Joshua.Lindsay@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Need for Correction
In the ADDRESSES section of a
proposed rule (81 FR 40844, June 23,
2016) on page 40845, in the first
column, NMFS used an incorrect year,
‘‘2015’’ rather than ‘‘2016’’, in the
document identifier and Federal eRulemaking Portal hyperlink. The
ADDRESSES section has been corrected in
this document.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 14, 2016.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–17130 Filed 7–19–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\20JYP1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 20, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 47152-47154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17158]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648-BF72
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 19
to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendment;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council has submitted to
NMFS Amendment 19 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
which proposes to incorporate a specifications process into the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan and to change the start of
the fishing year from March 1 to April 1. The ability to develop
specifications to set annual or biennial allocations would allow for a
more timely process for setting annual allocations than currently
possible with framework adjustments. By adjusting the start of the
scallop fishing year from March 1 to April 1, NMFS would be able to
implement simple specification actions at the start of the fishing year
on a more consistent basis. NMFS requests public comments on whether
NMFS should approve this amendment and the draft Environmental
Assessment incorporated in the amendment.
[[Page 47153]]
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 19, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2016-0028,
by any one 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-2016-0028,
2. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields.
3. Enter or attach your comments.
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).
Copies of Amendment 19 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery
Management Plan (Amendment 19), and of the draft Environmental
Assessment (EA) and Regulatory Impact Review, are available from the
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. The EA/RIR is also accessible via the Internet
at: www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978-281-9244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional
Fishery Management Council submit any Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or
partial approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS,
upon receiving an FMP amendment, immediately publish notification in
the Federal Register that the amendment is available for public review
and comment. The New England Fishery Management Council approved
Amendment 19, which would authorize the Council to develop
specifications to set annual or biennial allocations and change the
start of the scallop fishing year from March 1 to April 1. The Council
submitted its final version of Amendment 19 to NMFS for review on June
16, 2016. NMFS has declared a transmittal date of July 14, 2016. The
Council has reviewed the Amendment 19 proposed rule regulations as
drafted by NMFS and deemed them to be necessary and appropriate as
specified in section 303(c) of the MSA. If approved by NMFS, this
amendment would simplify the specifications-setting process and enable
scallop allocations to be implemented closer to the scallop fishing
year.
Background
The scallop fishery's management unit ranges from the shorelines of
Maine through North Carolina to the outer boundary of the Exclusive
Economic Zone. The Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP),
established in 1982, includes a number of amendments and framework
adjustments that have revised and refined the fishery's management. The
Council has had to rely on the framework adjustment process to set
scallop fishery measures, often referred to as specifications, that
occur annually or biennially. Typically, these specifications include
annual catch limits, days-at-sea (DAS), rotational area management,
possession limits, access area trip allocations, individual fishing
quota (IFQ) allocations, and allocations for vessels with Northern Gulf
of Maine permits. These framework adjustments often include other
management measures and are often implemented 2 to 3 months after the
March 1 start of the scallop fishing year (March 1 through February 28/
29).
Amendment 4 to the Scallop FMP (59 FR 2757, January 19, 1994), was
a major shift in scallop fishery management. It established a limited
access permit and effort control program and the new permits and effort
control became effective on March 1, 1994. Framework Adjustment 1 (59
FR 36720, July 19, 1994) formally adopted March1 as the start of the
scallop fishing year. There was no biological or economic rationale
originally for selecting this date as the start of the fishing year:
Framework 1 codified the March 1 Amendment 4 effective date as the
start of the fishing year so that allocations for 1994 spanned a 12-
month period in order to ensure a reduction in fishing effort the first
year of the DAS effort-control program. This fishing year has remained
in place since that time, even though specifications have become
increasingly more complicated with the development of the scallop
access area rotation program in 2004 and IFQ fishery in 2010.
In the last 16 years following Framework 11, there have been 12
actions that set annual scallop specifications. Four of those actions
set specifications for 2 years, which ensured that the second year's
specifications for each of those actions were implemented on March 1.
Aside from these biennial frameworks, we have only been able to set
specifications by March 1 on two occasions, both involving special
circumstances (i.e., the proposed rule was waived for one framework
action and Council took final action 2 months earlier than usual for
the other action).
Typically, the Council begins developing a specifications-setting
framework in June. Scallop biomass estimates are provided through
scallop surveys conducted by NMFS and other research institutions in
the spring and summer. These estimates are not generally available for
consideration until the early fall, at which point the Scallop Plan
Development Team (PDT) develops and analyzes fishery allocation
alternatives for Council consideration. In order to incorporate the
most recent available scallop survey information into these
alternatives, which has proved essential in setting appropriate access
area catch levels, the Council has been taking final action in November
and NMFS has typically implemented allocations in May or June.
In 2013, the Council began developing specifications on an annual
basis via frameworks at the request of the industry to avoid biennial
specifications that resulted in the second year specifications being
out of sync with what the most recent annual surveys indicate could be
harvested in a given area. However, this meant that the annual
specifications were likely to be late every year due to availability of
relevant data. To address this problem, the Council has been specifying
``default'' specifications for the year after annual specifications are
set to fill the gap between the end of the fishing year and the setting
of new specifications for the next fishing year. Implementing these
``default'' specifications every year is an administrative burden to
NMFS staff and can result in complex inseason changes in fishery
specifications. In addition, default specifications lead to confusion
and uncertainty for the fleet, as well as potentially negative impacts
on the resource and fishery if effort shifts into areas or seasons that
are less desirable as a result of delayed measures.
The Council initiated Amendment 19 to develop an alternative to the
framework adjustment process to
[[Page 47154]]
implement specifications closer to the start of the scallop fishing
year. To address these timing issues while still supporting the current
timeline for integrating the best available science in to the
management process, Amendment 19 proposes to:
Establish a specifications process so that allocations
would not be tied only to actions that tend to have longer timelines
(e.g., frameworks or amendments); and
Adjust the scallop fishing year to April 1 through March
31.
Adding the ability to adjust allocations through a specifications
setting process would produce some time-savings because the Council
would not be required to discuss measures over the course of two
Council meetings, as is required under the framework adjustment
process. However, it would not guarantee allocations would be in place
by March 1 of each year. As a result, the Council is recommending that
the fishing year be changed to April 1 through March 31. Pushing the
fishing year back one month would increase the likelihood that NMFS
would be able to implement simple specifications actions at the start
of the scallop fishing year on a more consistent basis, avoiding the
need to implement default measures. Amendment 19 would also adjust the
scallop permit year so that it continues to match the official fishing
year (i.e., scallop permits would need to be renewed by April 1 of each
year).
In addition, NMFS and Council staff discussed other, non-regulatory
streamlining initiatives that will result in time-savings in
implementing final allocations. These include preparing a decision
draft of an EA immediately following the Council's final action on a
framework and publishing a proposed rule prior to NMFS' formal review
of the EA. These measures will assist in implementing simple, non-
controversial specifications actions on a quicker timeline than typical
frameworks.
We are soliciting public comments on Amendment 19 and its
incorporated documents through the end of the comment period stated in
this notice of availability. A proposed rule that would implement
Amendment 19 will be published in the Federal Register for additional
public comment. NMFS will evaluate the proposed rule under the
procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Public comments on the proposed
rule must be received by the end of the comment period provided in this
notice of availability to be considered in the approval/disapproval
decision on Amendment 19. All comments received by close of business on
September 19, 2016, whether specifically directed to Amendment 19 or
the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval
decision on the amendment.
Comments received after that date will not be considered in the
decision to approve or disapprove Amendment 19, including those
postmarked or otherwise transmitted, but not received by NMFS, by the
last day of the comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 15, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-17158 Filed 7-19-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
