Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska Management Area; Amendment 101, 52394-52396 [2016-18745]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Proposed Rules
EPA–HQ–OPPT–2016–0126, by one of
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VerDate Sep<11>2014
13:56 Aug 05, 2016
Jkt 238001
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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additional information contact,
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Protection Agency, Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention,
7404T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20460, Phone:
202 564–0789, Email:
shafer.jonathan@epa.gov.
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Protection Agency, Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention,
7404T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20460, Phone:
202 566–0744, Email:
price.michelle@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Section 610 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act requires that an agency
review, within 10 years of
promulgation, each rule that has or will
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities
(SISNOSE). The EPA undertakes section
610 reviews to decide whether the
agency should continue a rule
unchanged, amend it, or withdraw it.
We encourage small entities to provide
comments on the need to change these
rules, and in particular, how the rules
could be made clearer, more effective, or
if there is need to remove conflicting or
overlapping requirements with other
Federal or State regulations.
The EPA has exercised its discretion
to include changes made to the 2008
RRP rule as well as solicit comments on
lead-test kits in this review.
Frm 00026
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Dated: July 27, 2016.
William Nickerson,
Acting Director, Office of Regulatory Policy
and Management.
[FR Doc. 2016–18520 Filed 8–5–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 679
RIN 0648–BF42
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska
Management Area; Amendment 101
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
amendment to fishery management
plan; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The North Pacific Fishery
Management Council has submitted
Amendment 101 to the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Gulf of Alaska (FMP) to the Secretary of
Commerce for review. Amendment 101
to the FMP would authorize the use of
longline pot gear in the sablefish
individual fishing quota (IFQ) fishery in
the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Amendment
101 is necessary to improve efficiency
and provide economic benefits for the
sablefish IFQ fleet and minimize
potential fishery interactions with
whales and seabirds. Amendment 101 is
intended to promote the goals and
objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, the FMP, and other applicable
laws.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
October 7, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
SUMMARY:
I. General Information
PO 00000
II. Extension of Comment Period for the
Section 610 Review of the 2008 RRP
Rule
The EPA is extending the deadline for
submitting comments on the section 610
review of the RRP Rule to September 7,
2016. The original deadline for
comments, based on a 60-day comment
period, was August 8, 2016. The EPA’s
decision responds to a request to extend
the comment deadline. The EPA
believes that this 30-day extension will
assist in providing an adequate amount
of additional time for the public to
review the action and to provide written
comments.
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ehiers on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Proposed Rules
NMFS–2015–0126, by any one 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-20150126, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries
Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn:
Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O.
Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
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. All comments received are
a part of the public record and will
generally be posted for public viewing
on https://www.regulations.gov without
change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address)
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
voluntarily submitted by the commenter
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 Amendment 101
to the FMP, the Environmental
Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
prepared for this action (collectively,
Analysis), and the Finding of No
Significant Impact prepared for this
action may be obtained from https://
www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS
Alaska Region Web site at https://
www.alaskafisheries/noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rachel Baker, 907–586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the groundfish fisheries in the
Exclusive Economic Zone of the GOA
under the FMP. The North Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council)
prepared the FMP under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens
Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
Regulations implementing the FMP
appear at 50 CFR part 679.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires
that each regional fishery management
council submit any fishery management
plan amendment it prepares to NMFS
for review and approval, disapproval, or
partial approval by the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary). The MagnusonStevens Act also requires that NMFS,
upon receiving a fishery management
plan amendment, immediately publish a
document in the Federal Register
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13:56 Aug 05, 2016
Jkt 238001
announcing that the amendment is
available for public review and
comment. This document announces
that proposed Amendment 101 to the
FMP is available for public review and
comment.
Amendment 101 to the FMP would
revise the IFQ Program for sablefish
fisheries in the GOA. The IFQ Program
for the fixed-gear commercial fisheries
for sablefish and halibut in waters in
and off Alaska is a limited access
privilege program implemented in 1995
(58 FR 59375, November 9, 1993). The
IFQ Program limits access to the
sablefish and halibut fisheries to those
persons holding quota share in specific
management areas. The amount of
halibut and sablefish that each quota
share holder may harvest is calculated
annually and is issued as IFQ in
pounds.
The IFQ Program for Pacific halibut is
implemented under the authority of the
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.
The Council does not have a halibut
fishery management plan.
Amendment 101 would apply to
catcher vessels and catcher/processors
fishing for sablefish IFQ in the GOA.
The sablefish regulatory areas defined
for sablefish in the GOA are the
Southeast Outside District of the GOA,
West Yakutat District of the GOA,
Central GOA, and Western GOA. The
sablefish regulatory areas are defined
and shown in Figure 14 to part 679.
The FMP currently authorizes only
longline gear for the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery. Longline gear includes hookand-line, jig, troll, and handline gear.
Fishery participants have used longline
hook-and-line gear (hook-and-line gear)
to harvest sablefish IFQ in the GOA
because it is more efficient than jig,
troll, or handline gear. However, various
species of whales can remove or damage
sablefish caught on hook-and-line gear
(depredation). Depredation occurs with
hook-and-line gear because sablefish are
captured on hooks that lie on the ocean
floor. Whales can completely remove or
damage sablefish captured on these
hooks before the gear is retrieved.
Longline pot gear is an efficient gear and
prevents depredation because whales
cannot remove or damage sablefish
enclosed in a pot.
Longline pot gear was historically
used to harvest sablefish in the GOA.
However, under the open access
management program race for fish that
existed prior to the implementation of
the IFQ Program, some vessel operators
deployed hook-and-line gear, while
other vessel operators deployed pot gear
in the same fishing areas. This resulted
in gear conflicts and loss of gear on the
fishing grounds. The longline pot
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
52395
groundline is heavier and stronger than
the groundline used to attach the series
of hooks on hook-and-line gear. If
longline pot gear is set over previously
deployed hook-and-line gear, the
weaker hook-and-line gear can be
damaged or lost as it is being retrieved.
The Council and NMFS have not
received reports of gear conflicts
between hook-and-line gear. In 1986,
NMFS implemented a phased-in
prohibition of pot gear in the GOA
sablefish fishery (50 FR 43193, October
24, 1985) to minimize potential gear
conflicts that occurred during the open
access management fishery and prior to
the implementation of the IFQ Program.
Beginning in 2009, the Council and
NMFS received reports from sablefish
IFQ fisherman that depredation on
hook-and-line gear was adversely
impacting the sablefish IFQ fleet.
Depredation can result in lost catch,
additional time waiting for whales to
leave fishing grounds before hauling
gear, and additional time and fuel spent
relocating gear to avoid whales.
Depredation also has negative
consequences for whales through
increased risk of vessel strike, gear
entanglement, and altered foraging
strategies. While depredation events are
difficult to observe because they take
place on the ocean floor in deep water,
fishery participants have testified to the
Council that depredation continues to
be a major cost to the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery, and appears to be occurring
more frequently.
Industry groups have tested a variety
of methods to deter whales from preying
on fish caught on hook-and-line gear,
such as gear modifications and acoustic
decoys, but these methods have not
substantially reduced the problem of
depredation in the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery.
In April 2015, the Council
recommended Amendment 101 to
authorize longline pot gear for use in the
sablefish IFQ fishery in the GOA.
Amendment 101 would amend Sections
3.2.3.4.3.3.1, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.6.2, 3.7.1.1,
3.7.1.7, and 4.1.2.3 of the FMP to
authorize longline pot gear to harvest
sablefish in the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery. Amendment 101 would make
minor editorial revisions to the
Executive Summary and Appendix A of
the FMP to list and describe
Amendment 101.
Amendment 101 would authorize, but
not require, a harvester to use longline
pot gear in the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery. Providing fishermen with the
opportunity to use longline pot gear
would reduce the adverse impacts of
depredation for fishermen who choose
to use longline pot gear.
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52396
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Proposed Rules
ehiers on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Amendment 101 is necessary to (1)
improve efficiency in harvesting
sablefish IFQ and reduce adverse
economic impacts on harvesters that
occur from depredation, and (2) reduce
sablefish IFQ fishery interactions with
whales and seabirds.
Amendment 101 would reduce the
adverse impacts of depredation for those
harvesters who choose to switch to
longline pot gear from hook-and-line
gear. These harvesters would benefit
from reduced operating costs and
reduced fishing time needed to harvest
sablefish IFQ. Amendment 101 would
provide individual harvesters with the
option to use longline pot gear if they
determine it is appropriate for their
fishing operation. Amendment 101
would reduce the associated risks to
whales including vessel strikes, gear
entanglement, and altered foraging
strategies. The Analysis for Amendment
101 indicates that authorizing longline
pot gear is expected to have a positive
effect on killer whales and sperm
whales from reduced interactions with
fishing gear.
In recommending Amendment 101,
the Council recognized that pot gear had
previously been authorized in the GOA
sablefish fishery, but its use was
prohibited prior to implementation of
the IFQ Program due to conflicts
between hook-and-line and pot gear on
the fishing grounds. The Council and
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13:56 Aug 05, 2016
Jkt 238001
NMFS agree that authorizing longline
pot gear in the GOA sablefish IFQ
fishery under Amendment 101 is
appropriate because the fishery is
managed under the IFQ Program. The
IFQ Program provides fishermen with
substantially more flexibility on when
and where to harvest sablefish
compared to the open access
management program prior to
implementation of the IFQ Program. The
IFQ Program makes it unlikely that
hook-and-line and longline pot gear
conflicts would occur or that fishing
grounds would be preempted for
extended periods in the same manner
previously analyzed by the Council and
NMFS.
Amendment 101 would reduce
fishing interactions with seabirds.
Fishing interactions can result in direct
mortality for seabirds if they become
entangled in fishing gear or strike the
vessel or fishing gear while flying.
Hook-and-line gear has the greatest
impact on seabirds relative to other
fishing gear. Although seabird mortality
in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery makes
up a very small portion of total
estimated seabird mortality from
fisheries in Alaska, the Analysis
determined that Amendment 101 would
reduce incidental catch of seabirds in
the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery.
Amendment 101 would provide vessel
operators with the opportunity to use
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
longline pot gear, which has a lower rate
of incidental catch of seabirds than
hook-and-line gear.
NMFS is soliciting public comments
on proposed Amendment 101 through
the end of the comment period (see
DATES). NMFS intends to publish in the
Federal Register and seek public
comment on a proposed rule that
implements Amendment 101 following
NMFS’ evaluation of the proposed rule
under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
NMFS will consider all comments
received by the end of the comment
period on Amendment 101, whether
specifically directed to the FMP
amendment or its implementing
proposed rule, in the approval/
disapproval decision on Amendment
101. NMFS will not consider comments
received after that date in the approval/
disapproval decision on the
amendment. To be considered,
comments must be received, not just
postmarked or otherwise transmitted, by
the close of business on the last day of
the comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 3, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–18745 Filed 8–5–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 152 (Monday, August 8, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52394-52396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18745]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
RIN 0648-BF42
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of
Alaska Management Area; Amendment 101
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of amendment to fishery management plan;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted
Amendment 101 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf
of Alaska (FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. Amendment 101
to the FMP would authorize the use of longline pot gear in the
sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) fishery in the Gulf of Alaska
(GOA). Amendment 101 is necessary to improve efficiency and provide
economic benefits for the sablefish IFQ fleet and minimize potential
fishery interactions with whales and seabirds. Amendment 101 is
intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable
laws.
DATES: Submit comments on or before October 7, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-
[[Page 52395]]
NMFS-2015-0126, by any one 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-2015-0126, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Glenn Merrill, Assistant
Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,
AK 99802.
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. All comments received are a part of the public
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address) confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information voluntarily submitted by the commenter
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 Amendment 101 to the FMP, the Environmental
Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis prepared for this action (collectively, Analysis), and the
Finding of No Significant Impact prepared for this action may be
obtained from https://www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS Alaska Region
Web site at https://www.alaskafisheries/noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Baker, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fisheries in the
Exclusive Economic Zone of the GOA under the FMP. The North Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council) prepared the FMP under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). Regulations implementing the FMP
appear at 50 CFR part 679.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each regional fishery
management council submit any fishery management plan amendment it
prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial
approval by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). The Magnuson-Stevens
Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a fishery management plan
amendment, immediately publish a document in the Federal Register
announcing that the amendment is available for public review and
comment. This document announces that proposed Amendment 101 to the FMP
is available for public review and comment.
Amendment 101 to the FMP would revise the IFQ Program for sablefish
fisheries in the GOA. The IFQ Program for the fixed-gear commercial
fisheries for sablefish and halibut in waters in and off Alaska is a
limited access privilege program implemented in 1995 (58 FR 59375,
November 9, 1993). The IFQ Program limits access to the sablefish and
halibut fisheries to those persons holding quota share in specific
management areas. The amount of halibut and sablefish that each quota
share holder may harvest is calculated annually and is issued as IFQ in
pounds.
The IFQ Program for Pacific halibut is implemented under the
authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982. The Council does
not have a halibut fishery management plan.
Amendment 101 would apply to catcher vessels and catcher/processors
fishing for sablefish IFQ in the GOA. The sablefish regulatory areas
defined for sablefish in the GOA are the Southeast Outside District of
the GOA, West Yakutat District of the GOA, Central GOA, and Western
GOA. The sablefish regulatory areas are defined and shown in Figure 14
to part 679.
The FMP currently authorizes only longline gear for the GOA
sablefish IFQ fishery. Longline gear includes hook-and-line, jig,
troll, and handline gear. Fishery participants have used longline hook-
and-line gear (hook-and-line gear) to harvest sablefish IFQ in the GOA
because it is more efficient than jig, troll, or handline gear.
However, various species of whales can remove or damage sablefish
caught on hook-and-line gear (depredation). Depredation occurs with
hook-and-line gear because sablefish are captured on hooks that lie on
the ocean floor. Whales can completely remove or damage sablefish
captured on these hooks before the gear is retrieved. Longline pot gear
is an efficient gear and prevents depredation because whales cannot
remove or damage sablefish enclosed in a pot.
Longline pot gear was historically used to harvest sablefish in the
GOA. However, under the open access management program race for fish
that existed prior to the implementation of the IFQ Program, some
vessel operators deployed hook-and-line gear, while other vessel
operators deployed pot gear in the same fishing areas. This resulted in
gear conflicts and loss of gear on the fishing grounds. The longline
pot groundline is heavier and stronger than the groundline used to
attach the series of hooks on hook-and-line gear. If longline pot gear
is set over previously deployed hook-and-line gear, the weaker hook-
and-line gear can be damaged or lost as it is being retrieved. The
Council and NMFS have not received reports of gear conflicts between
hook-and-line gear. In 1986, NMFS implemented a phased-in prohibition
of pot gear in the GOA sablefish fishery (50 FR 43193, October 24,
1985) to minimize potential gear conflicts that occurred during the
open access management fishery and prior to the implementation of the
IFQ Program.
Beginning in 2009, the Council and NMFS received reports from
sablefish IFQ fisherman that depredation on hook-and-line gear was
adversely impacting the sablefish IFQ fleet. Depredation can result in
lost catch, additional time waiting for whales to leave fishing grounds
before hauling gear, and additional time and fuel spent relocating gear
to avoid whales. Depredation also has negative consequences for whales
through increased risk of vessel strike, gear entanglement, and altered
foraging strategies. While depredation events are difficult to observe
because they take place on the ocean floor in deep water, fishery
participants have testified to the Council that depredation continues
to be a major cost to the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery, and appears to be
occurring more frequently.
Industry groups have tested a variety of methods to deter whales
from preying on fish caught on hook-and-line gear, such as gear
modifications and acoustic decoys, but these methods have not
substantially reduced the problem of depredation in the GOA sablefish
IFQ fishery.
In April 2015, the Council recommended Amendment 101 to authorize
longline pot gear for use in the sablefish IFQ fishery in the GOA.
Amendment 101 would amend Sections 3.2.3.4.3.3.1, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.6.2,
3.7.1.1, 3.7.1.7, and 4.1.2.3 of the FMP to authorize longline pot gear
to harvest sablefish in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery. Amendment 101
would make minor editorial revisions to the Executive Summary and
Appendix A of the FMP to list and describe Amendment 101.
Amendment 101 would authorize, but not require, a harvester to use
longline pot gear in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery. Providing fishermen
with the opportunity to use longline pot gear would reduce the adverse
impacts of depredation for fishermen who choose to use longline pot
gear.
[[Page 52396]]
Amendment 101 is necessary to (1) improve efficiency in harvesting
sablefish IFQ and reduce adverse economic impacts on harvesters that
occur from depredation, and (2) reduce sablefish IFQ fishery
interactions with whales and seabirds.
Amendment 101 would reduce the adverse impacts of depredation for
those harvesters who choose to switch to longline pot gear from hook-
and-line gear. These harvesters would benefit from reduced operating
costs and reduced fishing time needed to harvest sablefish IFQ.
Amendment 101 would provide individual harvesters with the option to
use longline pot gear if they determine it is appropriate for their
fishing operation. Amendment 101 would reduce the associated risks to
whales including vessel strikes, gear entanglement, and altered
foraging strategies. The Analysis for Amendment 101 indicates that
authorizing longline pot gear is expected to have a positive effect on
killer whales and sperm whales from reduced interactions with fishing
gear.
In recommending Amendment 101, the Council recognized that pot gear
had previously been authorized in the GOA sablefish fishery, but its
use was prohibited prior to implementation of the IFQ Program due to
conflicts between hook-and-line and pot gear on the fishing grounds.
The Council and NMFS agree that authorizing longline pot gear in the
GOA sablefish IFQ fishery under Amendment 101 is appropriate because
the fishery is managed under the IFQ Program. The IFQ Program provides
fishermen with substantially more flexibility on when and where to
harvest sablefish compared to the open access management program prior
to implementation of the IFQ Program. The IFQ Program makes it unlikely
that hook-and-line and longline pot gear conflicts would occur or that
fishing grounds would be preempted for extended periods in the same
manner previously analyzed by the Council and NMFS.
Amendment 101 would reduce fishing interactions with seabirds.
Fishing interactions can result in direct mortality for seabirds if
they become entangled in fishing gear or strike the vessel or fishing
gear while flying. Hook-and-line gear has the greatest impact on
seabirds relative to other fishing gear. Although seabird mortality in
the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery makes up a very small portion of total
estimated seabird mortality from fisheries in Alaska, the Analysis
determined that Amendment 101 would reduce incidental catch of seabirds
in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery. Amendment 101 would provide vessel
operators with the opportunity to use longline pot gear, which has a
lower rate of incidental catch of seabirds than hook-and-line gear.
NMFS is soliciting public comments on proposed Amendment 101
through the end of the comment period (see DATES). NMFS intends to
publish in the Federal Register and seek public comment on a proposed
rule that implements Amendment 101 following NMFS' evaluation of the
proposed rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS will consider all
comments received by the end of the comment period on Amendment 101,
whether specifically directed to the FMP amendment or its implementing
proposed rule, in the approval/disapproval decision on Amendment 101.
NMFS will not consider comments received after that date in the
approval/disapproval decision on the amendment. To be considered,
comments must be received, not just postmarked or otherwise
transmitted, by the close of business on the last day of the comment
period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 3, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-18745 Filed 8-5-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
