Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; Deep-Set Tuna Longline Fisheries, 10467-10468 [2017-02820]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 28 / Monday, February 13, 2017 / Notices
a. Electronic Submissions
Submit statements electronically to
Joe Holecko, Executive Secretary,
President’s Advisory Council on Doing
Business in Africa, via email: dbia@
trade.gov.
b. Paper Submissions
Send paper statements to Joe Holecko,
Executive Secretary, President’s
Advisory Council on Doing Business in
Africa, Ronald Reagan International
Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW., Suite 800M Department of
Commerce, Washington, DC, 20004.
Statements will be provided to the
members in advance of the meeting for
consideration and also will be posted on
the President’s Advisory Council on
Doing Business in Africa Web site
(https://trade.gov/pac-dbia) without
change, including any business or
personal information provided such as
names, addresses, email addresses, or
telephone numbers. All statements
received, including attachments and
other supporting materials, are part of
the public record and subject to public
disclosure. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
publicly available.
Meeting minutes: Copies of the
Council’s meeting minutes will be
available within ninety (90) days of the
meeting on the Council’s Web site at
https://trade.gov/pac-dbia.
Dated: February 8, 2017.
Joe Holecko,
Executive Secretary President’s Advisory
Council on Doing Business in Africa.
[FR Doc. 2017–02956 Filed 2–10–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF177
Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; DeepSet Tuna Longline Fisheries
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement; public meetings; request for
comments.
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
NMFS, in coordination with
the Western Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council), intends
to prepare a Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
to analyze the environmental impacts of
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
13:41 Feb 10, 2017
Jkt 241001
the continued authorization and
management of U.S. Pacific Island deepset tuna longline fisheries under the
Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic
Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP)
and other applicable laws. The analysis
would include certain longline fisheries
based in Hawaii, the U.S. west coast,
American Samoa, Guam, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI). Publication of this
notice begins the public scoping process
to determine the scope of the
environmental issues for consideration
in the PEIS and allowing interested
parties to suggest fishery management
issues to be considered in the PEIS. The
PEIS is intended to support
management of U.S. pelagic longline
fisheries.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for meeting dates. NMFS must
receive comments by April 14, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this action, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2017–0010, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov/
docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0010,
click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Send written comments to
Michael D. Tosatto, Regional
Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands
Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg.
176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
• Scoping Meeting: Submit written
comments at a scoping meeting.
Instructions: You must submit
comments by the above methods to
ensure that NMFS receives, documents,
and considers your comments. NMFS
may not consider comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period. NMFS will
consider all comments received as part
of the public record and will generally
post comments for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change.
All personal identifying information
(e.g., name, address) 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 FEP, amendments, and
previous EISs are available at https://
www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAANMFS-2017-0010.
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
10467
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ariel Jacobs, NMFS, Pacific Islands
Regional Office, (808) 725–5182.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and
the Council manage domestic longline
fisheries in U.S. Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ or Federal waters; generally
3–200 nautical miles from shore) around
the U.S. Pacific Islands and on the high
seas according to the FEP, as authorized
by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
Shallow-set longline vessels target
swordfish near the surface; the shallowset fisheries are covered by a separate
analysis and will not be analyzed under
the PEIS. Deep-set vessels target tunas
deeper than 100 m. The deep-set
fisheries have more participants, greater
fishing effort, catch, and higher total
revenues than the shallow-set fisheries.
The primary deep-set longline
fisheries are in Hawaii and American
Samoa. Access to the Hawaii longline
fisheries is limited to 164 vessels, of
which about 140 are typically active. Of
these, about 20 may also shallow-set
during any given year. For example, in
2014 there were 1,350 deep-set trips and
81 shallow-set trips. Most vessels with
Hawaii longline permits are based in
Hawaii, and about 10 operate from ports
on the U.S. west coast.
Access to the American Samoa deepset tuna fishery is also limited, with a
maximum of 60 permits divided into
four classes based on vessel size. About
30 vessels are active in the American
Samoa fishery, mostly Class D (vessels
over 70 ft). Historically, a few deep-set
tuna longline vessels operated out of
Guam and the CNMI, but these fisheries
have been inactive since 2011.
Management provisions governing
deep-set tuna longline fisheries include,
but are not limited to the following
requirements:
• Limited entry/access programs;
• Vessel size limits;
• Mandatory permits and reporting of
catch and effort;
• Areas where fishing is prohibited;
• Monitoring by on-board observers;
• Satellite-based vessel monitoring
system;
• Catch limits or prohibitions for
some fish species;
• Gear configuration requirements;
and
• Specific methods for handling and
releasing bycatch.
See Title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations Part 665 for most of the
regulations. There are additional
requirements under other authorities,
including the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, the Endangered Species
Act, marine sanctuaries and
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
10468
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 28 / Monday, February 13, 2017 / Notices
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
monuments, international requirements,
and other laws regulating shipping,
pollution, etc.
NMFS has evaluated the potential
environmental impacts of the deep-set
longline fisheries in previous National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
analyses. In a 2001 EIS, NMFS
evaluated the potential impacts on
target and non-target stocks, protected
marine species (sea turtles, marine
mammals, etc.), fishermen, and other
parameters. In a 2005 EIS, NMFS
evaluated the potential impacts on
seabirds. In a 2009 PEIS, NMFS
evaluated the potential impacts when
the Council and NMFS developed and
implemented five geographically based
FEPs, including the Pelagic FEP.
Additionally, NMFS has evaluated,
through separate NEPA analyses, the
potential impacts of several FEP
amendments and additional regulatory
changes since 2009.
In the current PEIS, NMFS and the
Council will evaluate the direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts of U.S. Pacific Island deep-set
longline fisheries. The proposed federal
action is the continued authorization of
the U.S. Pacific Island deep-set tuna
longline fisheries of American Samoa,
Guam, CNMI, and Hawaii, including
vessels based on the U.S. west coast, as
managed under the FEP and other
applicable laws.
The purpose of the proposed action is
to maintain viable domestic deep-set
tuna longline fisheries, while ensuring
the long-term sustainability of fishery
resources, and the conservation of
protected species and their habitats. The
need for the proposed action is to
manage deep-set tuna longline fisheries
under an adaptive management
framework that allows for timely
management responses to changing
environmental conditions, consistent
with domestic and international
conservation and management
measures.
Although each deep-set longline
fishery managed under the FEP
generally operates in a similar manner,
each fishery is subject to a unique set of
conservation and management issues
and regulatory framework. Accordingly,
the scope of the analyses would be
programmatic in nature.
Specifically, NMFS is seeking input
from the public on issues that NMFS
should address in the draft PEIS related
to management of the deep-set longline
fisheries, including catch of target
species (e.g., tunas) and non-target
species (e.g., sharks), interactions with
protected species, and impacts on the
pelagic ecosystem. This will assist
NMFS and the Council in determining
the scope of the environmental issues,
and in developing of a reasonable range
of fishery management alternatives to
analyze in the draft PEIS.
There will be an opportunity for the
public to comment on the draft PEIS
when it is published. You may find
more information about deep-set tuna
longline fisheries managed under the
FEP and the progress of the PEIS at
https://www.fpir.noaa.gov/SFD/SFD_
regs_index.html.
Public Involvement
We are notifying the public that
NMFS intends to prepare a PEIS, and
will hold a series of public scoping
meetings to describe the management of
deep-set longline fisheries under the
FEP. We invite comments from the
public at the early stage of
environmental effects analysis planning.
7. Mangilao, GU
Thursday, March 9, 2017, University of
Guam, CNAS 127, University Dr.,
Mangilao, GU 96923.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
13:41 Feb 10, 2017
Jkt 241001
Meetings
NMFS will hold public meetings at
the dates and locations below. All
meetings will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
1. Hilo, HI
Tuesday, February 21, 2017, Edith
Kanakaole Hall, Room 122, University
of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 W. Kawili St.,
Hilo, HI 96720.
2. Honolulu, HI
Thursday, February 23, 2017, Nuuanu
Elementary School, Cafeteria, 3055
Puiwa Ln., Honolulu, HI 96817.
3. Pago Pago, AS
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, Sadie’s By
the Sea, Upstairs Conference Room,
Utulei Beach, Rte. 1, Pago Pago, AS
96799.
4. Tafuna, AS
Wednesday, March 1, 2017, NOAA
GMD/PIFSC Compound Tafuna (West
Location), 8043 Tasi St., Tafuna, AS
96799.
5. Pago Pago, AS
Thursday, March 2, 2017, PC Mauga
Tasi Asuega Fale Tele (East Location),
Village of Pago Pago, AS 96799.
6. Saipan, MP
Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Pedro P.
Tenorio Multipurpose Center, Beach
Rd., Susupe, Saipan, MP 96950.
Special Accommodations
NMFS will make every attempt to
make these meetings accessible to
people with disabilities. Direct any
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
requests for sign language
interpretation, physical assistance, or
other auxiliary aids to Ariel Jacobs at
(808) 725–5182 at least five days prior
to the meeting date.
Dated: February 7, 2017.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–02820 Filed 2–10–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF220
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and
Atlantic; Southeast Data, Assessment,
and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 54 Data
webinar for HMS Sandbar Shark.
AGENCY:
The SEDAR 54 assessment
process of HMS Sandbar Shark will
consist of a series of assessment
webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
DATES: The SEDAR 54 Data webinar will
be held March 9, 2017, from 10 a.m. to
12 p.m., Eastern Time.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via webinar. The webinar is open to
members of the public. Those interested
in participating should contact Julie A.
Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an
invitation providing webinar access
information. Please request webinar
invitations at least 24 hours in advance
of each webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC
29405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie
A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571–
4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf
of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data
Workshop, (2) a series of assessment
webinars, and (3) A Review Workshop.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM
13FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 28 (Monday, February 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10467-10468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02820]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF177
Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; Deep-Set Tuna Longline
Fisheries
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement; public meetings; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS, in coordination with the Western Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council), intends to prepare a Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to analyze the environmental
impacts of the continued authorization and management of U.S. Pacific
Island deep-set tuna longline fisheries under the Fishery Ecosystem
Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP) and other
applicable laws. The analysis would include certain longline fisheries
based in Hawaii, the U.S. west coast, American Samoa, Guam, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Publication of
this notice begins the public scoping process to determine the scope of
the environmental issues for consideration in the PEIS and allowing
interested parties to suggest fishery management issues to be
considered in the PEIS. The PEIS is intended to support management of
U.S. pelagic longline fisheries.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting dates. NMFS
must receive comments by April 14, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this action, identified by NOAA-
NMFS-2017-0010, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0010, click the ``Comment
Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your
comments.
Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto,
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp
Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
Scoping Meeting: Submit written comments at a scoping
meeting.
Instructions: You must submit comments by the above methods to
ensure that NMFS receives, documents, and considers your comments. NMFS
may not consider comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period.
NMFS will consider all comments received as part of the public record
and will generally post comments for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address) 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 FEP, amendments, and previous EISs are available at
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Jacobs, NMFS, Pacific Islands
Regional Office, (808) 725-5182.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and the Council manage domestic
longline fisheries in U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ or Federal
waters; generally 3-200 nautical miles from shore) around the U.S.
Pacific Islands and on the high seas according to the FEP, as
authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act. Shallow-set longline vessels target swordfish near the surface;
the shallow-set fisheries are covered by a separate analysis and will
not be analyzed under the PEIS. Deep-set vessels target tunas deeper
than 100 m. The deep-set fisheries have more participants, greater
fishing effort, catch, and higher total revenues than the shallow-set
fisheries.
The primary deep-set longline fisheries are in Hawaii and American
Samoa. Access to the Hawaii longline fisheries is limited to 164
vessels, of which about 140 are typically active. Of these, about 20
may also shallow-set during any given year. For example, in 2014 there
were 1,350 deep-set trips and 81 shallow-set trips. Most vessels with
Hawaii longline permits are based in Hawaii, and about 10 operate from
ports on the U.S. west coast.
Access to the American Samoa deep-set tuna fishery is also limited,
with a maximum of 60 permits divided into four classes based on vessel
size. About 30 vessels are active in the American Samoa fishery, mostly
Class D (vessels over 70 ft). Historically, a few deep-set tuna
longline vessels operated out of Guam and the CNMI, but these fisheries
have been inactive since 2011.
Management provisions governing deep-set tuna longline fisheries
include, but are not limited to the following requirements:
Limited entry/access programs;
Vessel size limits;
Mandatory permits and reporting of catch and effort;
Areas where fishing is prohibited;
Monitoring by on-board observers;
Satellite-based vessel monitoring system;
Catch limits or prohibitions for some fish species;
Gear configuration requirements; and
Specific methods for handling and releasing bycatch.
See Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 665 for most
of the regulations. There are additional requirements under other
authorities, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered
Species Act, marine sanctuaries and
[[Page 10468]]
monuments, international requirements, and other laws regulating
shipping, pollution, etc.
NMFS has evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the deep-
set longline fisheries in previous National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) analyses. In a 2001 EIS, NMFS evaluated the potential impacts on
target and non-target stocks, protected marine species (sea turtles,
marine mammals, etc.), fishermen, and other parameters. In a 2005 EIS,
NMFS evaluated the potential impacts on seabirds. In a 2009 PEIS, NMFS
evaluated the potential impacts when the Council and NMFS developed and
implemented five geographically based FEPs, including the Pelagic FEP.
Additionally, NMFS has evaluated, through separate NEPA analyses, the
potential impacts of several FEP amendments and additional regulatory
changes since 2009.
In the current PEIS, NMFS and the Council will evaluate the direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts of U.S. Pacific Island
deep-set longline fisheries. The proposed federal action is the
continued authorization of the U.S. Pacific Island deep-set tuna
longline fisheries of American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, and Hawaii, including
vessels based on the U.S. west coast, as managed under the FEP and
other applicable laws.
The purpose of the proposed action is to maintain viable domestic
deep-set tuna longline fisheries, while ensuring the long-term
sustainability of fishery resources, and the conservation of protected
species and their habitats. The need for the proposed action is to
manage deep-set tuna longline fisheries under an adaptive management
framework that allows for timely management responses to changing
environmental conditions, consistent with domestic and international
conservation and management measures.
Although each deep-set longline fishery managed under the FEP
generally operates in a similar manner, each fishery is subject to a
unique set of conservation and management issues and regulatory
framework. Accordingly, the scope of the analyses would be programmatic
in nature.
Public Involvement
We are notifying the public that NMFS intends to prepare a PEIS,
and will hold a series of public scoping meetings to describe the
management of deep-set longline fisheries under the FEP. We invite
comments from the public at the early stage of environmental effects
analysis planning. Specifically, NMFS is seeking input from the public
on issues that NMFS should address in the draft PEIS related to
management of the deep-set longline fisheries, including catch of
target species (e.g., tunas) and non-target species (e.g., sharks),
interactions with protected species, and impacts on the pelagic
ecosystem. This will assist NMFS and the Council in determining the
scope of the environmental issues, and in developing of a reasonable
range of fishery management alternatives to analyze in the draft PEIS.
There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on the draft
PEIS when it is published. You may find more information about deep-set
tuna longline fisheries managed under the FEP and the progress of the
PEIS at https://www.fpir.noaa.gov/SFD/SFD_regs_index.html.
Meetings
NMFS will hold public meetings at the dates and locations below.
All meetings will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
1. Hilo, HI
Tuesday, February 21, 2017, Edith Kanakaole Hall, Room 122, University
of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 W. Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720.
2. Honolulu, HI
Thursday, February 23, 2017, Nuuanu Elementary School, Cafeteria, 3055
Puiwa Ln., Honolulu, HI 96817.
3. Pago Pago, AS
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, Sadie's By the Sea, Upstairs Conference
Room, Utulei Beach, Rte. 1, Pago Pago, AS 96799.
4. Tafuna, AS
Wednesday, March 1, 2017, NOAA GMD/PIFSC Compound Tafuna (West
Location), 8043 Tasi St., Tafuna, AS 96799.
5. Pago Pago, AS
Thursday, March 2, 2017, PC Mauga Tasi Asuega Fale Tele (East
Location), Village of Pago Pago, AS 96799.
6. Saipan, MP
Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Pedro P. Tenorio Multipurpose Center, Beach
Rd., Susupe, Saipan, MP 96950.
7. Mangilao, GU
Thursday, March 9, 2017, University of Guam, CNAS 127, University Dr.,
Mangilao, GU 96923.
Special Accommodations
NMFS will make every attempt to make these meetings accessible to
people with disabilities. Direct any requests for sign language
interpretation, physical assistance, or other auxiliary aids to Ariel
Jacobs at (808) 725-5182 at least five days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: February 7, 2017.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-02820 Filed 2-10-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
