Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan, 35602-35603 [2018-15970]
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35602
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 145 / Friday, July 27, 2018 / Proposed Rules
tournament that bestows points, prizes,
or awards for Atlantic sharks must
deploy only non-offset, corrodible circle
hooks when fishing for, retaining,
possessing, or landing sharks, except
when fishing with flies or artificial
lures.
(2) A person on board a vessel that
has been issued or is required to be
issued an HMS Angling permit with a
shark endorsement or a person on board
a vessel with an HMS Charter/Headboat
permit with a shark endorsement must
deploy only non-offset, corrodible circle
hooks when fishing for, retaining,
possessing, or landing, except when
fishing with flies or artificial lures.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 5. In § 635.24, remove paragraphs
(a)(4)(v) and (vi), lift the suspension for
paragraphs (a)(4)(i) and (iii), and revise
paragraphs (a)(4)(i) and (iii) to read as
follows:
§ 635.24 Commercial retention limits for
sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas.
*
*
*
*
(a) * * *
(4) * * *
(i) A person who owns or operates a
vessel that has been issued a directed
shark LAP may retain, possess, or land
pelagic sharks if the pelagic shark
fishery is open per §§ 635.27 and
635.28. Shortfin mako sharks may only
be retained by persons using pelagic
longline gear, and only if each shark is
dead at the time of haulback per
§ 635.21 (c)(1).
*
*
*
*
*
(iii) Consistent with paragraph
(a)(4)(ii) of this section, a person who
owns or operates a vessel that has been
issued an incidental shark LAP may
retain, possess, land, or sell no more
than 16 SCS and pelagic sharks,
combined, per vessel per trip, if the
respective fishery is open per §§ 635.27
and 635.28. Of those 16 SCS and pelagic
sharks per vessel per trip, no more than
8 shall be blacknose sharks. Shortfin
mako sharks may only be retained by
persons using pelagic longline gear, and
only if each shark is dead at the time of
haulback per § 635.21(c)(1).
*
*
*
*
*
■ 6. In § 635.30, paragraph (c)(4) is
revised to read as follows:
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with PROPOSALS1
*
§ 635.30
Possession at sea and landing.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) * * *
(4) Persons aboard a vessel that has
been issued or is required to be issued
a permit with a shark endorsement must
maintain a shark intact through landing
and offloading with the head, tail, and
all fins naturally attached. The shark
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:58 Jul 26, 2018
Jkt 244001
may be bled and the viscera may be
removed.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 7. In § 635.71, revise paragraphs
(d)(22), (23), (27), (28), and (29) to read
as follows:
§ 635.71
Prohibitions.
*
*
*
*
*
(d) * * *
(22) Except when fishing only with
flies or artificial lures, fish for, retain,
possess, or land sharks without
deploying non-offset, corrodible circle
hooks when fishing at a registered
recreational HMS fishing tournament
that has awards or prizes for sharks, as
specified in § 635.21(f) and (k).
(23) Except when fishing only with
flies or artificial lures, fish for, retain,
possess, or land sharks without
deploying non-offset, corrodible circle
hooks when issued an Atlantic HMS
Angling permit or HMS Charter/
Headboat permit with a shark
endorsement, as specified in § 635.21(f)
and (k).
*
*
*
*
*
(27) Retain, land, or possess a shortfin
mako shark that was caught with gear
other than pelagic longline gear as
specified at § 635.21(a).
(28) Retain, land, or possess a shortfin
mako shark that was caught with pelagic
longline gear and was alive at haulback
as specified at § 635.21(c)(1).
(29) As specified at § 635.21(c)(1),
retain, land, or possess a shortfin mako
shark that was caught with pelagic
longline gear when the electronic
monitoring system was not installed and
functioning in compliance with the
requirements at § 635.9.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2018–15822 Filed 7–26–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648–BH16
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the
Northeastern United States;
Amendment 20 to the Atlantic
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
Fishery Management Plan
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Announcement of availability of
fishery management plan amendment;
request for comments.
ACTION:
NMFS announces that the
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council has submitted Amendment 20
to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to
the Secretary of Commerce for review
and approval. We are requesting
comments from the public on this
amendment. This action is necessary to
prevent the reactivation of latent effort
in the longfin squid fishery, preserve
economic opportunities for more
recently active participants in the
longfin squid fishery, avoid overharvest
during Trimester II (May–August) of the
longfin squid fishery, and reduce
potential negative impacts on inshore
spawning longfin squid aggregations
and egg mops. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council intends that these
proposed measures would promote the
sustainable utilization and conservation
of the squid and butterfish resources,
while promoting the sustained
participation of fishing communities
and minimizing adverse economic
impacts on such communities.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before September 25, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2017–0110, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20170110, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Mark the outside of the envelope,
‘‘Comments on Amendment 20.’’
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).
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27JYP1.SGM
27JYP1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 145 / Friday, July 27, 2018 / Proposed Rules
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with PROPOSALS1
The Council prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for
Amendment 20 to the Atlantic
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) that describes
the proposed action and other
alternatives considered and provides a
thorough analysis of the impacts of the
proposed measures and alternatives
considered. Copies of Amendment 20,
including the EA, the Regulatory Impact
Review, and the Regulatory Flexibility
Act analysis, are available from:
Christopher Moore, Executive Director,
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council, Suite 201, 800 State Street,
Dover, DE 19901. The EA and associated
analysis is accessible via the internet at:
https://www.mafmc.org/s/SquidAmendment-Draft-EA.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Douglas Christel, Fishery Policy
Analyst, (978) 281–9141.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 1995, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) adopted
a limited access permit system for
longfin squid and butterfish as part of
Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Mackerel,
Squid, and Butterfish FMP (April 2,
1996; 61 FR 14465). Under Amendment
5, NMFS issued longfin squid/butterfish
moratorium permits to vessels that
landed a minimum amount of either
species during a specified qualification
period. Since then, the number of
vessels landing longfin squid has
decreased, with a relatively small
portion of vessels issued longfin squid/
butterfish moratorium permits landing
the majority of longfin squid in recent
years. The Council is concerned that
unused longfin squid/butterfish
moratorium permits could be activated,
which could lead to excessive fishing
effort and bycatch of both longfin squid
and non-target species. This could cause
negative biological impacts to these
species. In addition, this increased effort
could increase the race to fish and
reduce access to available longfin squid
quota by vessels with a continuous
history of landings in recent years.
Therefore, the Council developed
Amendment 20 to consider the
appropriate number of vessels in the
directed and incidental longfin squid
fishery and design appropriate measures
to prevent unanticipated increases in
fishing effort. The proposed measures
described below could help prevent a
race to fish, frequent and disruptive
fishery closures, and reduced fishing
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:58 Jul 26, 2018
Jkt 244001
opportunities for vessels that are more
recently dependent upon longfin squid.
Longfin squid spawning occurs year
round, but is most frequently observed
inshore during the late spring through
early fall. Spawning aggregations and
associated egg masses (mops) that are
attached to the bottom are vulnerable to
bottom fishing activities during the
summer months when longfin squid are
easily accessible to the fishery in large
concentrations. In 2007, the Council
implemented reduced quotas during
summer months (May through August,
or Trimester II) as part of the trimester
quota system (January 30, 2007; 71 FR
4211). The Council developed the
trimester quota system to improve the
monitoring and management of the
longfin squid fishery and prevent
allowable quotas from being exceeded.
Once a trimester quota has been caught,
possession limits are reduced to
incidental levels for all longfin squid
permits. The FMP currently includes a
possession limit of 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
per trip for incidental permits and when
the directed fishery has closed.
However, this incidental limit has
allowed vessels to continue to land large
amounts of longfin squid even after the
directed fishery is closed, which
contributed to the Trimester II quota
being exceeded by large amounts in
several years. The Council is concerned
that excessive fishing effort inshore
during Trimester II could negatively
impact the stock, interrupting spawning
activity, increasing the mortality of
squid eggs, and reducing future
recruitment. Measures developed by the
Council under this action are intended
to reevaluate the management of longfin
squid during Trimester II primarily to
reduce impacts to spawning squid and
egg mops.
The purpose of Amendment 20 is to
optimize management measures in the
squid fisheries by reducing latent
(unused) effort in the longfin squid
fishery and adjusting the management of
the longfin squid fishery during
Trimester II (May through August) to
avoid overharvesting the longfin squid
resource. Although the Council
considered reducing the number of Illex
squid moratorium permits in the
fishery, the Council decided a reduction
in the number of Illex moratorium
permits was not appropriate at this time
given low Illex landings and limited
vessel participation in the fishery in
recent years. Measures proposed under
this action would promote the
sustainable utilization and conservation
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
35603
of the longfin squid and butterfish
resources, while promoting the
sustained participation of fishing
communities and minimizing adverse
economic impacts on such
communities. If approved, Amendment
20 would:
1. Separate butterfish from the current
longfin/butterfish moratorium permit to
create a new butterfish moratorium
permit and a separate longfin squid
moratorium permit;
2. Reissue longfin squid moratorium
permits to vessels that landed at least
10,000 lb (4,536 kg) of longfin squid in
any year from 1997–2013;
3. Create a new longfin squid
moratorium permit with a 5,000 lb
(2,268 kg) possession limit for vessels
that have not landed at least 10,000 lb
(4,536 kg) of longfin squid in any year
from 1997–2013;
4. Create a new longfin squid
incidental moratorium permit to enable
vessels to continue to land 2,500 lb
(1,134 kg) of longfin squid per trip;
5. Allow individual entities issued
multiple longfin squid moratorium
permits a one-time opportunity to swap
such permits among their vessels; and
6. Reduce the longfin squid
possession limit from 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
to 250 lb (113 kg) for squid/butterfish
incidental catch permits and for all
longfin squid permits after the Trimester
II longfin squid quota is landed.
NMFS seeks public comments on
Amendment 20 and its incorporated
documents through the end of the
comment period specified in the DATES
section of this notice of availability
(NOA). Concurrent with NMFS’s review
of the amendment under the MagnusonStevens Act procedures, NMFS may
publish a rule proposing to implement
measures outlined in this amendment in
the Federal Register for public
comment. All comments received by the
end of the comment period on the NOA,
whether specifically directed to the
NOA or the proposed rule, will be
considered in the approval/disapproval
decision. NMFS will not consider
comments received after the end of the
comment period for the NOA in the
approval/disapproval decision of this
action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 23, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–15970 Filed 7–26–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\27JYP1.SGM
27JYP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 145 (Friday, July 27, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35602-35603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15970]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648-BH16
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 20
to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of availability of fishery management plan
amendment; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council has submitted Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for
review and approval. We are requesting comments from the public on this
amendment. This action is necessary to prevent the reactivation of
latent effort in the longfin squid fishery, preserve economic
opportunities for more recently active participants in the longfin
squid fishery, avoid overharvest during Trimester II (May-August) of
the longfin squid fishery, and reduce potential negative impacts on
inshore spawning longfin squid aggregations and egg mops. The Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council intends that these proposed
measures would promote the sustainable utilization and conservation of
the squid and butterfish resources, while promoting the sustained
participation of fishing communities and minimizing adverse economic
impacts on such communities.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 25, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2017-0110, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0110, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on
Amendment 20.''
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).
[[Page 35603]]
The Council prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for Amendment
20 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management
Plan (FMP) that describes the proposed action and other alternatives
considered and provides a thorough analysis of the impacts of the
proposed measures and alternatives considered. Copies of Amendment 20,
including the EA, the Regulatory Impact Review, and the Regulatory
Flexibility Act analysis, are available from: Christopher Moore,
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201,
800 State Street, Dover, DE 19901. The EA and associated analysis is
accessible via the internet at: https://www.mafmc.org/s/Squid-Amendment-Draft-EA.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Christel, Fishery Policy
Analyst, (978) 281-9141.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 1995, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council)
adopted a limited access permit system for longfin squid and butterfish
as part of Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
FMP (April 2, 1996; 61 FR 14465). Under Amendment 5, NMFS issued
longfin squid/butterfish moratorium permits to vessels that landed a
minimum amount of either species during a specified qualification
period. Since then, the number of vessels landing longfin squid has
decreased, with a relatively small portion of vessels issued longfin
squid/butterfish moratorium permits landing the majority of longfin
squid in recent years. The Council is concerned that unused longfin
squid/butterfish moratorium permits could be activated, which could
lead to excessive fishing effort and bycatch of both longfin squid and
non-target species. This could cause negative biological impacts to
these species. In addition, this increased effort could increase the
race to fish and reduce access to available longfin squid quota by
vessels with a continuous history of landings in recent years.
Therefore, the Council developed Amendment 20 to consider the
appropriate number of vessels in the directed and incidental longfin
squid fishery and design appropriate measures to prevent unanticipated
increases in fishing effort. The proposed measures described below
could help prevent a race to fish, frequent and disruptive fishery
closures, and reduced fishing opportunities for vessels that are more
recently dependent upon longfin squid.
Longfin squid spawning occurs year round, but is most frequently
observed inshore during the late spring through early fall. Spawning
aggregations and associated egg masses (mops) that are attached to the
bottom are vulnerable to bottom fishing activities during the summer
months when longfin squid are easily accessible to the fishery in large
concentrations. In 2007, the Council implemented reduced quotas during
summer months (May through August, or Trimester II) as part of the
trimester quota system (January 30, 2007; 71 FR 4211). The Council
developed the trimester quota system to improve the monitoring and
management of the longfin squid fishery and prevent allowable quotas
from being exceeded. Once a trimester quota has been caught, possession
limits are reduced to incidental levels for all longfin squid permits.
The FMP currently includes a possession limit of 2,500 lb (1,134 kg)
per trip for incidental permits and when the directed fishery has
closed. However, this incidental limit has allowed vessels to continue
to land large amounts of longfin squid even after the directed fishery
is closed, which contributed to the Trimester II quota being exceeded
by large amounts in several years. The Council is concerned that
excessive fishing effort inshore during Trimester II could negatively
impact the stock, interrupting spawning activity, increasing the
mortality of squid eggs, and reducing future recruitment. Measures
developed by the Council under this action are intended to reevaluate
the management of longfin squid during Trimester II primarily to reduce
impacts to spawning squid and egg mops.
The purpose of Amendment 20 is to optimize management measures in
the squid fisheries by reducing latent (unused) effort in the longfin
squid fishery and adjusting the management of the longfin squid fishery
during Trimester II (May through August) to avoid overharvesting the
longfin squid resource. Although the Council considered reducing the
number of Illex squid moratorium permits in the fishery, the Council
decided a reduction in the number of Illex moratorium permits was not
appropriate at this time given low Illex landings and limited vessel
participation in the fishery in recent years. Measures proposed under
this action would promote the sustainable utilization and conservation
of the longfin squid and butterfish resources, while promoting the
sustained participation of fishing communities and minimizing adverse
economic impacts on such communities. If approved, Amendment 20 would:
1. Separate butterfish from the current longfin/butterfish
moratorium permit to create a new butterfish moratorium permit and a
separate longfin squid moratorium permit;
2. Reissue longfin squid moratorium permits to vessels that landed
at least 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) of longfin squid in any year from 1997-
2013;
3. Create a new longfin squid moratorium permit with a 5,000 lb
(2,268 kg) possession limit for vessels that have not landed at least
10,000 lb (4,536 kg) of longfin squid in any year from 1997-2013;
4. Create a new longfin squid incidental moratorium permit to
enable vessels to continue to land 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of longfin squid
per trip;
5. Allow individual entities issued multiple longfin squid
moratorium permits a one-time opportunity to swap such permits among
their vessels; and
6. Reduce the longfin squid possession limit from 2,500 lb (1,134
kg) to 250 lb (113 kg) for squid/butterfish incidental catch permits
and for all longfin squid permits after the Trimester II longfin squid
quota is landed.
NMFS seeks public comments on Amendment 20 and its incorporated
documents through the end of the comment period specified in the DATES
section of this notice of availability (NOA). Concurrent with NMFS's
review of the amendment under the Magnuson-Stevens Act procedures, NMFS
may publish a rule proposing to implement measures outlined in this
amendment in the Federal Register for public comment. All comments
received by the end of the comment period on the NOA, whether
specifically directed to the NOA or the proposed rule, will be
considered in the approval/disapproval decision. NMFS will not consider
comments received after the end of the comment period for the NOA in
the approval/disapproval decision of this action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 23, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-15970 Filed 7-26-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
