Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Small-Mesh Multispecies Fishery; Public Comment Period for Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, 53440-53441 [2018-23123]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2018 / Proposed Rules
that would preclude application of this
categorical exclusion. If NMFS takes a
management action, for example,
through the development of a TRP,
NMFS would first prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
or Environmental Assessment (EA), as
required under NEPA, specific to that
action.
This proposed rule would not affect
species listed as threatened or
endangered under the ESA or their
associated critical habitat. The impacts
of numerous fisheries have been
analyzed in various biological opinions,
and this proposed rule will not affect
the conclusions of those opinions. The
classification of fisheries on the LOF is
not considered to be a management
action that would adversely affect
threatened or endangered species. If
NMFS takes a management action, for
example, through the development of a
TRP, NMFS would consult under ESA
section 7 on that action.
This proposed rule would have no
adverse impacts on marine mammals
and may have a positive impact on
marine mammals by improving
knowledge of marine mammals and the
fisheries interacting with marine
mammals through information collected
from observer programs, stranding and
sighting data, or take reduction teams.
This proposed rule would not affect
the land or water uses or natural
resources of the coastal zone, as
specified under section 307 of the
Coastal Zone Management Act.
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with PROPOSAL
References
Carretta, J.V., E. Oleson, K.A. Forney, J.
Baker, J.E. Moore, D.W. Weller, A.R.
Lang, M.M. Muto, B. Hanson, A.J. Orr, H.
Huber, M.S. Lowry, J. Barlow, D. Lynch,
L. Carswell, and R.L. Brownell Jr. 2018.
U.S. Pacific Marine Mammal Stock
Assessments: 2017. NOAA Technical
Memorandum NOAA–TM–NMFS–
SWFSC–602. 161 p.
Carretta, J.V., V. Helker, M.M. Muto, J.
Greenman, K. Wilkinson, D. Lawson, J.
Viezbicke, and J. Jannot. 2018a. Sources
of human-related injury and mortality for
U.S. Pacific west coast marine mammal
stock assessments, 2012–2016. Draft
document PSRG–2018–06 reviewed by
the Pacific Scientific Review Group,
March 2018. 145 p.
Carretta, J.V., J.E. Moore, and K.A. Forney.
2018b. Estimates of marine mammal, sea
turtle, and seabird bycatch from the
California large-mesh drift gillnet
fishery: 1990–2016. Draft document
PSRG–2018–07 reviewed by the Pacific
Scientific Review Group, March 2018.
79 p.
Hayes, S.A., E. Josephson, K. Maze-Foley,
and P.E. Rosel, editors. 2018. U.S.
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine
Mammal Stocks Assessments, 2017.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:09 Oct 22, 2018
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NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA–
TM–NE–245. 378 p.
Hayes, S.A., E. Josephson, K. Maze-Foley,
and P.E. Rosel, editors. 2017. U.S.
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine
Mammal Stocks Assessments, 2016.
NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA–
TM–NE–241. 274 p.
McCracken, M.L. 2017. Assessment of
Incidental Interactions with Marine
Mammals in the Hawaii Longline Deep
and Shallow Set Fisheries from 2011
through 2015. NMFS Pacific Islands
Fisheries Science Center, PIFSC Internal
Report IR–17–003. 2 p. + Excel
spreadsheet.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
2017. The Hawaii Limited Access
Longline Logbook Summary Report.
PIFSC Data Report DR–17–009. 13 p.
National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast
Region (NMFS–WCR). 2017. Summary of
2016 Whale Entanglements off the West
Coast of the United States. 8 p.
(Available at: https://
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
publications/protected_species/marine_
mammals/5.2.2018_wcr_2018_
entanglement_report_508.pdf)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
2017. Final southern sea otter (Enhydra
lutris nereis) stock assessment report.
Ventura, California. 18 p. (Available at
https://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/
species/stock-assessment-reports.html)
Waring, G.T., Josephson, E., Maze-Foley, K.,
Rosel, P.E., editors. 2015. US Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal
Stock Assessments, 2014. NOAA
Technical Memorandum NMFS–NE–231;
361 p.
Waring, G.T., E. Josephson, K. Maze-Foley,
and P.E. Rosel, editors. 2016. U.S.
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Marine
Mammal Stocks Assessments, 2015.
NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA–
NE–238. 512 p.
Western Pacific Regional Fishery
Management Council (WPRFMC). 2016a.
Stock Assessment and Fishery
Evaluation (SAFE) Report Pacific Island
Pelagic Fisheries. 472 p.
Western Pacific Regional Fishery
Management Council (WPRFMC). 2016b.
Annual Stock Assessment and Fishery
Evaluation Report: Fishery Ecosystem
Plan for the American Samoa
Archipelago. 415 p.
Dated: October 18, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–23124 Filed 10–22–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648–XG543
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Small-Mesh Multispecies
Fishery; Public Comment Period for
Amendment 22 to the Northeast
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Request for comments.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council requests public
comment on Amendment 22 to the
Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan, including a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement. To
meet the purpose and need, this
amendment proposes alternatives that
would initiate a limited access program
for the small-mesh multispecies fishery,
adjust whiting and red hake possession
limits, and modify permit types and
characteristics to make them consistent
with limited access.
The Council recently solicited
comments and held a series of public
hearings on the draft amendment. Due
to an inconsistency in the information
available during the comment period,
the Council will solicit comments for an
additional 30 days and hold an
informational webinar to explain the
data inconsistency and review the
alternatives in the amendment and Draft
Environmental Impact Statement.
DATES: We must receive written
comments on or before November 23,
2018. The informational webinar will
take place on Wednesday, November 14,
2018 at 3 p.m. at the following web
address: https://
global.gotomeeting.com/join/
843126117, or by telephone at (872)
240–3311, using Access Code 43–126–
117.
SUMMARY:
You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2013–0169 by any of the
following methods:
D Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments directly to
the Council at comments@nefmc.org or
by fax to (978) 465–3116, with
‘‘Comments on Whiting Amendment
22’’ on the subject line.
D Mail: Submit written comments to
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
ADDRESSES:
E:\FR\FM\23OCP1.SGM
23OCP1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2018 / Proposed Rules
New England Fishery Management
Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2,
Newburyport, MA 01950. Mark the
outside of the envelope, ‘‘Comments on
Whiting Amendment 22.’’
Instructions: You must submit
comments by one of the above methods
to ensure that the comments are
received, documented, and considered
by Council. The Council may not
consider comments sent by any other
method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on the Council’s website at
www.nefmc.org 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. The Council will accept
attachments to electronic comments
only in Microsoft Word or Excel,
WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats.
The hearing documents are accessible
electronically via the internet at https://
www.nefmc.org/library/amendment-22
or by request to Thomas A. Nies,
Executive Director, New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950,
telephone (978) 465–0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Applegate, Senior Fisheries
Analyst, (978) 465–0492, ext. 114.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with PROPOSAL
Background
The small-mesh multispecies complex
consists of five stocks: Northern silver
hake, southern silver hake, and offshore
hake, all collectively referred to as
whiting; along with northern and
southern red hake. The New England
Fishery Management Council (Council)
manages these stocks as part of the
Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan (FMP). Fishermen
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:09 Oct 22, 2018
Jkt 247001
targeting whiting and hake use smallmesh trawl gear. The Council manages
the fishery through multiple small-mesh
exemptions to the northeast
multispecies (also called groundfish)
regulations. The small-mesh
multispecies fishery is open access,
meaning any vessel may obtain a permit
to fish with small-mesh gear to target
whiting and hake.
Based on specifications set forth by
the Council, NMFS sets annual catch
levels for each of the small-mesh
multispecies stocks. The fishery
routinely harvests a small fraction of the
allowable silver hake landings each
year, due to high bycatch levels of red
hake that reduce the possession limits to
incidental levels once a certain
percentage of the red hake annual catch
limits are reached. Northern whiting
and hake stocks are healthy, but
southern red hake is overfished and
experiencing overfishing. Southern
whiting biomass has been declining for
several years and is below the target, but
is not considered overfished.
Although the fishery does not harvest
optimum yield, there are concerns that
it could become more difficult to
manage if continued open access results
in bycatch levels could prematurely
close the directed small-mesh
multispecies fishery. In response, the
Council developed Amendment 22 to
the FMP. The amendment considers
multiple alternatives for a limited access
program, along with various options for
possession limits and permit conditions
should the Council ultimately choose to
limit access in the fishery. The
Council’s preferred alternative is to
maintain open access.
Amendment 22 includes a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS),
which analyzes the impacts of the
various management alternatives. In
July of 2018, the Council hosted a series
of public hearings and solicited
comments on the DEIS and amendment.
Along with the DEIS, the Council
prepared a separate public hearing
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53441
document to summarize the impacts of
alternatives, which included the
estimated number of vessels that would
qualify under each limited access
alternative. After the public hearings,
and while discussing potential final
action, the Council discovered a
discrepancy between the numbers in the
public hearing document and the DEIS.
Upon further investigation, it concluded
that the DEIS analyses were based on
the correct information, while the
information in the summary section of
the DEIS and the public hearing
document were based on preliminary
analyses that had been conducted in
early development of the amendment.
The correct results were available to the
public and Council when the Council
approved the range of alternatives in
June 2017 and chose preferred
alternatives in December 2017.
Given the discrepancy between the
summary information and the DEIS, the
Council announced that it will provide
the public with an additional 30-day
comment period and hold an
informational webinar using the most
up-to-date information to explain the
data discrepancy and afford additional
opportunity for comment.
The Council will accept comments
until 1 p.m. on November 23, 2018. See
the DATES section for the timing of the
webinar and how you may participate.
The Council’s Small-Mesh Fishery
Committee and Advisory Panel will
review the public comments and make
recommendations for action to the
Council. The Council will consider
these recommendations and take final
action on Amendment 22 during its
December 2018 meeting.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
5101 et seq.
Dated: October 17, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–23123 Filed 10–22–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 23, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53440-53441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23123]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648-XG543
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Small-Mesh Multispecies Fishery; Public Comment Period for
Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council requests public
comment on Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan, including a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. To
meet the purpose and need, this amendment proposes alternatives that
would initiate a limited access program for the small-mesh multispecies
fishery, adjust whiting and red hake possession limits, and modify
permit types and characteristics to make them consistent with limited
access.
The Council recently solicited comments and held a series of public
hearings on the draft amendment. Due to an inconsistency in the
information available during the comment period, the Council will
solicit comments for an additional 30 days and hold an informational
webinar to explain the data inconsistency and review the alternatives
in the amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
DATES: We must receive written comments on or before November 23, 2018.
The informational webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 14,
2018 at 3 p.m. at the following web address: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/843126117, or by telephone at (872) 240-
3311, using Access Code 43-126-117.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0169 by any of the following methods:
[ssquf] Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments directly to the Council at [email protected] or by fax to
(978) 465-3116, with ``Comments on Whiting Amendment 22'' on the
subject line.
[ssquf] Mail: Submit written comments to Thomas A. Nies, Executive
Director,
[[Page 53441]]
New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2,
Newburyport, MA 01950. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on
Whiting Amendment 22.''
Instructions: You must submit comments by one of the above methods
to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and considered by
Council. The Council may not consider comments sent by any other
method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end
of the comment period. All comments received are a part of the public
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on the Council's
website at www.nefmc.org 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. The
Council will accept attachments to electronic comments only in
Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats.
The hearing documents are accessible electronically via the
internet at https://www.nefmc.org/library/amendment-22 or by request to
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management
Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950, telephone
(978) 465-0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Applegate, Senior Fisheries
Analyst, (978) 465-0492, ext. 114.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The small-mesh multispecies complex consists of five stocks:
Northern silver hake, southern silver hake, and offshore hake, all
collectively referred to as whiting; along with northern and southern
red hake. The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) manages
these stocks as part of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management
Plan (FMP). Fishermen targeting whiting and hake use small-mesh trawl
gear. The Council manages the fishery through multiple small-mesh
exemptions to the northeast multispecies (also called groundfish)
regulations. The small-mesh multispecies fishery is open access,
meaning any vessel may obtain a permit to fish with small-mesh gear to
target whiting and hake.
Based on specifications set forth by the Council, NMFS sets annual
catch levels for each of the small-mesh multispecies stocks. The
fishery routinely harvests a small fraction of the allowable silver
hake landings each year, due to high bycatch levels of red hake that
reduce the possession limits to incidental levels once a certain
percentage of the red hake annual catch limits are reached. Northern
whiting and hake stocks are healthy, but southern red hake is
overfished and experiencing overfishing. Southern whiting biomass has
been declining for several years and is below the target, but is not
considered overfished.
Although the fishery does not harvest optimum yield, there are
concerns that it could become more difficult to manage if continued
open access results in bycatch levels could prematurely close the
directed small-mesh multispecies fishery. In response, the Council
developed Amendment 22 to the FMP. The amendment considers multiple
alternatives for a limited access program, along with various options
for possession limits and permit conditions should the Council
ultimately choose to limit access in the fishery. The Council's
preferred alternative is to maintain open access.
Amendment 22 includes a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS), which analyzes the impacts of the various management
alternatives. In July of 2018, the Council hosted a series of public
hearings and solicited comments on the DEIS and amendment. Along with
the DEIS, the Council prepared a separate public hearing document to
summarize the impacts of alternatives, which included the estimated
number of vessels that would qualify under each limited access
alternative. After the public hearings, and while discussing potential
final action, the Council discovered a discrepancy between the numbers
in the public hearing document and the DEIS. Upon further
investigation, it concluded that the DEIS analyses were based on the
correct information, while the information in the summary section of
the DEIS and the public hearing document were based on preliminary
analyses that had been conducted in early development of the amendment.
The correct results were available to the public and Council when the
Council approved the range of alternatives in June 2017 and chose
preferred alternatives in December 2017.
Given the discrepancy between the summary information and the DEIS,
the Council announced that it will provide the public with an
additional 30-day comment period and hold an informational webinar
using the most up-to-date information to explain the data discrepancy
and afford additional opportunity for comment.
The Council will accept comments until 1 p.m. on November 23, 2018.
See the DATES section for the timing of the webinar and how you may
participate. The Council's Small-Mesh Fishery Committee and Advisory
Panel will review the public comments and make recommendations for
action to the Council. The Council will consider these recommendations
and take final action on Amendment 22 during its December 2018 meeting.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.
Dated: October 17, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-23123 Filed 10-22-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
