Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Pelagic Longline Fishery Management; Correction, 38918-38919 [2019-16996]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 153 / Thursday, August 8, 2019 / Proposed Rules
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[FR Doc. 2019–16979 Filed 8–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 190214111–9513–01]
RIN 0648–BI51
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species;
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries;
Pelagic Longline Fishery Management;
Correction
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; correction.
AGENCY:
The National Marine
Fisheries Service is correcting an error
in the alternatives section of a proposed
rule that published on July 12, 2019. In
that proposed rule, NMFS proposes to
adjust regulatory measures that reduce
bluefin tuna bycatch in the pelagic
longline fishery for Atlantic highly
migratory species (HMS). The preferred
alternative for the Spring Gulf of Mexico
Gear Restricted Area includes an
evaluation period to determine whether
current area-based management
measures remain necessary to reduce
and/or maintain low numbers of bluefin
tuna discards and interactions in the
pelagic longline fishery. The description
of this alternative included two timing
errors, one about the evaluation period
and one about the applicable months for
actions within the alternative. This
action corrects the errors.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule
must be submitted on or before
September 30, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2018–0035, 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-20180035, click the ‘‘Comment Now’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Craig Cockrell, NMFS/SF1, 1315 EastWest Highway, National Marine
Fisheries Service, SSMC3, Silver Spring,
MD 20910.
Instructions: Please include the
identifier NOAA–NMFS–2018–0035
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:03 Aug 07, 2019
Jkt 247001
when submitting comments. Comments
sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after
the close of the comment period, may
not be considered by NMFS. All
comments received are a part of the
public record and generally will be
posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change.
All personal identifying information
(e.g., name, address), 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). Attachments to electronic
comments will be accepted in Microsoft
Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats
only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Cudney, 727–824–5399 or Craig
Cockrell, 301–427–8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Need for Correction
On July 12, 2019, NMFS published a
proposed rule in the Federal Register
(84 FR 33205) that would adjust
regulatory measures put in place to
reduce bluefin tuna bycatch in the
pelagic longline fishery for Atlantic
highly migratory species (HMS).
Specifically, the proposed measures
address the Northeastern United States
Closed Area, the Cape Hatteras Gear
Restricted Area, and the Spring Gulf of
Mexico Gear Restricted Area as well as
the weak hook requirement in the Gulf
of Mexico. As described in the proposed
rule, the preferred alternative for the
Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted
Area included an evaluation period to
determine whether the current areabased management measure remains
necessary to reduce and/or maintain
low numbers of bluefin tuna discards
and interactions in the pelagic longline
fishery. The description of this
alternative cited both incorrect timing
for the three-year evaluation period and
incorrect timing for the months during
which the pelagic longline fishery
would be allowed to fish within a
previously closed area under specific
conditions. Corrections are necessary to
provide an accurate description of this
preferred alternative, which will be
useful to the public as they prepare
comment on the proposed rule.
The proposed rule provides a
summary of how the Spring Gulf of
Mexico Gear Restricted Area would be
managed under the preferred
alternative, appearing in bullet form on
page 33208 of the Federal Register. The
sentence preceding the bullets states
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
that ‘‘This alternative would have a
three-year evaluation period (January 1,
2010 through December 31, 2022) for
the Monitoring Area . . .’’. The
parenthetical is incorrect and should
instead read that the three-year
evaluation period would be from
‘‘(January 1, 2020 through December 31,
2022).’’ The first bullet under this
sentence incorrectly states that ‘‘The
Monitoring Area would initially remain
open to pelagic longline fishing from
June 1 through June 30’’. This bullet
should instead note that the Monitoring
Area would initially remain open to
pelagic longline fishing from April 1
through May 31. The fourth bullet under
this sentence states that ‘‘On or after the
effective date of the notice, the
Monitoring Area would be closed to
pelagic longline fishing each year from
June 1 through June 30, unless NMFS
takes further action.’’ This bullet should
instead state that ‘‘On or after the
effective date of the notice, the
Monitoring Area would be closed to
pelagic longline fishing each year from
April 1 through May 31, unless NMFS
takes further action,’’ to correct the
dates.
The same corrections need to be made
in the IRFA that was prepared to meet
requirements of Section 603 of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).
Column 3 of page 33212 of the Federal
Register provides a summary of how the
Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted
Area would be managed under the
preferred alternative in bullet form. The
sentence preceding the bullets states
that ‘‘This alternative would have a
three-year evaluation period (January 1,
2010 through December 31, 2022) for
the Monitoring Area . . .’’. The
parenthetical is incorrect and should
instead read that the three-year
evaluation period would be from
‘‘(January 1, 2020 through December 31,
2022).’’ The first bullet under this
sentence incorrectly states that ‘‘The
Monitoring Area would initially remain
open to pelagic longline fishing from
June 1 through June 30’’. This bullet
should instead note that the Monitoring
Area would initially remain open to
pelagic longline fishing from April 1
through May 31. The fourth bullet under
this sentence states that ‘‘On or after the
effective date of the notice, the
Monitoring Area would be closed to
pelagic longline fishing each year from
June 1 through June 30, unless NMFS
takes further action.’’ This bullet should
instead state that ‘‘On or after the
effective date of the notice, the
Monitoring Area would be closed to
pelagic longline fishing each year from
April 1 through May 31, unless NMFS
E:\FR\FM\08AUP1.SGM
08AUP1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 153 / Thursday, August 8, 2019 / Proposed Rules
takes further action,’’ to correct the
dates.
Dated: August 5, 2019.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–16996 Filed 8–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 190802–0010]
RIN 0648–BI93
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and
Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Framework
Adjustment 14
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes
modifications to aspects of the
commercial and recreational summer
flounder, scup, and black sea bass
management program, as recommended
by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council. NMFS proposes
these management measure adjustments
to provide an opportunity for public
comment. The intent of this action is to
allow for more flexibility in the
management of these species.
DATES: Comments must be received by
September 9, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2019–0049, by either 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-20190049,
• Click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields
• Enter or attach your comments.
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
OR
Mail: Submit written comments to
Michael Pentony, Regional
Administrator, Greater Atlantic Region,
55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester,
MA 01930.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:03 Aug 07, 2019
Jkt 247001
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).
An environmental assessment (EA)
was prepared for this action that
describes the proposed measures and
other considered alternatives, and
provides an analysis of the impacts of
the proposed measures and alternatives.
Copies of the EA are available on
request from Dr. Christopher M. Moore,
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, Suite 201,
800 North State Street, Dover, DE 19901.
These documents are also accessible via
the internet at https://www.mafmc.org/s/
SFSBSB_Framework14_EA.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst,
(978) 281–9244.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
General Background
The summer flounder, scup, and
black sea bass fisheries are managed
cooperatively under the provisions of
the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black
Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) developed by the Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission, in consultation with the
New England and South Atlantic
Fishery Management Councils. The
management units specified in the FMP
include summer flounder (Paralichthys
dentatus) in U.S. waters of the Atlantic
Ocean from the southern border of
North Carolina northward to the U.S./
Canada border, and scup (Stenotomus
chrysops) and black sea bass
(Centropristis striata) in U.S. waters of
the Atlantic Ocean from 35°13.3′ N lat.
(the approximate latitude of Cape
Hatteras, North Carolina). States manage
these three species within 3 nautical
miles (4.83 km) of their coasts, under
the Commission’s management plan for
summer flounder, scup, and black sea
bass. The applicable species-specific
Federal regulations govern vessels and
individual fishermen commercially
fishing in Federal waters of the
exclusive economic zone, as well as
vessels possessing a summer flounder,
scup, or black sea bass Federal charter/
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
38919
party vessel permit, regardless of where
they fish. This rule proposes
management measures intended to
provide more flexibility in the
commercial and recreational fisheries
for these species and includes the
following modifications to the FMP:
• Include conservation equivalency
as an annual management consideration
for the black sea bass recreational
fishery;
• Create a Federal waters transit zone
for non-federally permitted vessels
fishing in state waters around Block
Island Sound; and
• Incorporate a maximum
recreational size limit in the list of
potential specification measures for
summer flounder and black sea bass.
These measures, which are further
explained below, are consistent with the
recommendations of the Council and
the Commission’s Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management
Board for this action.
Proposed Management Measures
Black Sea Bass Conservation
Equivalency
This action proposes to allow
conservation equivalency for future use
in the recreational black sea bass fishery
based on the process currently used for
summer flounder. Under conservation
equivalency, the Council and Board
would decide each year whether to use
Federal coastwide measures or
conservation equivalency to manage the
recreational black sea bass fishery.
Conservation equivalency would waive
Federal measures so long as the states
implement appropriate measures. If they
agree to use conservation equivalency,
they must also develop a set of nonpreferred coastwide measures
(minimum and/or maximum fish size
limit, possession limit, and season) that
would be expected to prevent harvest
from exceeding the annual recreational
harvest limit. The Council and Board
must also recommend a suite of
precautionary default measures that
would apply to all recreational anglers
and Federal party/charter permit
holders fishing in Federal waters and
landing black sea bass in states that do
not develop and implement
Commission-approved conservationally
equivalent measures.
If the Council and Board agree to use
conservation equivalency in a given
year, the Board would determine the
states’ management program to
implement conservation equivalency for
black sea bass in any given year through
a separate action. After reviewing and
approving the state/regional proposals,
the Commission would submit a letter
E:\FR\FM\08AUP1.SGM
08AUP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 153 (Thursday, August 8, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38918-38919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16996]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 190214111-9513-01]
RIN 0648-BI51
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Fisheries; Pelagic Longline Fishery Management; Correction
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; correction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service is correcting an error
in the alternatives section of a proposed rule that published on July
12, 2019. In that proposed rule, NMFS proposes to adjust regulatory
measures that reduce bluefin tuna bycatch in the pelagic longline
fishery for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS). The preferred
alternative for the Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area includes
an evaluation period to determine whether current area-based management
measures remain necessary to reduce and/or maintain low numbers of
bluefin tuna discards and interactions in the pelagic longline fishery.
The description of this alternative included two timing errors, one
about the evaluation period and one about the applicable months for
actions within the alternative. This action corrects the errors.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted on or before
September 30, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2018-0035, 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-2018-0035, click the
``Comment Now'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach
your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Craig Cockrell, NMFS/SF1,
1315 East-West Highway, National Marine Fisheries Service, SSMC3,
Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Instructions: Please include the identifier NOAA-NMFS-2018-0035
when submitting comments. Comments sent by any other method, to any
other address or individual, or received after the close of the comment
period, may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part
of the public record and generally will be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address), 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).
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Cudney, 727-824-5399 or Craig
Cockrell, 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Need for Correction
On July 12, 2019, NMFS published a proposed rule in the Federal
Register (84 FR 33205) that would adjust regulatory measures put in
place to reduce bluefin tuna bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery
for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS). Specifically, the proposed
measures address the Northeastern United States Closed Area, the Cape
Hatteras Gear Restricted Area, and the Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear
Restricted Area as well as the weak hook requirement in the Gulf of
Mexico. As described in the proposed rule, the preferred alternative
for the Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area included an
evaluation period to determine whether the current area-based
management measure remains necessary to reduce and/or maintain low
numbers of bluefin tuna discards and interactions in the pelagic
longline fishery. The description of this alternative cited both
incorrect timing for the three-year evaluation period and incorrect
timing for the months during which the pelagic longline fishery would
be allowed to fish within a previously closed area under specific
conditions. Corrections are necessary to provide an accurate
description of this preferred alternative, which will be useful to the
public as they prepare comment on the proposed rule.
The proposed rule provides a summary of how the Spring Gulf of
Mexico Gear Restricted Area would be managed under the preferred
alternative, appearing in bullet form on page 33208 of the Federal
Register. The sentence preceding the bullets states that ``This
alternative would have a three-year evaluation period (January 1, 2010
through December 31, 2022) for the Monitoring Area . . .''. The
parenthetical is incorrect and should instead read that the three-year
evaluation period would be from ``(January 1, 2020 through December 31,
2022).'' The first bullet under this sentence incorrectly states that
``The Monitoring Area would initially remain open to pelagic longline
fishing from June 1 through June 30''. This bullet should instead note
that the Monitoring Area would initially remain open to pelagic
longline fishing from April 1 through May 31. The fourth bullet under
this sentence states that ``On or after the effective date of the
notice, the Monitoring Area would be closed to pelagic longline fishing
each year from June 1 through June 30, unless NMFS takes further
action.'' This bullet should instead state that ``On or after the
effective date of the notice, the Monitoring Area would be closed to
pelagic longline fishing each year from April 1 through May 31, unless
NMFS takes further action,'' to correct the dates.
The same corrections need to be made in the IRFA that was prepared
to meet requirements of Section 603 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act
(RFA). Column 3 of page 33212 of the Federal Register provides a
summary of how the Spring Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area would be
managed under the preferred alternative in bullet form. The sentence
preceding the bullets states that ``This alternative would have a
three-year evaluation period (January 1, 2010 through December 31,
2022) for the Monitoring Area . . .''. The parenthetical is incorrect
and should instead read that the three-year evaluation period would be
from ``(January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022).'' The first bullet
under this sentence incorrectly states that ``The Monitoring Area would
initially remain open to pelagic longline fishing from June 1 through
June 30''. This bullet should instead note that the Monitoring Area
would initially remain open to pelagic longline fishing from April 1
through May 31. The fourth bullet under this sentence states that ``On
or after the effective date of the notice, the Monitoring Area would be
closed to pelagic longline fishing each year from June 1 through June
30, unless NMFS takes further action.'' This bullet should instead
state that ``On or after the effective date of the notice, the
Monitoring Area would be closed to pelagic longline fishing each year
from April 1 through May 31, unless NMFS
[[Page 38919]]
takes further action,'' to correct the dates.
Dated: August 5, 2019.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-16996 Filed 8-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
