Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries, 12291-12292 [2021-04400]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 / Rules and Regulations USEPA. 2020b. Drinking Water Treatability Database. https://iaspub.epa.gov/tdb/ pages/general/home.do. Last updated March 2020. USEPA. 2020c. Final Risk Evaluations for 1,4-Dioxane. EPA Document # EPA–740– R1–8007. December 2020. https:// www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managingchemicals-under-tsca/final-riskevaluation-14-dioxane#riskevaluation. USEPA. 2021a. Final Regulatory Determination 4 Support Document. EPA 815–R–21–001. USEPA. 2021b. Responses to Public Comments on Preliminary Regulatory Determinations for Contaminants on the Fourth Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List. EPA 815–R–21–002. Virgo, D.M. and A. Broadmeadow. 1988. SC– 5676: Combined Oncogenicity and Toxicity Study in Dietary Administration to CD Rats for 104 Weeks. Life Science Research Ltd., Suffolk, England. Study No. 88/SUC017/0348. March 18, 1988. Unpublished report (as cited in USEPA, 2006b). Vogel, E.W. and M.J.M. Nivard. 1994. The subtlety of alkylating agents in reactions with biological macromolecules. Mutat. Res. 305: 13–32 (as cited in USEPA, 2007a). Wester, P.W. and R. Kroes, 1988. Forestomach carcinogens: pathology and relevance to man. Toxicologic Pathology 16(2): 165–71 (as cited in ATSDR, 1992). Signing Statement This document of the Environmental Protection Agency was signed on January 15, 2021, by Andrew Wheeler, Administrator, pursuant to the statutory requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1412(b). That document with the original signature and date is maintained by EPA. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned EPA Official re-signs the document for publication, as an official document of the Environmental Protection Agency. This administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the Federal Register. Jane Nishida, Acting Administrator. [FR Doc. 2021–04184 Filed 3–2–21; 8:45 am] jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES BILLING CODE 6560–50–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:13 Mar 02, 2021 Jkt 253001 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 635 [Docket No. 180117042–8884–02; RTID 0648–XA714] Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; closure of the General category January fishery for 2021. AGENCY: NMFS closes the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category fishery for the January subquota period. The intent of this closure is to prevent overharvest of the adjusted January subquota. SUMMARY: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time, February 27, 2021, through May 31, 2021. DATES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah McLaughlin, sarah.mclaughlin@ noaa.gov, 978–281–9260, Nicholas Velseboer, nicholas.velseboer@ noaa.gov, 978–675–2168, or Larry Redd, Jr., larry.redd@noaa.gov, 301–427–8503. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations implemented under the authority of the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) governing the harvest of BFT by persons and vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction are found at 50 CFR part 635. Section 635.27 subdivides the U.S. BFT quota recommended by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) among the various domestic fishing categories, per the allocations established in the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (2006 Consolidated HMS FMP) (71 FR 58058, October 2, 2006) and amendments, and in accordance with implementing regulations. Under § 635.28(a)(1), NMFS files a closure notice with the Office of the Federal Register for publication when a BFT quota (or subquota) is reached or is projected to be reached. Retaining, possessing, or landing BFT under that quota category is prohibited on and after the effective date and time of a closure notice for that category, for the remainder of the fishing year, until the PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 12291 opening of the subsequent quota period or until such date as specified. The base quota for the General category is 555.7 mt. See § 635.27(a). Each of the General category time periods (January, June through August, September, October through November, and December) is allocated a subquota or portion of the annual General category quota. Although it is called the ‘‘January’’ subquota, the regulations allow the General category fishery under this quota to continue until the subquota is reached or March 31, whichever comes first. The baseline subquotas for each time period are as follows: 29.5 mt for January; 277.9 mt for June through August; 147.3 mt for September; 72.2 mt for October through November; and 28.9 mt for December. Any unused General category quota rolls forward from one time period to the next and is available for use in subsequent time periods within the fishing year. Effective January 1, 2021, NMFS transferred 19.5 mt of the 28.9mt General category quota allocated for the December 2021 period to the January 2021 period, resulting in an adjusted subquota of 49 mt for the January period and a subquota of 9.4 mt for the December 2021 period (85 FR 83832, December 23, 2020). Effective February 8, 2021, NMFS transferred an additional 26 mt from the Reserve category to the General category, in the same notice as NMFS made the annual reallocation of Purse Seine category quota to the Reserve category, resulting in an adjusted subquota of 75 mt for the General category 2021 January subquota period and 168 mt for the Reserve category (86 FR 8717, February 9, 2021). Closure of the January 2021 General Category Fishery Based on the best available General category BFT Landings information (i.e., 57.7 mt landed as of February 25, 2021), as well as average catch rates and anticipated fishing conditions, NMFS projects that the adjusted General category January 2021 subquota of 75 mt will be reached shortly, and that the General category fishery should be closed. Therefore, retaining, possessing, or landing large medium or giant BFT by persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic Tunas General category and the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat category (while fishing commercially) must cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on February 27, 2021. The General category will reopen automatically on June 1, 2021, for the June through August 2021 subquota period. This action applies to those vessels permitted in the General category, as well as to those HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels E:\FR\FM\03MRR1.SGM 03MRR1 12292 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 / Rules and Regulations with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT, and is taken consistent with the regulations at § 635.28(a)(1). The intent of this closure is to prevent overharvest of the available January subquota. Fishermen may catch and release (or tag and release) BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-andrelease and tag-and-release programs at § 635.26. All BFT that are released must be handled in a manner that will maximize their survival, and without removing the fish from the water, consistent with requirements at § 635.21(a)(1). For additional information on safe handling, see the ‘‘Careful Catch and Release’’ brochure available at https:// www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/ outreach-and-education/careful-catchand-release-brochure/. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES Monitoring and Reporting NMFS will continue to monitor the BFT fisheries closely. Dealers are required to submit landings reports within 24 hours of a dealer receiving BFT. Late reporting by dealers compromises NMFS’ ability to timely implement actions such as quota and retention limit adjustment, as well as closures, and may result in enforcement actions. Additionally, and separate from the dealer reporting requirement, VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:13 Mar 02, 2021 Jkt 253001 General and HMS Charter/Headboat category vessel owners are required to report the catch of all BFT retained or discarded dead within 24 hours of the landing(s) or end of each trip, by accessing hmspermits.noaa.gov, using the HMS Catch Reporting app, or calling (888) 872–8862 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.). Depending on the level of fishing effort and catch rates of BFT, NMFS may determine that additional adjustments are necessary to ensure available subquotas are not exceeded or to enhance scientific data collection from, and fishing opportunities in, all geographic areas. If needed, subsequent adjustments will be published in the Federal Register. In addition, fishermen may call the Atlantic Tunas Information Line at (978) 281–9260, or access hmspermits.noaa.gov, for updates on quota monitoring and inseason adjustments. Classification NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This action is consistent with regulations at 50 CFR part 635, which were issued pursuant to section 304(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866. PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 9990 The Assistant Administrator for NMFS finds that pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior notice of, and an opportunity for public comment on, for the following reasons: The regulations implementing the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and amendments provide for inseason retention limit adjustments and fishery closures to respond to the unpredictable nature of BFT availability on the fishing grounds, the migratory nature of this species, and the regional variations in the BFT fishery. This fishery is currently underway and delaying this action would be contrary to the public interest as it could result in BFT landings exceeding the January 2021 subquota, which could result in the need to reduce quota for the General category later in the year and thus could affect later fishing opportunities. For all of the above reasons, there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d) to waive the 30day delay in effectiveness. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq. Dated: February 26, 2021. Jennifer M. Wallace, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–04400 Filed 2–26–21; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P E:\FR\FM\03MRR1.SGM 03MRR1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 12291-12292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04400]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

[Docket No. 180117042-8884-02; RTID 0648-XA714]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna 
Fisheries

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure of the General category January fishery 
for 2021.

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SUMMARY: NMFS closes the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category 
fishery for the January subquota period. The intent of this closure is 
to prevent overharvest of the adjusted January subquota.

DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time, February 27, 2021, through May 
31, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah McLaughlin, 
[email protected], 978-281-9260, Nicholas Velseboer, 
[email protected], 978-675-2168, or Larry Redd, Jr., 
[email protected], 301-427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations implemented under the authority 
of the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.) and 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) governing the harvest of BFT by 
persons and vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction are found at 50 CFR 
part 635. Section 635.27 subdivides the U.S. BFT quota recommended by 
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
(ICCAT) among the various domestic fishing categories, per the 
allocations established in the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (2006 Consolidated HMS FMP) 
(71 FR 58058, October 2, 2006) and amendments, and in accordance with 
implementing regulations.
    Under Sec.  635.28(a)(1), NMFS files a closure notice with the 
Office of the Federal Register for publication when a BFT quota (or 
subquota) is reached or is projected to be reached. Retaining, 
possessing, or landing BFT under that quota category is prohibited on 
and after the effective date and time of a closure notice for that 
category, for the remainder of the fishing year, until the opening of 
the subsequent quota period or until such date as specified.
    The base quota for the General category is 555.7 mt. See Sec.  
635.27(a). Each of the General category time periods (January, June 
through August, September, October through November, and December) is 
allocated a subquota or portion of the annual General category quota. 
Although it is called the ``January'' subquota, the regulations allow 
the General category fishery under this quota to continue until the 
subquota is reached or March 31, whichever comes first. The baseline 
subquotas for each time period are as follows: 29.5 mt for January; 
277.9 mt for June through August; 147.3 mt for September; 72.2 mt for 
October through November; and 28.9 mt for December. Any unused General 
category quota rolls forward from one time period to the next and is 
available for use in subsequent time periods within the fishing year. 
Effective January 1, 2021, NMFS transferred 19.5 mt of the 28.9-mt 
General category quota allocated for the December 2021 period to the 
January 2021 period, resulting in an adjusted subquota of 49 mt for the 
January period and a subquota of 9.4 mt for the December 2021 period 
(85 FR 83832, December 23, 2020). Effective February 8, 2021, NMFS 
transferred an additional 26 mt from the Reserve category to the 
General category, in the same notice as NMFS made the annual 
reallocation of Purse Seine category quota to the Reserve category, 
resulting in an adjusted subquota of 75 mt for the General category 
2021 January subquota period and 168 mt for the Reserve category (86 FR 
8717, February 9, 2021).

Closure of the January 2021 General Category Fishery

    Based on the best available General category BFT Landings 
information (i.e., 57.7 mt landed as of February 25, 2021), as well as 
average catch rates and anticipated fishing conditions, NMFS projects 
that the adjusted General category January 2021 subquota of 75 mt will 
be reached shortly, and that the General category fishery should be 
closed. Therefore, retaining, possessing, or landing large medium or 
giant BFT by persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic Tunas 
General category and the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat category (while 
fishing commercially) must cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on February 
27, 2021. The General category will reopen automatically on June 1, 
2021, for the June through August 2021 subquota period. This action 
applies to those vessels permitted in the General category, as well as 
to those HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels

[[Page 12292]]

with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT, 
and is taken consistent with the regulations at Sec.  635.28(a)(1). The 
intent of this closure is to prevent overharvest of the available 
January subquota.
    Fishermen may catch and release (or tag and release) BFT of all 
sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-and-release and tag-
and-release programs at Sec.  635.26. All BFT that are released must be 
handled in a manner that will maximize their survival, and without 
removing the fish from the water, consistent with requirements at Sec.  
635.21(a)(1). For additional information on safe handling, see the 
``Careful Catch and Release'' brochure available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/outreach-and-education/careful-catch-and-release-brochure/.

Monitoring and Reporting

    NMFS will continue to monitor the BFT fisheries closely. Dealers 
are required to submit landings reports within 24 hours of a dealer 
receiving BFT. Late reporting by dealers compromises NMFS' ability to 
timely implement actions such as quota and retention limit adjustment, 
as well as closures, and may result in enforcement actions. 
Additionally, and separate from the dealer reporting requirement, 
General and HMS Charter/Headboat category vessel owners are required to 
report the catch of all BFT retained or discarded dead within 24 hours 
of the landing(s) or end of each trip, by accessing 
hmspermits.noaa.gov, using the HMS Catch Reporting app, or calling 
(888) 872-8862 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.).
    Depending on the level of fishing effort and catch rates of BFT, 
NMFS may determine that additional adjustments are necessary to ensure 
available subquotas are not exceeded or to enhance scientific data 
collection from, and fishing opportunities in, all geographic areas. If 
needed, subsequent adjustments will be published in the Federal 
Register. In addition, fishermen may call the Atlantic Tunas 
Information Line at (978) 281-9260, or access hmspermits.noaa.gov, for 
updates on quota monitoring and inseason adjustments.

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is consistent with regulations at 50 CFR part 
635, which were issued pursuant to section 304(c) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    The Assistant Administrator for NMFS finds that pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior notice of, and an 
opportunity for public comment on, for the following reasons: The 
regulations implementing the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and amendments 
provide for inseason retention limit adjustments and fishery closures 
to respond to the unpredictable nature of BFT availability on the 
fishing grounds, the migratory nature of this species, and the regional 
variations in the BFT fishery. This fishery is currently underway and 
delaying this action would be contrary to the public interest as it 
could result in BFT landings exceeding the January 2021 subquota, which 
could result in the need to reduce quota for the General category later 
in the year and thus could affect later fishing opportunities. For all 
of the above reasons, there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d) to 
waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: February 26, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-04400 Filed 2-26-21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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