Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category October Through November Fishery for 2024, 85452-85453 [2024-25020]
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85452
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 208 / Monday, October 28, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
7. Under Regulatory Impact and
Notices, on page 79775, correct the
paragraph above table 15 and the table
to read as follows:
Total Costs
FRA estimates a total 10-year cost of
$1.0 million (PV, 2 percent) for this
direct final rule, shown in Table 15.
TABLE 15—10-YEAR TOTAL COSTS
Total
stakeholder
costs
Year
Total costs
Discounted
7%
Discounted
3%
Discounted
2%
1 .........................................................................
2 .........................................................................
3 .........................................................................
4 .........................................................................
5 .........................................................................
6 .........................................................................
7 .........................................................................
8 .........................................................................
9 .........................................................................
10 .......................................................................
$97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
97,922
$19,753
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
10,541
$117,675
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
108,463
$117,675
101,367
94,736
88,538
82,746
77,333
72,273
67,545
63,126
58,997
$117,675
105,304
102,237
99,259
96,368
93,561
90,836
88,190
85,622
83,128
$117,675
106,336
104,251
102,207
100,203
98,238
96,312
94,424
92,572
90,757
Total ............................................................
979,220
114,622
1,093,842
824,336
962,180
1,002,975
Issued in Washington, DC.
Allison Ishihara Fultz,
Chief Counsel, Federal Railroad
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024–24967 Filed 10–25–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 220919–0193]
RTID 0648–XE334
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species;
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries;
Closure of the General Category
October Through November Fishery
for 2024
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
AGENCY:
NMFS closes the General
category fishery for Atlantic bluefin
tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the
October through November time period.
The General category may only retain,
possess, or land large medium and giant
(i.e., measuring 73 inches (185
centimeters (cm) curved fork length
(CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery
is open. This action applies to Atlantic
Tunas General category (commercial)
permitted vessels and Atlantic highly
migratory species (HMS) Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels with a
commercial sale endorsement when
SUMMARY:
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1
Total
government
costs
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:57 Oct 25, 2024
Jkt 265001
fishing commercially for BFT. This
action also waives the previously
scheduled restricted-fishing days (RFDs)
for the remainder of the October through
November time period. With the RFDs
waived during the closure, fishermen
aboard General category permitted
vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat
permitted vessels may tag and release
BFT of all sizes, subject to the
requirements of catch-and-release and
tag-and-release programs. On December
1, 2024, the fishery will reopen
automatically.
DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time,
October 24, 2024, through November 30,
2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Becky Curtis (becky.curtis@noaa.gov)
and Larry Redd, Jr. (larry.redd@
noaa.gov) by email or by phone at 301–
427–8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic
BFT fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) and its
amendments, pursuant to the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.) and consistent with the Atlantic
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C.
971 et seq.). HMS implementing
regulations are at 50 CFR part 635.
Section 635.27(a) divides the U.S. BFT
quota, established by the International
Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and as
implemented by the United States
among the various domestic fishing
categories, per the allocations
established in the 2006 Consolidated
HMS FMP and its amendments. NMFS
is required under the Magnuson-Stevens
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Act at 16 U.S.C. 1854(g)(1)(D) to provide
U.S. fishing vessels with a reasonable
opportunity to harvest quotas under
relevant international fishery
agreements such as the ICCAT
Convention, which is implemented
domestically pursuant to ATCA.
Under § 635.28(a)(1), NMFS files a
closure action 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 or after
the effective date and time of a closure
action for that category until the
opening of the relevant subsequent
quota period or until such date as
specified.
As described in § 635.27(a), the
current baseline U.S. BFT quota is
1,316.14 metric tons (mt) (not including
the 25 mt ICCAT allocated to the United
States to account for bycatch of BFT in
pelagic longline fisheries in the
Northeast Distant Gear Restricted Area
per § 635.27(a)(3)). The General category
baseline quota is 710.7 mt. The General
category baseline quota is suballocated
to different time periods. Relevant to
this action, the baseline subquota for the
October through November time period
is 92.4 mt. Effective October 2, 2024,
NMFS transferred 100 mt from the
Reserve category to the General category
October through November time period,
resulting in an adjusted October through
November time period subquota of
192.4 mt (89 FR 81032, October 7,
2024).
E:\FR\FM\28OCR1.SGM
28OCR1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 208 / Monday, October 28, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
Closure of the October Through
November 2024 BFT General Category
Fishery
To date, reported landings for the BFT
General category October through
November time period total 170.9 mt.
Based on these landings data, including
average daily catch rates, as well as
anticipated favorable fishing conditions
in the coming days, NMFS has
determined that the adjusted October
through November time period subquota
of 192.4 mt is projected to be reached
and exceeded shortly. Therefore,
retaining, possessing, or landing large
medium or giant (i.e., measuring 73
inches (185 cm) CFL or greater) BFT by
persons aboard vessels permitted in the
Atlantic Tunas General category and
HMS Charter/Headboat permitted
vessels (while fishing commercially)
must cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on
October 24, 2024. The BFT General
category will automatically reopen
December 1, 2024, for the December
time period with a retention limit of one
large medium or giant BFT per vessel
per day/trip. This action applies to
Atlantic Tunas General category
(commercial) permitted vessels and
HMS Charter/Headboat permitted
vessels with a commercial sale
endorsement when fishing
commercially for BFT and is taken
consistent with the regulations at
§ 635.28(a)(1).
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with RULES1
Waiver for Remaining October Through
November RFDs
On May 31, 2024 (89 FR 47095),
NMFS published a final rule that,
among other things, implemented RFDs
every Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and
Saturday from July 1 through November
30, 2024. Since the fishery will be
closed for the remainder of the October
through November time period, NMFS
has decided to waive the previouslyscheduled RFDs for the remainder of
that time period.
With the RFDs waived during a
closure, consistent with § 635.23(a)(7),
fishermen aboard General category
permitted vessels and HMS Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels may tag and
release BFT of all sizes, subject to the
requirements of the catch-and-release
and tag-and-release programs described
at § 635.26(a). 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/
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:57 Oct 25, 2024
Jkt 265001
outreach-and-education/careful-catchand-release-brochure/.
Monitoring and Reporting
NMFS will continue to monitor the
BFT fisheries closely. Per
§ 635.5(b)(2)(i)(A), dealers are required
to submit landing 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 adjustments, 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 per
§ 635.5(a)(4) to report their own catch of
all BFT retained or discarded dead
within 24 hours of the landing(s) or end
of each trip, by accessing https://
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.).
After the fishery reopens on December
1, depending on the level of fishing
effort and catch rates of BFT at that
time, 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 as
specified under § 635.27(a)(7). If
needed, subsequent adjustments will be
published in the Federal Register. In
addition, fishermen may access https://
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 (16 U.S.C. 1855(d)) and regulations
at 50 CFR part 635 and this action is
exempt from review under Executive
Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for
NMFS (AA) finds that pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(b)(B), it is impracticable and
contrary to the public interest to provide
prior notice of, and an opportunity for
public comment on this action, for the
following reasons. Specifically, 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. Providing for prior
notice and an opportunity to comment
is impracticable and contrary to the
public interest as this fishery is
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
85453
currently underway and, based on the
most recent landings information, the
available time period subquota is
projected to be reached shortly.
Delaying this action could result in BFT
landings that exceed the October
through November time period
subquota, which may result in future
potential quota reductions for other BFT
categories, depending on the magnitude
of a potential overharvest. Taking this
action does not raise conservation and
management concerns and would
support effective management of the
BFT fishery. NMFS notes that the public
had an opportunity to comment on the
underlying rulemakings that established
the U.S. BFT quota and the inseason
adjustment and closure criteria.
For all of the above reasons, the AA
also finds that pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(d), there is good cause to waive the
30-day delay in effective date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801
et seq.
Dated: October 23, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–25020 Filed 10–23–24; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[RTID 0648–XD487]
Amendment 8 Revisions to Essential
Fish Habitat in the Fishery
Management Plan for U.S. West Coast
Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of agency decision.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces the
approval of amendment 8 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for the U.S.
West Coast Highly Migratory Species
(HMS). This amendment updates
essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions
in the existing HMS FMP. This
amendment promotes the goals and
objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (MSA) which requires periodic
review and revision of EFH components
of FMPs as warranted based on available
information.
DATES: The amendment was approved
on October 21, 2024.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\28OCR1.SGM
28OCR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 208 (Monday, October 28, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 85452-85453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25020]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 220919-0193]
RTID 0648-XE334
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Fisheries; Closure of the General Category October Through November
Fishery for 2024
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS closes the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin
tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the October through November time
period. The General category may only retain, possess, or land large
medium and giant (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm)
curved fork length (CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery is open. This
action applies to Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial)
permitted vessels and Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when
fishing commercially for BFT. This action also waives the previously
scheduled restricted-fishing days (RFDs) for the remainder of the
October through November time period. With the RFDs waived during the
closure, fishermen aboard General category permitted vessels and HMS
Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag and release BFT of all
sizes, subject to the requirements of catch-and-release and tag-and-
release programs. On December 1, 2024, the fishery will reopen
automatically.
DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time, October 24, 2024, through
November 30, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Curtis ([email protected])
and Larry Redd, Jr. ([email protected]) by email or by phone at 301-
427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic BFT fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments,
pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and consistent with
the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS
implementing regulations are at 50 CFR part 635. Section 635.27(a)
divides the U.S. BFT quota, established by the International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and as implemented by
the United States among the various domestic fishing categories, per
the allocations established in the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its
amendments. NMFS is required under the Magnuson-Stevens Act at 16
U.S.C. 1854(g)(1)(D) to provide U.S. fishing vessels with a reasonable
opportunity to harvest quotas under relevant international fishery
agreements such as the ICCAT Convention, which is implemented
domestically pursuant to ATCA.
Under Sec. 635.28(a)(1), NMFS files a closure action 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
or after the effective date and time of a closure action for that
category until the opening of the relevant subsequent quota period or
until such date as specified.
As described in Sec. 635.27(a), the current baseline U.S. BFT
quota is 1,316.14 metric tons (mt) (not including the 25 mt ICCAT
allocated to the United States to account for bycatch of BFT in pelagic
longline fisheries in the Northeast Distant Gear Restricted Area per
Sec. 635.27(a)(3)). The General category baseline quota is 710.7 mt.
The General category baseline quota is suballocated to different time
periods. Relevant to this action, the baseline subquota for the October
through November time period is 92.4 mt. Effective October 2, 2024,
NMFS transferred 100 mt from the Reserve category to the General
category October through November time period, resulting in an adjusted
October through November time period subquota of 192.4 mt (89 FR 81032,
October 7, 2024).
[[Page 85453]]
Closure of the October Through November 2024 BFT General Category
Fishery
To date, reported landings for the BFT General category October
through November time period total 170.9 mt. Based on these landings
data, including average daily catch rates, as well as anticipated
favorable fishing conditions in the coming days, NMFS has determined
that the adjusted October through November time period subquota of
192.4 mt is projected to be reached and exceeded shortly. Therefore,
retaining, possessing, or landing large medium or giant (i.e.,
measuring 73 inches (185 cm) CFL or greater) BFT by persons aboard
vessels permitted in the Atlantic Tunas General category and HMS
Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (while fishing commercially) must
cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on October 24, 2024. The BFT General
category will automatically reopen December 1, 2024, for the December
time period with a retention limit of one large medium or giant BFT per
vessel per day/trip. This action applies to Atlantic Tunas General
category (commercial) permitted vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat
permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing
commercially for BFT and is taken consistent with the regulations at
Sec. 635.28(a)(1).
Waiver for Remaining October Through November RFDs
On May 31, 2024 (89 FR 47095), NMFS published a final rule that,
among other things, implemented RFDs every Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and
Saturday from July 1 through November 30, 2024. Since the fishery will
be closed for the remainder of the October through November time
period, NMFS has decided to waive the previously-scheduled RFDs for the
remainder of that time period.
With the RFDs waived during a closure, consistent with Sec.
635.23(a)(7), fishermen aboard General category permitted vessels and
HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag and release BFT of all
sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-and-release and tag-
and-release programs described at Sec. 635.26(a). 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. Per Sec.
635.5(b)(2)(i)(A), dealers are required to submit landing 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 adjustments, 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 per Sec. 635.5(a)(4) to report their own catch of
all BFT retained or discarded dead within 24 hours of the landing(s) or
end of each trip, by accessing https://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.).
After the fishery reopens on December 1, depending on the level of
fishing effort and catch rates of BFT at that time, 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 as specified under Sec.
635.27(a)(7). If needed, subsequent adjustments will be published in
the Federal Register. In addition, fishermen may access https://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 (16 U.S.C. 1855(d)) and regulations at 50 CFR part 635 and
this action is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for NMFS (AA) finds that pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(b)(B), it is impracticable and contrary to the public
interest to provide prior notice of, and an opportunity for public
comment on this action, for the following reasons. Specifically, 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. Providing for prior notice and an
opportunity to comment is impracticable and contrary to the public
interest as this fishery is currently underway and, based on the most
recent landings information, the available time period subquota is
projected to be reached shortly. Delaying this action could result in
BFT landings that exceed the October through November time period
subquota, which may result in future potential quota reductions for
other BFT categories, depending on the magnitude of a potential
overharvest. Taking this action does not raise conservation and
management concerns and would support effective management of the BFT
fishery. NMFS notes that the public had an opportunity to comment on
the underlying rulemakings that established the U.S. BFT quota and the
inseason adjustment and closure criteria.
For all of the above reasons, the AA also finds that pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(d), there is good cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effective date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 23, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-25020 Filed 10-23-24; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
