Department of Commerce January 5, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes regulations implementing Amendment 90 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Amendment 78 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. This proposed regulation would amend the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Amendment 80 Program and the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program to allow post-delivery transfers of cooperative quota to cover overages. This action is necessary to mitigate potential overages, reduce enforcement costs, and provide for more precise total allowable catch management. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Fishery Management Plans, and other applicable law.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding for a petition to list Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific information indicating the petitioned action may be warranted. We will conduct a status review of Atlantic wolffish to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, we solicit information pertaining to this species from any interested party.

NMFS proposes a regulation to implement the annual harvest guideline (HG) for Pacific sardine in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast for the fishing season of January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009. This HG is proposed according to the regulations implementing the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and establishes allowable harvest levels for Pacific sardine off the Pacific coast. The proposed initial HG for the 2009 fishing year is 65,732 mt and is proposed to be divided across the seasonal allocation periods in the following way: January 1-June 30, 22,006 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 1,000 mt; July 1-September 14, 25,293 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 1,000 mt; September 15-December 31, 11,933 mt would be allocated for directed harvest with an incidental set-aside of 4,500 mt. If during any of the seasonal allocation periods the applicable adjusted directed harvest allocation is projected to be taken, fishing would be closed to directed harvest and only incidental harvest would be allowed.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued Permit 1075 Modification 1 to the Eel River Salmon Restoration Project (ERSRP) in Miranda, California.

This notice advises the public that NOAA, FWS, the State of Hawai`i's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the Office of Hawai`ian Affairs have completed a Monument Management Plan (MMP) for the Papahaanaumokuaakea Marine National Monument (Monument) located in the Northwestern Hawai`ian Islands (NWHI). The Monument's resources, and current and future management activities, are described in the MMP and associated environmental assessment (EA). The NOAA and FWS developed separate findings of no significant impact (FONSIs) to address each agency's MMP/EA findings. Both FONSIs are available with the MMP/EA.