Department of Commerce May 3, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Skate Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

The Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB) Committee and MSB Advisory Panel of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a joint meeting via webinar.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

NMFS announces the closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area for the remainder of the 2018 fishing year for Limited Access General Category vessels. Vessels subject to this closure may not fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area through March 31, 2019. Regulations require this action once NMFS projects that 100 percent of the Limited Access General Category 2018 total allowable catch for the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area will be harvested.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

We are implementing specifications for the 2018 monkfish fishery, including total allowable landings limits, trip limits, and day-at-sea limits. This action is necessary to ensure allowable monkfish harvest levels that will prevent overfishing and allow harvesting of optimum yield. This action is intended to establish the allowable 2018 harvest levels, consistent with the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan and previously announced multi-year specifications.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this notice announces that NMFS intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to inform its decision of whether to determine that a resource management plan (RMP) jointly developed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Puget Sound Tribes (Tribes), collectively the co-managers, meets requirements under Limit 6 of the ESA 4(d) rule for the ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU), which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The purpose of the RMP is to manage commercial, recreational, ceremonial, and subsistence salmon fisheries potentially affecting the Puget Sound Chinook ESU within the marine and freshwater areas of Puget Sound, from the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca inward, including fisheries under the jurisdiction of the Pacific Salmon Commission's Fraser River Panel. In order for NMFS to make a positive determination under Limit 6 on the RMP, NMFS must conclude that the RMP's management framework is consistent with the criteria under Limit 6. Limit 6 applies to RMPs developed jointly by the States of Washington, Oregon and/or Idaho and the Tribes within the continuing jurisdiction of United States v. Washington or United States v. Oregon. NMFS provides this notice to advise other agencies and the public of our plan to analyze effects related to approval and implementation of the RMP and to obtain suggestions and information that may be useful to the scope of issues and alternatives to include in the EIS.