Department of Commerce August 9, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is prohibiting retention of blackspotted/rougheye rockfish in the Western and Central Aleutian Districts of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2019 blackspotted/rougheye rockfish total allowable catch (TAC) in the Western and Central Districts of the BSAI has been reached.

NMFS has received a request from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for the re-issuance of a previously issued incidental harassment authorization (IHA) with the only change being effective dates that are ten months later (August 1, 2019-July 31, 2020). The initial IHA authorized take of 12 species of marine mammals, by Level A and Level B harassment, incidental to construction associated with the Mukilteo Multimodal Project in Mukilteo, Washington. The project has been delayed and none of the work covered in the initial IHA (effective October 1, 2018-September 30, 2019) has been conducted. The scope of the activities and anticipated effects remain the same, authorized take numbers would not change, and the required mitigation, monitoring, and reporting would remain the same as authorized in the 2018 IHA referenced above. NMFS is, therefore, issuing a second IHA to cover the identical incidental take analyzed and authorized in the initial IHA.