National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 1, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This proposed rule would establish the 2008 first trimester season quotas for large coastal sharks (LCS), small coastal sharks (SCS), and pelagic sharks based on over- or underharvests from the 2007 first trimester season. This proposed action would provide advance notice of quotas and season dates for the Atlantic commercial shark fishery. It would also ensure the measures in this action are in place until they are replaced by those implemented under Amendment 2 to the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) even if Amendment 2 is finalized after the start of the second trimester season (May 1, 2008). As such, this action constitutes the regulatory action to determine quotas and season lengths for LCS, SCS and pelagic sharks for the 2008 second trimester season.

NOAA Fisheries announces three inseason actions in the ocean salmon fisheries. Inseason action 5, in the commercial fishery in the area from the Humbug Mountain, Oregon, to the Oregon-California Border (Oregon KMZ subarea), closed the fishery effective Tuesday, August 14, 2007. Inseason action 6, in the recreational fishery in the area from the U.S.-Canada Border to Leadbetter Point, Washington, (Neah Bay, La Push and Westport subareas), expanded the fishing days from 2 to 7 days per week effective Friday, August 17, 2007. Inseason action 7, in the commercial fishery from Cape Falcon, Oregon, to Humbug Mountain, Oregon, closed the non-selective coho fishery effective 11:59 p.m. Monday, August 20, 2007. All other restrictions and regulations remained in effect as announced for the 2007 Ocean Salmon Fisheries and previous inseason actions.

NOAA Fisheries announces two inseason actions in the ocean salmon fisheries. Inseason action 8 modified the recreational fishery from Queets River, Washington, to Cape Falcon, Oregon (Westport and Columbia River subareas)and inseason action 9 modified the commercial fishery from Cape Falcon, Oregon, to Humbug Mountain, Oregon. Inseason action 8 transferred 5000 coho from the Westport subarea to the Columbia River subarea with a resulting increase in the Columbia river subarea quota of 4250 coho. Inseason action 9 reopened the non-selective coho fishery from August 25-28, 2007. All other restrictions and regulations remained in effect as announced for the 2007 ocean salmon fisheries and previous inseason actions.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement measures contained in Framework Adjustment 7 (Framework 7) to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Framework 7 will broaden the FMP stock status determination criteria for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass, while maintaining objective and measurable criteria for identifying when the FMP stocks are overfished or approaching an overfished condition. The framework action will also establish acceptable categories of peer review for providing new or revised stock status determination criteria for the Council to use in its annual management measures for each species. This action is necessary to ensure that changes or modification to the stock status determination criteria constituting the best available peer reviewed scientific information are accessible for the management of these three species in as timely a manner as is possible. The intended effect of this action is to improve the timeliness and efficiency of incorporating the best available scientific information, consistent with National Standards 1 and 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), into the management processes for the three species covered by the FMP.

NMFS announces that State of Florida is transferring commercial bluefish quota to the State of New Jersey from its 2007 quota. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.