National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration February 13, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the framework procedures for adjusting management measures specified in regulations implementing the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf FMP) and the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (South Atlantic FMP), NMFS issues this final rule to consolidate and make modifications to the Bycatch Reduction Device Testing Manuals (Manual) for the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic regions. This final rule also revises the bycatch reduction device (BRD) certification criterion for the western Gulf of Mexico and certifies additional BRDs. The intended effect of this final rule is to improve bycatch reduction in the shrimp fisheries and better meet the requirements of national standard 9.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Crab Advisory Committee, in Anchorage, AK.

Notice is hereby given that the Scripps Institute of Oceanography [Responsible Party/Principal Investigator: John Hildebrand, Ph.D.] has been issued a permit to conduct scientific research on marine mammals.

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 is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher processors using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2008 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to catcher processors using hook-and- line gear in the BSAI.