National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration July 25, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues a final rule that implements Amendment 89 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) to establish Bering Sea habitat conservation measures. Amendment 89 prohibits nonpelagic trawling in certain waters of the Bering Sea subarea to protect bottom habitat from the potential adverse effects of nonpelagic trawling. Amendment 89 also establishes the Northern Bering Sea Research Area for studying the impacts of nonpelagic trawling on bottom habitat. This rule is necessary to protect portions of the Bering Sea subarea bottom habitat from the potential effects of nonpelagic trawling and to provide the opportunity to further study the effects of nonpelagic trawling on bottom habitat. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.

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.