National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration November 29, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
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Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Missile Launch Operations From San Nicolas Island, CA
In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a letter of authorization (LOA) has been issued to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, U.S. Navy (Navy), to take three species of seals and sea lions incidental to missile launch operations from San Nicolas Island (SNI), California, a military readiness activity.
Fisheries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean; Pelagic Fisheries; Vessel Identification Requirements
NMFS hereby revises vessel identification requirements for fishing vessels with west coast highly migratory species (HMS) permits that are required under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species and for U.S. vessels fishing under the U.S.-Canada Albacore Treaty. The new measures allow these vessels to be marked in accordance with international standards that were implemented in early 2010 by NMFS for vessels fishing on the high seas in the area of application of the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention Area). Currently, the marking requirements for fishing vessels with west coast HMS permits or under the U.S.-Canada Albacore Treaty do not comport with these international standards. These new measures require vessels that fish in the Convention Area to display at all times their International Radio Call Sign (IRCS), or if an IRCS has not been assigned to the vessel, the vessel is required to display its official number, preceded by the characters ``USA-.'' The intent of this action is to bring the existing vessel identification requirements for U.S. vessels with west coast HMS permits or under the U.S.-Canada Albacore Treaty into conformity with the binding vessel identification requirements adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Revisions to Pacific Cod Fishing in the Parallel Fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area
NMFS issues regulations to limit access of Federally permitted pot and hook-and-line catcher/processors (C/Ps) to the Pacific cod fishery in Alaska State waters within 3 nautical miles of shore adjacent to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The affected fishery is commonly known as the ``parallel'' fishery. The parallel fishery is managed by the State of Alaska concurrent with the Federal pot and hook-and-line fishery for Pacific cod in the BSAI. This rule limits access by Federally permitted vessels to the parallel fishery for Pacific cod in three ways. First, it requires an owner of a Federally permitted pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel used to catch Pacific cod in the State of Alaska parallel fishery to be issued the same endorsements on his or her Federal fisheries permit (FFP) or license limitation program (LLP) license as currently are required for catching Pacific cod in the Federal waters of the BSAI. Second, it provides that the owner of a pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel who surrenders an FFP will not be reissued a new FFP for that vessel within the 3-year term of the permit. Third, it requires an operator of any Federally permitted pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel used to catch Pacific cod in the parallel fishery to comply with the same seasonal closures of Pacific cod that apply in the Federal fishery. These three measures are necessary to limit some C/Ps from catching a greater amount of Pacific cod in the parallel fishery than has been allocated to their sector from the BSAI total allowable catch. Maintaining Pacific cod catch amounts within BSAI sector allocations also will reduce the potential for shortened Pacific cod seasons for C/Ps in the Federal fishery. These three measures will improve the effectiveness of NMFS' catch accounting and monitoring requirements on vessels participating in the parallel fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and other applicable laws.
List of Fisheries for 2012
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2012, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The final LOF for 2012 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of serious injury and mortality of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery in the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements.
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