National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 1, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). The members will discuss and provide advice on issues outlined under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.

This fishery management plan (FMP) amendment addresses Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) fishery management measures in the U.S. Caribbean territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are substantial differences between some segments of the U.S. Caribbean HMS fisheries and the HMS fisheries that occur off the mainland of the United States, including: Limited fishing permit and dealer permit possession; smaller vessels; limited availability of processing and cold storage facilities; shorter trips; limited profit margins; and high local consumption of catches. These differences create an awkward fit between current federal HMS fishery regulations and the traditional operation of small-scale Caribbean HMS fisheries, and some small-scale commercial fishermen in the Caribbean may not be currently operating consistently with HMS fishing and dealer reporting requirements. NMFS is implementing management measures through this rulemaking that amend the HMS fishery management regulations in the U.S. Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to better manage the traditional small-scale commercial HMS fishing fleet in the U.S. Caribbean Region, enhance fishing opportunities and improve profits for the fleet, and to provide us with an improved capability to monitor and sustainably manage those fisheries. This final rule creates an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat (CCSB) permit, which allows fishing for and sale of bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack (BAYS) tunas, Atlantic swordfish, and Atlantic sharks within local U.S. Caribbean markets. Management measures under the CCSB permit include specific species authorizations and retention limits, reporting requirement modifications, specific gear authorizations, vessel size restrictions, and mandatory workshop training. Additionally, NMFS stipulates that the CCSB permit cannot be held in combination with any other HMS permit.

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.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its 111th Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), Executive and Budget Standing Committee, and 155th Council to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Steller Sea Lion Mitigation Committee (SSLMC) will meet in Juneau, AK.