National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) will convene a conference call of its ad hoc Ecosystem Work Group (EWG). A listening station will be available at the Pacific Council offices for interested members of the public.

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 announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 14 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (Amendment 14), incorporating the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), for review by the Secretary of Commerce, and is requesting comments from the public.

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.

We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive review of the status of river herring (alewife and blueback herring) in response to a petition submitted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) requesting that we list alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) throughout all or a significant portion of their range or as specific distinct population segments (DPS) identified in the petition. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) completed a comprehensive stock assessment for river herring in May 2012 which covers over 50 river specific stocks throughout the range of the species in the United States. The ASMFC stock assessment contained much of the information necessary to make an ESA listing determination for both species; however, any deficiencies were addressed through focused workshops and working group meetings and review of additional sources of information. Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, we have determined that listing alewife as threatened or endangered under the ESA is not warranted at this time. Additionally, based on the best scientific and commercial information available, we have determined that listing blueback herring as threatened or endangered under the ESA is not warranted at this time.

The SEDAR assessment of the Caribbean stocks of Red Hind will consist of several workshops and a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Notice is hereby given that an application for a public display permit (File No. 17324) submitted by the Georgia Aquarium Inc., 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, has been denied.

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 National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has finalized the publication of new realizations of three geodetic references frames that have all carried the name of ``the North American Datum of 1983'' (or ``NAD 83''). The new realizations are NAD 83 (2011) epoch 2010.00 [for the North America and Caribbean tectonic plates], NAD 83 (MA11) epoch 2010.00 [for the Mariana tectonic plate] and NAD 83 (PA11) epoch 2010.00 [for the Pacific tectonic plate]. These three realizations supersede all previous NAD 83 realizations, including CORS96, NSRS2007, PACP00 and MARP00, for all epochs prior to 2010.00 (January 1, 2010). This notice complements, but does not replace, the affirmation of NAD 83 as the official civilian horizontal datum for the United States surveying and mapping activities performed or financed by the Federal Government (Federal Register Notice, 54 FR 25318, June 14, 1989).

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel (AP) will meet to develop a Fishery Performance Report for the Spiny Dogfish fishery in preparation for the Council and the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) review of specifications that have been set for the 2014 fishing year.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

This document makes a technical correction to the final 2013 annual catch limit specifications for western Pacific fisheries that were published in the Federal Register on March 13, 2013.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Regulatory Amendment 18 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) (Regulatory Amendment 18), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council). This rule updates the annual catch limits (ACLs) for vermilion snapper and red porgy, modifies the vermilion snapper commercial trip limit, and removes the recreational 5-month seasonal closure for vermilion snapper. The purpose of this rule is to help achieve optimum yield (OY) for snapper-grouper resources in accordance with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Committee and Ad Hoc Trawl Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Technical Advisory Committee (GEM Committees) will hold a work session, which is open to the public.

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), are issuing a 12-month finding on a petition to delist the Southern Resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We listed the Southern Resident killer whale DPS as endangered under the ESA in 2005. We accepted the petition to delist the Southern Resident killer whale DPS on November 27, 2012, initiating a public comment period and a status review. Based on our review of the petition, public comments, and the best available scientific information, we find that delisting the Southern Resident killer whale DPS is not warranted.

NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for commercial snowy grouper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. Commercial landings for snowy grouper, as estimated by the Science and Research Director (SRD), are projected to reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) (commercial quota) on August 10, 2013. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial sector for snowy grouper in the South Atlantic EEZ on August 10, 2013, and it will remain closed until the start of the next fishing season, January 1, 2014. This closure is necessary to protect the snowy grouper resource.

NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), is publishing this supplemental NOI to provide notice to the public of the broadened scope of Amendment 22 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery in the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 22) and to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS. The Council modified Amendment 22 to include all snapper-grouper species with low annual catch limits (ACLs), not just red snapper, in a harvest tag program. The intent of Amendment 22 is to closely control recreational harvest of snapper-grouper species with low ACLs.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement management measures described in a framework action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule revises the vermilion snapper recreational bag limit, revises the yellowtail snapper stock annual catch limit (ACL), and removes the requirement for reef fish vessels to have onboard and use a venting tool when releasing reef fish. The purpose of this rule is to help achieve optimum yield (OY) and prevent overfishing of vermilion and yellowtail snapper, reduce the unnecessary burden to fishers associated with venting reef fish, and minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit Application contains all the required information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would exempt participating commercial fishing vessels from the escape vent, trap limits, and trap tag requirements of the Federal lobster regulations in order to help determine the abundance and distribution of juvenile American lobsters at the Massachusetts and Rhode Island offshore wind farm area. The research is being conducted by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

This notice advises the public that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene meetings of the Northern Mariana Islands Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee (REAC) in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Department of Commerce's Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration has renewed the charter for the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) for a period of time that is either 90 days after the government's Third National Climate Assessment is released to the public or two years from the date of the filing of the charter with the appropriate U.S. Senate and House of Representatives oversight committees, which ever date is earlier. The NCADAC is a federal advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463).

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council will hold scoping meetings to obtain input from fishers, the general public, and the local agencies representatives on the development of island-specific fishery management plans for Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John, USVI and St. Croix, USVI.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to delist the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.

The Groundfish Subcommittee of the Pacific Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will convene a teleconference, which is open to the public. To attend the SSC Groundfish Subcommittee teleconference, participants need to dial the following toll-free number and, when requested, the access code for the teleconference: telephone: (866) 781-8576; Access code: 67358852

NMFS issues this final rule to implement management measures described in Regulatory Amendment 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (FMP), as prepared by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council). This rule establishes minimum size limits for parrotfish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The purpose of this final rule is to provide protection from harvest to parrotfish and to assist the stock in achieving optimum yield (OY).