National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 27, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is changing the accounting system and accountability measures implemented last year for fishing year 2012 Northeast multispecies fishery sector annual catch entitlement carryover used during fishing year 2013. This change implements a stock level pound- for-pound payback accountability measure if a sector uses its 2012 carryover and both the sector sub-annual catch limit and the overall annual catch limit are exceeded. This rule is necessary to comply with an April 4, 2014, ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that invalidated and vacated the fishing year 2013 carryover measures.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public hearing to obtain comments from fishers, the general public and the local agencies representatives on the proposed actions for closed seasons in each of the Abrir la Sierra, Bajo de Sico and Tourmaline Bank closed areas.

NMFS issues this final rule to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (Plan). This rule revises the management measures for reducing the incidental mortality and serious injury to the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in commercial trap/pot and gillnet fisheries to further the goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The measures identified in the Plan are also intended to benefit minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), which are not classified as strategic stocks under the MMPA, but are known to be taken incidentally in commercial fisheries.