National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration November 28, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS publishes standard prices and fee percentages for cost recovery for the Amendment 80 Program, the American Fisheries Act (AFA) Program, the Aleutian Islands Pollock (AIP) Program, and the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) groundfish and halibut Programs. The fee percentage for 2016 is 0.37 percent for the Amendment 80 Program, 0.10 percent for the AFA inshore cooperatives, 0.10 percent for the AFA catcher/processor sector, 0.17 percent for the AFA mothership cooperative, 0 percent for the AIP program, and 0.29 percent for the CDQ groundfish and halibut Programs. This action is intended to provide the 2016 standard prices and fee percentages to calculate the required payment for cost recovery fees due by December 31, 2016.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the hogfish recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic for the 2016 fishing year through this temporary rule. NMFS estimates recreational landings from the 2016 fishing year have reached the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for hogfish. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for hogfish in the South Atlantic EEZ on November 30, 2016, through the remainder of the 2016 fishing year. This closure is necessary to protect the hogfish resource in the South Atlantic.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 158th meeting.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) to incidentally harass, by Level A and Level B harassment, marine mammals during construction activities associated with a waterfront improvement project at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Shipyard) in Kittery, Maine.