National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration December 22, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In this rule, NMFS issues revised final 2017 and 2018 specifications for the summer flounder fishery, which include commercial and recreational catch limits and prohibit federally permitted commercial fishing vessels from landing summer flounder in Delaware in 2017 due to continued quota repayment from previous years' overages. NMFS also announces a black sea bass commercial accountability measure that revises the 2017 annual catch target and commercial quota to account for a catch overage in 2015. These actions are necessary to comply with regulations implementing the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, and to ensure compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The intent of this action is to establish harvest levels and other management measures based on updated scientific information to ensure that summer flounder are not overfished or subject to overfishing in 2017 and 2018, and to enact the catch limit adjustments that are required by the fishery management plan.

NMFS announces its intent to conduct 5-year reviews for the black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) and the white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). Both the black abalone and white abalone are listed as endangered under the ESA. NMFS is required by the ESA to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of the species are accurate. The 5-year reviews must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time. We request submission of any such information on black abalone and white abalone, particularly information on the status, threats, and recovery of the species that has become available since the final listing decision for white abalone in May 2001 and black abalone in January 2009.