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

Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Iain Kerr, D.H.L., Ocean Alliance, 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 to conduct research on 15 species of whales, including endangered sperm (Physeter macrocephalus), southern right (Eubalaena australis), blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (B. physalus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), and sei (B. borealis) whales.

This action withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2015 (80 FR 16224), to amend the regulations for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS or sanctuary) and to revise the sanctuary's terms of designation and management plan.

NMFS implements an accountability measure for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. Commercial longline landings for golden tilefish are projected to reach the longline component's commercial annual catch limit (ACL) on March 15, 2016. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ on March 15, 2016, and it will remain closed until the start of the next fishing year, January 1, 2017. This closure is necessary to protect the golden tilefish resource.

The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils will hold a Joint Spiny Lobster Review Panel meeting via webinar.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season apportionment of the 2016 Pacific cod total allowable catch allocated to trawl catcher vessels in the BSAI.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting via web conference call of the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council (Council). The web conference call is open to the public, and participants can dial into the call. Participants who choose to use the web conferencing feature in addition to the audio will be able to view the presentations as they are being given.

NMFS is closing the commercial fishery for blacktip sharks and the aggregated large coastal sharks (LCS) and hammerhead shark management groups in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of aggregated LCS and hammerhead sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region for the 2016 fishing season have exceeded 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of March 4, 2016, and the aggregated LCS and hammerhead shark management groups are quota-linked under the current regulations. The blacktip shark fishery in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region will be closed to minimize regulatory discards of aggregate LCS in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region, which are often caught in conjunction with blacktip sharks in the commercial shark fisheries. This closure will affect anyone commercially fishing for sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region.

Notice is hereby given that the Stewardship Division, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce is announcing a thirty (30) day public comment period for the revised Management Plan for Padilla Bay, Washington National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan revision. In accordance with 15 CFR 921.33(c), the Padilla Bay Reserve revised its Management Plan, which will replace the plan previously approved in 2008. The revised Management Plan outlines the administrative structure; the research/monitoring, stewardship, education, and training programs of the Reserve; and the plans for future land acquisition and facility development to support Reserve operations. The Padilla Bay Reserve takes an integrated approach to management, linking research, education, coastal training, and stewardship functions. The Reserve has outlined how it will manage administration and its core program providing detailed actions that will enable it to accomplish specific goals and objectives. Since the last Management Plan, the Reserve has built out its core programs and monitoring infrastructure; conducted an educational market analysis and needs assessment to better meet teacher needs and underserved audiences; developed a Reserve Disaster Response Plan; and improved public access to the Reserve through construction of a new boat launch ramp and enhanced trails. Since the last management plan was approved in 2008, the Padilla Bay Reserve has acquired an additional 110 acres of tidelands inside the Reserve boundary. With the approval of this management plan, the Padilla Bay Reserve will increase their total acreage to 11,966. The change is attributable to the recent acquisitions of several parcels by Reserve state agency, totaling 110 acres. All of the proposed additions are owned by the Washington Department of Ecology and will be managed for long-term protection and conservation value. These parcels have high ecological value and will enhance the Reserve's ability to provide increased opportunities for research, education, and stewardship. The revised Management Plan will serve as the guiding document for the expanded 11,966 acre Padilla Bay Reserve. View the Padilla Bay, Washington Reserve Management Plan revision at www.padillabay.gov/publications.asp and provide comments to Sharon Riggs, sriggs@padillabay.gov.

NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2016 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006. This proposed rule would allocate 17.5% of the U.S. Total Allowable Catch of Pacific whiting for 2016 to Pacific Coast Indian tribes that have a Treaty right to harvest groundfish.

This action adjusts initial 2016 annual catch limits for the Atlantic herring fishery to account for the under-harvest and overages of fishing year 2014 sub-annual catch limits. The 2015 specifications will remain in place after December 31, 2015, until NMFS sets new specifications through a 2016-2018 fishery specifications final rule, which NMFS expects to publish in the spring of 2016. In accordance with the regulations implementing the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, this action uses final herring catch data from 2014 for determining what under-harvest and overages occurred in fishing year 2014, and adjusts the initial 2016 annual catch limits for the four management areas (Areas 1A, 1B, 2, and 3). In addition, this action adjusts the initial 2016 stock-wide annual catch limit to account for any management area overages incurred in 2014. In order to ensure that carryover pounds do not cause overfishing of the herring resource, area-specific carryover does not increase the initial stock-wide catch allocation. This action is necessary to ensure that NMFS accounts for herring catch consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.

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 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 is seeking information regarding nations whose vessels are engaged in illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing, bycatch of protected living marine resources (PLMRs), and/or fishing activities in waters beyond any national jurisdiction that target or incidentally catch sharks. Such information will be reviewed for the purposes of the identification of nations pursuant to the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (Moratorium Protection Act).

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2016. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2016 and will be announced in a future notice.

Notice is hereby given that the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Room 207, Miami, FL 33149 [Responsible Party: Dr. Bonnie Ponwith, Ph.D.], has applied in due form for a permit to take loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and unidentified hardshell sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Committee Meeting on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 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.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, 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.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Habitat Committee 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.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2016 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS increases the trip limit in the commercial sector for king mackerel in the Florida east coast subzone to 75 fish per day in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This trip limit increase is necessary to maximize the socioeconomic benefits associated with harvesting the king mackerel commercial quota.

Notice is hereby given that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, the Skokomish Tribe, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service have submitted 10 Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans, to be considered jointly, to NMFS pursuant to the limitation on take prohibitions for actions conducted under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The plans specify the propagation of five species of salmon in the Hood Canal region of Washington State. This document serves to notify the public of the availability for comment of the proposed evaluation of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) as to whether implementation of the joint plans will appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of ESA- listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound steelhead. This notice further advises the public of the availability for review of a draft Environmental Assessment of the effects of the NMFS determination on the subject joint plans.

NMFS proposes to modify recreational fishery management measures for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock, including daily bag limits, size limits, and seasonal possession restrictions. This action is necessary to increase recreational fishing opportunities and catch of cod and haddock in a manner consistent with anticipated catch limit increases. The intended effect of this action is to ensure the recreational fishery can achieve but not exceed its catch limits.

NMFS and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) announce their intent to prepare an EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 to analyze the impacts on the human (biological, physical, social, and economic) environment of gear changes in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery's Trawl Catch Share Program, also called the Trawl Rationalization Program. This notice also requests written comment.

NMFS publishes the standard ex-vessel prices and fee percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program. This action is intended to provide participants in a rockfish cooperative with the standard prices and fee percentage for the 2015 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The fee percentage is 3.0 percent. The fee liability payments were due from each rockfish cooperative by February 15, 2016.