National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration September 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS approves regulations to implement Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan Framework Adjustment 5 management measures and 2018-2019 specifications for the skate fishery. The action is necessary to establish skate specifications to be consistent with the most recent scientific information and improve management of the skate fisheries. This action is intended to establish appropriate catch limits for the skate fishery and to provide additional operational flexibility to fishery participants.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its System Management Plan (SMP) Workgroup via webinar.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) in October 2018.

NMFS hereby publishes an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to solicit comments on modifying the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's Massachusetts Trap/Pot Restricted Area and the Great South Channel Trap/Pot Restricted Area to allow trap/pot fishing that does not use vertical buoy lines (referred to as buoy-lineless or ropeless gear) prior to gear retrieval. NMFS is requesting comments on this possible action including whether opening these areas that are currently closed to trap/pot fishing would provide an economic benefit or incentive for buoy-lineless fishing development and to assess interest from industry for buoy-lineless fishing in these areas.

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (``ACCRES'' or ``the Committee'') will meet October 18, 2018.

This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in California recreational groundfish fisheries. This action, which is authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, is intended to allow recreational fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for dusky rockfish in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 total allowable catch of dusky rockfish in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by hook- and-line catcher/processors in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the annual allowance of the 2018 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to hook-and-line catcher/processors in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Law Enforcement Technical Committee (LETC), in conjunction with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission's Law Enforcement Committee (LEC).

In preparation for the 2018 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT is announcing the convening of its fall meeting.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) seeks public comment on our User Manual for Optional User Spreadsheet Tool (Version 2.0) (User Manual) for NMFS' 2018 Revisions to Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing: Underwater Acoustic Thresholds for Onset of Permanent and Temporary Threshold Shifts (2018 Revised Technical Guidance). This User Manual provides detailed instructions and examples on how to use NMFS' optional User Spreadsheet tool, which incorporates the 2018 Revised Technical Guidance's acoustic threshold levels to determine whether and how sound-producing activities are expected to result in hearing impacts to marine mammals.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for northern rockfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 northern rockfish initial total allowable catch (ITAC) specified for the BSAI.

NMFS transfers 60 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from the Reserve category to the September 2018 subquota period and closes the General category fishery for large medium and giant BFT until the General category reopens on October 1, 2018. The quota transfer is intended to provide additional fishing opportunities based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments and applies to Atlantic tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. Given that the adjusted quota is projected to be caught quickly, the closure is to prevent overharvest of the adjusted General category September 2018 BFT subquota.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the cauliflower coral (Pocillopora meandrina) in Hawaii as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The petition requested that the Hawaii population of P. meandrina be considered a significant portion of the range of the species, and that the species be listed because of its status in Hawaii. Our policy on the interpretation of the phrase ``Significant Portion of Its Range'' (SPR) under the ESA states that, before undergoing an SPR analysis, we must first find that the species is neither endangered nor threatened throughout all of its range. Therefore, we interpret the petition as a request to consider the status of P. meandrina throughout its range first. We find that the petition and other readily available information in our files indicates that P. meandrina may warrant listing as a threatened species or an endangered species throughout its range. Thus, we will initiate a global status review of P. meandrina to determine whether listing it throughout its range is warranted. If not, we will determine if Hawaii constitutes an SPR, and proceed accordingly. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information pertaining to P. meandrina from any interested party.

Notice is hereby given that permits or permit amendments have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific & Statistical 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.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Mackerel Advisory Panel via webinar.

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 New England Fishery Management Council submitted the New England Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus Amendment, incorporating the Environmental Assessment and the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, for review by the Secretary of Commerce. NMFS is requesting comments from the public on the proposed amendment, which was developed to allow for industry-funded monitoring in New England Council fishery management plans and implement industry-funded monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery. This amendment would ensure consistency in industry-funded monitoring programs across New England fisheries and increase monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery.

NMFS is prohibiting retention of ``other flatfish'' in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2018 ``other flatfish'' initial total allowable catch (ITAC) in the BSAI has been reached.