National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration February 10, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Drs. Chris Harvey and Toby Garfield of NMFS will provide a briefing on the 2022 California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA) Ecosystem Status Report to interested Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) members, advisory body members, and the public.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of research conducted by the applicant. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.

This action serves as a notice that NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has found that Gulf of Mexico gag is now subject to overfishing and overfished; Bering Sea snow crab is now overfished; Atlantic mackerel is still subject to overfishing and overfished; and Georges Bank winter flounder, Southern New England/Mid- Atlantic winter flounder, and Atlantic Coast bluefish are still overfished. NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary, notifies the appropriate regional fishery management council (Council) whenever it determines that a stock or stock complex is subject to overfishing, overfished, or approaching an overfished condition.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Coastal Pelagic Species Management Team and Coastal Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel will hold a joint public 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. Navy (Navy) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during submarine training and testing activities including establishment of a tracking range on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean, north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The Navy's activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (2004 NDAA).