National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration November 2, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Ecosystem Workgroup (EWG) is holding an online meeting, which is open to the public.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Executive Committee via webinar to discuss the Council budget.

NMFS announces its request for applications for the 2023 shark research fishery from commercial shark fishermen with directed or incidental shark limited access permits. The shark research fishery allows for the collection of fishery-dependent and biological data for future stock assessments and to meet the research objectives of the Agency. The only commercial vessels authorized to land sandbar sharks are those participating in the shark research fishery. Shark research fishery permittees may also land other large coastal sharks (LCS), small coastal sharks (SCS), smoothhound, and pelagic sharks. Commercial shark fishermen who are interested in participating in the shark research fishery need to submit a completed Shark Research Fishery Permit Application to be considered.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy on behalf of NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities associated with the relocation of NOAA research vessels at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, 1-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 23 to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 23 was developed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to establish a revised Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan, set the 2023 Atlantic mackerel specifications and a river herring and shad catch cap for the Atlantic mackerel fishery, establish a recreational possession limit, and modify in-season closure measures. This action is necessary to prevent overfishing and rebuild the Atlantic mackerel stock based on a 2021 management track assessment that found the Atlantic mackerel stock remains overfished and subject to overfishing. The intended effect of this rule is to sustainably manage the Atlantic mackerel fishery and achieve optimum yield on a continuing basis.