National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May 1, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NOAA is soliciting nominations for members of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB is the only Federal Advisory Committee with the responsibility to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans, Atmosphere, and NOAA Administrator on long and short range strategies for research, education, and application of science to resource management and environmental assessment and prediction. The SAB consists of approximately fifteen members reflecting the full breadth of NOAA's areas of responsibility and assists NOAA in maintaining a complete and accurate understanding of scientific issues critical to the agency's missions.

This final rule approves sector operations plans and contracts, including 18 regulatory exemptions for fishing years 2023 and 2024. This final rule also allocates Northeast multispecies annual catch entitlements to approved groundfish sectors for fishing year 2023; this includes default specifications for nine stocks. This action is intended to allow limited access permit holders to continue to operate sectors, as authorized under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and to exempt sectors from certain effort control regulations to improve the efficiency and economics of sector vessels. Approval of sector operations plans and contracts is necessary to allocate annual catch entitlements to the sectors in order for sectors to operate.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a joint public meeting of its Monkfish and Dogfish Committees via webinar 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.