National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration July 20, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 1 to the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan (FMP), Amendment 1 to the St. Croix FMP, and Amendment 1 to the St. Thomas and St. John FMP (jointly Amendments 1), as submitted by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule and Amendments 1 prohibit the use of buoy gear by the recreational sector in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters and modify the regulatory definition of buoy gear to increase the maximum number of allowable hooks used by the commercial sector in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters from 10 to 25. The purpose of this final rule and Amendments 1 is to allow commercial fishermen targeting deep-water fish, including snappers and groupers, in the U.S. Caribbean Federal waters to use buoy gear with up to 25 hooks, while protecting deep-water reef fish resources and habitats and minimizing user conflicts.

NMFS has received a request from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to ferry berth construction in Tongass Narrows in Ketchikan, Alaska. 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.

This notice invites non-Federal entities to partner with the ocean and coastal mapping programs of NOAA's National Ocean Service on jointly-funded projects of mutual interest, and establishes selection criteria and submission requirements for such projects under the NOAA Rear Admiral Richard T. Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund program. With this funding opportunity, NOAA will match selected non-Federal partners at a 70:30 NOAA: partner ratio for projects totaling up to $1,000,000, and proposing to contract for ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes mapping data. Selected non-Federal partners further benefit from this opportunity by leveraging NOAA's contracting (NOAA has a pool of pre- qualified technical experts in surveying and mapping) and data management expertise. This ocean and coastal mapping funding opportunity is subject to the availability of funds.

We, NMFS, published a proposed rule on April 7, 2023 to list the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in response to a petition from the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and VIVA Vaquita to list the species. Following publication of this proposed rule, NMFS became aware of cartographic guidance bulletin 38, issued by the Department of State's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues on December 16, 2020, and determined that the preamble to our proposed rule was not in alignment with the guidance. This correction removes all references to the name ``Western Sahara'' from the proposed rule's preamble and identifies Morocco as a country within the species' range, per the guidance. Additionally, this correction includes changes to the ``International Regulatory Mechanisms'' subsection of the proposed rule resulting from the inclusion of Morocco as a range country for the Atlantic humpback dolphin (S. teuszii). We are also reopening the public comment period for the proposed rule.