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

The Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the Coonamessett Farm Foundation contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would allow a participating party/charter fishing vessel to temporarily possess undersized black sea bass for tagging and biological sampling purposes. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Bluefish Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Mackerel and Cobia Advisory Panel (AP) and Cobia Sub-Panel.

Notice is hereby given that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Muckleshoot Tribe, and the Suquamish Tribe have prepared 10 Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans, to be considered jointly, to NMFS pursuant to the limitation on take prohibitions for actions conducted under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The plans specify the propagation of four species of salmon and steelhead in the Duwamish/Green River basin of Washington State. This document serves to notify the public of the availability for comment of the proposed evaluation and pending determination of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) as to whether implementation of the joint plans will appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of ESA- listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound steelhead.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Salmon Bycatch Workshop will meet April 15, 2019 through April 16, 2019.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of two meetings of the Science Advisory Board (SAB). The members will discuss issues outlined in the section on Matters to be considered.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 177th Council meeting by teleconference and webinar to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. The Council will also hold a Biological Opinion Review Advisory Panel meeting by teleconference and webinar. This notice corrects the dates and times for these two meetings and the deadline for written public comments for the 177th Council meeting.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the deep-water species fishery by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the first seasonal apportionment of the Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the deep-water species fishery in the GOA will be reached.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) 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 SEDAR 58 assessment of the Atlantic stock of Cobia will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Data Workshop; Assessment Webinars; and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the B season allowance of the 2019 total allowable catch of pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the GOA.

The Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) announces its annual spring meeting to be held April 15-16, 2019.

NESDIS published a document in the Federal Register on February 11, 2019, establishing a new schedule of fees for special access to NOAA data, information, and related products and services. Several entries in the table of fees were inadvertently transcribed incorrectly, and this rule is necessary to correct those errors. This will avoid confusion among regulated entities and allow NESDIS to charge fees, where appropriate, consistent with its statutory authority to accurately reflect the cost of providing access to certain environmental information, information, and related products and services.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the B season allowance of the 2019 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 620 in the GOA.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is announcing the correction of Amendment 115 to the fishery management plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI Groundfish FMP). NMFS is correcting the numbering of the sections in Amendment 115 describing species-specific essential fish habitat (EFH).

We (NMFS) announce a negative 90-day finding on a petition to list the Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) as a threatened or endangered distinct population segment (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As an alternative to listing a DPS, the petition requests that we list the Cuvier's beaked whale because it is threatened or endangered in a significant portion of its range (SPOIR). The petitioner also requests that we designate critical habitat. We find that the petition and information in our files do not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the Cuvier's beaked whale in the GOM qualifies as a DPS, eligible for listing under the ESA. Similarly, we find that the petition and information readily available in our files do not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing Cuvier's beaked whale as threatened or endangered in a SPOIR may be warranted.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and its advisory entities will hold public meetings. The document listed on the agenda, under the heading, ``Schedule of Ancillary Meetings'', for Day 2, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, that the Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Policy Advisory Committee, 8 a.m. and the Groundfish Electronic Monitoring Technical Advisory Committee, 8 a.m. are meeting, but these meetings have been cancelled. The agenda for the meetings has removed these topics and are corrected as set out in this document.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council and its Committees.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the greater amberjack recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) for the 2018-2019 fishing year through this temporary rule. NMFS has determined that for the 2018-2019 fishing year, the recreational annual catch target (ACT) for Gulf greater amberjack has been met; therefore, the greater amberjack recreational season in the Gulf EEZ will not re-open on May 1, 2019, and will remain closed for the remainder of the current fishing year. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf greater amberjack resource.

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 17 to the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan for review by the Secretary of Commerce. Amendment 17 would remove the pre-specified incidental landing limit that would become effective for live bait were a stock managed under the Fishery Management Plan to become overfished. Currently, if a coastal pelagic species stock were to become overfished, and even prior to adoption of a rebuilding plan, the Fishery Management Plan would automatically limit retention of live bait of that stock to incidentally caught fish with no more than 15 percent of any load being live bait from the overfished stock. The intent of Amendment 17 is to allow the Council flexibility in recommending restrictions on the live bait portion of the fishery when a stock is overfished. NMFS will consider public comments in deciding whether to approve, disapprove, or partially approve Amendment 17.