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

The SEDAR 88 assessment of Gulf of Mexico red grouper will consist of a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS has received a request from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC (Atlantic Shores) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to marine site characterization surveys in waters off of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, including in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Areas OCS-A 0499, OCS-A 0541, OCS-A 0549, and associated export cable corridor (ECC) areas. 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 has received a request from US Wind, Inc., (US Wind) for Incidental Take Regulations (ITR) and an associated Letter of Authorization (LOA) pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The requested regulations would govern the authorization of take, by Level A harassment and Level B harassment, of small number of marine mammals over the course of 5 years (2025-2029) incidental to construction of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project offshore of Maryland within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Area OCS-A 0490 (Lease Area) and associated Export Cable Routes. Project activities likely to result in incidental take include impact pile driving and site assessment surveys using high-resolution geophysical (HRG) equipment. NMFS requests comments on its proposed rule. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the promulgation of the requested ITR and issuance of the LOA; agency responses to public comments will be summarized in the final notice of our decision. The proposed regulations, if issued, would be effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee Informational meeting will be held.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

NMFS corrects the final rule that implemented management measures described in Amendment 49 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), which published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2023. For greater amberjack, that final rule revised the sector annual catch limits (ACLs), the commercial minimum size limit, the commercial seasonal trip limits, and the April spawning season closure. In addition, Amendment 49 revised the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, annual optimum yield, and sector allocations of the total ACL, as well as removed the recreational annual catch targets for species in the FMP. In that final rule, NMFS inadvertently neglected to include a previously contained commercial quota provision that did not change through Amendment 49, and did not include a commercial trip limit paragraph heading that did not change through Amendment 49. The purpose of this correcting amendment is to fix these errors.

The Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) Steering Committee will convene a public meeting to discuss and approve the 5- year calendar for stock assessments, and to address any other concerns related to the WPSAR process.

The SEDAR 89 assessment of the South Atlantic stock of tilefish will consist of a series of LH-TWG webinars. A SEDAR 89 LH-TWG Webinar is scheduled for January 24, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee 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.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Committee of the Whole (COTW) will hold a 2-day in-person work session that is open to the public.

NMFS issues final Atlantic bluefish specifications for the 2024 fishing year and projects specifications for fishing year 2025, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels for the stock to prevent overfishing and promote rebuilding, using the best scientific information available. This action also informs the public of the expected specifications for fishing year 2025.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2023 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of New York. This adjustment to the 2023 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2023 commercial quotas for North Carolina and New York.

NMFS published a final rule on November 29, 2023, to announce routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial and recreational groundfish fisheries for the 2024 fishing year. That rule is intended to allow commercial and recreational fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks. This action corrects the trip limits for the limited entry (LE) fixed gear and open access (OA) fleets for ``Other Flatfish'' (butter sole, curlfin sole, flathead sole, Pacific sanddab, rex sole, rock sole, and sand sole) south of latitude (lat.) 40[deg]10' North (N). This correction is necessary so that the implementing regulations are accurate and implement the action as intended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council). This action also corrects a final rule published on December 1, 2023.

This rule corrects 2024 harvest specifications for several species of groundfish where the numerical values were mathematically calculated incorrectly and do not accurately reflect the harvest policy recommendations of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council). These harvest specifications are for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone seaward of Washington, Oregon, and California, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). This rule revises harvest limits or allocations that were previously calculated based on incorrect annual catch limits (ACLs). This action implements corrected numerical values that align with the Council's intended harvest policy decisions and considers the most recent fishery information available at the time those policies were recommended.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from catcher vessels using trawl gear to vessels using jig gear, catcher/processors using trawl gear, and catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet (15.2 meters (m)) length overall using hook-and- line gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to allow the 2023 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod to be harvested.

NMFS has received a request from the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture (CTJV) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project (PTST) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. 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.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting comments from the public regarding a proposed revision of the management plan for the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. A management plan provides a framework for the direction and timing of a reserve's programs; allows reserve managers to assess a reserve's success in meeting its goals and to identify any necessary changes in direction; and is used to guide programmatic evaluations of the reserve. Plan revisions are required of each reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System at least every five years. This revised plan is intended to replace the plan approved in 2015.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee Subgroup (SSC Subgroup) meeting will be held.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2023 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of New Jersey. This adjustment to the 2023 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2023 commercial quotas for North Carolina and New Jersey.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a 2 day in-person meeting of its Ad Hoc Charter For-hire Data Collection Advisory Panel.

NMFS is adjusting the 2024 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the BSAI pollock, Atka mackerel, and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amounts based on the best scientific information available. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area.

NMFS is adjusting the 2024 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the GOA pollock and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amount based on the best scientific information available for pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

NMFS publishes inseason orders to regulate treaty tribal and non-tribal (all citizen) commercial salmon fisheries in United States (U.S.) waters of the Fraser River Panel (Panel) Area. The orders were issued by the (Panel) of the Pacific Salmon Commission (Commission) and subsequently approved and issued by NMFS during 2023 for pink salmon fisheries within the U.S. Panel Area. These orders established fishing dates, times, and areas for the gear types of U.S. treaty tribal and all citizen commercial fisheries during the period the Panel exercised jurisdiction over these fisheries.

We, NMFS, will hold seven public hearings related to our proposed rule to designate critical habitat for five threatened corals in U.S. waters in the Indo-Pacific (Acropora globiceps, Acropora retusa, Acropora speciosa, Euphyllia paradivisa, and Isopora crateriformis) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).