National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Marine Fisheries Service publishes IFQ standard prices for the IFQ Cost Recovery Program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits information to calculate the payments required for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2006.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processor vessels using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2005 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod specified for catcher/processor vessels using hook-and-line gear in the BSAI.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publishes this notice to announce the availability of draft Prospectuses for four of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) Synthesis and Assessment Products (Products) for public comment. These draft Prospectuses address the following CCSP Topics: Product 1.3 Reanalysis of Historical Climate Data for Key Atmospheric Features: Implications for Attribution of Causes of Observed Change; Product 4.1 Coastal Elevation and Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise; Product 5.1 Uses and Limitations of Observations, Data, Forecasts, and other Projections in Decision Support for Selected Sectors and Regions; and Product 5.3 Decision Support Experiments and Evaluations Using Seasonal to Interannual Forecasts and Observational Data. After consideration of comments received on the draft Prospectuses, the final Prospectuses along with the comments received will be published on the CCSP Web site.

In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Glenn R. VanBlaricom (VanBlaricom) to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to the assessment of black abalone populations at San Nicolas Island (SNI), CA.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule requires an owner or operator of a trawler that harvests or possesses penaeid shrimp (brown, pink, or white shrimp) in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the southern Atlantic states to obtain a commercial vessel permit for South Atlantic penaeid shrimp; requires an owner or operator of a vessel in the South Atlantic rock shrimp or penaeid shrimp fishery to submit catch and effort reports and to carry an observer on selected trips; and requires bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) in nets in the rock shrimp fishery. In addition, this final rule removes provisions of the regulations applicable to other fisheries off the southern Atlantic states that are no longer applicable and makes minor corrections. Amendment 6 also establishes stock status determination criteria for South Atlantic penaeid shrimp; revises the specifications of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and optimum yield (OY) for South Atlantic rock shrimp; revises the stock status determination criteria for South Atlantic rock shrimp; revises the bycatch reduction criterion for the certification of BRDs; and transfers from the Council to the Regional Administrator, Southeast Region, NMFS (RA), responsibilities for the specification of the protocol for testing BRDs. In addition, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this final rule and publishes the OMB control numbers for those collections. The intended effects of this rule are to provide additional information for, and improve the effective management of, the shrimp fisheries off the southern Atlantic states and to correct and clarify the regulations applicable to other southern Atlantic fisheries.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) and longer using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2005 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod specified for catcher vessels 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA and longer using hook-and-line gear in the BSAI.

NMFS is promulgating this temporary rule to continue the effectiveness of emergency regulations that established an incidental haddock catch allowance for the Atlantic herring fishery. Emergency action was initially requested by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council). Measures that were implemented June 12, 2005, are extended through this action for an additional 180 days. In developing these measures, NMFS considered recommendations made by the Council's Ad-hoc Bycatch Committee and the Council. These measures are intended to maintain a haddock possession tolerance as close to zero as practicable, while allowing the herring industry to operate.

NMFS will present a workshop on proposed catch-monitoring standards for the non-American Fisheries Act (AFA) trawl catcher/ processor sector. These standards are necessary to support proposed groundfish and prohibited species allocations to these sectors that are under consideration by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

NMFS has determined that an Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota transfer from the Atlantic tunas General category to the Reserve category in the amount of 200 metric tons (mt), is warranted. This action is being taken to account for any potential overharvests that may occur in the Angling category during the 2005 fishing year (June 1, 2005 through May 31, 2006) and to ensure that U.S. BFT harvest is consistent with recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), pursuant to the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to meet the domestic management objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks (HMS FMP).

NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Lindsey Parker on behalf of the University of Georgia's Marine Extension Service. If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicant, with certain conditions, to collect up to 200 juvenile (undersized) snapper/grouper, 20 adult snapper/grouper, and 10 non- berried spiny lobster from the date of issuance through March 14, 2007. Specimens would be collected from Federal waters off the coast of Georgia during 2005, 2006, and 2007, and utilized by the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium, located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia, for display and public education.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

NOAA publishes this notice to announce the implementation of the new NOAA Policy on Cooperative Institutes (NOAA Administrative Order Series, NAO 216-107, effective date September 2, 2005); and the availability of the NOAA CI Interim Handbook, Version 1.0, December 2005, for public comment.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Research Steering Committee in December, 2005 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.

NMFS proposes measures contained in Framework Adjustment 1 (Framework 1) to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that would allow the specification of commercial quotas and other management measures for up to 5 years. The intent is to provide flexibility and efficiency to the management of the species.

This rule establishes the 2006 first trimester season quotas for large coastal sharks (LCS) and small coastal sharks (SCS) based on over- and underharvests from the 2005 first trimester season. In addition, this rule establishes the opening and closing dates for the LCS fishery based on adjustments to the trimester quotas. This action could affect all commercial fishermen in the Atlantic commercial shark fishery. This action is necessary to ensure that the landings quotas in the Atlantic commercial shark fishery represent the latest landings data.

The SEDAR assessments of the Gulf of Mexico stocks of vermilion snapper, greater amberjack, and gray triggerfish will consist of a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the ninth SEDAR. The Data and Assessment workshops are completed. An additional workshop to complete the assessment will be held in December 2005 and the review workshop will be delayed until March 2006, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS issues a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 69 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). Amendment 69, if approved, would amend the manner in which the total allowable catch (TAC) for the ``other species'' complex is annually determined in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). The FMP amendment would allow the TAC amount for the ``other species'' complex to be set less than or equal to 5 percent of the sum of groundfish targets species in the GOA. This proposed rule would revise the maximum retainable amount (MRA) of ``other species'' in the directed arrowtooth flounder fishery from 0 to 20 percent. This action would allow conservation and management of species within the ``other species'' category and is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act), the FMP, and other applicable laws.

NMFS issues this 30-day temporary rule to allow shrimp fishermen to continue to use limited tow times as an alternative to Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in inshore and offshore waters from the Florida/Alabama border, westward to the boundary shared by Matagorda and Brazoria Counties, Texas, and extending offshore 20 nautical miles. The previous 30-day variances of the TED requirements were from September 23 through October 23, 2005; October 11 through November 10, 2005; and from October 22 through November 23, 2005, for waters affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These variances were for 50 nautical miles offshore. After an investigation, NMFS has determined that excessive debris is still affecting fishermen's ability to use TEDs effectively; however, the debris field has decreased to approximately 20 nautical miles offshore. This action is necessary because environmental conditions resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita persist on the fishing grounds, preventing some fishermen from using TEDs effectively.

The Trawl Survey Advisory Panel, composed of representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), and several independent scientific researchers, will hold a public meeting.

The SEDAR assessments of the Gulf of Mexico stock of gag grouper and the South Atlantic stock of gag grouper will consist of a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the tenth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and regulations published by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR part 1505), NMFS, in coordination with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). The SEIS will supplement the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish Fishery of the Western Pacific Region. The SEIS will analyze a range of alternatives to end overfishing in the bottomfish species complex in the Hawaiian Archipelago.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a task force comprised of Council members, Council staff, and Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) members via conference call to address the operations of the SSC governing their activities.

NMFS has received an application from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) for an incidental take permit pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The duration of the proposed Permit is 10 years. NMFS is furnishing this notice in order to allow other agencies and the public an opportunity to review and comment on the document. All comments received will become part of the public record and will be available for review pursuant to the ESA.