National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration December 12, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule establishes Federal permitting and reporting requirements for all commercial bottomfish vessels fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The final rule also closes certain EEZ waters around the CNMI to bottomfish fishing by vessels over 40 ft (12.2 m) in length. Vessel monitoring system units must be installed on those larger vessels when fishing in EEZ waters around the CNMI, and the operators of those larger vessels will be required to submit Federal sales reports in addition to catch reports. This final rule is intended to ensure adequate collection of information about the CNMI commercial bottomfish fishery, provide for sustained community participation, and maintain a consistent supply of locally-caught bottomfish to CNMI markets and seafood consumers. Combined, these measures are intended to prevent the depletion of bottomfish stocks in the CNMI, and to sustain the fisheries that depend on them.

Amendment 92 to the Fishery Management Plans for Groundfish of the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Management Area and Amendment 82 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMPs) would remove trawl gear endorsements on licenses issued under the license limitation program in specific management areas if those licenses have not been used on vessels that meet minimum recent landing requirements using trawl gear. This action would provide exemptions to this requirement for licenses that are used in trawl fisheries subject to quota-based management. This action would issue new area endorsements for trawl catcher vessels in the Aleutian Islands if minimum recent landing requirements in the Aleutian Islands were met. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publish this notice to announce plans to add a second public comment period for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Unified Synthesis Product (USP). The peer review and first public comment period that ended on August 14, 2008 produced a large number of suggestions for improvements in the scientific completeness and readability of the USP. These comments have resulted in substantial revisions to the document, and a second draft is now being prepared for release in January 2009 for a 45-day public comment period. Another Federal Register Notice will be published announcing the start of the public comment period and will provide detailed instructions for accessing the revised document and submitting comments.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan's (ALWTRP) implementing regulations. These regulations apply to lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 1,575 nm\2\ (5,402.3 km\2\), east of Portland, Maine, for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an amendment to an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application submitted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The Assistant Regional Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the adjusted activities authorized under this amended EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies and Monkfish Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to reissue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP be reissued that would allow one commercial fishing vessel to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. This EFP, which would continue to enable researchers to study the effects of climate on the distribution and catch rates of monkfish, would adjust the exemptions from the NE multispecies regulations as follows: Gulf of Maine (GOM) Rolling Closure Area (RCA) I, rather than RCA III. The exemption from NE multispecies effort control measures will remain the same as with the original EFP. 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 EFPs.