National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration September 16, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) intent to prepare an EIS and FMP Amendment that would consider catch shares for the Atlantic shark fisheries. NMFS published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on September 20, 2010, that provided background information and requested public comment on potential adjustments to the regulations governing the U.S. Atlantic shark fisheries to address several specific issues currently affecting management of the shark fisheries and to identify specific goals for management of the fisheries in the future. NMFS received comments on a variety of modifications to the existing management structure for the Atlantic shark fisheries, including programs such as catch shares, limited access privilege programs (LAPPs), individual fishing quotas (IFQs), and/or sectors. The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to establish a control date for eligibility to participate in an Atlantic shark catch share program, announce the availability of a white paper describing design elements of catch share programs in general and issues specific to the Atlantic shark fisheries, announce a catch share workshop at the upcoming HMS Advisory Panel meeting, and request public comment on the implementation of catch shares in the Atlantic shark fisheries.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received applications for section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) scientific research permits from FISHBIO Environmental, LLC (FISHBIO) in Oakdale, CA (16531), and California Department of Water Resources Environmental Services (DWR-ES), in West Sacramento, CA (16543). This document serves to notify the public of availability of the permit applications for review and comment.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for shallow-water species by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) for 48 hours. This action is necessary to fully use the fourth seasonal apportionment of the 2011 Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the trawl shallow-water species fishery in the GOA.

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.