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

Notice is hereby given that NMFS National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Seattle, WA, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is preparing a preliminary plan to review its existing significant regulations in response to the President's Executive Order 13563 on Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review. The purpose of NOAA's review is to make the agency's regulatory program more effective and less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives by identifying those regulations that should be modified, streamlined, expanded or repealed. NOAA is asking for ideas and information from the public in preparing its preliminary plan explaining how it will conduct such a review.

NMFS proposes a regulatory amendment that would limit access of Federally permitted pot and hook-and-line catcher/processors (C/P) to the Pacific cod fishery in State of Alaska waters adjacent to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The affected fishery is commonly known as the ``parallel'' fishery. The parallel fishery occurs off the coast of Alaska, within 3 nautical miles of shore and is managed by the State of Alaska concurrent with the Federal pot and hook-and-line fishery for Pacific cod in the BSAI. This proposed rule would limit access to the parallel fishery for Pacific cod in three ways. First, it would require that an owner of a Federally permitted pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel used to catch Pacific cod in the State of Alaska parallel fishery be issued the same endorsements on their Federal fisheries permit (FFP) or license limitation program (LLP) license as currently are required for catching Pacific cod in the Federal waters of the BSAI. Second, an operator of any Federally permitted pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel used to catch Pacific cod in the parallel fishery would also be required to comply with the same seasonal closures of Pacific cod that apply in the Federal fishery. Third, an owner of a pot or hook-and-line C/P vessel who surrenders an FFP would not be reissued a new FFP within the 3-year term of the permit. These three measures are necessary to limit some C/Ps from catching a greater amount of Pacific cod in the parallel fishery than have been allocated to their sector from the BSAI Total Allowable Catch. Maintaining Pacific cod catch amounts within sector allocations would also reduce the potential for shortened Pacific cod seasons for C/Ps in the Federal fishery. These three measures also would improve the coverage of NMFS catch accounting and monitoring requirements on vessels participating in the parallel fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fisheries Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands Management Area, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and other applicable laws.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee on March 30-31, 2011 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 is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2011 Pacific cod total allowable catch allocated to catcher vessels less than 60 feet LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear in the BSAI.

NMFS is reopening the comment period to provide additional opportunity for public comment on the proposed rule that would implement a seasonal closure for the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) greater amberjack recreational sector. The reopening of the comment period is to ensure that the public fully understands the intent of the greater amberjack regulatory amendment. NMFS is reopening the comment period for the proposed rule on March 10, 2011 and it will remain open through March 25, 2011. The intended effect of the proposed rule is to mitigate the social and economic impacts associated with implementing in-season closures.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a meeting of the Ad Hoc Reef Fish Limited Access Privilege Program Advisory Panel.

In a March 2, 2011, Federal Register notice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced the public scoping meeting dates, times, and locations for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. There have been location changes for the meeting in Pensacola, FL, Spanish Fort, AL, Houma, LA, and Morgan City, LA. No other information in the notice published on March 2, 2011 has changed.

NMFS closes the commercial sector for vermilion snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. This closure is necessary to protect the vermilion snapper resource.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2011 total allowable catch (TAC) of pollock in the West Yakutat District of the GOA.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) and its Administrative Committee will hold meetings.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Visioning Project Committee will hold a public meeting.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Aleut Corporation's pollock directed fishing allowance and the Community Development Quota from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea directed fisheries. These actions are necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2011 total allowable catch of pollock, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area.

NMFS reduces the trip limit for the hook-and-line component of the commercial sector for Gulf group king mackerel in the southern Florida west coast subzone to 500 lb (227 kg) of king mackerel per day in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This trip limit reduction is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.

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.

We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list six species of sawfish: Anoxyprisitis cuspidata, Prisitis clavata, P. microdon, P. pristis, P. zijsron, and the remaining non-listed population(s) of P. pectinata as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition and information in our files present substantial information indicating the petitioned action may be warranted for five of the sawfish species petitioned (A. cuspidata, P. clavata, P. microdon, P. zijsron, and all non-listed population(s) of P. pectinata). We find that the petition and information in our files do not present substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for P. pristis. We will conduct a status review of the five species of sawfish (A. cuspidata, P. clavata, P. microdon, P. zijsron, and all non-listed population(s) of P. pectinata) to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial data regarding these species (see below).

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, as amended.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Sea Turtle Advisory Committee (STAC) in Honolulu, HI.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene scoping meetings on a proposed amendment addressing crew size limits and earned income requirements.

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 ONMS is seeking applications for the following vacant seats on the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Fishing, Primary and Alternate seats; Research, Primary and Alternate seats; Community-at-Large Mann County, Primary and Alternate seats. Applicants are chosen based upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve three-year terms, pursuant to the council's Charter.

Notice is hereby given that Robin Baird, PhD, Cascadia Research, 218\1/2\ W. 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, has applied in due form for a permit to take marine mammals in the Pacific Ocean for the purposes of scientific research.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement measures in Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (Monkfish FMP). The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) developed Amendment 5 to bring the Monkfish FMP into compliance with the annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measure (AM) requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act). NMFS is considering disapproving proposed annual catch targets (ACT) that are not consistent with the most recent scientific advice. This proposed rule also proposes three management measures in Amendment 5 to promote efficiency and reduce waste: Automatic days-at- sea (DAS) adjustment for trip limit overages; authorization to land monkfish heads; and enable changes to the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program through framework adjustment, and to bring the biological and management reference points in the Monkfish FMP into compliance with recently revised National Standard 1 (NS1) Guidelines.

This final rule makes inseason adjustments to commercial and recreational fishery management measures for several groundfish species taken in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. These actions, which are authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), are intended to allow fisheries to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.

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 A season allowance of the 2011 total allowable catch (TAC) of pollock for Statistical Area 620 in the GOA.