National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

SEDAR and NOAA Fisheries Service will convene a workshop to consider calibration methods for the MRFSS and MRIP estimates of marine recreational fisheries harvest.

This action corrects an error in paragraph numbering in the final rule pertaining to Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Chinook Salmon Bycatch Management in the Bering Sea Pollock Fishery; Economic Data Collection published on February 3, 2012. This correction is intended to clarify regulatory text.

NMFS is providing this notice in order to allow other agencies and the public an opportunity to review and provide comments on the proposed adoption of the California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy (CEMP) by NMFS Southwest Region (SWR) Habitat Conservation Division (HCD). The intent of the CEMP is to help ensure consistent and effective mitigation of unavoidable impacts to eelgrass habitat throughout the SWR. The CEMP is a unified policy document for SWR-HCD, based on the highly successful implementation of the Southern California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy, which has improved mitigation effectiveness since its initial adoption in 1991. This policy is needed to ensure effective, statewide eelgrass mitigation and will help ensure that unavoidable impacts to eelgrass habitat are fully and appropriately mitigated. It is anticipated that the adoption and implementation of this policy will provide for enhanced success of eelgrass mitigation in California. Given the success of the Southern California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy, the California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy reflects an expansion of the application of this policy with minor modifications to ensure a high standard of statewide eelgrass management and protection. The CEMP will supersede the Southern California Eelgrass Mitigation Policy for all areas of California upon its adoption.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2012 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of 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.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), on March 28, 2012, 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 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 New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) VMS/ Enforcement Committee and Advisory Panel will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council submitted Amendment 97 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) to NMFS for review. If approved, Amendment 97 would allow owners of vessels participating in the Amendment 80 Program, known as Amendment 80 vessels, to replace their vessels for any reason at any time. Amendment 97 includes provisions that would limit the length of a replacement vessel, extend Gulf of Alaska groundfish harvest limits known as ``sideboards'' to replacement vessels, require replacement vessels to meet certain safety standards established by the Coast Guard, and prevent replaced vessels from being used in Federal groundfish fisheries off Alaska other than certain Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries. This action is necessary to promote safety-at-sea by allowing Amendment 80 vessels owners to replace aging vessels with newer, larger, and safer vessels and by requiring replacement vessels to meet certain Coast Guard vessel safety standards, and is intended to provide Amendment 80 vessel owners with the opportunity to increase their retention and utilization of groundfish catch through the ability to expand their vessel's range of processing capabilities. 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.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and in compliance with the implementing regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality and procedures issued by NOAA Administrative Order 216-6, NOAA is providing notice of its intent to develop a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of different ranges of coastal and marine habitat restoration project types conducted and supported by the NOAA Restoration Center.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued two permits and one permit modification to take green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for scientific research. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for information regarding permittees.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene Scoping Meetings on a proposed generic amendment addressing dealer permits and electronic logbook reporting, as well as two amendments to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan (CMP FMP): one that addresses sale of bag limit caught fish and permit requirements and the other that addresses boundaries and transit provisions.

Notice is hereby given that The Whale Museum (Responsible Party: Jenny Atkinson), P.O. Box 945, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 has requested a change in Principal Investigator to their pending permit application.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council Joint Protocol Committee of the AK BOF and Council will meet in March in Anchorage, AK.

This final rule announces inseason changes to management measures in the Pacific Coast groundfish fisheries. 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 2012 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 620 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.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2012 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processors (C/Ps) using hook-and-line gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2012 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to C/Ps using hook-and-line gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS has received an application from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) activities at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to the Navy to incidentally harass, by Level B Harassment only, marine mammals during the specified activity.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires NMFS to publish in the Federal Register a list of fisheries that have been authorized to take threatened or endangered marine mammals. A list of such fisheries was published December 29, 2010, which authorized the taking of certain marine mammals listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) incidental to commercial fishing. With issuance of this notice, NMFS adds West Coast groundfish fisheries to this list for one stock of marine mammalsthe Eastern U.S. stock of Steller sea lions.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 24 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 24 proposes actions to revise definitions of management thresholds for South Atlantic red grouper; establish a rebuilding plan; establish red grouper sector annual catch limits (ACLs) based on allocation decisions, a recreational annual catch target (ACT), and sector accountability measures (AMs); and remove the combined gag, black grouper, and red grouper ACLs and AMs. The intent of Amendment 24 is to implement a rebuilding plan for red grouper to help achieve optimum yield (OY) for the red grouper resource in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

NMFS closes the hook-and-line component of the commercial sector of the coastal migratory pelagic fishery for king mackerel in the southern Florida west coast subzone. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.

NMFS announces that, effective 0001 hr, February 24, 2012, federally permitted vessels may not fish for, catch, possess, transfer, or land more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring in or from Management Area 1B per calendar day until January 1, 2013, when the 2013 sub-ACL for Area 1B becomes available, except when transiting as described in this notice. This action is based on the determination that the revised Atlantic herring sub-ACL limit allocated to Area 1B for 2012 has been exceeded as of February 24, 2012.