National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration January 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The SEDAR Steering Committee will meet via webinar. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Notice is hereby given that The Pacific Whale Foundation [Responsible Party: Gregory Kaufman], 300 Maalaea Road, Suite 211, Wailuku, HI 96793, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 16479-01.

Notice is hereby given that a major amendment to Permit No. 14514 has been issued to the University of Florida, Aquatic Animal Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610 (Thomas Waltzek, Responsible Party).

NMFS seeks public comment on two proposed actions. First, NMFS proposes to establish a management framework for specifying catch and fishing effort limits and accountability measures for pelagic fisheries in the U.S. Pacific territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). The framework would authorize the government of each territory to allocate a portion of its catch or fishing effort limit to a U.S. fishing vessel or vessels through a specified fishing agreement, and establish the criteria that an agreement would need to satisfy. The proposed framework also includes accountability measures for adhering to catch and fishing effort limits to ensure sustainability. Second, NMFS proposes an annual limit of 2,000 metric tons (mt) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each territory, using the framework described in the proposed rule. NMFS would allow a territory to allocate up to 1,000 mt of the 2,000 mt each year to a U.S. longline fishing vessel or vessels in a specified fishing agreement that meets the established criteria. NMFS would monitor, attribute, and restrict catches of longline-caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement, using the procedures and accountability measures described in the proposed rule. The longline bigeye tuna catch limit specifications would be effective in 2014. NMFS also proposes to make technical administrative changes to certain international fisheries requirements under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act, to make them consistent with this proposed rule. NMFS intends the proposed rule and specifications to implement Section 113 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriation Act of 2012, consistent with the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

NMFS is adjusting the 2014 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, and will ensure the GOA pollock and Pacific cod TACs are the appropriate amounts based on the best available scientific information for pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council's) Groundfish Endangered Species Work Group (ESWG) will hold an online webinar to orient members of this newly-formed committee, and to discuss future workload and process issues. The webinar is open to the public.

NMFS has received an application from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Polar Programs, and Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) on behalf of five research institutions: Colgate University, Columbia University, Texas A&M Research Foundation, University of South Florida, and University of Texas at Austin, for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a low-energy marine geophysical (seismic) survey in the Dumont d'Urville Sea off the coast of East Antarctica, January to March 2014. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to NSF to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, 14 species of marine mammals during the specified activity.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the NOAA Science Advisory Board. The members will discuss and provide advice on issues outlined in the section on Matters To Be Considered. Time and Date: The meeting is scheduled for Thursday January 23, 2014 from 4:00-5:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement a Generic Amendment to the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and South Atlantic Regions (Generic Dealer Amendment). The Generic Dealer Amendment amends the following FMPs: Reef Fish Resources and the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf; the Snapper-Grouper Fishery (including wreckfish), the Golden Crab Fishery, and the Shrimp Fishery (excluding penaeid shrimp) of the South Atlantic Region; the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic; and Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Resources and the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf and South Atlantic, as prepared by the Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils). If implemented, this rule would modify the permitting and reporting requirements for seafood dealers who first receive species managed by the Councils through the previously mentioned FMPs. These revisions would create a single dealer permit for dealers who first receive fish managed by the Councils, require both purchase and non- purchase reports to be submitted online on a weekly basis, prohibit dealers from first receiving fish from federally-permitted vessels if they are delinquent in submitting reports, and revise the sale and purchase provisions based on the new dealer permitting requirements. This rule also adds regulatory language to clarify the bag limit for private recreational vessels when a trip exceeds one calendar day. The intent of this rule is to obtain timelier purchase information from dealers to better monitor annual catch limits (ACLs) and achieve optimum yield (OY) in accordance with the requirements of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).