National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 15, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS informs surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) allocation holders that they will be required to purchase their fishing year 2016 (January 1, 2016-December 31, 2016) cage tags from the National Band and Tag Company. The intent of this notice is to comply with regulations for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries and to promote efficient distribution of cage tags.

NMFS announces that the 2015 summer flounder commercial fishery within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reopening to allow permitted vessels to fully harvest remaining commercial summer flounder quota as of October 12, 2015. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this rule to advise Massachusetts that quota remains available to be landed, and to inform Federal vessel and dealer permit holders that Federal commercial summer flounder quota is available for landing in Massachusetts.

NMFS received a petition to exclude federally-maintained dredged channels and pilot boarding areas (and the immediately adjacent waters) for ports from New York to Jacksonville from the vessel speed restrictions that were established to reduce the threat of vessel collisions with North Atlantic right whales. After reviewing the information in the petition and public comments thereon, NMFS finds that the petition does not present substantial information indicating that that exclusion of these areas is necessary to address the concerns, and denies the petition. NMFS will review and revise our existing compliance guide to provide clarifying information about the navigational safety exception (i.e., the October 10, 2008, final rule's deviation provision) for the speed restrictions.