National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration January 21, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Coupeville Timber Towers Preservation Project
Document Number: 2016-01107
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-01-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS has received a request from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for an authorization to take small numbers of 10 species of marine mammals, by Level B harassment, incidental to proposed construction activities for the Coupeville Timber Tower Preservation Project in Washington State. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to WDOT to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of marine mammals for a period of 1 year.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program
Document Number: 2016-01034
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-01-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 109 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review. If approved, Amendment 109 would amend the FMP to support increased participation in local small-scale groundfish fisheries managed under the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. Specifically, Amendment 109 would amend the description of observer coverage requirements in the FMP to allow catcher vessels less than or equal to 46 feet (ft) (14.0 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line gear to be placed in the partial observer coverage category when groundfish CDQ fishing. In addition, Amendment 109 would exempt operators of registered catcher vessels greater than 32 ft (9.8 m) LOA and less than or equal to 46 ft LOA using hook-and-line gear from the requirement to obtain and carry a License Limitation Program (LLP) license when conducting groundfish CDQ fishing. Amendment 109 also would update descriptive information about the CDQ Program in the FMP and make several editorial revisions. The objective of Amendment 109 is to facilitate increased participation by residents of CDQ communities in the groundfish CDQ fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI), and to support economic development in western Alaska. This action would benefit the six CDQ groups and the operators of local small hook-and-line catcher vessels that the CDQ groups authorize to participate in the groundfish CDQ fisheries by reducing the costs of participating in those fisheries.
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustment for the Common Pool Fishery
Document Number: 2016-00909
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-01-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This action decreases the possession and trip limit for Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder for Northeast multispecies common pool vessels for the remainder of the 2015 fishing year. The most recent catch data indicates that the common pool is expected to reach its annual quota for this stock before the end of January. Decreasing the trip limit is intended to prevent the common pool fishery from exceeding its allocation for the stock in the 2015 fishing year, and from triggering an area closure for portions of Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic.
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