National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration March 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Results 51 - 100 of 128
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Sablefish Managed Under the Individual Fishing Quota Program
Document Number: 2016-06225
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is opening directed fishing for sablefish with fixed gear managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. The season will open 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 19, 2016, and will close 1200 hours, A.l.t., November 7, 2016. This period is the same as the 2016 commercial halibut fishery opening dates adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The IFQ and CDQ halibut season is specified by a separate publication in the Federal Register of annual management measures.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-06218
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-06217
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will meet in Anchorage, AK.
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Groundfish Fishery; Framework Adjustment 55
Document Number: 2016-06186
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-21
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This action proposes approval of, and regulations to implement, Framework Adjustment 55 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. This rule would set 2016-2018 catch limits for all 20 groundfish stocks, adjust the groundfish at-sea monitoring program, and adopt several sector measures. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and achieve the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available.
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-06187
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final 2016 and 2017 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
Document Number: 2016-06183
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS announces final 2016 and 2017 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2016 and 2017 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; 2016 and 2017 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish
Document Number: 2016-06182
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS announces final 2016 and 2017 harvest specifications and prohibited species catch allowances for the groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2016 and 2017 fishing years, and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the BSAI in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Groundfish Fishery; Recreational Management Measures
Document Number: 2016-06179
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This action corrects an error in the Gulf of Maine haddock closed season in the proposed rule to implement 2016 recreational groundfish management measures for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock. NMFS is also extending the public comment period to provide additional time for the public to submit comments on the corrected measure.
Endangered and Threatened Species; Identification of 14 Distinct Population Segments of the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Proposed Revision of Species-Wide Listing
Document Number: 2016-06116
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We, NMFS, in collaboration with Federal and state partners, have drafted a monitoring plan (MP) for the distinct population segments (DPSs) of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that we did not propose to list as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), in our proposed revision of the species-wide listing. This document announces the availability of the draft MP and opens a 30-day public comment period on it.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-06081
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-18
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Reef Fish Advisory Panel (AP) via webinar.
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-06048
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-17
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Whiting Committee on April 5, 2016, 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.
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-06047
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-17
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Tilefish Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting.
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-05984
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-17
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan
Document Number: 2016-05948
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on behalf of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), publishes annual management measures governing the Pacific halibut fishery recommended as regulations by the IPHC and accepted by the Secretary of State. This action is intended to enhance the conservation of Pacific halibut and further the goals and objectives of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC).
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Trawl Catcher Vessels in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska
Document Number: 2016-05929
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2016 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to trawl catcher vessels in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska
Document Number: 2016-05923
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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 B season allowance of the 2016 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA.
Draft Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing-Acoustic Threshold Levels for Onset of Permanent and Temporary Threshold Shifts
Document Number: 2016-05886
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), on behalf of NMFS and the National Ocean Service (referred collectively here as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)), announces the availability of a document containing proposed changes to its Draft Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing. The Guidance provides updated received levels, or thresholds, at which individual marine mammals under NOAA's management authority are predicted to experience changes in their hearing sensitivity (either temporary or permanent) for all underwater anthropogenic sound sources. NOAA has re-evaluated and modified several parts of the Draft Guidance and is soliciting public comment on the proposed changes.
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 17 to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan
Document Number: 2016-05846
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 17 to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 17 management measures were developed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to: Add cost recovery provisions for the Individual Transferable Quota component of the fishery; modify how biological reference points are incorporated into the fishery management plan; and remove the plan's optimum yield range. These changes are intended to make the management plan consistent with requirements of the Magnuson- Stevens Act, and to improve the management of these fisheries.
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
Document Number: 2016-05823
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We have made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This EFP would allow two commercial fishing vessels to trawl for summer flounder using an experimental Turtle Excluder Device to test target species catch retention rates, and exempt the vessels from minimum size requirements and possession limits found at 50 CFR part 648 in order to sample the catch for scientific purposes. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires publication of this notice to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permit.
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; American Eel Fishery
Document Number: 2016-05804
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-15
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS announces the withdrawal of the Federal moratorium on fishing for American eel in the State waters of Delaware. NMFS withdraws the moratorium, as required by the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act), based on the determination that Delaware is now in compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (Commission) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel.
SAW-SARC 61 Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05801
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-15
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS and the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (SAW) will convene the 61st SAW Stock Assessment Review Committee for the purpose of reviewing the stock assessment of Atlantic surfclam. The Northeast Regional SAW is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by SAW working groups and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts called the Stock Assessment Review Committee, or SARC. The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.
SAW-SARC 62 Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05800
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-15
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS and the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (SAW) will convene the 62nd SAW Stock Assessment Review Committee for the purpose of reviewing the stock assessments of Black Sea Bass and Witch Flounder. The Northeast Regional SAW is a formal scientific peer- review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by SAW working groups and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts called the Stock Assessment Review Committee, or SARC. The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.
U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Advisory Committee Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05782
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-15
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]) Advisory Committee (Committee) in Washington, DC.
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Sea Turtle Conservation and Recovery Actions in Relation to the Southeastern United States Shrimp Fishery and To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings
Document Number: 2016-05769
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-15
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We (NMFS) intend to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and to conduct public scoping meetings to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by assessing potential impacts resulting from the proposed implementation of new sea turtle regulatory requirements in the shrimp fishery of the southeastern United States. These requirements are proposed to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles in the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from incidental capture, and would be implemented under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska
Document Number: 2016-05679
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the A season allowance of the 2016 total allowable catch of Pacific cod apportioned to vessels using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
Document Number: 2016-05637
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its Marine Planning and Climate Change Committee (MPCCC), Social Science Plan Committee (SSPC) and Protected Species Advisory Committee (PSAC) to review relevant sections of the draft 2015 annual reports for the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan (Pelagic FEP), American Samoa Archipelago FEP, Hawaii FEP, Mariana Archipelago FEP and Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) FEP and related purposes. The committees will also receive updates on matters related to fishery management and may make recommendations on these topics.
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05636
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Committee 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.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Other Hook-and-Line Fishery by Catcher Vessels in the Gulf of Alaska
Document Number: 2016-05632
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish, other than demersal shelf rockfish, by catcher vessels (C/Vs) using hook-and- line gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the first seasonal apportionment of the Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the other hook-and-line fishery by C/Vs in the GOA has been reached.
Marine Mammals; File No. 18636
Document Number: 2016-05614
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Iain Kerr, D.H.L., Ocean Alliance, 32 Horton Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 to conduct research on 15 species of whales, including endangered sperm (Physeter macrocephalus), southern right (Eubalaena australis), blue (Balaenoptera musculus), fin (B. physalus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), and sei (B. borealis) whales.
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Basic Requirements for Special Exemption Permits and Authorizations To Take, Import, and Export Marine Mammals, Threatened and Endangered Species, and for Maintaining a Captive Marine Mammal Inventory Under the Marine Mammal Protection, the Fur Seal, and the Endangered Species Acts
Document Number: 2016-05612
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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.
Withdrawal of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Proposed Regulations
Document Number: 2016-05452
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This action withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2015 (80 FR 16224), to amend the regulations for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS or sanctuary) and to revise the sanctuary's terms of designation and management plan.
Marine Mammals; File No. 19768
Document Number: 2016-05613
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given that Evin Hildebrandt, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue, S3-221, Worcester, MA 01655, has applied in due form for a permit to receive and create cell lines from marine mammal cetaceans species for scientific research.
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2016 Commercial Accountability Measure and Closure for South Atlantic Golden Tilefish Longline Component
Document Number: 2016-05552
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS implements an accountability measure for the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. Commercial longline landings for golden tilefish are projected to reach the longline component's commercial annual catch limit (ACL) on March 15, 2016. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial longline component for golden tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ on March 15, 2016, and it will remain closed until the start of the next fishing year, January 1, 2017. This closure is necessary to protect the golden tilefish resource.
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05547
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Herring Advisory Panel 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.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05546
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils will hold a Joint Spiny Lobster Review Panel meeting via webinar.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Document Number: 2016-05537
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Aleut Corporation pollock directed fishing allowance from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2016 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.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area
Document Number: 2016-05528
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season apportionment of the 2016 Pacific cod total allowable catch allocated to trawl catcher vessels in the BSAI.
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; 2016 Commercial Run-Around Gillnet Closure
Document Number: 2016-05482
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-11
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) through this temporary rule for commercial harvest of king mackerel in the Florida west coast southern subzone of the eastern zone of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) using run-around gillnet gear. NMFS has determined that the commercial annual catch limit (ACL; commercial quota) for king mackerel using run-around gillnet gear in the Florida west coast southern subzone of the Gulf EEZ will be reached by March 11, 2016. Therefore, NMFS closes the Florida west coast southern subzone to commercial king mackerel fishing using run-around gillnet gear in the Gulf EEZ. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.
Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council: Public Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05444
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given of a meeting via web conference call of the Sanctuary System Business Advisory Council (Council). The web conference call is open to the public, and participants can dial into the call. Participants who choose to use the web conferencing feature in addition to the audio will be able to view the presentations as they are being given.
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2016 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia
Document Number: 2016-05393
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for Atlantic migratory group cobia that are not sold (recreational) in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. NMFS projects that recreational landings of Atlantic migratory group cobia will reach the recreational annual catch target (ACT) by June 20, 2016. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for Atlantic migratory group cobia on June 20, 2016, and it will remain closed for the remainder of the fishing year through December 31, 2016. This closure is necessary to protect the resource of Atlantic migratory group cobia.
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Commercial Blacktip Sharks, Aggregated Large Coastal Sharks, and Hammerhead Sharks in the Western Gulf of Mexico Sub-Region
Document Number: 2016-05391
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is closing the commercial fishery for blacktip sharks and the aggregated large coastal sharks (LCS) and hammerhead shark management groups in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region. This action is necessary because the commercial landings of aggregated LCS and hammerhead sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region for the 2016 fishing season have exceeded 80 percent of the available commercial quota as of March 4, 2016, and the aggregated LCS and hammerhead shark management groups are quota-linked under the current regulations. The blacktip shark fishery in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region will be closed to minimize regulatory discards of aggregate LCS in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region, which are often caught in conjunction with blacktip sharks in the commercial shark fisheries. This closure will affect anyone commercially fishing for sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region.
Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council)-Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel Meeting
Document Number: 2016-05374
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) will hold a meeting of its Snapper Grouper AP in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Notice of Public Comment Period; National Estuarine Research Reserve System
Document Number: 2016-05367
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given that the Stewardship Division, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce is announcing a thirty (30) day public comment period for the revised Management Plan for Padilla Bay, Washington National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan revision. In accordance with 15 CFR 921.33(c), the Padilla Bay Reserve revised its Management Plan, which will replace the plan previously approved in 2008. The revised Management Plan outlines the administrative structure; the research/monitoring, stewardship, education, and training programs of the Reserve; and the plans for future land acquisition and facility development to support Reserve operations. The Padilla Bay Reserve takes an integrated approach to management, linking research, education, coastal training, and stewardship functions. The Reserve has outlined how it will manage administration and its core program providing detailed actions that will enable it to accomplish specific goals and objectives. Since the last Management Plan, the Reserve has built out its core programs and monitoring infrastructure; conducted an educational market analysis and needs assessment to better meet teacher needs and underserved audiences; developed a Reserve Disaster Response Plan; and improved public access to the Reserve through construction of a new boat launch ramp and enhanced trails. Since the last management plan was approved in 2008, the Padilla Bay Reserve has acquired an additional 110 acres of tidelands inside the Reserve boundary. With the approval of this management plan, the Padilla Bay Reserve will increase their total acreage to 11,966. The change is attributable to the recent acquisitions of several parcels by Reserve state agency, totaling 110 acres. All of the proposed additions are owned by the Washington Department of Ecology and will be managed for long-term protection and conservation value. These parcels have high ecological value and will enhance the Reserve's ability to provide increased opportunities for research, education, and stewardship. The revised Management Plan will serve as the guiding document for the expanded 11,966 acre Padilla Bay Reserve. View the Padilla Bay, Washington Reserve Management Plan revision at www.padillabay.gov/publications.asp and provide comments to Sharon Riggs, sriggs@padillabay.gov.
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program
Document Number: 2016-05361
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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.
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2016 Tribal Fishery for Pacific Whiting
Document Number: 2016-05254
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-03-10
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS issues this proposed rule for the 2016 Pacific whiting fishery under the authority of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006. This proposed rule would allocate 17.5% of the U.S. Total Allowable Catch of Pacific whiting for 2016 to Pacific Coast Indian tribes that have a Treaty right to harvest groundfish.
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit; Correction
Document Number: 2016-05271
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This document corrects the ADDRESSSES section to the Notice and request for comments that was published on March 1, 2016, which contained the wrong docket number and hyperlink to the Federal e- Rulemaking Portal for electronic submission of public comments. This correction changes the hyperlink and docket number.
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustments to 2016 Annual Catch Limits
Document Number: 2016-05250
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-03-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This action adjusts initial 2016 annual catch limits for the Atlantic herring fishery to account for the under-harvest and overages of fishing year 2014 sub-annual catch limits. The 2015 specifications will remain in place after December 31, 2015, until NMFS sets new specifications through a 2016-2018 fishery specifications final rule, which NMFS expects to publish in the spring of 2016. In accordance with the regulations implementing the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, this action uses final herring catch data from 2014 for determining what under-harvest and overages occurred in fishing year 2014, and adjusts the initial 2016 annual catch limits for the four management areas (Areas 1A, 1B, 2, and 3). In addition, this action adjusts the initial 2016 stock-wide annual catch limit to account for any management area overages incurred in 2014. In order to ensure that carryover pounds do not cause overfishing of the herring resource, area-specific carryover does not increase the initial stock-wide catch allocation. This action is necessary to ensure that NMFS accounts for herring catch consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan.
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for Oil and Gas Activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska in 2016
Document Number: 2016-05236
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Marine Fisheries Services announces the availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the environmental impacts of issuing annual Incidental Take Authorizations (ITAs) pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) for the taking of marine mammals incidental to oil and gas activities in Cook Inlet, AK during 2016. The Draft EA is available for review and comment at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental/energy_other.h tm.
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southeast Region Logbook Family of Forms
Document Number: 2016-05229
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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.
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Fishery Observer Retention Survey
Document Number: 2016-05228
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-09
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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.
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