National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration March 12, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Skate 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.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish 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.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a two day meeting of its Standing, Reef Fish, Shrimp, and Socioeconomics Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC).

The New England Fishery Management Council's is convening an ad-hoc sub-panel of its Scientific and Statistical Committee to peer review two reports.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of the following Citizen Science Advisory Panel Action Teams: Volunteers; Communication/Outreach/Education; Projects/Topics Management; and Data Management via webinar.

NMFS announces the receipt of five applications for exempted fishing permits (EFPs) from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR), Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). If granted, the EFPs would authorize the applicants, with certain conditions, to set the season(s) for red snapper caught by the private angling component, the Federal charter vessel/headboat (for-hire) component, or both, as applicable, and landed in each respective state. The EFPs would do so by exempting persons from the annual closed Federal fishing seasons if they are landing red snapper in the participating states during the states' open seasons as set by those states, as described in more detail below. These annual closed Federal fishing seasons are the seasonal closure for red snapper which is January 1 through May 31 each year, and the closures that occur based on when NMFS projects that the red snapper annual catch targets will be reached. The private angling component includes state-permitted for-hire vessels and any red snapper landings by these for-hire vessel would be counted against the private angling component quota. However, these state-permitted for-hire vessels would not be able to fish in Federal waters. NMFS would set separate Federal seasons for Federally permitted for-hire vessels and private-anglers not covered by any EFP. Red snapper landings would be monitored by the respective states and the state seasons set under the EFPs would close when a state's assigned quota is reached, or projected to be reached. These studies, to be conducted in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), are intended to test the effectiveness of Gulf state management of recreationally caught red snapper.

NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Clean Ocean Initiative, Inc. (Clean Ocean). If granted, the EFP would authorize Clean Ocean to fish for and retain Caribbean prohibited corals collected from 10 decommissioned submarine telecommunication cables being retrieved from U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters in the Caribbean off of Puerto Rico.

NMFS announces a public meeting of the General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission on June 28, 2018, and a public meeting of the Scientific Advisory Subcommittee to the General Advisory Committee on June 27, 2018. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.