National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration April 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS has received a request from the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture (CTJV) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project (PTST) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorizations and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

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.

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 (Council) will hold eight public hearings and webinar to solicit public comments on Draft Amendment 9Coral Habitat Areas Considered for Management in the Gulf of Mexico.

NMFS has received a request from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to a low-energy marine geophysical survey in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorization and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) will hold a planning session to discuss the development of salmon rebuilding plans. This meeting will be held via webinar and is open to the public.

This proposed rule would extend the current region-wide moratorium on the harvest of gold corals in the U.S. Pacific Islands through June 30, 2023. NMFS intends this proposed rule to prevent overfishing and to stimulate research on gold corals.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the deep-water species fishery by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the second seasonal apportionment of the Pacific halibut bycatch allowance specified for the deep-water species fishery in the GOA will be reached.

This notice provides information on a request by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to establish a control date of September 15, 2017, for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. The Council may use the control date to limit the extent, location, or ability to use non-trawl gear types to harvest individual fishing quota (IFQ) (termed `gear switching') in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. The Council may or may not provide credit for any gear switching related activities after the control date in any decision setting limits on gear switching. The control date would account for Pacific Coast groundfish fishery participants with historic investment to engage in gear switching should the Council set limits to future participants eligible to gear switch.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Observer Advisory Committee Subgroup will meet May 11, 2018.

NMFS issues this temporary rule to reduce the commercial trip limit for vermilion snapper in or from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic to 500 lb (227 kg), gutted weight, 555 lb (252 kg), round weight. This trip limit reduction is necessary to protect the South Atlantic vermilion snapper resource.

NMFS issued a final rule on December 9, 2016 to establish the Seafood Traceability Program, also known as the Seafood Import Monitoring Program or SIMP. Implementation of the Program for shrimp and abalone species was stayed indefinitely due to NMFS' determination that current data collection for shrimp and abalone aquacultured in the U.S. is not equivalent to the data that would have been required to be reported for imports of these products. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directed the Secretary of Commerce, within 30 days of enactment of the Act, to lift the stay on the implementation of the Seafood Traceability Program with respect to shrimp and abalone. This rule informs the affected public of the effective and compliance dates for the reporting and recordkeeping requirements, applicable for imports of shrimp and abalone species originating from both wild capture fisheries and aquaculture operations.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting of its Habitat AP in North Charleston, SC. The meeting is open to the public.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Electronic Monitoring Workgroup (EMWG) will hold a public meeting on May 15, 2018.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Social Science Planning Team will meet May 8, 2018 through May 9, 2018.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a meeting of its Plan Team for the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagics Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (PPT) in Honolulu, HI to discuss fishery issues and develop recommendations for future management.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would exempt one commercial fishing vessel from the Northeast multispecies minimum mesh size and minimum fish size regulations in support of gear research to target healthy haddock and redfish stocks. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a meeting.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public meeting of its Coral Advisory Panel.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and Socio-Economic Panel (SEP) to review the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model proposed for use by the Southeast Regional Office (SERO) staff to conduct management analyses. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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.

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.

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will establish the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022) as part of the transition to the 2022 Terrestrial Reference Frames (TRFs). SPCS2022 is the successor to previous versions referenced to the North American Datums of 1983 and 1927. Like its predecessors, SPCS2022 will be a system of conformal map projections for the entire National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). It will provide surveyors, engineers, and other geospatial professionals with a practical means for accessing and using the NSRS. NGS has developed draft policy and procedures that propose defining characteristics and requirements for SPCS2022. These documents also provide mechanisms for user input on initial design of SPCS2022 and subsequent changes. The aim is for SPCS2022 to meet the needs of NGS customers for the future NSRS. To achieve that goal, NGS is inviting written comments on the draft SPCS2022 policy. In addition, NGS seeks feedback on purposed ``special purpose'' zones.