National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration November 15, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NOAA is undertaking a five-year program to end all raster and paper nautical chart production. Ultimately, production of all NOAA paper nautical charts, raster navigational charts (NOAA RNC[supreg]), and related products, such as BookletChartsTM will cease. NOAA is seeking feedback from chart users and companies that provide products and services based on NOAA raster and electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC[supreg]) products. This information will shape the manner and timing in which the product sunsetting process will proceed. More detailed information regarding this transition is available from https:// nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/docs/raster-sunset.pdf.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Coral and Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 9) and an associated framework action to the FMP, as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). This proposed rule would establish new habitat areas of particular concern (HAPCs), some of which include a prohibition of the deployment of bottom-tending gear, and modify current fishing regulations for the other existing HAPCs in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Additionally, this proposed rule would implement complementary management measures for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) in the Gulf. The purpose of this proposed rule is to protect coral essential fish habitat in the Gulf.