National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration February 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS issues regulations to implement management measures described in Amendments 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, 50E, and 50F to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) (Amendments 50A-F). This final rule delegates authority to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas (Gulf states), to establish specific management measures for the harvest of red snapper in Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) by the private angling component of the recreational sector. The purposes of this final rule and Amendments 50A-F are to increase fishing opportunities and economic benefits by allowing each Gulf state to establish specific management measures for the recreational harvest of red snapper in Federal waters by private anglers landing in that state.

NMFS announces that the commercial per-trip possession limit for southern red hake has been reduced for the remainder of the 2019 fishing year. Regulations governing the small-mesh multispecies fishery require this action to prevent the southern red hake total allowable landing limit from being exceeded. This announcement informs the public of the reduced southern red hake possession limit.

NMFS proposes to implement measures recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council in Framework Adjustment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. This action would specify skate catch limits for fishing years 2020 and 2021, and increase seasonal trip limits for both the wing and bait fisheries. This proposed action is necessary to establish skate specifications consistent with the most recent scientific information. The intent of this action is to establish appropriate catch limits for the skate fishery, while providing additional operational flexibility to fishery participants.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Scallop Plan Team will meet on February 19, 2020, in Kodiak, AK.

NMFS proposes to revise measures that govern interactions between the Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline fishery and sea turtles. Based on recommendations from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), we would lower the annual fleet interaction limit (``hard cap'') for leatherback sea turtles from 26 to 16, and remove the annual fleet hard cap for North Pacific loggerhead turtles (currently 17). NMFS would also create individual trip interaction limits of two leatherback and five North Pacific loggerhead turtle interactions, with accountability measures for reaching a limit. The proposed rule would provide managers and fishermen with the necessary tools to respond to and mitigate changes in North Pacific loggerhead and leatherback turtle interactions, to ensure a continued supply of fresh domestic swordfish to U.S. markets, consistent with the conservation needs of these sea turtles. The action also ensures that the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery operates in compliance with the Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPMs) and associated Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) of a biological opinion (BiOp) issued by NMFS on June 26, 2019.

NMFS took two inseason actions in the commercial Pacific bluefin tuna fishery in 2019. On August 4, 2019, the commercial Pacific bluefin tuna trip limit was reduced to two metric tons (mt). On August 11, the commercial Pacific bluefin tuna trip limit was increased to 15 mt. Additionally, NMFS is using this notice to announce the Pacific bluefin tuna catch limit for U.S. commercial fishing vessels for 2020, which is 356 mt.