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

At the request of the public, NMFS is reopening the comment period for an Exempted Fishing Permit application. The Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to use dredge fishing gear with a forward facing camera within the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area to characterize habitat substrate types where dredge fishing occurs, and conduct compensation fishing that would support research conducted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. 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 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.

We are implementing specifications for the 2020 spiny dogfish fishery, including an annual catch limit and commercial quota. This action is necessary to ensure allowable harvest levels to prevent overfishing while allowing harvest of optimum yield, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This action is intended to establish 2020 specifications, consistent with the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan and previously announced multi-year specifications.

NMFS announces a public meeting with U.S. stakeholders to discuss issues related to Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) tropical tuna management in the eastern Pacific Ocean on May 22, 2020. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. The meeting will be held via conference call.

We, NMFS, have determined that a designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is not prudent at this time. Based on a comprehensive review of the best scientific data available, we find there are no identifiable physical or biological features that are essential to the conservation of the oceanic whitetip shark within areas under U.S. jurisdiction. We also find that there are no areas outside of the geographical area occupied by the species under U.S. jurisdiction that are essential to its conservation. As such, we find there are no areas within the jurisdiction of the United States that meet the definition of critical habitat for the oceanic whitetip shark.

NMFS issues this notice to inform interested parties that the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) American Fisheries Act (AFA) Pollock loan in the fishing capacity reduction program for the inshore component of the BSAI Pollock Fishery has been repaid. Therefore, buyback fee collections on AFA Pollock will cease for all landings after February 29, 2020.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Citizen Science Operations Committee via webinar.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council's (Council) District Advisory Panels (DAPs) of St. Thomas/St. John, USVI, will hold a one- day meeting in March 25, 2020, to discuss the items contained in the agenda SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

On November 22, 2019, NMFS published a notice inviting qualified commercial shark permit holders to submit applications to participate in the 2020 shark research fishery. The shark research fishery allows for the collection of fishery-dependent data for future stock assessments and cooperative research with commercial fishermen to meet the shark research objectives of the Agency. Every year, the permit terms and permitted activities (e.g., number of hooks and retention limits) specifically authorized for selected participants in the shark research fishery are designated depending on the scientific and research needs of the Agency, as well as the number of NMFS- approved observers available. In order to inform selected participants of this year's specific permit requirements and ensure all terms and conditions of the permit are met, NMFS is holding a mandatory meeting (via conference call) for selected participants. The date and time of that meeting is announced in this notice.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued a renewed ESA Section 10(a)(1)(A) scientific enhancement permit (permit 14159-2R) to NMFS' California Coastal Office in Long Beach, California. Authorized activities under this permit are expected to enhance the survival of the endangered Southern California Distinct Population Segment of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) through rescue and relocation of at- risk steelhead, ecological research, and invasive species management.