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

NMFS announces the availability of Draft Amendment 12 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Draft Amendment responds to revisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act) National Standard (NS) guidelines, a rulemaking addressing reporting methodologies for bycatch as defined under the Magnuson- Stevens Act, and recent NMFS policy directives which aim to improve and streamline fishery management procedures to enhance their utility for managers and the public. This draft amendment does not include a proposed rule or regulatory text. Any operational changes to fishery management measures as a result of Amendment 12 would be considered in future rulemakings, as appropriate.

This action reduces the in-season possession limit adjustment trigger for southern red hake due to an annual catch limit overage in fishing year 2018. Reduction of the trigger is a non-discretionary action intended to minimize the potential for catch overages in the future. This action also reduces the in-season possession limit because the trigger implemented with this action has been reached. The intent of this action is to inform the public of the possession limit trigger reduction and reduction in possession limit.

Through this temporary rule, NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for the red snapper recreational sector private angling component in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) off Texas for the 2020 fishing year. Based on information provided by the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), NMFS has determined that the 2019 Texas regional management area private angling component annual catch limit (ACL) for Gulf red snapper was exceeded. Therefore, NMFS reduces the 2020 private angling component ACL of Gulf red snapper for the Texas regional management area. This reduction will remain in effect through the remainder of the current fishing year on December 31, 2020, and is necessary to protect the Gulf red snapper resource.

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in October, November, and December of 2020. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2020 and will be announced in a future notice.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Groundfish Plan Teams will meet via webconference September 8, 2020 through September 11, 2020.

The SEDAR 73 assessment of the South Atlantic stock of Red Snapper will consist of a Data webinar, an in-person workshop, and a series of assessment webinars.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee via webinar 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 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and its advisory entities will hold online public meetings.

NMFS announces a public meeting of the Permanent Advisory Committee (PAC) to advise the U.S. Commissioners to the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC) on October 14-16, 2020. Meeting topics are provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

NMFS is correcting regulations implemented through a final rule that integrates Atlantic chub mackerel as a stock in the fishery under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. This notice corrects regulatory instructions to ensure that regulations are implemented as intended.

The NMFS Assistant Administrator (Assistant Administrator) has issued new 5-year affirmative findings for the Governments of Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Spain (referred to hereafter as ``The Nations'') under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This affirmative finding will allow importation into the United States of yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) by purse seine vessels operating under The Nations' jurisdiction or exported from The Nations. NMFS bases the affirmative finding determination on reviews of documentary evidence submitted by the Government of The Nations and of information obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

NMFS apportions amounts of the non-specified reserve to the initial total allowable catch (ITAC) of Aleutian Islands (AI) Greenland turbot, AI trawl sablefish, Bering Sea (BS) trawl sablefish, Bering Sea and Eastern Aleutian Islands (BS/EAI) blackspotted/rougheye rockfish, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Alaska plaice, BSAI Kamchatka flounder, BSAI octopuses, and BSAI ``other flatfish''. This action is necessary to allow the fisheries to continue operating. It is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan for the BSAI management area.

NMFS announces approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of collection-of-information requirements contained in regulations published in a final rule on May 18, 2020. The final rule implements three resolutions adopted by the Members of the Inter- American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in 2018 and 2019: Resolution C-19-01 (Amendment to Resolution C-18-05 on the Collection and Analyses of Data on Fish-Aggregating Devices); Resolution C-19-05 (Amendment to the Resolution C-16- 06 Conservation Measures for Shark Species, with Special Emphasis on the Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), for the Years 2020 and 2021); and Resolution C-18-07 (Resolution on Improving Observer Safety at Sea: Emergency Action Plan). The final rule also implements a resolution adopted by Parties to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP): Resolution A-18-03 (On Improving Observer Safety At Sea: Emergency Action Plan). The intent of this final rule is to inform the public of the effectiveness of the collection-of information requirements associated with silky shark reporting, fish aggregating device (FAD) reporting, and observer reporting included in the final rule.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee Subgroup (SSC Subgroup) will be held on August 28, 2020.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Ecosystem Workgroup (EWG) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

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

NMFS announces the initiation of a 5-year review for the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis). NMFS is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that the listing classifications of species are accurate. The 5-year review must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We request submission of any such information on the southern right whale, particularly information on the status, threats, and recovery of the species that has become available since its last status review in 2015.

The Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council (Trustee Council) has prepared a Draft Supplemental Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (Draft SRP/EA). The Draft SRP/EA describes the Trustee Council's preferred restoration alternative to restore natural resources and ecological services injured or lost as a result of releases of hazardous substances and discharges of oil within the Portland Harbor assessment area (applicable to the current phase of restoration, but subject to revision in the future). The Federal Trustees also considered potential environmental impacts of the considered alternatives in the context of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability of the Draft SRP/EA and to seek public comments on the document.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a virtual Fishers Forum and Public Meeting to review the Hawaii Small-boat Fishery. The Council will solicit comments on removing existing fishery closures and options for amending the Hawaii Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) and Pacific Pelagics FEP to require mandatory federal fishing permits and associated reporting requirements for the small-boat fishery in the Exclusive Economic Zone around Hawaii.

The New England Fishery Management Council is convening a public hearing of Draft Amendment 23 to Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This hearing may be held either in- person as an outdoor gathering or via webinar. Details of the hearing will be provided on the Council's website at https://www.nefmc.org/ calendar/aug-26-2020-public-hearing-groundfish-amendment-23. A summary of all comments received will be provided to the full Council.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Ecopath Model Review Workgroup.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (the agencies) hereby extend the comment period on the agencies' proposed finding that Washington has satisfied all conditions the agencies established as part of their 1998 approval of the State's coastal nonpoint pollution control program (coastal nonpoint program) under Section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA).