National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, NMFS issued a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to Hilcorp Alaska LLC (Hilcorp) to take marine mammals incidental to oil and gas activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska.

The New England Fishery Management Council's is convening an ad-hoc social science sub-panel of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) via webinar to conduct a peer review of Northeast Multispecies and Atlantic Scallops Specifications 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 Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) will hold the 173rd public meeting (virtual) to address the items contained in the tentative agenda included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2021 total allowable catch of pollock in the West Yakutat District of the GOA.

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (``ACCRES'') will meet for 2 half-day meetings on April 27 and April 28, 2021.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Dry Dock 1 modification and expansion in Kittery, Maine. 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 is also requesting comments on a possible one-time, one-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. 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.

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Community Development Quota (CDQ) and Aleut Corporation pollock directed fishing allowance (DFA) from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea. This action is necessary to provide opportunity for harvest of the 2021 total allowable catch of pollock, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI).

NMFS has received a request from Chevron Products Company (Chevron) for an incidental harassment authorization (IHA), that would cover a subset of the take authorized in IHAs previously issued to Chevron, to incidentally take marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, during construction activities associated with the Chevron Richmond Refinery Long Wharf Maintenance and Efficiency Project (LWMEP) in San Francisco Bay, California. However, some changes have occurred during this year's evaluation of the project. Hydroacoustic monitoring data has led to changes in source levels and other noise generating criteria that affect Level A and Level B harassment and shutdown zones. The local abundance for one population has increased. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible 1 year renewal IHA that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. 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.

NMFS is closing the directed fishery for Management Area 3. This closure is required because NMFS projects 98 percent of the catch allotted to Management Area 3 has been caught. This action is intended to prevent or limit the overharvest of Atlantic herring in Management Area 3, which would result in additional quota reductions next year.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (NPFMC) Ecosystem Committee will meet April 20, 2021.

The Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB) Advisory Panel of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) April 21-23, 2021.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a meeting of the Outreach and Communications Advisory Panel via webinar to address upcoming outreach and communications topics.

NMFS is implementing management measures described in Regulatory Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). The final rule will create 34 special management zones (SMZs) around artificial reefs in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off North Carolina and South Carolina. The purpose of the final rule is to designate new SMZs and to restrict fishing gear with greater potential to result in high exploitation rates. The restrictions are expected to reduce potentially adverse effects to snapper-grouper species and enhance recreational fishing opportunities at these SMZs.

This rule approves and implements the 2021-2023 Atlantic herring fishery specifications and management measures. Framework Adjustment 8 is required to set the specifications for 2021-2023 and adjusts measures in the herring fishery to allow greater opportunity to catch Atlantic mackerel. The specifications and management measures are intended to meet conservation objectives while providing vessels with sustainable levels of access to the fishery.

We, the NMFS, are delaying the effective date of a final rule that published on December 20, 2019.

We propose to approve sector operations plans and contracts, and grant regulatory exemptions for fishing years 2021 and 2022, provide preliminary Northeast multispecies annual catch entitlements to approved sectors for fishing year 2021, amend regulations required to administer electronic monitoring, and announce 2021 default specifications for seven Northeast multispecies stocks. Approval of sector operations plans and contracts is necessary to allocate annual catch entitlements to the sectors for sectors to operate. This action is intended to allow limited access permit holders to continue to operate or form sectors, as authorized under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and to exempt sectors from certain effort control regulations to improve the efficiency and economics of sector vessels. We also announce our determination that electronic monitoring is sufficient for use instead of at-sea monitors to meet sector monitoring and reporting requirements. Lastly, we announce default specifications for Gulf of Maine winter flounder, Southern New England/ Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, redfish, ocean pout, Atlantic wolffish, Eastern Georges Bank cod, and Eastern Georges Bank haddock.

NMFS issues this temporary rule (referred to herein as ``emergency rule'') to modify the temporary transfer provision of the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program for the fixed-gear commercial Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries for the 2021 IFQ fishing year. This emergency rule is intended to provide flexibility to quota share (QS) holders in 2021, while preserving the Program's long-standing objective of maintaining an owner-operated IFQ fishery in future years. This emergency rule will not modify other provisions of the IFQ Program. This emergency rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the IFQ Program, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, and other applicable laws.

NMFS promulgates this interim final rule to revise the termination date of an emergency action that provides authority to waive observer coverage requirements. NMFS is taking this action to address public health concerns that relate to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The intended effect of the interim final rule is to provide NMFS with continued authority to waive observer coverage requirements when such action is necessary because of the COVID-19 public health emergency and mitigation measures taken in response to it. This interim final rule will also provide NMFS with continued authority to waive some training or other program requirements to ensure that as many observers as possible are available for deployment while ensuring their safety and health and that of observer program staff who train observers.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold scoping meetings via webinar pertaining to Amendment 49 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). The amendment addresses catch levels and sector allocations for greater amberjack and recreational annual catch targets for the snapper grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Scientific and Statistical Committee's (SSC) Socio-Economic Panel.

We are announcing a fishing opportunity in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area for shrimp in Division 3M. This action is necessary to make fishing privileges in the Regulatory Area available on an equitable basis to the extent possible. Fishing privileges for all other stocks for which the United States has access were previously allocated for 2020-2024. The intended effect of this notice is to alert U.S. fishing vessels of these fishing opportunities, to relay the available quotas available to U.S. participants, and to outline the process and requirements for vessels to apply to participate in this fishery.