National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration December 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS publishes standard ex-vessel prices for groundfish and halibut for the calculation of the observer fee under the North Pacific Observer Program (Observer Program). This notice is intended to provide information to vessel owners, processors, registered buyers, and other Observer Program participants about the standard ex-vessel prices that will be used to calculate the Observer Program fee associated with landings of groundfish and halibut made in 2025. NMFS will send invoices to processors and registered buyers subject to the fee by January 15, 2026. Fees are due to NMFS on or before February 15, 2026.

NMFS will convene a workshop on walleye pollock in Alaska for the purposes of synthesizing ongoing research, building and strengthening collaborations, and highlighting topics which need more attention. The focus will be on biological and ecological scientific research.

As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS has considered public comments for revisions of the 2023 marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs). This notice announces the availability of 66 final 2023 SARs that were updated and finalized.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a half-day virtual meeting of its Law Enforcement Technical Committee (LETC).

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop 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.

NMFS announces 13 inseason actions for the 2024-2025 ocean salmon fishing season. These inseason actions modify the recreational and commercial salmon troll fisheries in the area from the U.S./Canada border to Humbug Mountain, OR.

NMFS announces that the 2024 summer flounder commercial quota allocated to the State of New York has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in New York for the remainder of calendar year 2024, unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer from another state. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this notification to advise New York that the quota has been harvested, and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in New York.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management, will hold a virtual public meeting to solicit input on the performance evaluation of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR). NOAA also invites the public to submit written comments.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the Ocean Exploration Advisory Board (OEAB). OEAB members will discuss and provide advice on the Federal ocean exploration program, with a particular emphasis on the topics identified in the section on Matters to Be Considered.

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 adjusting the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) pollock and Pacific cod fisheries. This action is necessary because NMFS has determined these TACs are incorrectly specified, as they are not informed by the most recent specifications recommended by the Council for the start of the 2025 fishing year. This action will ensure the GOA pollock and Pacific cod TACs are the correct, appropriate amount based on the best scientific information available for pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP).

The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils (Councils) will hold a public meeting of their joint Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a webinar of its Risk Policy Working Group 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.

Notice is hereby given of a hybrid meeting of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]) Advisory Committee (Committee). The meeting is open to the public and an opportunity for oral and written comments will be provided.

NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), hereafter NOAA, in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is working to build on existing spatial planning capacity in the United States (U.S.) Gulf of Mexico region. Through this Request for Information, NOAA is seeking public input to identify coastal and marine spatial data or other critical information to inform spatial analyses for transmission planning in state and Federal waters off Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The input we receive from the data development workshop meeting, as well as the responses to the items listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document, will be used to inform potential coastal and ocean development activities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region, such as renewable energy development.

NMFS is implementing regulations for Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan/Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, which the New England and Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Councils jointly recommended and NMFS approved. This action establishes area-based gear requirements for vessels fishing with gillnets in the monkfish fishery, starting on January 1, 2026, and for vessels fishing with gillnets in the spiny dogfish fishery starting on May 1, 2025. This action is necessary to minimize bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the monkfish and spiny dogfish fisheries to the extent practicable and fulfill requirements of the Biological Opinion on Ten Fishery Management Plans in the Greater Atlantic Region and the New England Fishery Management Council's Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2.

NMFS proposes to revise regulations to provide for electronic entry filing of data from the Certification of Admissibility (COA) form, which allows entry of certain fish or fish products otherwise subject to trade restrictions pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (Moratorium Protection Act), or Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). This proposed rule would standardize and consolidate existing permit, reporting, recordkeeping, and entry filing requirements and allow nations to use their own aggregate catch documentation. The intent of these actions are to enable the continued flow of trade while adhering to existing statutory requirements.

NMFS has received a request from Vineyard Northeast, LLC (Vineyard Northeast), for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to the development of the Vineyard Northeast Offshore Wind Project (Project) in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease on the Outer Continental Shelf OCS- A-0522 off of Massachusetts (MA) and Connecticut (CT) over the course of 5 years beginning on January 1, 2028. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of Vineyard Northeast's request for regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals and associated Letter of Authorization (LOA). NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on Vineyard Northeast's application and request.

NMFS is changing the status of pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) from threatened to endangered on the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species. We have considered the 5-year review of the status of D. cylindrus, expert reviewer comments, and public comments submitted on the proposed rule. Based on this information, we have determined that D. cylindrus is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Thus, we are changing the status of D. cylindrus from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973.

Notice is hereby given that SeaWorld LLC, 6240 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32821 (Responsible Party: Chris Dold, DVM), has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research and enhancement activities on one stranded, non-releasable beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from the endangered Cook Inlet distinct population segment (DPS).

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) to incidentally harass marine mammals during survey activities associated with a marine geophysical survey in the Nauru Basin of greater Micronesia in the northwest (NW) Pacific Ocean.

This final rule establishes the 2025-26 harvest specifications for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) seaward of Washington, Oregon, and California, consistent with the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA) and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). This final rule also revises management measures intended to keep the total annual catch of each groundfish stock or stock complex within the annual catch limits. These measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available. Additionally, this final rule makes minor corrections (e.g., correcting grammar, removing outdated regulations, revisions for clarity) to the regulations, as well as technical corrections recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) at their September 2024 meeting. Last, this final rule implements amendment 33 to the PCGFMP, which establishes a rebuilding plan for California quillback rockfish and revises the allocation framework for shortspine thornyhead.

NMFS is finalizing specifications for the 2025 Atlantic deep- sea red crab fishery, including an annual catch limit and total allowable landings limit. This action is necessary to fully implement previously projected allowable red crab harvest levels that will prevent overfishing and allow harvesting of optimum yield. This action is intended to establish the allowable 2025 harvest levels, consistent with the Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Department of the Navy (including the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps (Navy)) and on behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) and U.S. Army (Army; hereafter, Navy, Coast Guard, and Army are collectively referred to as Action Proponents) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to training, testing, and modernization and sustainment of ranges conducted in the Hawaii-California Training and Testing (HCTT) Study Area over the course of 7 years from December 2025 through December 2032. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of the Action Proponents' request for the development and implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals and issuance of four 7-year Letters of Authorization (LOAs). NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on the Action Proponents' application and request.

NMFS publishes in-season orders to regulate treaty tribal and non-tribal (all citizen) commercial salmon fisheries in United States (U.S.) waters of the Fraser River Panel (Panel) Area. In 2024, a single order was issued by the Panel of the Pacific Salmon Commission (Commission) and approved and issued by NMFS for fisheries within the U.S. Panel Area. This order relinquished regulatory control of U.S. treaty tribal and all citizen commercial fisheries in U.S. Panel Area waters.