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

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold a meeting.

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

We are announcing 2025 fishing opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area with the possibility of being renewed for up to 2 subsequent years. This action is necessary to make fishing privileges in the Regulatory Area available on an equitable basis to the extent possible. The intended effect of this notice is to alert U.S. fishing vessels of fishing opportunities for Atlantic cod, redfish, and Illex squid, along with other fisheries that may become available; to relay the available quotas available to U.S. participants; and to outline the process and requirements for vessels to apply to participate in the 2025 fishery in the NAFO Regulatory Area.

NMFS announces that the quotas for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries for 2025 will remain status quo. NMFS also suspends the minimum size limit for Atlantic surfclams for the 2025 fishing year. Regulations for these fisheries require NMFS to notify the public of the allowable harvest levels for Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs from the Exclusive Economic Zone even if the previous year's quota specifications remain unchanged. The 2025 quotas were previously announced as projected values. This action confirms the final quotas are unchanged from those projections. This action would not result in harm to these fisheries.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Enforcement Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This meeting will be held in-person with a webinar option. Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

NMFS proposes regulations to require a charter halibut stamp (stamp) for charter vessel anglers, age 18 years or older, for each day and each trip they intend to catch and retain halibut on a charter vessel in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory area 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Southcentral Alaska). Persons who hold charter halibut permits (CHPs) would purchase stamps, which would be electronic, from NMFS. Charter vessel guides would be required to validate a stamp for each adult charter vessel angler intending to catch and retain halibut. NMFS would ultimately transfer the collected fees from the stamp purchases to the Recreational Quota Entity (RQE) to purchase halibut Quota Share (QS) issued in the Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program on behalf of the charter halibut fishery. This proposed rule is necessary to promote stability and economic viability in the charter halibut fishery, and is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), and other applicable laws.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Law Enforcement Committee will hold a meeting.

Notice is hereby given that Jooke Robbins, Ph.D., Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA 02657, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

NMFS announces its intent to conduct a 5-year review of the endangered ringed seal, Saimaa subspecies (Phoca (or Pusa) hispida saimensis), hereafter referred to as the Saimaa seal. NMFS is required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to conduct 5-year reviews to ensure that 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 Saimaa seal, particularly information on its status, threats, and conservation efforts, which has become available since the previous 5-year review in January 2018.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee will hold a public webinar meeting.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the individual fishing quota (IFQ) and Federal dealer reporting specific to the commercial reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and the coastal migratory pelagic (CMP) fisheries in the Gulf, the Regional Administrator (RA), Southeast Region, NMFS has determined that the catastrophic conditions caused by Hurricane Helene in the Gulf for certain Florida counties still exist. This temporary rule authorizes in the described affected area any dealer who does not have access to electronic reporting to delay reporting of dealer reports (trip tickets), any Southeast Region Headboat Survey (SRHS) program participant to delay reporting electronic logbooks, and authorizes IFQ dealers within the affected area to use paper-based forms, if necessary, for basic required administrative functions, e.g., landing transactions. This temporary rule is intended to facilitate continuation of IFQ and dealer reporting operations during the period of catastrophic conditions.

NMFS approves and implements Framework Adjustment 16 to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. Framework Adjustment 16 was developed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to establish a volumetric vessel hold capacity baseline for limited access Illex squid vessels, allow NMFS to collect information on vessel processing type from limited access Illex and Tier 1 longfin squid vessels, and clarify existing Illex squid reporting requirements. This action is necessary to restrict future increases in capacity in the Illex squid fishery and gain more accurate catch information to inform stock assessments.

NMFS received a request from the Don Young Port of Alaska (POA) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the Cargo Terminals Replacement Project at the existing port facility in Anchorage, Alaska over the course of 5 construction seasons (2026 through 2030). Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations setting forth permissible methods of taking, other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on such marine mammal stocks (i.e., mitigation measures), and requirements pertaining to monitoring and reporting such takes and requests comments on the proposed regulations. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the promulgation of the requested MMPA regulations, and NMFS's responses to public comments will be summarized in the final notification of our decision.

Notice is hereby given that permits, permit amendments, and permit modifications have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

NMFS announces its intent to issue exempted fishing permits (EFPs), scientific research permits (SRPs), display permits, letters of acknowledgment (LOAs), and shark research fishery permits for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) (tunas, billfish, swordfish, and sharks) in 2025. EFPs and related permits other than LOAs exempt permit holders from specific portions of the regulations for the purposes of scientific research, data collection, the investigation of bycatch, and public display, among other things. LOAs acknowledge that researchers are conducting scientific research activities on board a scientific research vessel. Generally, EFPs and related permits are valid from the date of issuance through the end of the calendar year for which they are issued, unless otherwise specified in the permit, subject to the terms and conditions of individual permits.

NMFS closes the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the October through November time period. The General category may only retain, possess, or land large medium and giant (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm) curved fork length (CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery is open. This action applies to Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) Charter/ Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. This action also waives the previously scheduled restricted-fishing days (RFDs) for the remainder of the October through November time period. With the RFDs waived during the closure, fishermen aboard General category permitted vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of catch-and-release and tag-and- release programs. On December 1, 2024, the fishery will reopen automatically.

Notice is hereby given that Matthew Fisher (Normandeau Associates Inc., 2233 Spring Street, West Lawn, PA 19609), has applied in due form for a permit to take Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and shortnose (A. brevirostrum) sturgeon for purposes of scientific research.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to SouthCoast Wind Energy, LLC (SouthCoast Wind) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to activities associated with marine site characterization surveys off of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, specifically within the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf (Lease) Area OCS-A 0521 and associated export cable route (ECR).

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Plan Teams will meet in Seattle WA.

The SEDAR 88 assessment of Gulf of Mexico red grouper will consist of a series of webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS will convene the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine (CCGOM), Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNEMA), and Georges Bank (GB) stocks of Yellowtail flounder. The Research Track Assessment Peer Review is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. and Canadian waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by the research track working group and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts from the Center of Independent Experts (CIE). The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the U.S Navy to incidentally harass marine mammals during construction activities associated with pile driving at the Point Loma Naval Base in San Diego, CA.

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.