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

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a one-day meeting of its Reef Fish Advisory Panel (AP).

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 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.

This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial and recreational groundfish fisheries. This action is intended to allow fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting rebuilding stocks.

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 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to Phase II of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Restoration Project in Richmond, California.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a three-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Notice is hereby given that the Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi, Department of Life Sciences, Tidal Hall 231, Corpus Christi, TX 78412 (Responsible Party: Dara Orbach, Ph.D.), has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an exempted fishing permit renewal application from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The exempted fishing permit (EFP) would allow federally permitted fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by the applicant. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed exempted fishing permits.

The Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Subcommittee of the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council's) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to review and update the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the CPS Stock Assessment Review Process for 2025 and 2026 and Accepted Practices Guidelines for CPS Stock Assessments document. The meeting is open to the public.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by American Fisheries Act (AFA) trawl catcher/processors (CPs) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2024 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod allocated to AFA trawl CPs in the BSAI.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow a federally permitted fishing vessel to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities. 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 EFPs.

Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of research conducted by the applicant. 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.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet (15.2 meters (m)) length overall using hook-and-line (HAL) gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2024 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) apportioned to catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet (15.2 m) length overall using HAL gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Murphy Exploration and Production Company (Murphy) for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

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), is working to build spatial planning capacity in the Southeast United States Region (Southeast U.S.). Through this notice, NOAA is seeking public input to identify coastal and marine spatial data or other critical information to inform marine spatial analyses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 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 Southeast U.S., such as renewable energy development.

This action proposes to approve and implement Framework Adjustment 66 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. This rule proposes to set catch limits for 8 of the 20 multispecies stocks, modify the accountability measure trigger for Atlantic halibut, and make a temporary modification to the accountability trigger for the scallop fishery for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and to achieve the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan. The proposed 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.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings of the Council including a joint session with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, its implementing regulations, and NMFS' MMPA Regulations for Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Shell Offshore Inc. (Shell) for the take of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

The SEDAR 92 assessment of the Atlantic stock of blueline tilefish will consist of a series of assessment webinars. A SEDAR 92 Data Scoping Webinar is scheduled for April 8, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Notice is hereby given that Heidi Pearson, Ph.D., University of Alaska Southeast, 11066 Auke Lake Way, Juneau, AK 99801, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

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

This final rule sets forth changes to the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act of 1984 (AMLRCA) regulations, including those that implement the trade-monitoring program for frozen and fresh Dissostichus species, commonly marketed or referred to as Chilean seabass or Patagonian toothfish. Specifically, this action: revises regulations that specify the circumstances under which NMFS would deny issuance of a preapproval certificate that is required to legally import frozen Dissostichus species; adds regulations that specify the circumstances under which NMFS would deny issuance of a re-export or export document that is required to legally re-export or export both frozen and fresh Dissostichus species; clarifies that the applicable authorization must be received prior to re-export or export; and removes the prohibition on the importation of Dissostichus species harvested from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Statistical Areas 51 and 57. NMFS also makes other non- substantive technical and procedural updates.

This final rule implements status quo harvest limits for the 2024 golden tilefish and blueline tilefish fisheries north of the North Carolina/Virginia border, shifts the recreational season for blueline tilefish to May 15 through November 14, and modifies regulations to reflect the January 1 start date of the golden tilefish fishing year. The action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels and other management measures to prevent overfishing while allowing optimum yield, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.