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

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public hybrid meeting of its Habitat Advisory Panel 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.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to the United States Coast Guard (Coast Guard), for the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to maintenance and repair at facilities in Alaska, over the course of 5 years (2024-2029).

The SEDAR Steering Committee will meet to discuss the SEDAR stock assessment process and assessment schedule. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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 an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to issue permits to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, take of specific Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed marine mammal species or stocks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), in certain U.S. commercial fisheries.

NMFS announces final 2024 and 2025 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the remainder of the 2024 and the start of the 2025 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). The 2024 harvest specifications supersede those previously set in the final 2023 and 2024 harvest specifications, and the 2025 harvest specifications will be superseded in early 2025 when the final 2025 and 2026 harvest specifications are published. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

NMFS announces that the Commonwealth of Virginia is transferring a portion of its 2024 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This adjustment to the 2024 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2024 commercial quotas for Virginia and Massachusetts.

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

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 Bluepoint Wind, LLC, (BPW) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to marine site characterization surveys in coastal waters off of New York and New Jersey in the New York Bight, 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 0537 and associated export cable route (ECR) area.

NOAA proposes to designate marine portions of Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea Marine National Monument as Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea National Marine Sanctuary (proposed sanctuary) to protect nationally significant biological, cultural, and historical resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. The proposed sanctuary consists of an area of approximately 582,570 square statute miles (439,910 square nautical miles) of Pacific Ocean waters surrounding the Northwest Hawaiian Islands and the submerged lands thereunder. NOAA proposes to establish the terms of designation for the proposed sanctuary and proposes regulations to implement the designation of the national marine sanctuary. NOAA is also publishing a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), prepared in coordination with the State of Hawai[revaps]i, and a draft management plan (DMP). NOAA is soliciting public comments on the proposed rule, the DEIS and the DMP.

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

The SEDAR 95 assessment of the Atlantic stock of cobia will consist of a series of data and assessment webinars. A SEDAR 95 Data Scoping Webinar is scheduled for March 18, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a two day in-person meeting of its Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP).

NMFS is announcing that the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) 2024 annual catch limit for U.S. commercial fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) is 720 metric tons (mt).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for a meeting of the Science Advisory Board (SAB). The members will discuss issues outlined in the section on Matters to be considered.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 17 scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed activities in all permits are intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and conservation efforts. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/ preview_open_for_comment.cfm.

NMFS announces the approval of amendment 24 to the Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan (Salmon FMP). The intent of amendment 24 is to clarify the technical process for reviewing updates to the models used to determine the Chinook salmon abundance threshold that may trigger additional management measures to limit the impact of ocean salmon fisheries on Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW). The whales are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Chinook salmon, some of which are listed as threatened under the ESA, are their preferred prey. This action is administrative in nature and does not change the formula for calculating the threshold or the fishery management responses currently described in the Salmon FMP.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has been issued to Empire Offshore Wind, LLC (Empire Wind) for the taking of marine mammals incidental to the construction of the Empire Wind Project (hereafter known as the ``Project'').

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a joint public meeting of its Monkfish and Dogfish Committees 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 proposes a catch limit of 457 metric tons (t) for Western and Central North Pacific Ocean (WCNPO) striped marlin caught by U.S. fishing vessels in the Commission for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Commission or WCPFC) Convention area north of the Equator and west of 150[deg] W longitude (the action area) and a retention limit of 443 t for U.S. fishing vessels with Hawaii longline limited entry permits. If the retention limit is projected to be reached, NMFS will prohibit retention of striped marlin caught in the WCNPO by Hawaii longline vessels for the calendar year. Action is required under Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Section 304(i) to address U.S. fishing vessels' relative impact on this internationally managed stock, which is overfished and experiencing overfishing.

NMFS proposes Federal management measures for the summer flounder and black sea bass recreational fisheries. The implementing regulations for these fisheries require NMFS to publish recreational measures for the fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of this action is to set management measures that allow the recreational fisheries to achieve, but not exceed, the recreational harvest targets and thereby prevent overfishing.