[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 63 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16220-16223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8596]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 285

[Docket No. 980320071-8071-01; I.D. 012198C]
RIN 0648-AK87


Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Annual Quota 
Specifications and Effort Controls

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed specifications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes specifications for the Atlantic tuna fisheries 
to: Set annual Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) fishing category quotas and 
General category effort controls. The proposed specifications are 
necessary to implement the 1996 recommendation of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) regarding 
fishing quotas for bluefin tuna, as required by the Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management objectives. 
NMFS will hold public hearings to receive comments from fishery 
participants and other members of the public regarding these proposed 
specifications.

DATES: Comments are invited and must be received on or before May 4, 
1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed specifications should be sent to, 
and copies of supporting documents, including a Draft Environmental 
Assessment-Regulatory Impact Review (EA/RIR), are available from, 
Rebecca Lent, Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, 
Office of Sustainable Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Murray-Brown at 978-281-9260; 
Sarah McLaughlin at 301-713-2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic tuna fisheries are managed 
under the authority of ATCA. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce 
(Secretary) to issue regulations as may be necessary to carry out the 
recommendations of ICCAT. The authority to issue regulations has been 
delegated from the Secretary to the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries, NOAA (AA).
    ICCAT has identified the western stock of ABT as overexploited and 
recommends fishing quotas for contracting parties. Based on the 1996 
revised stock assessment, parties at the 1996 meeting of ICCAT adopted 
a recommendation to increase the annual scientific monitoring quota of 
ABT in the western Atlantic Ocean from 2,200 metric tons (mt) to 2,354 
mt. The share allocated to the United States was increased from 1306 mt 
to 1,344 mt to apply each year for the 1997 and 1998 fishing years. 
NMFS amended the Atlantic tuna fisheries regulations in 1997 to 
implement that ICCAT recommendation as required by ATCA.
    These proposed specifications would implement the ICCAT quota 
recommendation and allocate the total among the several established 
fishing categories. NMFS proposes no changes to the baseline quotas 
established for 1997. However, the ICCAT recommendation allows, and 
U.S. regulations require, the addition of any

[[Page 16221]]

underharvest in 1997 to that same category for 1998. Therefore, NMFS 
proposes to adjust the annual quota specifications for the ABT fishery 
to account for underharvest in 1997. NMFS would maintain the proposed 
annual quota specifications (i.e., the baseline 1997-1998 category 
allocations) until further changes are deemed necessary, in order to 
achieve domestic management objectives, or in implementing ICCAT 
quotas.
    NMFS also proposes to maintain the General category quota 
subdivisions and restricted-fishing day pattern established in 1997. 
Given the carryover quota for the General category, adjustments are 
necessary to allocate the carryover across the established subperiods. 
Additionally, calendar adjustments are necessary to match restricted-
fishing days with the pattern established in 1997.

Background

    The 1992 ABT allocations were established based on historical share 
of the U.S. catch for the preceding 10 years (57 FR 2905, July 24, 
1992). In 1995, 51 mt were transferred out of the Purse Seine category 
quota to account for increased participation in the handgear fisheries 
and to provide further data collection opportunities for scientific 
monitoring (60 FR 38505, July 27, 1995). In 1997, public comments on 
the proposed quota allocations indicated support for increased 
allocation to the Angling and General categories based on increased 
participation rates and the usefulness of scientific data obtained. 
NMFS agreed that the General and Angling category fisheries should be 
kept open as long as possible to achieve high survey sampling rates 
over the widest possible geographic area. For this reason, NMFS 
reallocated the 145 mt that had been in the 1995 Reserve to the Angling 
and General categories (62 FR 35107, June 30, 1997). A total of 33 mt 
was maintained in the Reserve to allow NMFS to transfer tonnage to keep 
fisheries open for the longest period possible without exceeding the 
quota set by ICCAT.
    In making the 1997 quota allocations, NMFS attempted to balance the 
needs for scientific monitoring with enhanced fishing opportunities for 
traditional user groups. However, many fishery participants have 
continued to express concerns that the allocations and/or tuna 
regulations have increased fishing mortality, excluded traditional user 
groups from recent ICCAT quota increases, or contributed to increased 
regulatory discards. NMFS continues to research alternative management 
measures to address these concerns and anticipates further public input 
during the course of developing the Highly Migratory Species Fishery 
Management Plan utilizing the input of the HMS Advisory Panel.
    While FMP development continues, NMFS must take action for the 
current year. The 1998 fishery is underway and advance notice of quota 
allocations and effort controls is important to fishery participants 
for planning purposes. With no new ICCAT recommendation on western ABT 
quotas at the 1997 meeting, extensive public comment during rulemaking 
in 1997, and no new, specific information arising that would cause NMFS 
to alter current allocations and General category effort controls, NMFS 
proposes to maintain the status quo for quota specifications and effort 
controls as established in 1997.

HMS Advisory Panel

    In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, NMFS created the Highly Migratory Species Advisory 
Panel (HMS AP), required by law to be of balanced representation, to 
assist in the development of an HMS FMP to implement measures designed 
to rebuild stocks of all Atlantic HMS. NMFS held 21 public scoping 
meetings throughout the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean regions 
to solicit public input on these fisheries, particularly on existing 
management measures and on what the U.S. long-term strategy should be 
both nationally and internationally in managing these species. At its 
second meeting on January 11 and 12, 1998, the HMS AP considered the 
scoping comments, and long-term allocation and effort control issues 
for ABT, including: Quota reallocation, reduced catch of small fish, 
limited access, additional set-asides for the General category for 
Connecticut/Rhode Island/New York and for North Carolina, realignment 
of Angling category areas, the use of spotter aircraft, North Carolina 
fishery quotas, and readjusting boundaries for geographic subquotas. 
These issues are important for consideration in FMP development; 
however, because the required analyses are still under development, 
NMFS is not proposing any modifications based on these issues. The HMS 
AP and NMFS will continue deliberations on these issues in the context 
of addressing overfishing and developing the FMP. NMFS encourages 
further public comment on issues to be considered by the HMS AP for the 
HMS FMP and to implement future ICCAT recommendations.
    While there was no clear consensus on allocation and effort 
controls during the scoping process and AP meeting, there was some 
support for the status quo. Even with the proposed continuation of the 
1997 management program, some of the concerns raised at the scoping and 
AP meetings could still be addressed through inseason actions: Catch 
limit adjustments, transfer from the Reserve or between categories, and 
interim closures of the Angling category.

Proposed Fishing Category Quotas

    On June 30, 1997 (62 FR 35107), NMFS issued the regulations that 
implemented the ICCAT recommendation for 1997 and 1998. ICCAT's 
recommendations for the 1997-98 quota shares included the 
recommendation that any unused quota or overage in 1997 may be added or 
subtracted, as appropriate, from the 1998 quota. Fishing category 
quotas for ABT are established at 50 CFR 285.22. Under Sec. 285.22(h), 
the AA is authorized to adjust annual categories or subcategories based 
on landing statistics and other available information and subtract 
overharvest from or add underharvest to that category for the following 
year, provided that the total of the adjusted quotas and the reserve is 
consistent with ICCAT recommendations.
    At the end of 1997, the following subquotas had not been harvested: 
19 mt in the Reserve, 4 mt in the Incidental category, 24 mt in the 
General category, and 12 mt in the Angling category. NMFS proposes that 
no changes be made to the baseline quotas established for 1997, and 
that underharvest from 1997 be added to the respective quota 
categories. Therefore, the proposed specifications would set the 
Reserve at 52 mt, would maintain the Purse Seine category quota at 250 
mt, would increase the Incidental category quota to 114 mt, would 
increase the General category quota to 657 mt, would maintain the 
Harpoon category quota at 53 mt, and would increase the Angling 
category quota to 277 mt.
    NMFS proposes to subdivide the Angling category quota of 277 mt as 
follows: School bluefin--108 mt (consistent with the ICCAT limitation 
on annual catch of school bluefin to 8 percent by weight of the total 
annual domestic quota, i.e., 1,344 mt), with 57 mt to the northern area 
(New Jersey and north) and 51 mt to the southern area (Delaware and 
south); large school/small medium bluefin--161 mt, with 85 mt to the 
northern area and 76 mt to the southern area; large medium/giant 
bluefin--8 mt, with 3 mt to the northern area and 5 mt to the southern 
area.

[[Page 16222]]

Incidental Category

    NMFS proposes that the adjusted Incidental category quota of 114 mt 
be subdivided as follows: 89 mt to longline vessels operating south of 
34 deg. N. lat.; 24 mt to longline vessels operating north of 34 deg. 
N. lat.; and 1 mt to fishermen using other gear authorized for 
incidental take.

Proposed General Category Quota Subdivision

    In the last three years, NMFS has implemented General category time 
period subquotas and restricted-fishing days to increase the likelihood 
that fishing would continue throughout the summer and fall for 
scientific monitoring purposes. These subquotas also were designed to 
address concerns regarding allocation of fishing opportunities, to 
allow for a late season fishery, and to improve market conditions.
    As in 1997, NMFS proposes three General category subquotas, based 
upon historical catch patterns (1983-96), distributed as follows: 60 
percent for June-August, 30 percent for September, and 10 percent for 
October-December. These percentages would be applied only to the 
adjusted coastwide General category of 647 mt, with the remaining 10 mt 
being reserved for the New York Bight fishery in October. Thus, of the 
647 mt, 388 mt would be available in the period beginning June 1 and 
ending August 31, 194 mt would be available in the period beginning 
September 1 and ending September 30, and 65 mt would be available in 
the period beginning October 1 and ending December 31.
    When the October through December General category catch is 
projected to have reached 65 mt, NMFS would set aside the remaining 10 
mt of the General category quota for the New York Bight only. Upon the 
effective date of the New York Bight set-aside, fishing for, retaining, 
or landing large medium or giant ABT would be prohibited in all waters 
outside the set-aside area. The New York Bight set-aside area was 
redefined in 1997 as the area comprising the waters south and west of a 
straight line originating at a point on the southern shore of Long 
Island at 72 deg.27' W. long. (Shinnecock Inlet) and running SSE 
150 deg. true, and north of 38 deg.47' N. lat.
    Attainment of the subquota in any fishing period would result in a 
closure until the beginning of the following fishing period, whereupon 
any underharvest or overharvest would be carried over to the following 
period, with the subquota for the following period adjusted 
accordingly. Announcements of inseason closures would be filed with the 
Office of the Federal Register, stating the effective date of closure, 
and further communicated through the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fax 
Network, the Atlantic Tunas Information Line, NOAA weather radio, and 
Coast Guard Notice to Mariners. Although notification of closure would 
be provided as far in advance as possible, fishermen are encouraged to 
call the Atlantic Tunas Information Line to check the status of the 
fishery before leaving for a fishing trip. The phone numbers for the 
Atlantic Tunas Information Line are (301) 713-1279 and (978) 281-9305. 
Information regarding the Atlantic tuna fisheries is also available 
through NextLink Interactive, Inc., at (888) USA-TUNA.

Proposed Restricted-Fishing Days

    In 1997, NMFS implemented restricted-fishing days for July and 
August based on proposals received from three associations representing 
General category fishermen and dealers and, after receiving numerous 
comments on the need to lengthen the General category fishery, 
implemented additional restricted-fishing days for September. NMFS 
proposes a schedule of restricted-fishing days similar to that of 1997, 
making the necessary calendar adjustments to coordinate with Japanese 
market holidays. Persons aboard vessels permitted in the General 
category would be prohibited from fishing (including tag and release 
fishing) for ABT of all sizes on the following days: July 15, 16, 22, 
and 29; August 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 23, 26, and 30; and 
September 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 19, 20, 23, 27, and 30. These proposed 
restricted-fishing days would improve distribution of fishing 
opportunities without increasing ABT mortality.

A Reminder of Recent Changes for the General and Charter/Headboat 
Permit Categories

    NMFS published by final rule on June 5, 1997 (62 FR 30741) a 
measure that was effective January 1, 1998, prohibiting persons aboard 
vessels permitted in the General category from retaining ABT less than 
the large medium size class. This action effectively separated the 
commercial and recreational fisheries, with the exception of charter/
headboats.
    In the same final rule, NMFS specified that anglers aboard vessels 
permitted in the Charter/Headboat category may collectively fish under 
either the daily Angling category limits or the daily General category 
limit as applicable on that day. The size category of the first ABT 
retained or possessed will determine the fishing category of all 
persons aboard the vessel, and the applicable catch limits, for that 
day. On designated restricted-fishing days, persons aboard vessels 
permitted in the Charter/Headboat category may fish for school, large 
school, and small medium ABT only, provided the Angling category 
remains open, and are subject to the Angling category catch limits in 
effect.

Public Hearings

    NMFS will hold public hearings to receive comments on these 
proposed specifications. These hearings will be scheduled at a later 
date and before the end of the comment period. Advanced notice of these 
hearings will be published in the Federal Register and will be 
announced via the HMS Fax Network.

Classification

    These proposed specifications are published under the authority of 
the ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. Preliminarily, the AA has determined 
that these specifications are necessary to implement the 
recommendations of ICCAT and are necessary for management of the 
Atlantic tuna fisheries.
    NMFS prepared a draft EA for these proposed specifications with a 
preliminary finding of no significant impact on the human environment. 
In addition, a draft RIR was prepared with a preliminary finding of no 
significant impact.
    The Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulation of the 
Department of Commerce has certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy 
of the Small Business Administration that the proposed specifications, 
if implemented, would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities as follows:

    The proposed specifications would set quota specifications and 
General category effort controls for the Atlantic bluefin tuna 
fishery in accordance with the recommendations of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and 
domestic fishery management objectives. Because quota allocations 
would remain the same or increase, and many of the designated 
restricted-fishing days have been scheduled to correspond directly 
to Japanese market closures, the likelihood of extending the fishing 
season is increased and additional revenues may accrue to many small 
businesses as market prices received by U.S. fishermen may improve.


[[Page 16223]]


    Because of this certification, an Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis was not prepared.
    These proposed specifications have been determined to be not 
significant for purposes of E.O. 12866.
    NMFS reinitiated consultation on the Atlantic tuna fishery under 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act on September 25, 1996. This 
consultation considered new information concerning the status of the 
northern right whale. On May 29, 1997, NMFS issued a biological 
opinion, which concluded that: Continued operation of the longline and 
purse seine component may adversely affect but is not likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened 
species under NMFS jurisdiction, and continued operation of the hand 
gear fisheries is not likely to adversely affect the continued 
existence of any endangered or threatened species under NMFS 
jurisdiction. The biological opinion was amended August 29, 1997 by the 
identification of a reasonable and prudent alternative regarding the 
driftnet component of the swordfish and tuna fisheries, and therefore 
is not relevant to the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. NMFS has 
determined that proceeding with these proposed specifications would not 
result in any irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources 
that would have the effect of foreclosing the formulation or 
implementation of any reasonable and prudent alternative measures to 
reduce adverse impacts on protected resources. These proposed 
specifications would implement effort controls (time period quotas and 
restricted-fishing days) and implement a domestic quota equal to that 
of 1997, with minor quota adjustments to individual category quotas to 
account for underharvest in 1997, and therefore would not likely 
increase fishing effort nor shift activities to new fishing areas. 
Therefore, the proposed specifications are not expected to increase 
endangered species or marine mammal interaction rates.

    Dated: March 27, 1998.
David L. Evans,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-8596 Filed 4-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F