[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 99 (Monday, May 23, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 29718-29719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12648]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

RIN 0648-AY27


Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; American Samoa Longline Gear 
Modifications To Reduce Turtle Interactions

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery ecosystem plan amendment; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for 
Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FEP). If approved by 
the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 5 would establish gear 
configuration requirements for the U.S. pelagic longline fishery based 
in American Samoa. The proposed action is intended to reduce 
interactions between the fishery and Pacific green sea turtles, which 
will enable American Samoa longline fishing vessels to continue 
operations, while providing for the long-term survival, recovery, and 
sustainability of Pacific green sea turtle populations.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 5, including an environmental assessment, 
must be received by July 22, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Copies of Amendment 5, including an environmental 
assessment, identified by 0648-AY27, are available from http://www.regulations.gov, or the Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, 
Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-8220, fax 808-522-8226, http://www.wpcouncil.org. Comments on the amendment, including the 
environmental assessment, may be sent to either of the following 
addresses:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov; or
     Mail: Mail written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted to one of the above two 
addresses to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent to any other address or individual, 
or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered. 
All comments received are a part of the public record and will 
generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All 
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 
voluntarily by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the 
required name and organization fields if you wish to remain anonymous). 
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word 
or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Bailey, NMFS PIR Sustainable 
Fisheries Division, 808-944-2248.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pelagic fisheries in the U.S. western 
Pacific are managed under the FEP, developed by the Council, and 
approved and implemented by NMFS. The Council prepared Amendment 5 to 
address pelagic fishing concerns in American Samoa, and submitted the 
amendment to NMFS for review under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act.
    The pelagic longline fishery based in American Samoa is 
predominantly composed of longline vessels over 40 ft (12 m) in length. 
Longline vessels set 30-50 miles (48-80 km) of monofilament main line 
and around 3,000 hooks per day. In 2010, 26 vessels made a total of 
4,328 sets, and landed about 222,400 albacore (most destined for the 
Pago Pago cannery), and smaller amounts of skipjack, yellowfin and 
bigeye tunas. The fishery also takes wahoo, oilfish, blue marlin, blue 
sharks, and other pelagic fish.
    The American Samoa longline fishery occasionally interacts with 
(hooks or entangles) Pacific green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), which 
are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Most of the 
interactions occur in near-surface waters, that is, shallower than 100 
m, and most injuries to green sea turtles are fatal. To reduce these 
interactions, the Council proposes to amend the FEP to require longline 
fishermen to use a suite of gear configurations designed to ensure that 
longline hooks are set to fish at a depth of 100 meters or deeper, away 
from the primary turtle habitat.
    This action would require fishermen on the large vessels (Classes 
B, C, and D) to use float lines that are at least 30 meters long, and 
maintain a distance of

[[Page 29719]]

70 m between floats and adjacent branch lines with hooks. Fishermen on 
these large vessels would be required to deploy at least 15 branch 
lines with hooks between floats. The possession or landing of more than 
10 swordfish, which tend to inhabit near-surface waters, would also be 
prohibited to help ensure that shallower longline fishing does not 
occur.
    While green sea turtles are expected to benefit from the proposed 
gear modifications, the action is not expected to change the conduct of 
the fishery in terms of the number of vessels, areas fished, and fish 
targeted. Thus, there would not likely be adverse impacts on target and 
non-target species. No negative impacts are expected on seabirds, 
marine mammals, essential fish habitat, habitat areas of particular 
concern, marine protected areas, fishing communities, or safety at sea.
    Comments on Amendment 5 must be received by July 22, 2011 to be 
considered by NMFS in the decision to approve, partially approve, or 
disapprove the amendment. NMFS soon expects to publish and request 
public comment on a proposed rule that would implement the measures 
recommended in Amendment 5.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 17, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-12648 Filed 5-20-11; 8:45 am]
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