[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 126 (Thursday, June 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38370-38371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16454]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA517


Western Pacific Fisheries; Approval of a Marine Conservation Plan 
for Pacific Insular Areas; Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund

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

ACTION: Notice of agency decision.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of a marine conservation plan for 
Pacific Insular Areas other than American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern 
Mariana Islands.

DATES: This agency decision is effective from June 24, 2011 through 
June 23, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the MCP are available from http://www.regulations.gov, or the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-
522-8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jarad Makaiau, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 808-944-2108.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 204(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) 
authorizes the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the 
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and in consultation with the Council, 
to negotiate and enter into a Pacific Insular Area fishery agreement 
(PIAFA). A PIAFA would allow foreign fishing within the U.S. Exclusive 
Economic Zone (EEZ) adjacent to any Pacific Insular Area other than 
American Samoa, Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands, that is, in the 
EEZ around the Pacific remote island areas (PRIA). The PRIA are Baker 
Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, 
Midway Island, Wake Island, and Palmyra Atoll. Before entering into a 
PIAFA for the PRIA, the Council must develop a 3-year Marine 
Conservation Plan (MCP) providing details on uses for any funds 
collected by the Secretary under the PIAFA.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires any payments received under a 
PIAFA, and any funds or contributions received in support of 
conservation and management objectives for the PRIA to be deposited 
into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund (Fund) for use by 
the Council. Additionally, amounts received by the Secretary 
attributable to fines and penalties imposed under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act for violations by foreign vessels occurring within the EEZ off any 
PRIA are also deposited into the Fund for use by the Council.
    An MCP must be consistent with the Council's fishery ecosystem 
plans, must identify conservation and management objectives (including 
criteria for determining when such objectives have been met), and must 
prioritize planned marine conservation projects. Although no foreign 
fishing is being considered at this time, the Council, at its 151st 
meeting held June 15-18, 2011, approved its PRIA MCP. On June 18, 2011, 
the Council submitted the MCP to NMFS for review and approval.
    The MCP contains five conservation and management objectives, and 
identifies major task areas under which nine planned activities are 
described, as follows:
    Objective 1. Support quality research and obtain the most complete 
scientific information available to assess and manage fisheries within 
an ecosystem approach.
    a. Support cooperative research on U.S. purse seine vessels fishing 
on fish aggregation devices in the PRIA.
    b. Support tagging studies in the PRIA to provide better 
understanding of pelagic species.
    c. Support collection and analysis of life history characteristics 
of federally managed species through bio-sampling.
    Objective 2. Conduct education and outreach to foster good 
stewardship principles and broad and direct public participation in the 
Council decision-making process by supporting education and outreach 
activities related to sustainable fisheries management of pelagic 
fisheries in the PRIA.
    Objective 3. Promote regional cooperation to manage domestic and 
international fisheries, by participating in international fishery 
policy development in Pacific Regional Fishery Management 
Organizations.
    Objective 4. Encourage development of technologies and methods to 
achieve the most effective level of monitoring, control, and 
surveillance and to ensure safety at sea.
    a. Support pilot programs to test new technologies for information 
gathering,

[[Page 38371]]

in coordination with federal, state, and industry representatives.
    b. Support observer programs or other monitoring efforts that are 
adequate to monitor the harvest, bycatch, and compliance of foreign 
fishing vessels that fish under a PIAFA in the PRIA.
    c. Participate in Pacific-wide vessel monitoring system 
consultations.
    Objective 5. Support activities that promote western Pacific 
community demonstration projects and the western Pacific community 
development program.
    The MCP also outlines a process by which the Council's Executive 
Committee could revisit the project ranking to adapt to changing 
management needs.
    This notice announces that NMFS has determined that the PRIA MCP 
satisfies the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and approves the 
MCP for the 3-year period from June 24, 2011, through June 23, 2014.

    Dated: June 24, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-16454 Filed 6-27-11; 4:15 pm]
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