[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 116 (Monday, June 17, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 36149-36150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14331]



[[Page 36149]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[Docket No. 111014628-3329-01]
RIN 0648-BB54


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Implementation of the Shark 
Conservation Act of 2010; Correction

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period; correction.

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SUMMARY: NMFS published a proposed rule on May 2, 2013, to implement 
provisions of the Shark Conservation Act of 2010 (SCA) that prohibit 
any person from removing any of the fins of a shark at sea, possessing 
shark fins on board a fishing vessel unless they are naturally attached 
to the corresponding carcass, transferring or receiving fins from one 
vessel to another at sea unless the fins are naturally attached to the 
corresponding carcass, landing shark fins unless they are naturally 
attached to the corresponding carcass, or landing shark carcasses 
without their fins naturally attached. NMFS proposes this action to 
amend existing regulations and make them consistent with the SCA. The 
public comment period for the proposed rule ends on June 17, 2013. NMFS 
is extending the public comment period for an additional 21 days, to 
July 8, 2013, to provide additional time for various stakeholders and 
other members of the public to submit comments. Additionally, this 
action corrects technical errors found on page 25688 under the 
Classification section of the proposed rule.

DATES: The public comment period for the proposed rule published at 78 
FR 25685, May 2, 2013, is extended from June 17, 2013, to July 8, 2013. 
Comments must be received no later than July 8, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2012-0092, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To 
submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the ``submit a 
comment'' icon, then enter NOAA-NMFS-2012-0092 in the keyword search. 
Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and 
click on the ``Submit a Comment'' icon on the right of that line.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Erin Wilkinson, National 
Marine Fisheries Service (SF3), NOAA; 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.
     Fax 301-713-1193; Attn: Erin Wilkinson.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above 
methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, 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 for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the 
sender will 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 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.
    Electronic copies of the Environmental Assessment (EA), the 
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and the Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (IRFA) prepared for this action are available on the Federal 
e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Wilkinson, 301-427-8561; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 2, 2013, NMFS published a proposed 
rule in the Federal Register (78 FR 25685) to implement provisions of 
the SCA that prohibit any person from removing any of the fins of a 
shark at sea, possessing shark fins on board a fishing vessel unless 
they are naturally attached to the corresponding carcass, transferring 
or receiving fins from one vessel to another at sea unless the fins are 
naturally attached to the corresponding carcass, landing shark fins 
unless they are naturally attached to the corresponding carcass, or 
landing shark carcasses without their fins naturally attached. NMFS 
proposes this action to amend existing regulations and make them 
consistent with the SCA.

Public Comment Extension

    The public comment period for the proposed rule ends on June 17, 
2013. Several environmental organizations have commented that the 
proposed rule should identify specific state and territorial shark fin 
laws, or provisions of those laws that are preempted by Federal law. 
Federal preemption is based on Congressional intent to preempt state 
law. Accordingly, the proposed rule set forth NMFS' understanding of 
Congressional intent with regard to Federal fisheries management under 
the MSA, which includes Federal shark fin measures in subsection 
307(1)(P). As noted in the proposed rule, several states and 
territories have enacted shark fin laws, which vary, and preemption 
will depend in part on how states interpret their laws. States and 
territories are the authorities on the intent and interpretation of 
their state shark fin laws. NMFS is consulting with the states and 
territories regarding their laws, possible areas of conflict, and ways 
to avoid such conflict. See Section 4 of Executive Order 13132 (August 
4, 1999) (setting forth special requirements for preemption).
    Due to the public concern regarding this action, NMFS extends the 
public comment period for an additional 21 days until July 8, 2013. The 
extension of the comment period ensures that NMFS provides adequate 
time for stakeholders and members of the public to comment on the 
proposed rule to implement the provisions of the Shark Conservation Act 
of 2010. As provided in the proposed rule, states have until July 8, 
2013, to notify NMFS if the proposed activity is consistent with the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 1979, so granting an extension of 21 
days does not delay the rule making process.

Need for Correction

    Page 25688 of the proposed rule published in the Federal Register 
on May 2, 2013 included three technical errors.
    In paragraph two of column one on page 25688, the preamble states: 
``In 2011, 243 commercial vessels had shark landings on the west coast 
and total ex-vessel revenue for west coast shark landings was $349,634. 
Thus, in 2011, average ex-vessel revenue per vessel from shark landings 
was approximately $1,450.'' This sentence contains incorrect landings 
data and needs to be corrected.
    Paragraph three of column three on page 25688 states: ``In 2011, 
about 620,256 west coast recreational trips (days) by party and charter 
boats retained about 16 metric tons of sharks.'' This sentence also 
contains incorrect data and needs to be corrected.

[[Page 36150]]

Corrections

    1. In the Federal Register of May 2, 2013, on page 25688, in the 
first column, second paragraph, the second sentence is corrected to 
read as follows:
    ``In 2011, 243 commercial vessels had shark landings on the west 
coast and total ex-vessel revenue for west coast shark landings was 
$357,169. Thus, in 2011, average ex-vessel revenue per vessel from 
shark landings was approximately $1,470.''
    2. On page 25688, in the third column, third paragraph, the second 
sentence is corrected to read as follows:
    ``In 2011, about 620,256 west coast recreational trips (days) by 
party and charter boats retained about 11 metric tons of sharks.''

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

    Dated: June 11, 2013.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, performing the functions 
and duties of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-14331 Filed 6-14-13; 8:45 am]
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