[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 78310-78311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30521]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

RIN 0648-BC09


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); 2006 Consolidated HMS 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP); Amendment 7

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

ACTION: Notice of installation schedule for electronic monitoring 
equipment.

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SUMMARY: On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for 
Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (Amendment 7) to ensure 
sustainable management of bluefin tuna consistent with the 2006 HMS FMP 
and address ongoing challenges in the Atlantic bluefin tuna fisheries. 
The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an owner or 
operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be permitted 
in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic longline 
gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and maintain an 
electronic monitoring (EM) system on the vessel. To enable vessels to 
comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations 
for installation of, and training on the operation of, EM equipment on 
up to 135 vessels that were deemed eligible for initial bluefin tuna 
quota shares in Amendment 7. Although most Amendment 7 measures are 
effective as of January 1, 2015, the final rule specifies that EM 
installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic 
longline gear after that date. Therefore, in this notice NMFS is 
scheduling EM installations between January 1 and June 1, 2015. 
Pursuant to Amendment 7, NMFS is also providing information about the 
EM installation process.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for installation dates, times, and 
locations.

ADDRESSES: Installation of EM equipment is scheduled at the following 
ports: Cape Canaveral, FL; Panama City, FL; Dulac, LA; Wanchese, NC, 
Beaufort, NC, and Barnegat Light, NJ. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
specific dates, times, and locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren or Brad McHale at 978-
281-9260; or Craig Cockrell at 301-427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic tuna fisheries are managed under 
the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention 
Act (ATCA). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS must manage fisheries 
to maintain optimum yield on a continuing basis while preventing 
overfishing. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to 
promulgate regulations as may be necessary and appropriate to carry out 
recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of 
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The authority to issue regulations under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA has been delegated from the Secretary to 
the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS. Management of these 
species is described in the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, which is 
implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635. Amendment 7 to the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP may be found online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am7/index.html.
    On December 2, 2014, NMFS published the final rule for Amendment 7 
to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP to, among other things, take actions 
related to the operation and management of the Atlantic bluefin tuna 
fishery, including measures applicable to the pelagic longline fishery, 
including Individual Bluefin Quotas (IBQs) and expanded monitoring 
requirements, including electronic monitoring via cameras (79 FR 
71510). The regulations implemented by the final rule require that an 
owner or operator of a commercial vessel permitted or required to be 
permitted in the Atlantic Tunas Longline category and that has pelagic 
longline gear on board that vessel, have installed, operate, and 
maintain an EM system on the vessel. To enable eligible vessels to 
comply with the EM requirements, NMFS is scheduling dates and locations 
for installation of and training on the operation of EM equipment. 
Although most Amendment 7 measures are effective as of January 1, 2015, 
EM installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish with pelagic 
longline gear after that date. NMFS has identified funds to pay for the 
required equipment and its initial installation prior to June 1, 2015, 
for the currently eligible vessels (135 vessels with Atlantic Tunas 
Longline permits deemed eligible to receive Individual Bluefin Quota 
(IBQ) shares pursuant to Amendment 7). This will ease the regulated 
community's burden associated with the new monitoring requirements. 
NMFS sent certified letters on December 4, 2014, to the permit holders 
to inform them of the eligibility status of their Atlantic Tunas 
Longline permit. Funding for future equipment and installations, and 
installations of EM on vessels other than the 135 initially identified 
is uncertain, as is installation after June 1, 2015, even for eligible 
vessels. The following descriptions and instructions are consistent 
with the Amendment 7 final rule:
    Vessel owners and/or operators should, in the near future, call 
Saltwater, Inc., the NMFS-approved contractor, at 800-770-3241, to 
schedule EM installation and training for eligible vessels at one of 
the ports specified in Table 1, and to discuss logistics (time, precise 
location, etc.) with the contractor. As specified in the final rule, 
prior to the scheduled date of installation, vessel owners/operators 
must purchase a fitting for the pressure side of the line of the drum 
hydraulic

[[Page 78311]]

system. The fitting may be either ``T'' or inline, with a female \1/4\ 
threaded National Pipe Thread (NPT) port, to enable connection to the 
pressure transducer (a component of the EM system).
    Before the scheduled date of installation, the NMFS-approved 
contractor may contact vessel operators in person or by phone to ask 
questions to help them determine power supply, vessel configuration, 
and other considerations necessary to facilitate installation of the EM 
system and to ensure the system's compatibility with the vessel. The 
vessel owner and/or operator should be present on the day of 
installation to facilitate equipment installation and provide access to 
the vessel and information to Saltwater, Inc., about the power supply 
and other vessel infrastructure and other information as needed. The 
dates and locations of the EM installations are listed below in Table 
1. These dates and locations were chosen based on several factors to 
reduce the potential for the installation schedule to interfere with 
fishing trips and to minimize the distances vessel may have to travel. 
In order to provide as much flexibility as possible for the locations 
of a limited number of installations, NMFS will announce any additional 
locations or changes in locations, if warranted, in a future notice 
(``To Be Determined'').

   Table 1--Dates and Locations of Electronic Monitoring Installations
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             Date range (2015)                      Name of port
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January 16 through 25.....................  Cape Canaveral, FL.
                                            Panama City, FL.
February 14 through 23....................  Cape Canaveral, FL.
                                            Dulac, LA.
March 16 through 25.......................  Wanchese, NC.
                                            Beaufort, NC.
April 14 through 23.......................  Wanchese, NC.
                                            Dulac, LA.
May 11 through 17, and 19 through 25......  To Be Determined.
                                            Barnegat Light, NJ.
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Other Installations

    If a vessel owner and/or operator of an eligible vessel is not able 
to coordinate installation with Saltwater, Inc., on one of the dates 
and locations listed in Table 1, the vessel operator should contact 
Saltwater, Inc., at 800-770-3241 to determine whether another mutually-
agreed upon location and date before June 1, 2015, is feasible for 
installation and training. NMFS cannot guarantee that an alternate 
location or date will be provided given the limited funding and time 
available to complete installation of the EM equipment and training. 
Therefore, vessel owners and/or operators should make a concerted 
effort to make plans to adhere to the EM installation schedule in Table 
1.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 23, 2014.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-30521 Filed 12-24-14; 11:15 am]
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