[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18820-18821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08070]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD413


Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine Conservation Plan for American 
Samoa

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 (MCP) 
for American Samoa.

DATES: This agency decision is effective from April 1, 2015, through 
March 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the MCP, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2014-0095, from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2014-0095, or from the Western Pacific

[[Page 18821]]

Fishery Management Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, 
Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-8220, www.wpcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Harman, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 808-725-5170.

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 American Samoa, Guam, or the Northern 
Mariana Islands with the concurrence of, and in consultation with, the 
Governor of the Pacific Insular Area to which the PIAFA applies. Before 
entering into a PIAFA, the appropriate Governor, with the concurrence 
of the Council, must develop a 3-year MCP providing details on uses for 
any funds collected by the Secretary under the PIAFA.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires payments received under a PIAFA 
to be deposited into the United States Treasury and then conveyed to 
the Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for which funds were 
collected. In the case of violations by foreign fishing vessels in the 
EEZ around any Pacific Insular Area, amounts received by the Secretary 
attributable to fines and penalties imposed under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act, including sums collected from the forfeiture and disposition or 
sale of property seized subject to its authority, shall be deposited 
into the Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area adjacent to the EEZ in 
which the violation occurred, after direct costs of the enforcement 
action are subtracted. The government may use funds deposited into the 
Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for fisheries enforcement and for 
implementation of an MCP.
    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 are met), and must 
prioritize planned marine conservation projects. Although no foreign 
fishing is being considered at this time, at its 160th meeting held 
June 24-27, 2014, in Honolulu, the Council reviewed and approved the 
MCP for American Samoa and recommended its submission to the Secretary 
for approval. On March 16, 2015, the Governor of American Samoa 
submitted the MCP to NMFS, the designee of the Secretary, for review 
and approval.
    The American Samoa MCP contains six conservation and management 
objectives, listed below. Please refer to the MCP for planned projects 
and activities designed to meet each objective, the evaluative 
criteria, and priority rankings.

MCP Objectives

    1. Maximize social and economic benefits through sustainable 
fisheries development.
    2. Support quality scientific research to assess and manage 
fisheries.
    3. Promote an ecosystem approach in fisheries management, reduce 
waste in fisheries and minimize interactions between fisheries and 
protected species.
    4. Recognize the importance of island culture and traditional 
fishing in managing fishery resources and foster opportunities for 
participation.
    5. Promote education and outreach activities and regional 
collaboration regarding fisheries conservation.
    6. Encourage development of technologies and methods to achieve the 
most effective level of enforcement and to ensure safety at sea.
    This notice announces that NMFS has determined that the American 
Samoa MCP satisfies the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and 
approves the MCP for the 3-year period from April 1, 2015, through 
March 31, 2018. This MCP supersedes the one approved for the period 
August 11, 2012, through August 10, 2015 (77 FR 58813, September 24, 
2012).

    Dated: April 3, 2015.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-08070 Filed 4-7-15; 8:45 am]
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