[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 88 (Thursday, May 7, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26196-26197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10960]


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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: Announcement of location for installation of electronic 
monitoring equipment.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is announcing that the final location for the May 2015 
installations of electronic monitoring (EM) systems required by 
Amendment 7 will be Fairhaven, MA, in addition to the previously-
announced Barnegat Light, NJ. NMFS is also informing vessel owners with 
Atlantic tunas permits that funding for such EM installation and 
training is now available on a `first come, first served' basis for a 
limited number of pelagic longline vessels that were not eligible for 
Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) based on criteria in Amendment 7 to the 
2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (Amendment 7). Funding for EM installation 
and training originally was limited to the 135 vessels eligible for IBQ 
shares.

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

ADDRESSES: Installation of EM systems and equipment during May 2015 is 
scheduled at the following ports: Fairhaven, MA, and Barnegat Light, 
NJ. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates.

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, 
such as establishing IBQs and expanding monitoring requirements, 
including electronic monitoring by camera (79 FR 71510). The 
regulations implementing 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 have installed, operate, and maintain an EM system on the 
vessel. Although most Amendment 7 measures were effective as of January 
1, 2015, EM installation must be completed by June 1, 2015, to fish 
with pelagic longline gear. To facilitate compliance with these 
requirements and ease any burden on vessel owners, NMFS identified 
funding for EM equipment, installation and training for the 135 vessels 
eligible for IBQ under Amendment 7 criteria. NMFS scheduled multiple 
dates and locations for installation and training on the operation of 
EM equipment during the months of January through May (79 FR 78310; 
December 30, 2014). The dates and locations were chosen to reduce the 
potential for interference with fishing trips and to minimize the 
distances vessels may have to travel. One of the two locations during 
the scheduled May time periods (May 11-17; and 19-25) was left 
undetermined to provide

[[Page 26197]]

flexibility to consider status of installations from January to the 
present, and the location of vessels still requiring installation. 
Based on input from vessel owners, NMFS has determined that the final 
location will be Fairhaven, MA.
    To encourage vessels to sign up for installation and determine how 
many of the eligible 135 vessels intended to have an EM system 
installed, NMFS notified the pelagic longline fleet and set an 
administrative deadline of April 20, 2015, for eligible vessels to sign 
up for installation. Based on the number of vessels that already 
installed EM systems or signed up for installation by the deadline, 
NMFS has determined that funds are available to pay for installation of 
EM equipment on a limited number of vessels with a valid Atlantic Tunas 
Longline permit that were not eligible for IBQ shares under Amendment 7 
(``non-eligible vessels''). Funding for non-eligible vessels is not 
guaranteed and will be available on a `first come-first served' basis, 
as determined by the date scheduled and agreed upon by the vessel 
owner/operator and Saltwater, Inc. All vessel owners and/or operators 
must call Saltwater, Inc., the NMFS-approved contractor, at 800-770-
3241, to schedule EM installation and training for their vessels at one 
of the ports specified in Table 1, and to discuss logistics (time, 
precise location, etc.) with the contractor. All vessel owners and/or 
operators must call at least a week in advance of the desired date of 
installation, but are encouraged to contact Saltwater Inc. as soon as 
possible.
    If a vessel owner and/or operator of a pelagic longline vessel is 
not able to coordinate installation with the NMFS-approved contracter, 
Saltwater, Inc., on one of the dates and locations listed in Table 1, 
the vessel operator is advised to contact Saltwater, Inc., as soon as 
possible to determine whether another mutually-agreed upon location and 
date is possible for installation and training. NMFS cannot guarantee 
that an alternate date will be possible given the limited funding and 
time available to complete installation of and training on the 
operation of the EM equipment. Therefore, vessel owners and/or 
operators will be advised make a concerted effort to adhere to the EM 
installation schedule in Table 1.

   Table 1--Dates and Locations of Remaining Pre-Scheduled Electronic
                        Monitoring Installations
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      Date range (2015)                       Name of port
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May 11 through 17, and May 19  Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
 through 25.
May 11 through 17, and May 19  Barnegat Light, New Jersey.
 through 25.
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    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 1, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-10960 Filed 5-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P