[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37598-37599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16191]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD990


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Essential Fish Habitat Final 
5-Year Review

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of the Final Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species (HMS) Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 5-Year Review and 
intent to initiate an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to revise Atlantic HMS EFH descriptions 
and designations. The purpose of the Atlantic HMS EFH 5-Year Review was 
to gather relevant new information and determine whether revisions to 
existing EFH descriptions and designations are warranted, in compliance 
with the

[[Page 37599]]

requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and implementing regulations. NMFS has determined that 
revisions to EFH descriptions and designations are warranted, and an 
amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP will be initiated.

DATES: The Final Atlantic HMS EFH 5-Year Review will be available on 
July 1, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Draft Atlantic HMS EFH 5-Year 
Review may be obtained on the internet at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/2015_final_efh_review.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Cooper at 301-427-8503, or 
Jennifer Cudney at 727-824-5399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) includes provisions 
concerning the identification and conservation of EFH (16 U.S.C. 1801 
et seq.). EFH is defined in 50 CFR 600.10 as ``those waters and 
substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth 
to maturity.'' NMFS must identify and describe EFH, minimize to the 
extent practicable the adverse effects of fishing on EFH, and identify 
other actions to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH 
(Sec.  600.815(a)). EFH maps are presented online in the NMFS EFH 
Mapper (http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/protection/efh/habitatmapper.html). 
Federal agencies that authorize, fund, or undertake actions that may 
adversely affect EFH must consult with NMFS, and NMFS must provide 
conservation recommendations to Federal and state agencies regarding 
any such actions (Sec.  600.815(a)(9)).
    In addition to identifying and describing EFH for managed fish 
species, a review of EFH must be conducted every 5 years, and EFH 
provisions must be revised or amended, as warranted, based on the best 
available scientific information. The EFH 5-Year Review evaluates 
published scientific literature, unpublished scientific reports, 
information solicited from interested parties, and previously 
unavailable or inaccessible data. NMFS announced the initiation of this 
review and solicited information for this review from the public in a 
Federal Register notice on March 24, 2014 (79 FR 15959). The initial 
public review/submission period ended on May 23, 2014. The draft EFH 5-
Year Review was made available in March 2015 and public comments on the 
draft were solicited in a Federal Register notice on March 5, 2015 (80 
FR 11981). The public comment period for the draft EFH 5-Year Review 
ended on April 6, 2015.
    The final EFH 5-Year Review for Atlantic HMS includes tunas 
(bluefin, bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack), oceanic sharks, 
swordfish, and billfishes (blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, 
roundscale spearfish, and longbill spearfish). The Atlantic HMS EFH 5-
Year Review considers data regarding Atlantic HMS and their habitats 
that have become available since 2009 that were not included in Final 
Amendment 1 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS (Amendment 1; June 1, 
2010, 75 FR 30484); Final Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 
3 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (June 1, 2010, 75 FR 30484); and the 
interpretive rule that described EFH for roundscale spearfish 
(September 22, 2010, 75 FR 57698).
    NMFS analyzed the information gathered through the EFH review 
process in this final 5-year review and determined that revision of EFH 
is warranted, and an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS 
FMP will be undertaken. In reviewing literature since 2009, new data 
emerged for certain Atlantic HMS that warrant revision to those 
species' EFH geographic boundaries. For other Atlantic HMS, new data 
were either unavailable or it was determined that the new data did not 
warrant revisions to their EFH geographic boundaries. However, in the 
upcoming amendment, new observer, survey, and tag/recapture data 
collected since 2009 will be used to revise EFH geographic boundaries 
for all species. The current EFH methodology to designate EFH 
geographic boundaries for Atlantic HMS was first applied in Amendment 
1, and Atlantic HMS EFH geographic boundaries have not since been 
updated using this methodology. It is unknown how data that have been 
consistently collected since 2009 (e.g., observer, survey, tag/
recapture) will impact EFH geographic boundaries. Therefore, all 
Atlantic HMS EFH geographic boundaries will be updated to see how these 
data will impact EFH geographic boundaries, even for species where 
there was limited or no new EFH data found in the literature review.
    The upcoming EFH amendment will consider all 10 EFH components, 
including individual species EFH descriptions, EFH conservation and 
enhancement recommendations for fishing and non-fishing effects on EFH, 
and identification of HAPCs, as well as scientific feedback and public 
comment.

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

    Dated: June 26, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-16191 Filed 6-30-15; 8:45 am]
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