[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64426-64427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22493]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

RIN 0648-XE888


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); New England 
Fishery Management Council (NEFMC); Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils 
are developing an omnibus amendment to allow for industry-funded 
monitoring. This amendment includes omnibus alternatives that would 
modify all the fishery management plans managed by the Mid-Atlantic and 
New England Fishery Management Councils to allow for standardized and 
streamlined development of future industry-funded monitoring programs. 
Additionally, this amendment includes alternatives for new industry-
funded monitoring programs for the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management 
Plan and the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery 
Management Plan.

DATES: Written comments on the Industry-Funded Monitoring Omnibus 
Amendment (IFM Amendment) will be accepted from Friday, September 23, 
2016, until Monday, November 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2016-0125, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments;
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
IFM Omnibus Amendment;''
     Comments may also be provided verbally at any of the five 
public hearings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and 
locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Luers, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 282-8457. The IFM Amendment will be available on the 
NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office Web site 
(www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov) and the Council Web sites 
(www.mafmc.org, www.nefmc.org) starting on September 23, 2016. In 
addition, please visit any of the Web sites for details on meeting 
locations, webinar listen-in access, and public hearing materials.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic and the New England Fishery 
Management Councils have initiated an amendment to allow for industry-
funded monitoring in all of the fishery management plans managed by the 
Councils. The industry-funded monitoring would be used to assess the 
amount and type of catch, more precisely monitor annual catch limits, 
and provide other information for management. This increased monitoring 
would be above coverage required under the standardized bycatch 
reporting methodology, the Endangered Species Act, or the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act. The amount of available Federal funding to support 
additional monitoring and legal constraints associated with sharing the 
costs of industry-funded monitoring between NMFS and the fishing 
industry have recently prevented NMFS from approving proposals for 
industry-funded monitoring in some fisheries.
    The Omnibus Alternatives consider the following for new industry-
funded monitoring programs: (1) Standard cost responsibilities 
associated with industry-funded monitoring for NMFS and the fishing 
industry; (2) a process for fishery management plan-specific industry-
funded monitoring to be implemented via a future framework adjustment 
action; (3) standard administrative requirements for industry-funded 
monitoring service providers; (4) a process to prioritize industry-
funded monitoring programs in order to allocate available Federal 
resources across all fishery management plans; and (5) a process for 
monitoring set-aside programs to be implemented via a future framework 
adjustment action.
    This amendment also includes industry-funded monitoring coverage 
target alternatives for the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries. 
Specifically, this amendment considers a variety of monitoring types 
and coverage targets to address the following goals: (1) Accurate 
estimates of catch (retained and discarded); (2) accurate catch 
estimates for incidental species for which catch caps apply; and (3) 
effective and affordable monitoring for the herring and mackerel 
fisheries.

Public Hearings

    The dates and locations of the public hearings are as follows.
     Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 6-8 p.m., Greater Atlantic 
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930, telephone: (978) 281-9300;
     Monday, October 17, 2016, 5-7 p.m., Internet webinar, 
connection information to be available at (http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/ifm-hearing/) or by contacting NMFS or either 
Council at the above addresses.
     Thursday, October 20, 2016, 6-8 p.m., Double Tree by 
Hilton Hotels, 363 Maine Mall Road, Portland, ME 04106, telephone: 
(207) 775-6161;
     Thursday, October 27, 2016, 5-7 p.m., Congress Hall, 200 
Congress Place, Cape May, NJ 08204, telephone: (888) 944-1816;
     Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 6-8 p.m., Corless Auditorium, 
Watkins Building University of Rhode Island Graduate School of 
Oceanography, 218 Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02874.

[[Page 64427]]

Special Accommodations

    These public hearings are accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to Dr. Fiona Hogan (NEFMC) at [email protected], (978) 465-
0492 (x121), or Jason Didden (MAFMC) at [email protected], (302) 526-
5254, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: September 14, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-22493 Filed 9-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P