[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3108-3109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01180]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 300

RIN 0648-BH36


Fisheries off West Coast States; Highly Migratory Fisheries; 
Amendment 4 to Fishery Management Plan for West Coast Highly Migratory 
Species Fisheries (HMS FMP); Revisions to the Biennial Management Cycle

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management 
plan; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council) has submitted Amendment 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for 
U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP) for 
review by the Secretary of Commerce. The intent of Amendment 4 is to 
bring descriptions of the management context for highly migratory 
species (HMS) fisheries up to date, better describe the Council's role 
in the process of making stock status determinations including 
evaluations of the best scientific information available (BSIA), and 
change the schedule of the Council's three-meeting biennial management 
cycle for HMS stocks. The amendment is administrative in nature and is 
not expected to affect activities authorized under the FMP or their 
harvest levels.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 4 must be submitted received by March 26, 
2018 to be considered in the decision whether to approve, disapprove, 
or partially approve Amendment 4.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2017-0138, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0138, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to [email protected], 
NMFS West Coast Region Long Beach Office, 501 W Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. Include the identifier ``NOAA-NMFS-2017-
0138'' in the comments.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above 
methods to ensure they are received, documented, and considered by 
NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or 
individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be 
considered. All comments received are a part of the public record and 
will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov 
without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, 
address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit confidential business information, or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept 
anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to 
remain anonymous).
    Copies of the draft Amendment 4 and other supporting documents are 
available via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov, docket NOAA-NMFS-2017-0138, or contact Amber 
Rhodes, NMFS West Coast Region, 562-980-3231, [email protected] or 
Heidi Taylor, NMFS West Coast Region, 562-980-4039, 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Rhodes, NMFS, 562-980-3231, 
[email protected] or Heidi Taylor, NMFS, 562-980-4039, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: During the Council's 2016 biennial 
management cycle meetings for HMS and considerations for recent 
revisions to agency guidelines for National Standard 1 (81 FR 71858, 
October 18, 2016), key

[[Page 3109]]

differences have become evident regarding the management of HMS stocks 
versus other Council-managed stocks for which management activities are 
largely or fully within the scope of Council jurisdiction. In contrast 
to NMFS-conducted assessments for other Council-managed stocks, HMS 
assessments are conducted by teams of regional fishery management 
organization (RFMO) science providers, which may include scientists 
from the United States and other participating nations in Pacific HMS 
fisheries or international science providers who work at RFMOs. 
Additionally, alternative peer review processes are used to determine 
whether the output of these international HMS assessments constitute 
BSIA (81 FR 54561; August 16, 2016), consistent with BSIA 
determinations for most U.S.-targeted stocks subject to international 
agreements. Following these steps, NMFS uses assessment outputs, which 
meet the BSIA standard, to determine stock status by following the 
status determination criteria (i.e., maximum fishing mortality 
thresholds and minimum stock size thresholds) in the HMS FMP.
    The proposed changes to the HMS FMP are administrative in nature, 
do not involve the issuance of any permits, and are described in 
further detail below:
     The description of the stock status determination process 
in Chapter 4 of the current HMS FMP has been revised to account for the 
fact that the HMS management unit species are internationally assessed 
and that these stock assessments are not routinely subject to 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) review for purposes of 
determining BSIA, unlike assessments for domestically-managed stocks.
     Additionally, to better align the Council's biennial 
management schedule with the NMFS' process for conducting HMS stock 
status determinations, the schedule described in Chapter 5 of the FMP 
would be changed under the proposed amendment to the HMS FMP. The 
three-meeting biennial management cycle would take place during 
September, November, and March Council meetings instead of during June, 
September, and November meetings; however, the schedule would continue 
to start on even years.
     Chapters 1 and 6 in the FMP also have been substantially 
revised to better describe the management context (Chapter 1) and the 
types of measures available and in use to manage U.S. West Coast HMS 
fisheries (Chapter 6).
     Chapter 8 (Research and Data Needed for Management) is 
proposed to be deleted, because it is out of date. This information may 
be periodically updated and presented in the HMS Stock Assessment and 
Fishery Evaluation Report produced by the HMS Management Team and the 
Research and Data Needs Report produced periodically by the Council's 
SSC.
    NMFS expects to publish and request public comment on proposed 
revisions to regulations to implement Amendment 4 in the near future. 
Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by the end of the 
comment period on Amendment 4 to be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the amendment. All comments received during the 
comment period for Amendment 4, whether specifically directed to the 
amendment, or the proposed rule, will be considered in the decision 
whether to approve, disapprove, or partially approve Amendment 4.

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

    Dated: January 18, 2018.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-01180 Filed 1-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P