[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 53 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11952-11953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05505]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 180205126-8126-01]
RIN 0648-BH66


Control Date for the Northeast Multispecies Charter/Party 
Fishery; Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

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

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR); request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a new control date that may be used to 
determine future participation in the Northeast multispecies charter/
party fishery. This notice is necessary to inform interested parties 
that the New England Fishery Management Council is considering a future 
action that may affect or limit the number of participants in this 
fishery and that participants should locate and preserve all fishing 
related documents. The control date is intended to discourage 
speculative entry or fishing activity in the Northeast multispecies 
charter/party fishery while the Council considers how participation in 
the fishery may be affected.

DATES: March 19, 2018, shall be known as the ``control date'' for the 
Northeast multispecies charter/party fishery. Written comments must be 
received on or before April 18, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2018-0042 by any of the following methods:
    [ssquf] Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=[NOAA-NMFS-2018-0042], click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
    [ssquf] Mail: Submit written comments to Michael Pentony, Regional 
Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great Republic 
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, 
``Comments on Northeast Multispecies Charter/Party Control Date.''
    [ssquf] Fax: (978) 281-9135; Attn: Spencer Talmage.
    Instructions: 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 by NMFS. 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.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in 
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notification establishes March 19, 
2018, as the new control date for potential use in determining 
historical or traditional participation in the charter/party groundfish 
fishery. Interested participants should locate and preserve all records 
that substantiate and verify their participation in the charter/party 
groundfish fishery. Consideration of a

[[Page 11953]]

control date does not commit the Council to develop any particular 
management regime or criteria for participation in the fishery. Any 
action to develop a limited access program for the charter/party 
fishery would require a change to the FMP and would be considered 
through the normal Council process, including rulemaking, that would 
allow additional opportunities for public comment.
    The New England Fishery Management Council first established a 
control date of March 30, 2006, for the Northeast multispecies 
(groundfish) charter/party fishery (71 FR 16111). At the time, members 
of the charter/party industry and the Council's Recreational Advisory 
Panel recommended that the Council restrict new entrants to the fishery 
to reduce the need for further restrictions on the recreational catch 
of groundfish. In 2010, the Council requested that we publish a 
subsequent Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to reaffirm the 
original control date (75 FR 57249; September 20, 2010). Participants 
in the recreational fishery were concerned that the number of charter/
party operators would increase substantially due to the implementation 
of Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). Amendment 16 implemented large-scale changes for the fishery, 
including annual catch limits and accountability measures and an 
expanded the sector management program. The charter/party fishery 
includes vessels with open access charter/party permits as well as 
vessels issued a limited access groundfish permit, while not on a 
groundfish day-at-sea or fishing under the sector management program. 
The Council has not yet taken action to restrict entrants or 
participants in the charter/party fishery.
    For 2018, the Council included a multi-year priority to scope for 
the development of a limited entry program for the charter/party 
fishery. In light of this priority, the Council voted on January 31, 
2018, to revise the control date. The Council requested that we 
establish a new control date as the date of publication of this 
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Because conditions and issues 
in the recreational groundfish fishery have changed considerably over 
the past 10 years, the Council determined this new control date is a 
more useful indicator of recent activity in the fishery. This action 
notifies the public and fishery participants of possible rulemaking, 
and that the Council is considering future action that may limit the 
number of or otherwise affect participants in the fishery.
    The control date is intended to discourage speculative entry, 
investment, or fishing activity in the charter/party fishery while the 
Council considers if and how participation in the fishery may be 
affected. The Council may use this control date for entry or 
participation qualification, along with additional criteria. 
Performance or fishing effort after the date of publication may not be 
treated the same as performance or effort before the control date. The 
Council may choose to use different qualification criteria that do not 
incorporate the new control date. The Council may also choose to take 
no further action to control entry or access to the charter/party 
groundfish fishery.

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

    Dated: March 14, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-05505 Filed 3-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P