[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 81 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18259-18260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08761]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 171030999-8375-01]
RIN 0648-BH34


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota 
Program

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

ACTION: Advanced notice of proposed rulemaking; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides information on a request by the Pacific 
Fishery Management Council (Council) to establish a control date of 
September 15, 2017, for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. The 
Council may use the control date to limit the extent, location, or 
ability to use non-trawl gear types to harvest individual fishing quota 
(IFQ) (termed `gear switching') in the Pacific Coast groundfish 
fishery. The Council may or may not provide credit for any gear 
switching related activities after the control date in any decision 
setting limits on gear switching. The control date would account for 
Pacific Coast groundfish fishery participants with historic investment 
to engage in gear switching should the Council set limits to future 
participants eligible to gear switch.

DATES: Written comments must be received by May 29, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed rule identified by 
``NOAA-NMFS-2018-0015'' by either 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-2018-0015, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Frank Lockhart, NMFS West 
Coast Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
    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).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colin Sayre, NMFS West Coast Regional 
Office, telephone: 206-526-4656, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 
implemented the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program on 
January 11, 2011. The Catch Share Program changed harvest management in 
the trawl fishery from a trip limit system, with cumulative vessel trip 
limits, to a quota system where vessels can harvest quota shares at any 
time during an open season. The Catch Share Program offers industry 
increased flexibility in exchange for additional monitoring and data 
collection requirements.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
requires that fishery management councils review catch share programs 
within five years after implementation. The Council's first five-year 
Catch Share Program review concluded in November 2017. As part of 
response to this review, the Council is considering changing the gear 
switching provision in the shorebased trawl IFQ component of the Catch 
Share Program.
    The Council originally included gear switching in the Catch Share 
Program to provide flexibility to trawl harvesters. Gear switching 
allows vessels to use any legal non-trawl gear type to prosecute the 
shorebased trawl IFQ fishery. About two-thirds of shorebased IFQ 
vessels that have taken advantage of the gear switching provision used 
fixed gear (pots and longlines) prior to Catch Share Program 
implementation in 2011, and typically used these gears to target 
sablefish. The remaining vessels operating under the gear switching 
provision had not fished in the shorebased IFQ trawl fishery prior to 
Catch Share Program implementation, and purchased or leased trawl 
permits and sablefish quota to fish with fixed gear after 2011. The 
Catch Share Program five-year review identified gear switching as a 
concern for many participants of the shorebased IFQ trawl fishery. 
Trawl vessels expressed concern that fixed gear vessels targeting 
sablefish in the shorebased IFQ fishery both depleted sablefish quota 
and constrained the trawl fishery before vessels were able to attain 
quotas for other target species that co-occur with sablefish.
    At its September 2017 meeting, the Council developed alternatives 
to limit the amount of quota available to vessels that are gear 
switching, and the number of participants eligible to continue gear 
switching activity. The Council also voted to set a control date of 
September 15, 2017, to account for participants' financial investment 
to engage in gear switching in the shorebased IFQ trawl fishery. By 
establishing this control date, the Council is notifying industry that 
it may not provide credit for gear switching related activity after 
this date, in the event that it adopts restrictions on gear switching.
    This announcement does not commit the Council or NMFS to any 
particular action or outcome. The Council may or may not use the 
control date as part of any deliberations and decisions on gear 
switching. The Council may also choose to take no further action.


[[Page 18260]]


    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., and 
16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.

    Dated: April 23, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-08761 Filed 4-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P