[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 17, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 68798-68799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27143]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 191212-0110]
RIN 0648-BJ45


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Essential Fish 
Habitat

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This implements the prohibition of gillnet fishing in the 
Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I Closure Areas as ordered by a 
Federal Court. Until further notice, gillnet fishing will be prohibited 
in the Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I Groundfish Closure Areas.

DATES: Effective on December 17, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moira Kelly, Senior Fishery Program 
Specialist, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 
[email protected], (978) 281-9218.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 3, 2018, NOAA's National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) partially approved the New England Fishery 
Management Council's Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2. The 
Omnibus Amendment updated essential fish habitat designations for all 
Council-managed species and implemented changes to the spatial 
management of Council-managed fisheries throughout the Gulf of Maine, 
Georges Bank, and Southern New England. On April 9, 2018, a final rule 
implemented the approved measures (83 FR 15240). The final rule opened, 
modified, and maintained various closed areas, as well as established 
new closures to implement approved measures of the Amendment. The 
Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I Groundfish Closure Areas were 
opened to fishing by gears capable of catching groundfish, including 
gillnets and bottom-trawls, throughout the areas in this final rule. 
(Note, scallop fishing was still prohibited in these areas for a brief 
time after the Amendment was in effect, pending a subsequent scallop 
action that incorporated the newly opened areas into the Scallop 
Fishery Management Plan's rotational management program.) Directed 
groundfish fishing had been prohibited in these general areas 
consistently since the 1980s and early 1990s.
    The Conservation Law Foundation filed suit against NMFS arguing 
that the opening of the Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I 
Groundfish Closure Areas to gears capable of catching groundfish, 
including gillnet gear, was not done in compliance with the Endangered 
Species Act consultation requirements as it pertains to North Atlantic 
right whales.
    On October 28, 2019, Federal District Court Judge James E. Boasberg 
(see Conservation Law Found. v. Ross, No. CV 18-1087 (JEB), 2019 WL 
5549814 (D.D.C. Oct. 28, 2019)) enjoined NMFS from allowing gillnet 
fishing in those previously closed areas until it fully complies with 
the requirements of the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
    To comply with this Order, this rule suspends the Amendment's 
opening of the Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I Groundfish 
Closures to gillnet fishing and restores prior regulations that 
prohibit gillnet gear from fishing in these areas until further notice, 
which will be provided consistent with the Administrative Procedure 
Act.

Classification

    The NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that under section 
305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 
these regulations are necessary to discharge the Secretary's 
responsibility to ensure the Omnibus Habitat Amendment complies with 
the provisions of the Act and other applicable law, consistent with the 
Court's Order.
    NMFS has good cause under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553(b)(B)) to waive prior notice and comment for this final 
rule. The Court Order requires NMFS to prohibit gillnet fishing in the 
areas. Delaying this rule to allow time for notice and comment would be 
contrary to the Court's Order.

[[Page 68799]]

Because NMFS has no discretion to revise and implement the gillnet 
restrictions under the Court Order, no meaningful purpose will be 
served by public comment, and so providing prior notice and comment of 
this rule would be impracticable and contrary to public interest. The 
NMFS Assistant Administrator also finds that there is good cause under 
5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delayed effective date 
requirement. In addition to the reasons above, on November 1, 2019, 
NMFS notified all vessels that had fished with gillnets in the area 
since the opening (11 vessels), as well as any vessel issued permits 
for which gillnet is a common gear (groundfish, monkfish, skate, and 
spiny dogfish), that all gillnet gear needed to be removed from the 
areas as soon as it was safe to do so in order to facilitate compliance 
with the Court's Order. This advance notice provided time for gillnet 
vessels to remove their gear in a safe manner. Therefore, additional 
time is not necessary for vessel operators to comply with the 
forthcoming regulations.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648

    Fisheries, Fishing, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: December 12, 2019.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
    For the reasons stated in the preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is amended 
as follows:

PART 648--FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

0
1. The authority citation for part 648 continues to read as follows:

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

0
2. In Sec.  648.81, add paragraph (a)(6) to read as follows:


Sec.  648.81  NE multispecies year-round and seasonal closed areas.

    (a) * * *
    (6) Gillnet Closure Areas. No fishing vessel using gillnet gear or 
person on a fishing vessel using gillnet gear may enter, fish, or be in 
the Closed Area I and Nantucket Lightship Closure Areas. Charts of the 
areas described in this section are available from the Regional 
Administrator upon request.
    (i) Closed Area I Closure Area. The Closed Area I Closure Area is 
defined by straight lines, unless otherwise noted, connecting the 
following points in the order stated:

              Table 4 to Paragraph (a)(6)(i)--Closed Area I
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               Point                      N lat.            W long.
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CI1...............................  41[deg]30'.......  69[deg]23'
CI2...............................  40[deg]45'.......  68[deg]45'
CI3...............................  40[deg]45'.......  68[deg]30'
CI4...............................  41[deg]30'.......  68[deg]30'
CI1...............................  41[deg]30'.......  69[deg]23'
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    (ii) Nantucket Lightship Closure Area. The Nantucket Lightship 
Closure Area is defined by straight lines, unless otherwise noted, 
connecting the following points in the order stated:

    Table 5 to Paragraph  (a)(6)(ii)--Nantucket Lightship Closed Area
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               Point                      N lat.            W long.
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G10...............................  40[deg]50'.......  69[deg]00'
CN1...............................  40[deg]20'.......  69[deg]00'
CN2...............................  40[deg]20'.......  70[deg]20'
CN3...............................  40[deg]50'.......  70[deg]20'
G10...............................  40[deg]50'.......  69[deg]00'
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[FR Doc. 2019-27143 Filed 12-16-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P