[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3889-3890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00879]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

RIN 0648-BJ27


Pacific Island Fisheries; Sea Turtle Limits in the Hawaii 
Shallow-Set Pelagic Longline Fishery

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a fishery ecosystem plan amendment; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the 
Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP). Amendment 10 would 
facilitate management of Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery 
interactions with sea turtles to ensure a continued supply of fresh 
domestic swordfish to U.S. markets, consistent with sea turtle 
conservation. The proposed action would also ensure that the fishery 
operates in compliance with the Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPM) 
and associated Terms and Conditions (T&C) of a recent NMFS biological 
opinion (BiOp).

DATES: NMFS must receive comments on the proposed amendments by March 
23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0098, by either 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-2019-0098, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp 
Blvd. Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
    Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments sent by any other 
method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end 
of the comment period. All comments received are a part of the public 
record, and NMFS will generally post them 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).
    The Council prepared Amendment 10, including an environmental 
assessment (EA) and regulatory impact review (RIR). Amendment 10 and 
supporting documents are available at https://www.regulations.gov, or 
from the Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 
808-522-8220, fax 808-522-8226, www.wpcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Lee, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS PIR, 808-725-5177.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hawaii shallow-set pelagic longline 
fishery targets swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the U.S. Exclusive 
Economic Zone and on the high seas. The Council and NMFS manage the 
fishery under the FEP and its implementing regulations, as authorized 
by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The 
Council proposes to amend the FEP to revise the annual fleet 
interaction limit (``hard cap'') for leatherback turtles from 26 to 16. 
If the fleet reaches the limit, NMFS would close the fishery for the 
remainder of the calendar year. The Council proposes to remove the hard 
cap for North Pacific loggerhead turtles (currently 17).
    Amendment 10 would also establish trip interaction limits of two 
leatherback turtles and five North Pacific loggerhead turtles. If a 
vessel reaches either limit on a shallow-set trip, NMFS would require 
the vessel to stop fishing and return to port. The first time a vessel 
reaches the limit for either species, it would be prohibited from 
shallow-set fishing for five days. If a vessel reaches an interaction 
limit a second time for either species in a calendar year, NMFS would 
prohibit that vessel from shallow-set fishing for the remainder of that 
calendar year. In the following year, that vessel would have an annual 
hard cap limit of two leatherback or five loggerhead turtles.

[[Page 3890]]

    Amendment 10 would ensure consistency with the reasonable and 
prudent measures and terms and conditions of the 2019 BiOp that NMFS 
completed for this fishery, while maintaining fishing opportunities 
during peak swordfish season (October through March). This action is 
needed to provide managers and the fishery with the necessary tools to 
respond to and mitigate fluctuations in loggerhead and leatherback 
turtle interactions, to ensure a continued supply of fresh swordfish to 
U.S. markets consistent with the conservation needs of these sea 
turtles.
    NMFS must receive comments on Amendment 10 by March 23, 2020 for 
consideration in the decision to approve, partially approve, or 
disapprove the amendment. NMFS soon expects to publish and request 
public comment on a proposed rule that would implement the measures 
recommended in Amendment 10.

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

    Dated: January 15, 2020.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-00879 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P