[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