[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8534-8535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02960]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

RIN 0648-BJ16


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 21 
to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan

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

ACTION: Announcement of the availability of a proposed fishery 
management plan amendment; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council has submitted Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and 
Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for 
review and approval. We are requesting comments from the public on this 
amendment. This amendment would designate essential fish habitat; set 
catch limits for 2020-2022; and implement an annual catch limit, 
accountability measures, possession limits, permitting and reporting 
requirements, and other administrative measures for Atlantic chub 
mackerel caught from Maine through North Carolina. The purpose of this 
action is to implement measures required by the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act to formally integrate Atlantic 
chub mackerel as a stock in the fishery under the Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 14, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0109, by any 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-2019-0109, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Michael Pentony, Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 
Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the 
envelope, ``Comments on Chub Mackerel NOA.''
    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).
    The Mid-Atlantic Council prepared an environmental assessment (EA) 
for Amendment 21 that describes the proposed action and provides a 
thorough analysis of the impacts of the proposed measures and other 
alternatives considered. Copies of Amendment 21, including the EA, the 
Regulatory Impact Review, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis, 
are available from: Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 State Street, Dover, DE 
19901. The EA and associated analysis is accessible via the internet 
http://www.mafmc.org/supporting-documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Christel, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9141.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed temporary 
measures to regulate Atlantic chub mackerel catch as part of Amendment 
18 to the Atlantic Mackerel Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) (August 28, 2017; 82 FR 40721). Those measures were intended 
to regulate a developing commercial fishery for Atlantic chub mackerel 
until the Council could formally integrate this species as a stock in 
the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) through a separate action. Those temporary measures, including an 
annual landing limit, possession limit, and permitting and reporting 
requirements, became effective on September 27, 2017, and expire on 
December 31, 2020. The Council initiated Amendment 21 in December 2016 
to implement long-term measures for Atlantic chub mackerel. The purpose 
of this amendment is to implement measures required by the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) 
to manage Atlantic chub mackerel as a stock in the FMP. Specifically, 
this action proposes the following measures:
     Atlantic chub mackerel essential fish habitat for all life 
stages;
     An Atlantic chub mackerel management unit from Maine 
through North Carolina where management measures would apply;
     A yearly process to set specifications that considers 
scientific and management uncertainty, Atlantic chub mackerel catch 
from South Carolina-Florida, and discards;
     2020-2022 specifications, including a 2,300-mt acceptable 
biological catch and optimum yield, a 2,261.7-mt annual catch limit for 
both commercial and recreational catch after deducting an estimate of 
South Carolina-Florida catch (38.2 mt), a 2,171.2-mt annual catch 
target (ACT) after deducting a 4 percent management uncertainty buffer, 
and a 2,040.9-mt total allowable landing limit (TAL) after deducting a 
6-percent discard estimate;
     Accountability measures to prevent the ACT from being 
exceeded, including an 18.1-mt (40,000 lb) possession limit once 90 
percent of the TAL is landed, a 4.5-mt (10,000-lb) possession limit 
once 100 percent of the TAL is landed),

[[Page 8535]]

and an overage adjustment if the ACT is exceeded;
     A requirement for vessels possessing Atlantic chub 
mackerel to be issued an Atlantic mackerel, longfin squid, Illex squid, 
or butterfish permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries 
Office and comply with existing reporting requirements; and
     Corrections to existing regulations to differentiate 
between Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic chub mackerel measures and 
ensure consistency with Council intent.
    We are soliciting public comments on Amendment 21 to the Atlantic 
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP and its incorporated documents 
through the end of the comment period specified in the DATES section of 
this notice of availability (NOA). We will publish a proposed rule in 
the Federal Register that would implement the amendment's management 
measures for additional public comment. All comments received by the 
end of the comment period on the NOA, whether specifically directed to 
the NOA or the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the amendment. Comments received after the end 
of the comment period for the NOA will not be considered in the 
approval/disapproval decision of this action.

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

    Dated: February 10, 2020.
Karyl K. Brewster-Geisz,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-02960 Filed 2-13-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P