[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6874-6875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01493]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RTID 0648-XA826


Interagency Working Group on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated 
Fishing; Reopening of Comment Period

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

ACTION: Reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On December 16, 2020, NMFS requested input on the Work Plan of 
the Interagency Working Group on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated 
Fishing. That notice requested comments by January 15, 2021. NMFS 
received comments requesting that the comment period be extended. We 
are reopening the comment period to fulfill the request and provide 
additional time to submit comments.

DATES: Information should be received on or before February 24, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Information may be submitted electronically to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mi Ae Kim, phone 301-427-8365 or email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maritime Security and Fisheries 
Enforcement Act (Maritime SAFE Act) became law on December 20, 2019. 
The overarching purpose of the Maritime SAFE Act is to support a whole-
of-government approach across the Federal government to counter 
illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related threats 
to maritime security. It seeks to achieve this through a number of 
means, including: Improve data sharing that enhances surveillance, 
enforcement, and prosecution against

[[Page 6875]]

IUU fishing and related activities; support coordination and 
collaboration to counter IUU fishing within priority regions; and 
increase and improve global transparency and traceability across the 
seafood supply chain to deter IUU fishing and strengthen fisheries 
management and food security; improve global enforcement operations 
against IUU fishing; and prevent the use of IUU fishing as a financing 
source for transnational organized crime groups.
    Part II of the Maritime SAFE Act calls for the establishment of the 
Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing, specifying the chair and 
agency membership in the Working Group, as well as the Working Group's 
responsibilities. This Working Group met for the first time in June 
2020. NOAA is chair of this Working Group for its first 3 years, joined 
by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Coast Guard as deputy chairs.
    The Working Group has developed its Work Plan, a living document 
that will serve as the basis for a 5-year strategic plan that is due to 
Congress by the end of calendar year 2021. In this Work Plan, the 
Working Group identified ongoing existing activities, as well as new 
lines of effort, that comprise the initial focus of Federal government 
actions under the purview of the Working Group. Many of the new 
activities proposed in the Work Plan emphasize the use of maritime 
intelligence and the involvement of military departments to support 
efforts to combat IUU fishing. The Work Plan can be found here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/maritime-safe-act-interagency-working-group-iuu-fishing.
    The Working Group is exploring potential ways in which the 
government and private sector stakeholders can work together to combat 
IUU fishing and enhance maritime security. We are interested to hear 
from the seafood industry, non-governmental organizations, and other 
stakeholders that are engaged in efforts to combat IUU fishing. We 
welcome comments in relation to the Work Plan, particularly any 
responses to the following questions:
     Which activities in the Work Plan are connected to the 
expertise or interests of your organization related to combating IUU 
fishing?
     What kinds of distinctive capabilities or capacities could 
your organization bring to the activities in the Work Plan?
     Which specific activities could serve as the basis for a 
partnership between your organization and particular Federal agencies?
     Are there specific geographic regions or seafood industry 
sectors (e.g., harvesting, processing, or trade) where your 
organization focuses efforts to build capacity in combating IUU fishing 
that could be tied to activities in the Work Plan?
     Which elements in the Work Plan do you see as priorities 
to include in the 5-year Strategic Plan of the Working Group?

    Dated: January 19, 2021.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-01493 Filed 1-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P