[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 107 (Monday, June 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30287-30288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11833]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB103]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Amendment 13 to the 2006 
Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan; 
Bluefin Tuna Management

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearing webinars.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the schedule of public hearing webinars for the 
proposed rule for Amendment 13 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 13). NMFS 
will provide information on the proposed management measures and take 
questions and comments from the public. The proposed measures would 
make several changes to the Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) Program, 
including distributing IBQ shares only to active vessels, implementing 
a cap on IBQ shares that may be held by an entity, and implementing a 
cost recovery program. The proposed measures would also discontinue the 
Purse Seine category and reallocate that bluefin quota to other 
directed quota categories; cap Harpoon category daily bluefin landings; 
modify the recreational trophy bluefin areas and subquotas; modify 
regulations regarding electronic monitoring of the pelagic longline 
fishery as well as green-stick use; and modify the regulation regarding 
permit category changes.

DATES: Public hearing webinars will be held on the dates listed below 
in Table 1 under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren, [email protected], 
978-281-9260, or Carrie Soltanoff, [email protected], 301-427-
8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) are managed under the dual 
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation 
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act. Under 
these authorities, regulations at 50 CFR part 635 implement the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP as amended (copies are available upon request). 
NMFS began the process of considering new regulations focused on the 
management of bluefin tuna in 2019, when it announced scoping meetings 
and its intent to prepare environmental analyses under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (84 FR 23020; May 21, 2019). During 2019, NMFS 
conducted scoping meetings and subsequently began developing a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) based on public and HMS Advisory 
Panel input, and relevant data.

[[Page 30288]]

    NMFS announces public hearing webinars for the Amendment 13 
proposed rule and DEIS. The proposed rule and a Notice of Availability 
of the DEIS published in separate Federal Register documents. The 
proposed rule published on May 21, 2021 (86 FR 27686) with a 60-day 
comment period, ending July 20, 2021. The proposed measures are as 
listed in the summary. The specifics of the proposed management 
measures are provided in the proposed rule and DEIS and are not 
repeated here. Until the proposed rule and environmental analyses are 
finalized or until other regulations are put into place, the current 
regulations remain in effect.
    NMFS encourages participation by all people affected by or 
otherwise interested in recreational and commercial HMS fishing to 
participate in the public hearing webinars, at which NMFS will provide 
information on the proposed management measures and take questions and 
comments from the public. Participants are encouraged to log on and/or 
call into the public webinars, at the dates and times listed in Table 1 
below. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary 
aids should be directed to Tom Warren or Carrie Soltanoff, at least 7 
days prior to the meeting.
    In addition to the dates and times in Table 1, NMFS has requested 
time on the agenda at the five Atlantic based Fishery Management 
Council meetings. If added to the Council agendas, the dates and times 
would be included in the agenda for those individual meetings and are 
not provided here.

                        Table 1--Dates, Times, and Details of the Public Hearing Webinars
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                 Date                            Time            Details on how to join the webinar: see website
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June 8, 2021.........................  2 to 4 p.m.............  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendment-13-2006-consolidated-hms-fishery-management-plan-bluefin-management-measures.
July 8, 2021.........................  2 to 4 p.m.............  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendment-13-2006-consolidated-hms-fishery-management-plan-bluefin-management-measures.
July 14, 2021........................  2 to 4 p.m.............  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendment-13-2006-consolidated-hms-fishery-management-plan-bluefin-management-measures.
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    The public is reminded that NMFS expects participants at the public 
hearing webinars to conduct themselves appropriately. At the beginning 
of each webinar, a representative of NMFS will explain the ground rules 
(e.g., attendees will be called to give their comments in the order in 
which they registered to speak; each attendee will have an equal amount 
of time to speak; and attendees should not interrupt one another). The 
NMFS representative will attempt to structure the webinar so that all 
attending members of the public will be able to comment, if they so 
choose. Attendees are expected to respect the ground rules, and, if 
they do not, they may be asked to leave the webinar.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: June 1, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-11833 Filed 6-4-21; 8:45 am]
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