[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 217 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62982-62983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24837]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

RIN 0648-BK66


Pacific Island Fisheries; Amendment 6 to the Fishery Ecosystem 
Plan for the Mariana Archipelago; Rebuilding Plan for Guam Bottomfish

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of 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 
Mariana Archipelago (FEP). If approved, Amendment 6 would establish a 
rebuilding plan for the Guam bottomfish stock complex. The Council 
recommended Amendment 6 to rebuild the Guam bottomfish stock, which is 
overfished.

DATES: NMFS must receive comments on Amendment 6 by January 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2021-0104, 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 and enter NOAA-NMFS-2021-0104 in the Search box, 
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).
    Amendment 6 includes a draft environmental assessment (EA) that 
analyzes the potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives 
considered. Copies of Amendment 6, including the draft EA and 
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and other supporting documents are 
available at www.regulations.gov or 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: Kate Taylor, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS PIR, 808-725-5182.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and the Council manage the Guam

[[Page 62983]]

bottomfish fishery under the FEP and implementing regulations. The Guam 
fishery harvests 11 species of emperors, snappers, groupers, and jacks. 
There are more than 300 participants in the fishery. Most (73.6 
percent) of the bottomfish habitat is in territorial waters, with the 
rest in Federal waters around offshore banks to the northeast and 
southwest of Guam. Fishing is mostly from vessels less than 25 ft (7.6 
m) in length close to shore, targeting shallow-water species for 
recreational, subsistence, and small-scale commercial purposes. A few 
larger vessels make trips to offshore banks to harvest deepwater 
species primarily for commercial purposes.
    Since 2001, the fishery landed between 11,711 (5,312 kg) and 54,062 
lb (24,522 kg) annually. The most recent 3 year average (2018-2020) 
Guam bottomfish catch (from both Federal and territorial waters) was 
27,306 lb (12,386 kg), and the fishery landed 18,933 lb (8,588 kg) in 
2020. Although bottomfish have accounted for only 10-15 percent of 
Guam's boat-based fish harvest, bottomfish hold fundamental dietary and 
cultural importance for the people of Guam. Federal waters around Guam 
remain important for the harvest of deepwater snappers at offshore 
banks to provide locally sourced bottomfish.
    On February 10, 2020, NMFS notified the Council that the Guam 
bottomfish stock complex was overfished, but not subject to overfishing 
(85 FR 26940, May 6, 2020). Consistent with Section 304(e) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act) and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.310(j), the 
Council must prepare, and NMFS must implement a rebuilding plan within 
two years of the notification. If approved, Amendment 6 would implement 
a rebuilding plan for the Guam bottomfish stock complex that consists 
of an annual catch limit (ACL) and two accountability measures (AM). We 
would set the ACL 31,000 lb (14,061 kg) starting in 2022, and catches 
from both territorial and Federal waters around Guam would count toward 
the ACL. The fishing year is the calendar year.
    As an in-season AM, if NMFS projects that the fishery will reach 
the ACL in any year, then we would close the fishery in Federal waters 
for the remainder of that year. As an additional AM, if subsequent 
analyses indicate that the fishery exceeded the ACL during a year, we 
would close the fishery in Federal waters until NMFS and the Territory 
of Guam implement a coordinated management regime to ensure that the 
catch in both Federal and territorial waters is maintained at levels 
that allow the stock to rebuild. The rebuilding plan would remain in 
place until NMFS determines that the stock complex is rebuilt, which is 
expected to take eight years. NMFS and the Council would review the 
rebuilding plan every two years and amend it, as necessary.
    NMFS must receive comments on Amendment 6 by January 14, 2022 for 
consideration in the decision to approve, partially approve, or 
disapprove the amendment. Concurrent with NMFS's review of the 
amendment under the Magnuson-Stevens Act procedures, NMFS expects to 
publish in the Federal Register and request public comment on a 
proposed rule to implement the draft measures described in Amendment 6.

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

    Dated: November 9, 2021.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-24837 Filed 11-9-21; 4:15 pm]
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