[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42157-42158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-14989]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC163]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Request for 
Information on Bristol Bay Red King Crab and Eastern Bering Sea Snow 
Crab Mortality Mitigation Measures

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

ACTION: Notification; Request for Information (RFI).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
requesting information from the public on ways to reduce fishing-
related mortality for Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) snow crab, a stock that 
is overfished. Information from the public is critical to that effort 
and, therefore, the Council is seeking public input. This notice 
invites the public to submit written comments on the topic generally 
and in response to specific questions outlined below.

[[Page 42158]]


DATES: Comments must be received via the Council's eAgenda meeting 
portal by 5 p.m. AKT on September 23, 2022 at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments to the Council's' eAgenda 
meeting portal, at ``Request for Information (RFI)--Bristol Bay Red 
King Crab and Eastern Bering Sea Snow Crab'' https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/2941 by the September 23, 2022, 
deadline.
    Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1007 W 
3rd Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2252; telephone: (907) 271-2809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Rheinsmith Council staff; email: 
[email protected] or Jon McCracken at [email protected] or 
by telephone (907) 271-2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On October 19, 2021, NMFS notified the Council that EBS snow crab 
status has been changed to overfished. The EBS snow crab assessment 
shows that mature male biomass (MMB) is 50,600 metric tons (mt), which 
is less than the minimum stock size threshold (MSST) of 76,700 mt, 
therefore the stock is overfished.
    Total snow crab mature male biomass (MMB) has varied considerably 
since 1990 from a high of 626.7 kilotons (kt) to a low of 50.6 kt in 
2021. Observed MMB in the survey increased to historical highs in the 
1990s but then declined significantly later that decade. The stock was 
declared overfished in 1999 in response to the total mature biomass 
dropping below the 1999 MSST. Observed MMB slowly increased after 1999, 
and the stock was declared rebuilt in 2011 when estimated MMB at mating 
was above B35 percent. However, after 2011, the stock declined and the 
observed MMB at the time of the survey dropped to an all-time low in 
2021. In recent years, MMB was increasing as a large recruitment moved 
through the size classes, but that recruitment event has since 
disappeared and the observed mature male biomass at the of the 2021 
survey was 50.6 kt, a new all-time low. This is the first time a mass 
mortality event appears to have occurred for snow crab since the survey 
began and the biomass of important size categories of crab is at 
historic lows. Because EBS snow crab is overfished, the Council is 
working to develop a recommended rebuilding plan, consistent with 
section 304(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act.
    In June 2022, the Council adopted draft alternatives for analysis 
to establish a rebuilding plan for EBS snow crab, which will be 
presented to the Council likely in December 2022, and available for 
public comment. As a separate but related component in response to the 
change in snow crab status, the Council also initiated a request for 
information on ways to reduce fishing-related mortality of EBS snow 
crab. This RFI is therefore seeking public comment on ways to reduce 
fishing-related mortality of EBS snow crab, and comment on this RFI is 
invited through September 23, 2022. Information on the Council's 
tentative agendas for the next three meetings can be found at https://www.npfmc.org/3meeting/ (the Three Meeting Outlook).

Request for Information

    This notice requests public comment on the motion put forward by 
the Council on June 10, 2022, which can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/C3EBScouncilmotion6-10-22.
    The scope of public comments is not limited, but questions that may 
be considered include:
    1. Voluntary measures for implementation in 2023 and beyond to 
avoid EBS snow crab and reduce crab mortality in the non-directed 
fisheries;
    2. Measures in the directed crab fishery to reduce discard 
mortality of EBS snow crab;
    3. Description of research that would inform development of more 
flexible and effective spatial management measures; gear modifications 
to reduce impacts on the EBS snow crab stock, or to evaluate unobserved 
mortality in the trawl sector.
    The Council will review comments submitted in response to this 
request for information during the October and December 2022 Council 
meetings. The October Council meeting is scheduled to begin on October 
3, 2022. The schedule and agenda for both meetings will be available a 
month prior to the meeting. All responses to this request for 
information will be posted and publicly available on the Council agenda 
for the October and December 2022 meetings.

Public Comment

    Responses to this request are voluntary. Respondents need not reply 
to all questions. All responses are a part of the public record and 
will be posted on a public website. Therefore, confidential business 
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) should not be submitted in 
response to this request. NOAA and the Council will not pay for any 
information or administrative costs that you may incur in responding to 
this RFI, or for the use of any information contained in the response. 
The documents and information submitted in response to this RFI become 
the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: July 8, 2022.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-14989 Filed 7-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P