[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 9111-9112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02642]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

[RTID 0648-XD180]


Pacific Island Fisheries; Standardized Bycatch Reporting 
Methodologies

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery ecosystem plan amendments; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) proposes to amend the five fishery ecosystem plans 
(FEP) for fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region. If approved, the 
FEPs would be amended to update data collection mechanisms identified 
as standardized bycatch reporting methodologies (SBRM) as needed, and 
revise descriptions of SBRM for consistency with current NMFS 
regulations. The proposed action considers the best available 
scientific, commercial, and other information about the fisheries, and 
supports the long-term sustainability of fishery resources.

DATES: NMFS must receive comments on the proposed amendment by April 9, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed amendment, 
identified by NOAA-NMFS-2023-0151, by either of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and type NOAA-NMFS-2023-0151 in the Search box 
(note: copying and pasting the FDMS Docket Number directly from this 
document may not yield search results). Click on the ``Comment'' icon, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
     Mail: Send written comments to Sarah Malloy, Acting 
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), 
1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
    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 
https://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 Council and NMFS prepared a draft omnibus amendment that 
describes changes that would be made to the FEPs. The draft amendment 
is available from https://www.regulations.gov or the Council, 1164 
Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, telephone 808-522-8220, fax 
808-522-8226, https://www.wpcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brett Schumacher, Sustainable 
Fisheries Division, NMFS PIR, 808-725-5176.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council and NMFS manage Federal 
fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region pursuant to the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery and Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens 
Act). Management of these fisheries is organized through five FEPs: the 
American Samoa Archipelago FEP, the Mariana Archipelago FEP, the Hawaii 
Archipelago FEP, the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) FEP, and the 
Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region FEP. NMFS proposes to 
amend these FEPs.
    Section 303(a)(11) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that the 
FEPs establish a standardized bycatch reporting methodology for each 
fishery. On January 19, 2017, NMFS published a final rule (82 FR 6317) 
establishing national guidance regulations at 50 CFR 600.1600 through 
600.1610 for compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act SBRM 
requirements. The SBRM final rule requires the Council in coordination 
with NMFS to review their management plans and make any necessary 
changes to be consistent with published guidance. The final rule also 
requires the Council to explain how the SBRMs meet the stated purpose 
in the rule based on the analysis of four considerations: (1) 
characteristics of bycatch in the fishery, (2) the feasibility of the 
reporting methodology, (3) the uncertainty of data resulting from the 
methodology, and (4) how the data will be used to assess the amount and 
type of bycatch in the fishery (60 CFR 600.1610(a)).
    Current descriptions of SBRM for Pacific Island fisheries were 
approved in 1999 (64 FR 19067, April 19, 1999) and 2003 (68 FR 46112, 
August 5, 2003) as part of omnibus bycatch amendments and later 
incorporated into the five FEPs

[[Page 9112]]

in. As such, the descriptions of bycatch characteristics and data 
collection methods pre-date the 2017 SBRM rule, and do not describe 
SBRM consistent with current regulations.
    The Council completed a consistency review of all five FEPs in 
2021, and took final action at their 187th meeting on September 21, 
2021, to recommend an omnibus amendment for all FEPs to establish 
consistency with SBRM regulations, clarify language for SBRM, and 
explain how the SBRM in each FEP meets the purpose as defined in the 
2017 SBRM rule.
    The proposed amendment would update data collection mechanisms 
identified as SBRM as needed, and revise descriptions of SBRM in each 
FEP for consistency with current regulations. The proposed amendments 
to the FEPs are administrative in nature and would not change any 
fishery data collection, recording, or reporting methods or 
requirements, and would not implement any new regulations. Therefore, 
the amendments would not affect any fishery in terms of gear used; area 
fished; seasonality; species caught; level of catch or effort; bycatch 
of target stocks, non-target stocks, or protected species; or any other 
aspect of any fishery. Also, the amendments would not add any 
additional administrative or enforcement requirements. Therefore no 
effects of the proposed omnibus amendment are expected with respect to 
the natural environment in the Pacific Islands Region; social, 
economic, or cultural conditions related to any fishery; or to the 
administration and enforcement of any fishery.
    NMFS must receive comments on the proposed amendment by April 9, 
2024, for consideration in the decision to approve, partially approve, 
or disapprove the amendment.

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

    Dated: February 5, 2024.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-02642 Filed 2-8-24; 8:45 am]
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