[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8534-8535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02960]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648-BJ16
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 21
to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of the availability of a proposed fishery
management plan amendment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council has submitted Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for
review and approval. We are requesting comments from the public on this
amendment. This amendment would designate essential fish habitat; set
catch limits for 2020-2022; and implement an annual catch limit,
accountability measures, possession limits, permitting and reporting
requirements, and other administrative measures for Atlantic chub
mackerel caught from Maine through North Carolina. The purpose of this
action is to implement measures required by the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act to formally integrate Atlantic
chub mackerel as a stock in the fishery under the Atlantic Mackerel,
Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 14, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0109, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0109, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Michael Pentony, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55
Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the
envelope, ``Comments on Chub Mackerel NOA.''
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
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 Mid-Atlantic Council prepared an environmental assessment (EA)
for Amendment 21 that describes the proposed action and provides a
thorough analysis of the impacts of the proposed measures and other
alternatives considered. Copies of Amendment 21, including the EA, the
Regulatory Impact Review, and the Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis,
are available from: Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 State Street, Dover, DE
19901. The EA and associated analysis is accessible via the internet
http://www.mafmc.org/supporting-documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Christel, Fishery Policy
Analyst, 978-281-9141.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed temporary
measures to regulate Atlantic chub mackerel catch as part of Amendment
18 to the Atlantic Mackerel Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management
Plan (FMP) (August 28, 2017; 82 FR 40721). Those measures were intended
to regulate a developing commercial fishery for Atlantic chub mackerel
until the Council could formally integrate this species as a stock in
the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) through a separate action. Those temporary measures, including an
annual landing limit, possession limit, and permitting and reporting
requirements, became effective on September 27, 2017, and expire on
December 31, 2020. The Council initiated Amendment 21 in December 2016
to implement long-term measures for Atlantic chub mackerel. The purpose
of this amendment is to implement measures required by the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
to manage Atlantic chub mackerel as a stock in the FMP. Specifically,
this action proposes the following measures:
Atlantic chub mackerel essential fish habitat for all life
stages;
An Atlantic chub mackerel management unit from Maine
through North Carolina where management measures would apply;
A yearly process to set specifications that considers
scientific and management uncertainty, Atlantic chub mackerel catch
from South Carolina-Florida, and discards;
2020-2022 specifications, including a 2,300-mt acceptable
biological catch and optimum yield, a 2,261.7-mt annual catch limit for
both commercial and recreational catch after deducting an estimate of
South Carolina-Florida catch (38.2 mt), a 2,171.2-mt annual catch
target (ACT) after deducting a 4 percent management uncertainty buffer,
and a 2,040.9-mt total allowable landing limit (TAL) after deducting a
6-percent discard estimate;
Accountability measures to prevent the ACT from being
exceeded, including an 18.1-mt (40,000 lb) possession limit once 90
percent of the TAL is landed, a 4.5-mt (10,000-lb) possession limit
once 100 percent of the TAL is landed),
[[Page 8535]]
and an overage adjustment if the ACT is exceeded;
A requirement for vessels possessing Atlantic chub
mackerel to be issued an Atlantic mackerel, longfin squid, Illex squid,
or butterfish permit from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office and comply with existing reporting requirements; and
Corrections to existing regulations to differentiate
between Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic chub mackerel measures and
ensure consistency with Council intent.
We are soliciting public comments on Amendment 21 to the Atlantic
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP and its incorporated documents
through the end of the comment period specified in the DATES section of
this notice of availability (NOA). We will publish a proposed rule in
the Federal Register that would implement the amendment's management
measures for additional public comment. All comments received by the
end of the comment period on the NOA, whether specifically directed to
the NOA or the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the amendment. Comments received after the end
of the comment period for the NOA will not be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision of this action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 10, 2020.
Karyl K. Brewster-Geisz,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-02960 Filed 2-13-20; 8:45 am]
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