[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 66564-66565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27075]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
RIN 0648-XA500
North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Essential Fish Habitat
Amendments
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of agency decision.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of Amendment 98 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Management Area (BSAI Groundfish FMP); Amendment 90 to the FMP
for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA Groundfish FMP); Amendment 40
to the FMP for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (BSAI
Crab FMP); Amendment 15 to the FMP for the Scallop Fishery off Alaska
(Scallop FMP); and Amendment 1 to the FMP for Fish Resources of the
Arctic Management Area (Arctic FMP). These amendments update the
existing essential fish habitat (EFH) provisions in the FMPs based on a
5-year EFH review. This action is intended to promote the goals and
objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, the FMPs, and other applicable laws.
DATES: The amendments were approved on October 31, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Final EFH 5-year Review for 2010
[[Page 66565]]
Summary Report, the Environmental Assessment prepared for this action
and the amendments may be obtained from the Alaska Region Web site at
http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Ellgen, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each regional
fishery management council submit any FMP amendment it prepares to NMFS
for review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval by the
Secretary of Commerce. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that
NMFS, upon receiving an FMP amendment, immediately publish a notice in
the Federal Register announcing that the amendment is available for
public review and comment.
On August 8, 2012, NMFS published the notice of availability for
the amendments, with a comment period that ended on October 9, 2012 (77
FR 47356). NMFS did not receive any comments on these proposed
amendments.
NMFS determined that these amendments are consistent with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable laws and approved the
amendments on October 31, 2012. The notice of availability contains
additional information on this action. No changes to Federal
regulations are necessary to implement these FMP amendments.
NMFS and regional fishery management councils must describe and
identify EFH in FMPs. The Magnuson-Stevens Act defines EFH as ``those
waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding,
or growth to maturity.'' The FMPs contain various EFH components,
including the requirement to review EFH every 5 years.
In 2009 and 2010, a 5-year EFH review was conducted for the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), and the results of this
review are documented in the Final EFH 5-year Review for 2010 Summary
Report (see ADDRESSES). Based on the 5-year review and the summary
report, the Council identified various elements of the EFH FMP text
that merited revision. EFH revisions to the FMP for the Salmon
Fisheries in the EEZ off the Coast of Alaska (Salmon FMP), Amendment
11, were proposed with Amendments 10 and 12 to the Salmon FMP (77 FR
19605, April 2, 2012). The Secretary of Commerce approved Amendments
10, 11, and 12 to the Salmon FMP on June 29, 2012.
The five amendments addressed by this notice revise the following
FMP components for EFH:
The EFH provisions of the BSAI and GOA Groundfish FMPs for
24 groundfish species or complexes.
The EFH provisions of the BSAI Crab FMP for five crab
species or complexes.
The EFH provisions of the Scallop FMP for weathervane
scallop.
The EFH conservation recommendations for non-fishing
activities in all five FMPs.
The timeline for considering habitat areas of particular
concern from 3 years to 5 years in all five FMPs.
The research objectives for EFH in the four FMPs subject
to the 2010 EFH 5-year review (excludes the Arctic FMP).
The details of these revisions are in each amendment (see
ADDRESSES).
The 5-year review concluded that no change to the 2005 EFH EIS
conclusions on the evaluation of fishing effects on EFH was warranted
based on information from 2005 through 2010.
An Environmental Assessment was prepared for the amendments that
describe the EFH background, the purpose and need for action, the EFH
alternatives, and the environmental, social, and economic impacts of
the alternatives (see ADDRESSES). These amendments improve fisheries
management by updating EFH provisions in the FMPs with the best
available information.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 1, 2012.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, performing the functions and
duties of the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-27075 Filed 11-5-12; 8:45 am]
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