[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2014)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 4276-4279] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2014-01508] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 665 [Docket No. 131028907-4042-02] RIN 0648-XC954 Pacific Island Fisheries; 2014 Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final specifications. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In this rule, NMFS specifies the 2014 annual catch limits for Pacific Island bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, and coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and accountability measures to correct or mitigate any overages of catch limits. The catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands. DATES: The final specifications are effective February 26, 2014, through December 31, 2014. ADDRESSES: Copies of the fishery ecosystem plans are available from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-8220, fax 808-522-8226, or www.wpcouncil.org. Copies of the environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact for this action, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2013- 0156, are available from www.regulations.gov, or from Michael D. Tosatto, Regional [[Page 4277]] Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani Blvd. 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jarad Makaiau, NMFS PIR Sustainable Fisheries, 808-944-2108. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is specifying the 2014 annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) for bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, and coral reef ecosystem fishery management unit species (MUS) in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, generally 3-200 nm from shore) around American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Hawaii. NMFS proposed these specifications on December 20, 2013 (78 FR 77089), and the final specifications do not differ from that proposal. The 2014 fishing year begins on January 1, and ends on December 31, except for precious coral fisheries, for which the fishing year began on July 1, 2013, and ends on June 30, 2014. The ACLs and AMs are identical to those that NMFS specified for these fisheries in 2013. NMFS is not specifying ACLs for MUS that are currently subject to Federal fishing moratoria or prohibitions. These MUS include all species of gold coral (78 FR 32181, May 29, 2013), the three Hawaii seamount groundfish, that is, pelagic armorhead, alfonsin, and raftfish (75 FR 69015, November 10, 2010), and deepwater precious corals at the Westpac Bed Refugia (75 FR 2198, January 14, 2010). The current prohibitions on fishing for these MUS serve as the functional equivalent of an ACL of zero. Additionally, NMFS is not specifying ACLs for bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, or coral reef ecosystem MUS identified in the Pacific Remote Islands Area (PRIA) FEP. On June 3, 2013, NMFS published a final rule (78 FR 32996), implementing fishing requirements for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (Monument), which include a prohibition on all fishing in the EEZ within 12 nm of emergent land, unless authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NMFS is not proposing ACLs for PRIA FEP bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, or coral reef ecosystem fisheries because there is no suitable habitat for these fisheries beyond the 12-nm no-fishing zone, except at Kingman Reef, where fishing for these resources does not occur. Therefore, the current prohibitions on fishing serve as the functional equivalent of an ACL of zero. However, NMFS will continue to monitor authorized fishing within the Monument in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and may develop additional fishing requirements, including Monument-specific catch limits for species that may require them. NMFS is also not proposing ACLs for pelagic MUS at this time, because NMFS previously determined that pelagic species are subject to international fishery agreements or have a life cycle of approximately one year and, therefore, are statutorily excepted from the ACL requirements. 2014 Annual Catch Limit Specifications The ACL specifications for Pacific Island fisheries are listed in Tables 1-4. Table 1--American Samoa ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final ACL Fishery Management unit species specification (lb) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bottomfish..................... Bottomfish multi- 101,000 species stock complex. Crustacean..................... Deepwater Shrimp....... 80,000 Spiny Lobster.......... 2,300 Slipper Lobster........ 30 Kona Crab.............. 3,200 Precious Coral................. Black Coral............ 790 Precious Corals in the 2,205 American Samoa Exploratory Area. Coral Reef Ecosystem........... Acanthuridae--surgeonfi 19,516 sh. Lutjanidae--snappers... 18,839 Selar crumenophthalmus-- 8,396 atule or bigeye scad. Mollusks--turbo snail; 16,694 octopus; giant clams. Carangidae--jacks...... 9,490 Lethrinidae--emperors.. 7,350 Scaridae--parrotfish... 8,145 Serranidae--groupers... 5,600 Holocentridae--squirrel 2,585 fish. Mugilidae--mullets..... 2,857 Crustaceans--crabs..... 2,248 Bolbometopon muricatum-- 235 bumphead parrotfish. Cheilinus undulatus-- 1,743 Humphead (Napoleon) wrasse. Carcharhinidae--Reef 1,309 Sharks. All Other CREMUS 18,910 combined. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 2--Mariana Archipelago--Guam ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final ACL Fishery Management unit species specification (lb) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bottomfish..................... Bottomfish multi- 66,800 species stock complex. Crustaceans.................... Deepwater Shrimp....... 48,488 Spiny Lobster.......... 2,700 Slipper Lobster........ 20 Kona Crab.............. 1,900 Precious Coral................. Black Coral............ 700 Precious Corals in the 2,205 Guam Exploratory Area. [[Page 4278]] Cora Reef Ecosystem............ Acanthuridae--surgeonfi 70,702 sh. Carangidae--jacks...... 45,377 Selar crumenophthalmus-- 56,514 atulai or bigeye scad. Lethrinidae--emperors.. 38,720 Scaridae--parrotfish... 28,649 Mullidae--goatfish..... 25,367 Mollusks--turbo snail; 21,941 octopus; giant clams. Siganidae--rabbitfish.. 26,120 Lutjanidae--snappers... 17,726 Serranidae--groupers... 17,958 Mugilidae--mullets..... 15,032 Kyphosidae--chubs/ 13,247 rudderfish. Crustaceans--crabs..... 5,523 Holocentridae--squirrel 8,300 fish. Algae.................. 5,329 Labridae--wrasses...... 5,195 Bolbometopon muricatum-- \1\ 797 bumphead parrotfish. Cheilinus undulatus-- 1,960 Humphead (Napoleon) wrasse. Carcharhinidae--Reef 6,942 Sharks. All Other CREMUS 83,214 combined. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\ (CNMI and Guam combined) Table 3--Mariana Archipelago--CNMI ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final ACL Fishery Management unit species specification (lb) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bottomfish..................... Bottomfish multi- 228,000 species stock complex. Crustacean..................... Deepwater Shrimp....... 275,570 Spiny Lobster.......... 5,500 Slipper Lobster........ 60 Kona Crab.............. 6,300 Precious Coral................. Black Coral............ 2,100 Precious Corals in the 2,205 CNMI Exploratory Area. Coral Reef Ecosystem........... Lethrinidae--emperors.. 27,466 Carangidae--jacks...... 21,512 Acanthuridae--surgeonfi 6,884 sh. Selar crumenophthalmus-- 7,459 atulai or bigeye scad. Serranidae--groupers... 5,519 Lutjanidae--snappers... 3,905 Mullidae--goatfish..... 3,670 Scaridae--parrotfish... 3,784 Mollusks--turbo snail; 4,446 octopus; giant clams. Mugilidae--mullets..... 3,308 Siganidae--rabbitfish.. 2,537 Bolbometopon muricatum-- \1\ 797 bumphead parrotfish. Cheilinus undulatus 2,009 Humphead (Napoleon) wrasse. Carcharhinidae--Reef 5,600 Sharks. All Other CREMUS 9,820 combined. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\ (CNMI and Guam combined). Table 4--Hawaii ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Final ACL Fishery Management unit species specification (lb) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bottomfish..................... Non-Deep 7 Bottomfish.. 140,000 Crustacean..................... Deepwater Shrimp....... 250,773 Spiny Lobster.......... 10,000 Slipper Lobster........ 280 Kona Crab.............. 27,600 Precious Coral................. Auau Channel Black 5,512 Coral. Makapuu Bed--Pink Coral 2,205 Makapuu Bed--Bamboo 551 Coral. 180 Fathom Bank--Pink 489 Coral. 180 Fathom Bank--Bamboo 123 Coral. Brooks Bank--Pink Coral 979 [[Page 4279]] Brooks Bank--Bamboo 245 Coral. Kaena Point Bed--Pink 148 Coral. Kaena Point Bed--Bamboo 37 Coral. Keahole Bed--Pink Coral 148 Keahole Bed--Bamboo 37 Coral. Precious Corals in the 2,205 Hawaii Exploratory Area. Coral Reef Ecosystem........... Selar crumenophthalmus-- 651,292 akule or bigeye scad. Decapterus macarellus-- 393,563 opelu or mackerel scad. Carangidae--jacks...... 193,423 Mullidae--goatfish..... 125,813 Acanthuridae--surgeonfi 80,545 sh. Lutjanidae--snappers... 65,102 Holocentridae--squirrel 44,122 fish. Mugilidae--mullets..... 41,112 Mollusks--turbo snails; 28,765 octopus. Scaridae--parrotfish... 33,326 Crustaceans--crabs..... 20,686 Carcharhinidae--Reef 111,566 Sharks. All Other CREMUS 142,282 combined. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Accountability Measures NMFS and the Council, relying on information from local resource management agencies in American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI, and Hawaii, will conduct a post-season accounting of the annual catch for each stock and stock complex immediately after the end of the fishing year. If an ACL is exceeded, the Council will take action in accordance with 50 CFR 600.310(g), which may include a recommendation that NMFS reduce the ACL for the subsequent fishing year by the amount of the overage, or other measure, as appropriate. Additional background information on this action is found in the preamble to the proposed specifications, and is not repeated here. Comments and Responses On December 20, 2013, NMFS published a request for public comments (78 FR 77089) on proposed specifications that are finalized here. The public comment period ended on January 6, 2014. NMFS received no public comments. Classification The Regional Administrator, NMFS PIR, determined that this action is necessary for the conservation and management of Pacific Island fishery resources, and that it is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other applicable laws. The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration during the proposed specification stage that this action would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The factual basis for the certification was published in the proposed specifications and is not repeated here. NMFS received no comments regarding this certification; as a result, a regulatory flexibility analysis was not required, and none was prepared. This action is exempt from review under E.O. 12866. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: January 22, 2014. 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. 2014-01508 Filed 1-24-14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-P