[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 64 (Thursday, April 3, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18655-18657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07467]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 130903776-4274-02]
RIN 0648-BD66
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska;
Modifications to Identification Markings on Fishing Gear Marker Buoys
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: NMFS publishes a regulatory amendment to revise the
identification marking requirements for fishing gear marker buoys
(buoys) used in Federal waters off Alaska. This final rule eliminates
the requirement that hook-and-line, longline pot, and pot-and-line
buoys be marked with the vessel's name. The requirement to mark buoys
with either the vessel's Federal fisheries permit number or Alaska
Department of Fish and Game number remains in effect. This action is
needed to remove a regulatory requirement that is unnecessary. This
action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act),
the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI Groundfish FMP), the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA Groundfish
FMP), and other applicable laws.
DATES: Effective May 5, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the Categorical Exclusion and the
Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (RIR/
IRFA) prepared for this action are available from http://www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
Written comments regarding the burden-hour estimates or other
aspects of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this
rule may be submitted to NMFS, Alaska Region, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,
AK 99802-1668, Attn: Ellen Sebastian, Records Officer; in person at
NMFS, Alaska Region, 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK; or by
email to [email protected] or fax to 202-395-7285.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sally Bibb, Sustainable Fisheries
Division, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS Alaska Region manages the U.S.
groundfish fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska under
the BSAI and GOA Groundfish FMPs. These FMPs were prepared by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council, under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., and other applicable
laws, and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. Regulations
implementing the FMPs appear at 50 CFR part 679. General regulations
that pertain to U.S. fisheries appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 600.
This final rule implements a regulatory amendment to remove the
requirement that hook-and-line, longline pot, and pot-and-line buoys be
marked with the vessel's name. Under this final rule, these vessels are
relieved from unnecessary compliance costs. NMFS published a proposed
rule for this regulatory amendment in the Federal Register on January
3, 2014 (79 FR 381). The 30-day comment period on the proposed rule
ended on February 3, 2014. NMFS received one comment letter during the
comment period on the proposed rule that supported the proposed action.
A summary of this comment and NMFS' response is provided in the
``Comments and Responses'' section of this preamble. There were no
changes to the regulatory text between the proposed rule and this final
rule.
Background
Federal regulations pertaining to gear markings for groundfish are
set forth at Sec. 679.24. These regulations apply to operators of
vessels required to carry a Federal fisheries permit (FFP) while
fishing in the groundfish and halibut fisheries in Federal waters off
Alaska. Buoys are used to indicate the positions of hook-and-line, pot,
and pot-and-line gear in these fisheries. Federal regulations at Sec.
679.24(a) require that buoys carried on board or used by any vessel
subject to 50 CFR part 679 that is using hook-and-line, longline pot,
or pot-and-line gear must be marked with the vessel's name and either
the vessel's FFP number or the vessel's Alaska Department of Fish and
Game (ADF&G) vessel registration number. In addition, the markings
``shall be in characters at least 4 inches (10.16 cm) in height and 0.5
inch (1.27 cm) in width in a contrasting color visible above the water
line and shall be maintained so the markings are clearly visible.''
These regulations apply to ``vessels regulated under this part,''
which refers to those vessels required to carry FFPs under Sec.
679.4(b). FFPs are required for vessels fishing for groundfish (a legal
category that does not include halibut) in the GOA or BSAI, or fishing
for any non-groundfish species when incidentally caught groundfish must
be retained. Regulations at Sec. 679.7(f)(8) prohibit vessels with
individual fishing quota (IFQ) halibut or sablefish on board from
discarding rockfish or Pacific cod under various conditions. Thus,
vessels used to fish for halibut IFQ are required to have FFPs and
comply with all regulations in 50 CFR part 679 that apply to vessels
required to have FFPs, including requirements for marking buoys. Other
non-groundfish fisheries
[[Page 18656]]
have no comparable discard prohibitions.
Identification markings on buoys in the Federal waters off Alaska
also are regulated by the State of Alaska (State) and the International
Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). The State shares management
responsibilities with NMFS for king crab and Tanner crab in the Federal
waters off Alaska, and regulates the buoy identification markings in
these fisheries. The State requires at least one buoy on each
commercial king or Tanner crab pot or ring net to be legibly marked
with the permanent ADF&G license number of the vessel using the gear (5
AAC 34.051; 5 AAC 35.051). Identification marking requirements for
halibut gear buoys are set by the IPHC. The IPHC's regulations for 2014
require that all setline or skate buoys carried on board or used by any
U.S. vessel for commercial halibut fishing shall be marked with the
vessel's state license number or the vessel's registration number. Both
State and IPHC commercial identification markings must be maintained in
a legible condition, in characters at least four inches high (10.2 cm)
and one-half-inch (1.3 cm) wide, in a contrasting color, and visible
above the water. The principal difference between the State and IPHC
commercial regulations and 50 CFR part 679 is the requirement for buoys
to be marked with the vessel name.
Information on the extent of compliance with the existing
regulations is not available; however, non-compliance has not been
raised as a concern by enforcement agencies.
This final rule eliminates the requirement that buoys carried on
board or marking the location of hook-and-line, longline pot, and pot-
and-line gear deployed by vessels with FFPs be marked with the vessel's
name. This action is needed to remove a regulatory requirement that
experience has shown is not necessary. While one vessel may share the
same name as another vessel, vessel identification numbers are
exclusive and unique to the recipient vessel. Therefore, this rule
eliminates the requirement in Sec. 679.24(a) to mark buoys with the
vessel's name, but maintains the requirement for marking buoys with
either the vessel's FFP number or ADF&G number. This action should
reduce costs to vessel owners by reducing the labor and materials
needed to mark buoys. In addition, this action makes buoy marking
regulations at Sec. 679.24(a) consistent with State crab and IPHC
regulations.
Comments and Responses
NMFS received one comment letter during the public comment period
for the proposed rule to implement this regulatory amendment. This
letter was received from a representative of the affected fishing
industry. A summary of the comment and NMFS' response follows.
Comment 1: The commenter expressed general support for the proposed
regulatory amendment.
Response: NMFS acknowledges this comment.
Classification
Pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator has determined that this final rule is
consistent with the BSAI and GOA Groundfish FMPs, other provisions of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law.
Executive Order 12866
This final rule has been determined not to be significant for the
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
Regulatory Impact Review
An RIR was prepared for this action that assesses all costs and
benefits of available regulatory alternatives. The RIR describes the
potential size, distribution, and magnitude of the economic impacts
this action may be expected to have. The RIR finds that this action has
a positive net economic impact to commercial fishing operations since
it reduces the cost of compliance with identification marking
requirements for buoys. This action does not create additional
administrative costs and does not impose new requirements on fishing
operations, or modify other existing ones. A copy of the RIR is
available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
This section constitutes the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(FRFA) for this action, prepared pursuant to the requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). This FRFA incorporates the Initial
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) prepared for the proposed rule
and addresses the applicable requirements of section 604(a) of the RFA.
The FRFA must contain:
1. A succinct statement of the need for, and objectives of, the
rule;
2. A summary of the significant issues raised by the public
comments in response to the initial regulatory flexibility analysis, a
summary of the assessment of the agency of such issues, and a statement
of any changes made in the proposed rule as a result of such comments;
3. A description and an estimate of the number of small entities to
which the rule will apply, or an explanation of why no such estimate is
available;
4. A description of the projected reporting, recordkeeping, and
other compliance requirements of the rule, including an estimate of the
classes of small entities which will be subject to the requirement and
the type of professional skills necessary for preparation of the report
or record; and
5. A description of the steps the agency has taken to minimize the
significant economic impact on small entities consistent with the
stated objectives of applicable statutes, including a statement of the
factual, policy, and legal reasons for selecting the alternative
adopted in the final rule and why each one of the other significant
alternatives to the rule considered by the agency which affect the
impact on small entities was rejected.
The description of this rule, the need for it, and its objectives
are described in the preamble to the proposed rule and are not repeated
here.
Summary of Significant Issues Raised During Public Comment
NMFS published the proposed rule on January 4, 2014 (79 FR 381),
with comments invited through February 3, 2014. An IRFA was prepared
and summarized in the ``Classification'' section of the preamble to the
proposed rule. NMFS received no comments on the IRFA; therefore, no
changes were made to the rule as a result of comments on the IRFA.
Number and Description of Small Entities Regulated by the Final Rule
The ``universe'' of entities to be considered in a FRFA generally
includes only those small entities that can reasonably be expected to
be directly regulated by the final rule. If the effects of the rule
fall primarily on a distinct segment of the industry, or portion
thereof (e.g., user group, gear type, geographic area), that segment is
considered the universe for purposes of this analysis. In preparing a
FRFA, an agency may provide either a quantifiable or numerical
description of the effects of a rule (and alternatives to the rule), or
more general descriptive statements, if quantification is not
practicable or reliable.
Vessels directly regulated by this action are those required to
carry an FFP, and that use hook-and-line, pot, or pot-and-line gear in
Federal groundfish or halibut fisheries in the GOA or BSAI.
[[Page 18657]]
NMFS estimates that, in 2012, the most recent year for which gross
revenues information is available, 761 entities would have been
directly regulated by this action. NMFS estimates that of those 693
would have been small entities. The Small Business Administration (SBA)
defines a small commercial finfish fishing entity as one that has
annual gross sales of less than $19 million; a shellfish fishing small
entity is one with less than $5 million annual gross revenue, and other
marine fishing operations are small if they have less than $7 million
in gross revenue. 78 FR 37398 (July 22, 2013). Median gross revenues
for the small entities would have been about $327,000, while 75 percent
would have had gross revenues under about $779,000, and 25 percent
would have had gross revenues under about $144,000. The 99th percentile
of gross revenues was about $2,974,000. Accordingly, under any of the
SBA's size standards for fishing operations, all affected entities are
``small.'' This action will reduce, in a small way, the reporting and
recordkeeping requirements of small entities participating in the BSAI
and GOA groundfish fisheries.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements
This action will reduce, in a small way, the recordkeeping and
reporting requirements of small entities participating in the BSAI and
GOA groundfish fisheries.
Description of Alternatives Considered
A FRFA also requires a description of any significant alternatives
to the preferred alternative that accomplish the stated objectives, are
consistent with applicable statutes, and that would minimize any
significant economic impact of the rule on small entities. The
preferred alternative (the action alternative removing the requirement
that vessel names be placed on marker buoys) places somewhat smaller
obligations on directly regulated small entities than the alternative
of retaining the status quo. Thus, there are no alternatives that have
a smaller adverse economic impact on directly regulated small entities.
Small Entity Compliance Guide
Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act of 1996 states that, for each rule or group of related rules for
which an agency is required to prepare a FRFA, the agency shall publish
one or more guides to assist small entities in complying with the rule,
and shall designate such publications as ``small entity compliance
guides.'' The agency shall explain the actions a small entity is
required to take to comply with a rule or group of rules. The preamble
to the proposed rule and this final rule serve as the small entity
compliance guide. This action does not require any additional
compliance from small entities that is not described in the preamble.
Copies of this final rule are available from NMFS at the following Web
site: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
Collection-of-Information Requirements
This final rule contains a collection-of-information requirement
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and which has been
approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number
0648-0353. Public reporting burden is estimated to average per response
10 minutes or less, including the time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data
needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
Send comments regarding these burden estimates or any other aspect of
this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to
NMFS (see ADDRESSES) and by email to [email protected], or
fax to 202-395-7285.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is
required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty
for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the PRA, unless that collection of information displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 679
Alaska, Fisheries, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: March 28, 2014.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 679 is amended
as follows:
PART 679--FISHERIES OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF ALASKA
0
1. The authority citation for part 679 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 1801 et seq.; 3631 et seq.;
Pub. L. 108-447.
0
2. In Sec. 679.24, revise paragraph (a)(1) to read as follows:
Sec. 679.24 Gear limitations.
* * * * *
(a) * * *
(1) All hook-and-line, longline pot, and pot-and-line marker buoys
carried on board or used by any vessel regulated under this part shall
be marked with the vessel's Federal fisheries permit number or ADF&G
vessel registration number.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2014-07467 Filed 4-2-14; 8:45 am]
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