[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 172 (Friday, September 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53024-53025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21278]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD476
Stock Status Determination for Atlantic Highly Migratory Atlantic
Sharpnose and Bonnethead Sharks
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This action serves as a notice that NMFS, on behalf of the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has determined that Atlantic
sharpnose sharks (Rhizoprinodon terraenovae) are split into two stocks
(Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico), each with a status of ``not overfished,
no overfishing occurring,'' and bonnethead sharks (Sphyrna tiburo) are
split into two stocks (Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico), each with a status
of ``unknown.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karyl Brewster-Geisz or Gu[yacute]
DuBeck at 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks are
managed under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act. NMFS manages all shark species under
the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery
Management Plan and its amendments.
Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead sharks were both previously
assessed in 2007 as part of the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review
(SEDAR) process. At that time, both species were determined to have the
status of ``not overfished, no overfishing occurring.'' These species
were most recently assessed again in 2013 as ``standard'' assessments
as part of SEDAR 34. While ``benchmark'' assessments allow for major
changes, standard assessments generally update previous benchmark
assessments with additional years of data and allow for only minor
changes. All documents and information regarding of the most recent
assessment (SEDAR 34) and the 2007 assessment (SEDAR 13) can be found
on the SEDAR Web page at http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/.
On the first day of the face-to-face assessment workshop meeting in
June 2013, the scientists determined that the genetic information
clearly indicated both species should be split into a Gulf of Mexico
stock and an Atlantic stock. However, because the assessments had been
scheduled as standard assessments, the assessment process and timing
would not allow the scientists to make this change. Making such a
change would have required four benchmark assessments rather than two
standard assessments. It would have also required additional changes to
the format and structure of the data that had not been anticipated and
allowed for in the overall SEDAR schedule. Based on a request from
fishery managers to continue given that the previous assessments were
over 5 years old and updated scientific advice was needed, the
scientists agreed to continue with the standard assessment of both
species as single stocks in order to provide management advice on the
potential status of the stocks.
Regarding Atlantic sharpnose, there were 20 model runs for this
species. Seventeen of the 18 model runs that considered the species to
be a single stock found that the species as a single stock was not
overfished and no overfishing was occurring (Base run:
F2011/FMSY = 0.34, SSF2011/
SSFMSY = 1.73). A sensitivity run that included only those
indices that were decreasing found that the species as a single stock
may be overfished with overfishing occurring (F2011/
FMSY = 1.06, SSF2011/SSFMSY = 0.40).
Additionally, the scientists at the 2013 assessment could use catch and
indices of abundance data that were split between the two stocks
because the scientists at the 2007 assessment had considered such a
split and therefore had split overall catch data and indices of
abundance between the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions. This split
in data allowed the scientists to conduct sensitivity analyses using
the biology for each stock with the respective catch data and indices.
The Atlantic sensitivity run found the stock was not overfished and no
overfishing was occurring (F2011/FMSY = 0.23;
SSF2011/SSFMSY = 2.07). The Gulf of Mexico
sensitivity run also found the stock was not overfished and no
overfishing was occurring (F2011/FMSY = 0.57;
SSF2011/SSFMSY = 1.01). Considering the
assessment as a whole, including the multiple sensitivity analyses, the
scientists determined that the assessment provided a consistent picture
of stock status, especially in terms of the stock not being overfished.
Two of the three peer reviewers agreed with the results of Atlantic
sharpnose shark assessment; the third reviewer was concerned about bias
in the shrimp trawl data. Based on these results, NMFS has decided to
split the Atlantic sharpnose shark species into two stocks--an Atlantic
stock and a Gulf of Mexico stock--and determined that the status of
both stocks is not overfished and no overfishing is occurring.
Regarding bonnethead sharks, there were 19 model runs for this
species. Sixteen of the 19 model runs, including the base run, found
that the species--as a single stock--was not overfished and no
overfishing was occurring (Base run: F2011/FMSY =
0.50, SSF2011/SSFMSY = 1.27). The continuity run
indicated that overfishing was occurring (F2011/
FMSY = 1.01, SSF2011/SSFMSY = 1.37). A
sensitivity run that looked at only decreasing indices indicated the
species may be overfished (F2011/FMSY = 0.96,
SSF2011/SSFMSY = 0.58). Two of the sensitivity
runs attempted to examine the status of the Atlantic stock and the Gulf
of Mexico stock. However, because the 2007 benchmark stock assessment
for bonnethead sharks did not split the catch data and indices of
abundance data between stocks, the 2013 assessment did not split the
catch and indices of abundance data between stocks, which is different
from what was done in the Atlantic sharpnose shark assessment. Thus,
the sensitivity runs examining the Atlantic stock and the Gulf of
Mexico stock used the respective biology for each stock but did not
split the data or indices between the different stocks. Specifically,
the Atlantic sensitivity analysis used the Atlantic stock biology with
the combined Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic catch data and indices of
abundance; the Gulf of Mexico sensitivity used the Gulf of
[[Page 53025]]
Mexico stock biology with the combined Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic
catch data and indices of abundance. The sensitivity run using the
Atlantic biology for the single stock found the stock was overfished
and overfishing was occurring (F2011/FMSY = 1.09;
SSF2011/SSFMSY = 0.73). The sensitivity run use
the Gulf of Mexico biology for the single stock found the stock was not
overfished and no overfishing was occurring (F2011/
FMSY = 0.45; SSF2011/SSFMSY = 1.48).
The assessment found that, when assessed as single stock, the
status of bonnethead sharks was not overfished and no overfishing was
occurring. The scientists stressed that there is strong evidence for
two separate stocks and that using the biology corresponding to the
Atlantic for the assessment for a single stock led to a different
conclusion on stock status (i.e., the stock was overfished and
overfishing was occurring). None of the peer reviewers agreed with the
determination of bonnethead sharks for the species as a single stock.
The reviewers all felt that the species should have been split into two
different stocks and analyzed in a manner that is similar to what was
done with Atlantic sharpnose sharks. As such, based on these results
and the peer reviews, NMFS decided to split the bonnethead shark
species into two stocks--an Atlantic stock and a Gulf of Mexico stock--
and determined that the status of both stocks is unknown.
In the upcoming Amendment 6 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly
Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, NMFS will be considering
implementing total allowable catches and commercial quotas for the non-
blacknose SCS complexes in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions,
which includes the sharpnose and bonnethead stocks, based on the
results of the SEDAR 34 assessment. Pending such an Amendment, the
separate Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico sharpnose and bonnethead shark
stocks remain within the overall non-blacknose SCS management complex,
with the quotas for the complex designated for this fishing year.
Current regulations specify that ``[i]nseason and/or annual quota
transfers of regional quotas between regions may be conducted only for
species or management groups where the species are the same between
regions and the quota is split between regions for management purposes
and not as a result of a stock assessment.'' Although the non-blacknose
SCS quota currently is split between regions for management purposes,
transferring quota between the two regions would be inconsistent with
accomplishing the objectives of the fishery management plan now that
sharpnose and bonnethead have been split into separate stocks as a
result of the stock assessment. Such a transfer would, essentially,
disregard the scientific bases for splitting sharpnose and bonnethead
sharks into two stocks, and there is no practicable way to analyze the
impacts of and establish separate quotas for these stocks or the
complex as a whole absent the amendment process. The next assessments
for these two species are not yet scheduled but will include benchmark
assessments for each stock.
Dated: September 2, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-21278 Filed 9-3-14; 11:15 am]
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