[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 204 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 63929-63930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26875]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 130919816-4205-02]
RIN 0648-XE266
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring
Fishery; Georges Bank Haddock Catch Cap Harvested
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed herring fishery in the Herring
Georges Bank Haddock Accountability Measure Area based on a
determination that the Georges Bank Haddock Catch Cap has been
harvested. Federally permitted vessels may not fish for, possess,
transfer, receive, land or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of
Atlantic herring in or from the Herring Georges Bank Haddock
Accountability Measure Area for the remainder of the fishing year.
Also, vessels issued Federal permits for Atlantic herring fishing with
midwater trawl gear, or vessels issued an All Areas and/or Areas 2 and
3 Limited Access Atlantic herring permit on a declared Atlantic herring
trip, regardless of gear used, may not possess haddock, unless also on
a declared Northeast multispecies trip with a Northeast multispecies
permit.
DATES: Effective 0001 hr local time, October 22, 2015, through April
30, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 282-8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic herring
fishery and the Northeast (NE) multispecies fishery can be found at 50
CFR part 648. The NE multispecies regulations require specification of
acceptable biological catches (ABC), annual catch limits, and
overfishing limits for each of the NE multispecies stocks. The haddock
catch allowance for vessels issued a Federal herring permit is one
percent of each of the ABCs for Gulf of Maine haddock and Georges Bank
(GB) haddock stocks. The 2015 haddock ABC is 53,717,835 million lb
(24,366 mt), and one percent of the ABC has been allocated to the GB
Haddock Catch Cap for the 2015 fishing year, which is further reduced
by seven percent to 500,449 lb (227 mt) to account for management
uncertainty (80 FR 25109).
The regulations at Sec. 648.201 require the Administrator, Greater
Atlantic Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), to determine when the
GB Haddock Catch Cap has been fully harvested. Once the GB Haddock
Catch Cap has been harvested, regulations require NMFS to prohibit
herring vessel permit holders from fishing for, possessing,
transferring, receiving, landing, or selling more than 2,000 lb (907.2
kg) of herring per trip or calendar day in or from the Herring GB
Haddock AM Area for the remainder of the fishing year. Additionally,
federally permitted herring vessels fishing with midwater trawl gear
can no longer possess haddock in the Herring GB Haddock Accountability
Management (AM) Area for the reminder of the fishing year, unless
vessels are also fishing on a declared NE multispecies trip with a NE
multispecies permit. Vessels issued an All Areas or Areas 2 and 3
Limited Access herring permit on a declared herring trip cannot possess
haddock in the Herring GB Haddock AM Area, regardless of the gear used.
The Regional Administrator has determined, based on dealer reports
and other available information, that the herring fleet has fully
harvested the GB Haddock Catch Cap. Therefore, effective 0001 hr local
time, October 22, 2015, federally permitted vessels may not fish for,
possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg)
of herring per trip or calendar day, in or from the Herring GB Haddock
AM Area through April 30, 2016, except vessels that have entered port
before 0001 hr on October 22, 2015, may land and sell more than 2,000
lb (907.2 kg) of herring from the Herring GB Haddock AM Area from that
trip. A vessel may transit through the Herring GB Haddock AM Area with
more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring on board, provided all herring
onboard was caught outside the Herring GB Haddock AM Area and all
fishing gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined
by Sec. 648.2. Effective 0001 hr, October 22, 2015, herring vessels
fishing with midwater trawl gear cannot possess haddock and
[[Page 63930]]
vessels issued All Areas or Areas 2 and 3 Limited Access herring
vessels on a declared herring trip cannot possess haddock regardless of
gear used, unless on a declared NE multispecies trip with a NE
multispecies permit. Effective 0001 hr, October 22, 2015, federally
permitted dealers may not receive herring from federally permitted
herring vessels that harvest more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring
from the Herring GB Haddock AM Area through 2400 hr local time, April
30, 2016, unless it is from a vessel that entered port before 0001 hr
on October 22, 2015.
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior
notice and the opportunity for public comment because it would be
contrary to the public interest and impracticable. This action severely
restricts the catch of GB herring in the GB Haddock AM Area until May
1, 2016. The regulations at Sec. 648.201(a) require such action to
ensure that herring vessels do not exceed the haddock catch allocated
to the herring fishery. Data indicating the herring fleet will have
harvested GB Haddock Catch Cap have only recently become available. If
implementation of this closure is delayed to solicit prior public
comment, the catch of GB haddock allocated to the herring fishery for
this fishing year may be exceeded, thereby undermining the conservation
objectives of the FMP. NMFS further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C
553(d)(3), good cause to waive the 30-day delayed effectiveness period
for the reasons stated above.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 19, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-26875 Filed 10-19-15; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P