Pacific Island Fisheries; 2014 Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures
Federal Register, Volume 79 Issue 17 (Monday, January 27, 2014)
Federal Register Volume 79, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2014)
Rules and Regulations
Pages 4276-4279
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing 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
