Fishing Capacity Reduction Program for the Longline Catcher Processor Subsector of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Non Pollock Groundfish Fishery
| Citation | 85 FR 83898 |
| Record Number | 2020-28361 |
| Published date | 23 December 2020 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
83898
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
ACTION
: Notice of SEDAR 71 South
Atlantic Gag Grouper Assessment
Webinar III.
SUMMARY
: The SEDAR 71 assessment of
the South Atlantic stock of gag grouper
will consist of a data webinar and a
series assessment webinars.
DATES
: The SEDAR 71 Gag Grouper
Assessment Webinar III has been
scheduled for Thursday, January 14,
2021, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., EDT.
ADDRESSES
: The meeting will be held
via webinar. The webinar is open to
members of the public. Registration is
available online at: https://
attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/
3102956364955419152.
SEDAR address: South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 4055
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N.
Charleston, SC 29405;
www.sedarweb.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Kathleen Howington, SEDAR
Coordinator, 4055 Faber Place Drive,
Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405;
phone: (843) 571–4371; email:
Kathleen.Howington@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: The Gulf
of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions,
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a three-
step process including: (1) Data
Workshop; (2) Assessment Process
utilizing webinars; and (3) Review
Workshop. The product of the Data
Workshop is a data report which
compiles and evaluates potential
datasets and recommends which
datasets are appropriate for assessment
analyses. The product of the Assessment
Process is a stock assessment report
which describes the fisheries, evaluates
the status of the stock, estimates
biological benchmarks, projects future
population conditions, and recommends
research and monitoring needs. The
assessment is independently peer
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The
product of the Review Workshop is a
Summary documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are
appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office,
Highly Migratory Species Management
Division, and Southeast Fisheries
Science Center. Participants include:
Data collectors and database managers;
stock assessment scientists, biologists,
and researchers; constituency
representatives including fishermen,
environmentalists, and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs);
international experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and
federal agencies.
The items of discussion at the SEDAR
71 Gag Grouper Assessment Webinar III
are as follows:
•Discuss data issues as needed
•Discuss modeling issues as needed
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is accessible to people
with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary
aids should be directed to the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council
office (see
ADDRESSES
) at least 5
business days prior to the meeting.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 17, 2020.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28297 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA633]
Fishing Capacity Reduction Program
for the Longline Catcher Processor
Subsector of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Non Pollock
Groundfish Fishery
AGENCY
: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration,
Commerce.
ACTION
: Notice of fee rate adjustment.
SUMMARY
: NMFS issues this notice to
inform the public that there will be an
increase of the fee rate required to repay
the $35,000,000 reduction loan
financing the non-pollock groundfish
fishing capacity reduction program.
Effective January 1, 2021, NMFS is
increasing the Loan A fee rate to $0.024
per pound to ensure timely repayment
of the loan. The fee rate for Loan B will
remain unchanged at $0.001 per pound.
The increased Loan A fee rate is due to
the 20 percent decrease in non-pollock
groundfish Total Allowable Catch (TAC)
for 2021.
DATES
: The non-pollock groundfish
program fee rate increase will begin
with landings on January 1, 2021. The
first due date for fee payments with the
increased rate will be February 15, 2021.
ADDRESSES
: Send questions about this
notice to Elaine Saiz, Chief, Financial
Services Division, National Marine
Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910–
3282.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Elaine Saiz, (301) 427–8752.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
Background
Sections 312(b)–(e) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.)
generally authorizes fishing capacity
reduction programs. In particular,
section 312(d) authorizes industry fee
systems for repaying reduction loans
which finance reduction program costs.
Subpart L of 50 CFR part 600 is the
framework rule generally implementing
section 312(b)–(e). Sections 1111 and
1112 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936
(46 App. U.S.C. 1279f and 1279g)
generally authorize reduction loans.
Enacted on December 8, 2004, section
219, Title II, of FY 2005 Appropriations
Act, Public Law 104–447 (Act)
authorizes a fishing capacity reduction
program implementing capacity
reduction plans submitted to NMFS by
catcher processor subsectors of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI)
non-pollock groundfish fishery
(reduction fishery) as set forth in the
Act.
The longline catcher processor
subsector (Longline Subsector) is among
the catcher processor subsectors eligible
to submit to NMFS a capacity reduction
plan under the terms of the Act. The
longline subsector non-pollock
groundfish reduction program’s
objective was to reduce the number of
vessels and permits endorsed for
longline subsector of the non-pollock
groundfish fishery. All post-reduction
fish landings from the reduction fishery
are subject to the longline subsector
non-pollock groundfish program’s fee.
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83899
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
NMFS proposed the implementing
notice on August 11, 2006 (71 FR
46364), and published the final notice
on September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57696).
NMFS allocated the $35,000,000
reduction loan (A Loan) to the reduction
fishery and this loan is repayable by fees
from the fishery.
On September 24, 2007, NMFS
published in the Federal Register (72
FR 54219), the final rule to implement
the industry fee system for repaying the
non-pollock groundfish program’s
reduction loan and established October
24, 2007, as the effective date when fee
collection and loan repayment began.
The regulations implementing the
program are located at § 600.1012.
NMFS published a final rule to
implement a second $2,700,000
reduction loan (B Loan) for this fishery
in the Federal Register on September
24, 2012 (77 FR 58775). The loan was
disbursed December 18, 2012 with fee
collection of $0.001 per pound to begin
January 1, 2013. This fee is in addition
to the A Loan fee.
Purpose
The purpose of this notice is to adjust
the fee rate for the reduction fishery in
accordance with the framework rule’s
§ 600.1013(b). Section 600.1013(b)
directs NMFS to recalculate the fee rate
that will be reasonably necessary to
ensure reduction loan repayment within
the specified 30 year term.
NMFS has determined for the
reduction fishery that the current fee
rate of $0.021 per pound is less than
that needed to service the A Loan.
Therefore, NMFS is increasing the Loan
A fee rate to $0.024 per pound which
NMFS has determined is sufficient to
ensure timely loan repayment. The fee
rate for Loan B will remain $0.001 per
pound.
Subsector members may continue to
use Pay.gov to disburse collected fee
deposits at: http://www.pay.gov/paygov/
. Please visit the NMFS website for
additional information at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/
funding-and-financial-services/longline-
catcher-processor-subsector-bering-sea-
and-aleutian-islands-non-pollock.
Notice
The new fee rate for the non-pollock
groundfish fishery will begin on January
1, 2021.
From and after this date, all subsector
members paying fees on the non-pollock
groundfish fishery shall begin paying
non-pollock groundfish fishery program
fees at the revised rate.
Fee collection and submission shall
follow previously established methods
in § 600.1013 of the framework rule and
in the final fee rule published in the
Federal Register on September 24, 2007
(72 FR 54219).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.; Pub. L.
108–447.
Dated: December 17, 2020.
Brian T. Pawlak,
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative
Officer, Director, Office of Management and
Budget, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28361 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[Docket No.: 200918–0249]
RIN 0648–BJ52
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Critical Habitat for the Threatened
Indo-Pacific Corals, Public Hearings
and Extension of Public Comment
Period
AGENCY
: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION
: Notice of public hearings,
extension of comment period.
SUMMARY
: We, NMFS, will hold two
public hearings related to our proposed
rule to designate critical habitat for
seven threatened corals in U.S. waters
in the Indo-Pacific (Acropora globiceps,
Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora retusa,
Acropora speciosa, Euphyllia
paradivisa, Isopora crateriformis, and
Seriatopora aculeata) under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). We are
also extending the public comment
period for this proposed rule by 30 days
to February 25, 2021.
DATES
: Public hearings on the proposed
rule to designate critical habitat for the
seven threatened Indo-Pacific corals
will be held online on the following
dates, during the early evening hours of
the affected jurisdictions (Guam, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, American Samoa). Times are
given in Chamorro Standard Time
(GMT+10:00), Samoa Standard Time
(GMT–11:00), and Hawaii Standard
Time (GMT–10:00).
•The first hearing is scheduled for
the early evening in Guam and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, from 4 to 7 p.m. Chamorro
Standard Time on Wednesday, January
20, 2021 (7 to 10 p.m. Samoa Standard
Time on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, and
8 to 11 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on
Tuesday, January 19, 2021).
•The second hearing is scheduled for
the early evening in American Samoa,
from 4 to 7 p.m. Samoa Standard Time
on Thursday, January 21, 2021 (1 to 4
p.m. Chamorro Standard Time on
Friday, January 22, 2021, and 5 to 8 p.m.
Hawaii Standard Time on Thursday,
January 21, 2021).
Since the hearings will be held
online, any member of the public can
join by internet or phone regardless of
location. Instructions for joining the
hearings are provided under
ADDRESSES
below.
The proposed rule to designate
critical habitat for the seven ESA-listed
corals was issued on November 27, 2020
(85 FR 76262), and provided for a public
comment period to end on January 26,
2021. The comment period is now
extended 30 days and will close on
February 25, 2021. Comments must be
received by February 25, 2021, as
specified under
ADDRESSES
. Comments
received after this date may not be
accepted.
ADDRESSES
: Both public hearings will be
conducted as Webex meetings. You may
join the Webex meetings using a web
browser, the Webex desktop app (app
installation required), a mobile app on
a phone (app installation required), or
audio-only using just a phone call, as
specified below.
•To join the first hearing, click on
the link https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.
com/noaanmfs-meets/onstage/
g.php?MTID=ecfe01efe62d246f
452d3bf93c907008a Password: ‘‘coral’’.
If you do not have internet access, you
may join by phone: US Toll +1–415–
527–5035 Access code: 199 477 7805
•To join the second hearing, click on
link https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.
com/noaanmfs-meets/onstage/
g.php?MTID=e616fdb7791f
ad92917495cd0002b23bd Password:
‘‘coral’’. If you do not have internet
access, you may join by phone: US Toll
+1–415–527–5035 Access code: 199 394
4864
More information about the public
hearings is provided under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
. You may
submit comments verbally or in writing
at the public hearings, or in writing by
any of the following methods.
Comments must be received by
February 25, 2021:
•Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
NOAA-NMFS-2016-0131 click the
‘‘Comment Now’’ icon, complete the
required fields, and enter or attach your
comments.
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