The following Federal Register Notices have been published notifying the public of rule changes to fisheries in the Western Pacific:
NWHI Lobster Harvest Guidelines FR Notice: NMFS manages the NWHI commercial lobster fishery under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago. The regulations at 50 CFR 665.252(b) require NMFS to publish an annual harvest guideline for lobster in Crustacean Permit Area 1, comprised of Federal waters around the NWHI.
Regulations governing thePapahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the NWHI prohibit the unpermitted removal of monument resources (50 CFR 404.7), and establish a zero annual harvest guideline for lobsters (50 CFR 404.10(a)). Accordingly, NMFS establishes the harvest guideline for the NWHI commercial lobster fishery for calendar year 2024 at zero lobsters. Harvest of NWHI lobster resources is not allowed.
Kona Crab ACL Final Rule FR Notice: This final rule implements an annual catch limit (ACL), annual catch target (ACT), and accountability measures (AM) for main Hawaiian
Islands (MHI) Kona crab for fishing years 2024, 2025, and 2026. NMFS will close Federal waters to Kona crab fishing for the remainder of the fishing year if NMFS projects the fishery will reach the ACT. NMFS will reduce the ACT and ACL in the subsequent fishing year by the overage amount if landings exceed the ACL in a fishing year. NMFS
intends this final rule to support the long-term sustainability of MHI Kona crab. This rule is effective June 6, 2024.
ANNUAL CATCH LIMITS AND ANNUAL CATCH TARGETS FOR MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS KONA CRAB
Fishing year…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2024 2025 2026
ACL (lb) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 30,802 30,802 30,802
ACT (lb) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25,491 25,491 25,491
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodologies Notice of Agency Decision FR Notice: NMFS announces the approval of Amendments to the five fishery ecosystem plans (FEP) for fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region. The FEPs are amended to update data collection mechanisms identified as standardized bycatch reporting methodologies (SBRM) and to revise descriptions of SBRM for consistency with current NMFS regulations. These Amendments ensure conformance with national guidance for compliance with
the SBRM requirement in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Amendments were approved on May 2, 2024.