AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:
Proposed rule; request for comments.

SUMMARY:
NMFS proposes to implement annual catch limits (ACL) and accountability measures (AM) for main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) deepwater shrimp and precious coral for each fishing year in the time period between 2022 and 2025. As a post-season AM, if NMFS determines that the most recent three-year average total catch exceeded an ACL in a fishing year, we would reduce the ACL for the following fishing year by the amount of the overage. This proposed rule supports the long-term sustainability of MHI deepwater shrimp and precious coral.

DATES:
NMFS must receive comments by January 4, 2023.

ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments on the proposed rule, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2022-0113, by either of the following methods:

• Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2022-0113 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

•Mail: Send written comments to Sarah Malloy, Acting Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS prepared an environmental assessment (EA) that supports this proposed rule. The EA is available at
www.regulations.gov, or from the Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-8220, or www.wpcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Keith Kamikawa, NMFS PIRO Sustainable Fisheries, 808-725-5177. 

For complete FR notice, click here.