News and Announcements

FR Notice – Notice of Availability for Pelagic FEP Amendment 10 (Sea Turtle Limits in the Hawaii Shallow-set Pelagic Longline Fishery) and Request for Comments (23 Jan. 2020)

Federal Register Notices, News and Updates

Action

Notice of availability of a fishery ecosystem plan amendment; request for comments.

Summary

NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP). Amendment 10 would facilitate management of Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery interactions with sea turtles to ensure a continued supply of fresh domestic swordfish to U.S. markets, consistent with sea turtle conservation. The proposed action would also ensure that the fishery operates in compliance with the Reasonable and Prudent Measures (RPM) and associated Terms and Conditions (T&C) of a recent NMFS biological opinion (BiOp).

Dates

NMFS must receive comments on the proposed amendments by March 23, 2020.

Addresses

You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2019-0098, by either of the following methods:

Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0098, click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp Blvd. Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.

Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period. All comments received are a part of the public record, and NMFS will generally post them 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 Council prepared Amendment 10, including an environmental assessment (EA) and regulatory impact review (RIR). Amendment 10 and supporting documents are available at https://www.regulations.gov, or from the Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-8220, fax 808-522-8226, www.wpcouncil.org.