Covering 317,690 square miles of the eastern Pacific Ocean, and more than 7,000 miles of tidal coastline, as well as the ecological functions within the states vast rivers and estuaries, we build sustainable fisheries, recover endangered and threatened species, maintain healthy ecosystems, and protect human health. Limited Entry Trawl South of 4010' N Lat. POC is Gary Rule, NMFS West Coast Region, at gary.rule@noaa.gov, (503) 230-5424. developer tools pages. recoveryplans for all listed species. Groundfish refers to more than 90 different types of roundfish, flatfish, rockfish, sharks, and skates off the West Coast. Committed to conserving and protecting our trust resources, the West Coast Region provides science-based conservation and management for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine mammals, sea turtles, and endangered species, and their habitats. Bottlenose dolphin, Southern GA estuarine system. The state is currently pursuing a gear marking regime in these exempted waters that may provide additional data about entanglement risk in these areas in the future. False Killer Whales and Fisheries Interaction in Hawaiian Waters: Evidence for Sex Bias and Variation Among Populations and Social Groups. The following is a collection of organizations and programs involved in various aspects of West Coast groundfish science. In the proposed rule, NMFS based the proposed change on reports of hooking spotted dolphins, and information on the prevalence of vessels from these fisheries targeting Pantropical spotted dolphin pods. In the Pacific Islands, West Coast, and Alaska regions, NMFS will issue vessel or gear owners an authorization certificate via U.S. mail or with their state or Federal license or permit at the time of issuance or renewal. Additional details regarding how the categories were determined are provided in the preamble to the final rule implementing section 118 of the MMPA (60 FR 45086; August 30, 1995). It transmits that position to a NOAA Fisheries-approved communications service provider. Information regarding the LOF and the MMAP, including registration procedures and forms; current and past LOFs; descriptions of each Category I and II fishery and some Category III fisheries; observer requirements; and marine mammal mortality/injury reporting forms and submittal procedures; may be obtained at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-protection-act-list-fisheries,, or from any NMFS Regional Office at the addresses listed below: NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298, Attn: Allison Rosner; NMFS, Southeast Region, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, Attn: Jessica Powell; NMFS, West Coast Region, Long Beach Office, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213, Attn: Dan Lawson; NMFS, Alaska Region, Protected Resources, P.O. The common entangling mechanism of these gear types are the lazy or easy line. Age structure of spawning salmon represents an example of portfolio effects such that the risks of experiencing unfavorable conditions are spread across time. Angliss, B.A. A bill introduced in Congress this week calls for a federal study on the possibilities of coastal seaweed farming, and creating a new seaweed farming fund to "reduce cost barriers for indigenous communities, emboldening them to participate in coastal seaweed farming," according to sponsors Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., and Mary Peltola, D . Harbor porpoise, GME/BF. Bottlenose dolphin, Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay. Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico stone crab trap/pot. While we recognize this variety within the fishery at large, there are not clear boundaries to divide gear use across the wider area as suggested by this comment. Breiwick, M.F. Although efforts are made to limit the issuance of authorization certificates to only those vessel or gear owners that participate in Category I or II fisheries, not all state and Federal license or permit systems distinguish between fisheries as classified by the LOF. Boggs, K.A. Regulatory Branch Chief U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . They are in place for a two-year period, except as changed through in-season adjustments to management measures. PDF | We delineated and scored Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) in the Arctic region. Under the MMPA, we conserve and manage marine mammal populations along the West Coast. Some of them vary in concentration from north to south, and some are common from the U.S./Canada border to the U.S./Mexico border. We conserve and restore marine resources on the West Coast. Maine gear was involved in a second case in 2004, but it was not the primary entangling gear in this case. Sign-up toreceive bulletins and notices by email. documents in the last year, 36 documents in the last year, 122 That quota was further divided into two equal quotas of 432,500 lb (196,179 kg) for vessels in each of two groups by gear typesvessels fishing with run-around They also develop science-based strategies and effective partnerships to recover and conserve West Coast trust resources. In accordance with the Companion Manual for NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A, NMFS determined that publishing this LOF qualifies to be categorically excluded from further NEPA review, consistent with categories of activities identified in Categorical Exclusion G7 (Preparation of policy directives, rules, regulations, and guidelines of an administrative, Start Printed Page 3053financial, legal, technical, or procedural nature, or for which the environmental effects are too broad, speculative or conjectural to lend themselves to meaningful analysis and will be subject later to the NEPA process, either collectively or on a case-by-case basis) of the Companion Manual and we have not identified any extraordinary circumstances listed in Chapter 4 of the Companion Manual for NAO 216-6A that would preclude application of this categorical exclusion. This list includes all species and/or stocks known to be killed or injured in a given fishery, but also includes species and/or stocks for which there are anecdotal records of a mortality or injury. We also note that two additional entanglements have been identified as Massachusetts lobster trap/pot entanglements (E36-16/RW 3623 and E25-09). The number of HSFCA permits listed in Table 3 for the high seas components of these fisheries operating in U.S. waters does not necessarily represent additional effort that is not accounted for in Tables 1 and 2. Gulf of Maine Atlantic herring purse seine. NMFS West Coast Region's 2018 Guidance on Assessing the Effects of Existing Structures in ESA Section 7 Consultations In 2018, the NMFS West Coast Region (WCR) issued internal guidance (2018 Guidance) on ESA Section 7 consultations for work on existing structures. These habitat conservation measures restrict vessels targeting other species besides groundfish, and, when working in concert with other gear restrictions and fishery management measures, minimize the adverse effects of fishing on groundfish essential fish habitat. 1361 et seq. We provide a general overview of the fisheries and gear used to catch highly migratory species along the U.S. West Coast. The low numbers, patchy distribution, and preference for rocky habitats of the widow rockfish make this stock difficult to monitor using standard bottom trawl survey . documents in the last year, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration They typically become effective on January 1 of any given year (the beginning of the management cycle). The groundfish fishery may affect leatherback sea turtles by entanglement in fishing gear. MMPA, 16 U.S.C. Photo by Jeff Bash/NOAA Fisheries. Bottlenose dolphin, Northern GMX coastal. About the Federal Register Many vessels holding HSFCA permits also fish within U.S. waters and are included in the number of vessels and participants operating within those fisheries in Tables 1 and 2. Stay informed of all the latest regional news around NOAA Fisheries, Staff and volunteers from Feiro Marine Life Center and SR3 release a juvenile seal back to Port Angeles Harbor. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2021, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Prior to that she was the Division Manager and Operations & Policy Branch Chief in the California Coastal Office. Due to the observed injury, the Central North Pacific stock of humpback whale is retained on the list of species and/or stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category II HI shallow-set longline fishery. Groundfish generally fall into one of the following categories of fish: Groundfish are commonly associated at some part of their lives with the ocean floor. the timing of BAT evacuation occurred during the known window of parturition for both species in the region based on the occurrence of neonates (25; 15). NMFS updates the estimated number of HSFCA permits for high seas fisheries (Table 3) as follows: The following tables set forth the list of U.S. commercial fisheries according to their classification under section 118 of the MMPA. "We've always been like the punching bag for, like, the whale people. The Commission previously noted that the 2016 SAR for the Southeast Alaska stock of harbor porpoise reported a population-size estimate of 975 and an estimated minimum population size (Nmin) of 896, which produced a PBR of 8.9 animals. For additional information on fishing effort in fisheries found on Table 1 or 2, contact the relevant regional office (contact information included above in Where can I find more information about the LOF and the MMAP? NMFS also reviewed other sources of new information, including marine mammal stranding and entanglement data, observer program data, fishermen self-reports, reports to the SRGs, conference papers, FMPs, and ESA documents. documents in the last year. NMFS also determined NMFS clarifies part of the response to Comment #14 to state: We recognize there has been only one confirmed mortality (in 2012) in the past decade in U.S. Northern inshore/nearshore trap/pot gear which could be gear from the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery or the Atlantic mixed species trap/pot fishery. This rule contains existing collection-of-information (COI) requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act and would not impose additional or new COI requirements. documents in the last year, 663 For the best experience, please use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. This document has been published in the Federal Register. By list-ing subdivisions of an ESU, NMFS was able to protect declin-ing steelhead populations while acceding to FWS . Our prolific bays and estuaries nurture Dungeness crabs, oysters, and other delectable shellfish prized around the world. . Forney, and N.C. Young. Observers collect information on what is caught, whether it is landed or discarded at sea, to estimate bycatch. Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. Comment 13: AOLA expresses concern with how NMFS assigns M/SI when the origin of entanglement is unknown. Authorization certificates may also be obtained by visiting the MMAP website https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-authorization-program#obtaining-a-marine-mammal-authorization-certificate. Is Action Likely to Adversely Affect Species? Since 1999, RCO, through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB), has distributed more than $1.23 billion in state and federal funds to advance salmon recovery statewide, with more than $649 million directed toward efforts in the Puget Sound. NMFS-PIFSC-75. Starting with the 2010 LOF, NMFS developed summary documents, or fishery fact sheets, for each Category I and II fishery on the LOF. In February 2014, there was an observed interaction with a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) in the Category I HI deep-set longline fishery. *Only applicable to the portion of the fishery operating in U.S. waters; and. The COI for the registration of individuals under the MMPA has been approved by the OMB under OMB Control Number 0648-0293 (0.15 hours per report for new registrants). However, large whale fishery interaction assessments are dependent on direct counts of entangled whales, not the fishery per se. NMFS, Pacific Islands Regional Office, Protected Resources Division, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, Attn: Diana Kramer. Bryan Schenone, Director of the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services (OES) stated in a 2022 interview with Jefferson Public Radio that "he was not notified in February or November [2022] when freight trains derailed at the Cantara Loop.". *, Southeastern, U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico stone crab trap/pot. Therefore, FLC recommends that the BSAI Pacific cod longline fishery be reclassified as a Category III fishery. Bottlenose dolphin, HI Pelagic. Comment 12: AOLA expresses concern that data used in the LOF do not represent the current conditions of the Category I Northeast/mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery nor marine mammal stocks. Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce, through its National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded grants of up to $30 million, over a five-year period, to two Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Florida A&M University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Bottlenose dolphin, Southern Migratory coastal. Variable Description Derivation Model(s) Biophysical variables: Area of reef within proximity: Area of coral reef habitat within 20 or 200 km: UFRTM: Impact; biomass Southeastern U.S. Atlantic shark gillnet. As part of her 20+ year tenure with NOAA Fisheries, Korie has worked on several marine and estuary habitat conservation programs nationally and along our West Coast, including national habitat policy for the Office of Habitat Con, Stay informed of all the latest regional news around NOAA Fisheries, Associate Deputy Regional Administrator (ADRA), (Acting), Assistant Regional Administrator, (Acting) Assistant Regional Administrator, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal, Climate, Ecosystems & Fisheries Initiative, whales, pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), sea turtles, fish, and mollusks, Report a Stranded or Entangled Marine Mammal. Atlantic spotted dolphin, Northern GMX. No comments were received on that certification, and no new information has been discovered to change that conclusion. We participate in the implementation of numerous international treaties and other agreements to sustainably conserve fisheries for cross-boundary species including highly migratory fish, particularly tuna; whiting; halibut, and salmon; and protect marine mammals of mutual interest to nations of the Pacific. NMFS clarifies the fishery description of the Category II Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal Humpback whales can become entrapped and entangled in fishing gear, which can result in serious injury and mortality. documents in the last year, 282 The U.S. west coast widow rockfish stock has declined since the mid-1980s, leading to implementation of increasingly stringent management restrictions upon the commercial fishery. is increasingly concentrated into fewer and younger ages, which may . London, S.A. Mizroch, R.R. In addition, Maine's state and Federal waters lobstermen must declare a lobster zone and are required to fish the majority of gear in their home zone, limiting the spatial footprint of where individual lobstermen can set gear. Allocations, Specifications of OFL, ABC, ACL, ACT and Fishery Harvest Guidelines, Pacific Fisheries Information Network (PacFIN), Subscribe to the West Coast groundfish email list, Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, Letter of concurrence on reinitiated consultation on continued operation of the groundfish fishery under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan and the effects of the fishery on Southern Resident killer whales (December 7, 2022), Biological Opinion on the Effects of the Continuing Operation of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery on Humpback Whales (Reinitiation 2020), Adoption of Conference Opinion on Humpback Whale Critical Habitat for the Continued Operation of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery (2021), Biological Opinion on the Effects of the Continuing Operation of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery on Eulachon (Reinitiation 2018), Biological Opinion on the Effects the Groundfish Fishery Management Plan on Listed Salmon (2017), Biological Opinion on the Effects of the Ongoing Operation of the Groundfish Fisheries on California Least Tern, Southern Sea Otter, Bull trout, Marbled Murrelet, and Short-tailed Albatross (2017), Biological Opinion on the Effects of the Continuing Operation of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery on Green Sturgeon, Leatherback Sea Turtles, and Other Listed Species (2012), Groundfish Endangered Species Act Workgroup Report (2021), Fishing Effort in the 2002-2019U.S. Pacific Coast Groundfish Fisheries, Observed and Estimated Bycatch of Eulachon in 2002-2019 US West Coast Groundfish Fisheries, Observed and Estimated Bycatch of Green Sturgeon in 2002-2019 US West Coast Groundfish Fisheries, Estimated Humpback Whale Bycatch in the U.S. West Coast Groundfish Fisheries, 2002-2019, Leatherback Sea Turtle Bycatch in U.S. West Coast Groundfish Fisheries 2002-2019, Estimated Short-tailed Albatross Bycatch in U.S. West Coast Groundfish Fisheries 2002-2019, Webinar: Salmon Impacts in the Pacific Groundfish Fishery (2015), West Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat, Fisheries Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division, Habitat and Groundfish Ecology Research in the California Current, Pacific Coast Fisheries Information Network, Recreational Fisheries Information Network. Because there were no data to indicate specific stock or reliable data that could be used to partition the 2012 killer whale M/SI, the M/SI was assigned to both stocks as prescribed by NMFS' Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the 1994 Amendments to the MMPA. Bottlenose dolphin, GMX bay, sound, estuarine (FL west coast portion). Authority: biennium). Groundfish Stock Assessments and Fishery Evaluations, NMFS will make a decision regarding an Amendment to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management, Several types of closed areas, including Rockfish Conservation Areas, or RCAs, and Block Area, Federal Register Notices Establishing the Trawl Catch Share Program Cost Recovery Program and, Stay informed of all the latest regional news around NOAA Fisheries, Sustainable Fisheries, Sustainable Seafood, Rebound in Groundfish Leads to New Flexibility for Fishermen, Protection for Deep-Sea Corals, Devastating Collapse of Groundfish Fishery Forces a More Sustainable Future, NOAA Fisheries Releases Draft National Seafood Strategy, Requests Public Input, NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan for 20222025. We also conduct research on the impacts of environmental variability and climate change on marine ecosystems and on fishery and conservation socio-economics. Additional species are currently under review or have been proposed for Endangered Species Act listing: 2 petitioned species awaiting a 90-day finding, 15 candidate species for ESA listing, 1 proposed species for ESA listing. Credit: NOAA Aquaculture Program, NOAA Announces 5-Year Strategic Plan for Aquaculture, Essential Fish Habitat - Groundfish and Salmon, Trawl Rationalization Program Cost Recovery Annual Report: Fee Calculation for 2022 and Fishing Year 2021 Payments, Trawl Rationalization Program Cost Recovery Annual Report: Fee Calculation for 2021 and Fishing Year 2020 Payments, Changes to Pacific Coast Groundfish Essential Fish Habitat Conservation Areas and Boundaries of the Trawl Gear Rockfish Conservation Area, Amendment 28 Final Environmental Impact Statement, Trawl Rationalization Program Cost Recovery Annual Report: Fee Calculation for 2019 and Fishing Year 2018 Payments, Depth-Based Boundary Lines on the West Coast, Federal Register Notices for the Trawl Catch Share Program Cost Recovery Program, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, Report a Stranded or Injured Marine Animal, Climate, Ecosystems & Fisheries Initiative, West Coast Groundfish Commercial Fisheries, West Coast Groundfish Recreational Fisheries, NEPA Documents Available for Public Review, Federal Register Rules and Notices - Open for Comment, Catch and Sample Data (Recreational Fisheries Information Network (RecFIN)), Subscribe to the Recreational Fisheries email list. NMFS removes the Alaska stock of ringed seal from the list of species/stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category II AK Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands Pacific cod longline fishery. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-81, 18 p. Bradford A.L. Bottlenose dolphin, HI Pelagic. Bottlenose dolphin, Mobile Bay, Bonsecour Bay. Data obtained from the observer program and observer coverage levels are important tools in estimating the level of marine mammal mortality and serious injury in commercial fishing operations. MMPA section 118 states that the Secretary is not required to place an observer on a vessel if the facilities for quartering an observer or performing observer functions are so inadequate or unsafe that the health or safety of the observer or the safe operation of the vessel would be jeopardized; thereby authorizing the exemption of vessels too small to safely accommodate an observer from this requirement. This rule has been determined to be not significant for the purposes of Executive Orders 12866 and 13563. Thus, M/SI of false killer whales of unknown stock within the stock overlap zones must be prorated to MHI insular, pelagic, or NWHI stocks. For these fisheries, effort by a single participant is counted the same whether the fisherman used the gear only once or every day. Credit: NOAA Fisheries / Cory Hom-Weaver. See response to comment #11 above about M/SI of right whales that is attributed to the Northeast/mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery. The main types of fishing gear include trawls (which can be in the middle of the water column or near the bottom), longlines, fish pots, and other variations of similar gear. The President of the United States issues other types of documents, including but not limited to; memoranda, notices, determinations, letters, messages, and orders. We also ensure that federal ocean fisheries along the West Coast are managed to uphold Native American Tribal treaty fishing rights. MLA recommends NMFS reclassify the Maine state waters lobster fishery as Category III fishery since there are no documented serious injuries or mortalities with this fishery, and NMFS determined that regulating the waters exempt from the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) would have no significant benefit to large whales. NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Counciloversee the management of West Coast groundfish in U.S. federal waters. 1387(c)(1)). legal research should verify their results against an official edition of Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean pelagic hook-and-line/harpoon. AOLA recommends NMFS split undetermined North Atlantic right whale M/SI between the two countries based on the percentage of known entanglements from each country and this prorated distribution of M/SI should be used when classifying fisheries on the LOF. Tidal wetlands in the Nisqually River Basin, where restored habitat fosters growth of juvenile salmon and steelhead on their way to the ocean. Hobbs, Y.V. This checklist is intended to clarify and streamline coordination for Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultations between NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS or NOAA Fisheries) and the California Department of Transportation MHI insular false killer whales have been satellite tracked as far as 115 km from the MHI, while pelagic stock animals have been tracked to within 11 kilometers (km) of the MHI and throughout the NWHI. Further, gear marking and right whale monitoring efforts throughout Maine waters are insufficient to determine that the gear or area presents a different risk to large whales. 02-204-01. Catch shares allocates each fisherman a share of the allowable catch, as determined by scientific data. Bryde's Whale Steller Sea Lion Spinner Dolphin Bowhead Whale Endangered & Threatened Species NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over 163 endangered and threatened marine species, including 65 foreign species. NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Eulachon Listing and Resources AboutEulachon Eulachon (pronouncedyoula . Image courtesy ECORP Consulting, Inc. As Dam Removals Move Forward, NOAA Explores Next Steps for Habitat Restoration in Klamath Watershed. Bottlenose dolphin, Northern GMX continental shelf. West Coast Region Committed to conserving and protecting our trust resources, the West Coast Region provides science-based conservation and management for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine mammals, sea turtles, and endangered species, and their habitats. NMFS must reexamine the LOF annually, considering new information in the Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports (SARs) and other relevant Start Printed Page 3029sources, and publish in the Federal Register any necessary changes to the LOF after notice and opportunity for public comment (16 U.S.C. Most species are coastwide stocks. biennium). The impacts of numerous fisheries have been analyzed in various biological opinions, and this rule will not affect the conclusions of those opinions. The commenter alleges There are zero instances of Maine lobster gear associated with a right whale serious injury or mortality in any data set, and only one known entanglement where Maine lobster was the primary entangling gear in 2002 resulting in non-serious injury determination. We recognize that there has only been one confirmed mortality (in 2012) in identified U.S. trap/pot gear in the past decade. Vessels are monitored using a vessel monitoring system (VMS). Life history information continues to be evaluated and incorporated into the stock assessments which provide the basis for fishery management decisions. Below we provide further detail as to why the information presented by the MLA is insufficient for the requested changes. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a COI, subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that COI displays a currently valid OMB control number. Multiple states participate in the Northeast/mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery, using a wide variety of gear and gear configurations throughout a large portion of coastal waters. Additionally, EPSB provides guidance to NOAA Fisheries staff and leadership to strategize actions for watersheds and resource management. Any closure will be announced in accordance with Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.63 (c) and on the NMFS hotline at (206) 526-6667 or (800) 662-9825.
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