Rule2021-13293
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 25, 2021
Effective
July 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS implements the measures of the New England Fishery Management Council's Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. This action protects deep-sea corals from the impacts of commercial fishing gear on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. These management measures are intended to reduce, to the extent practicable, impacts of fishing gear on deep-sea corals in New England while balancing the continued operations of commercial fisheries.
Full Text
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 33553-33566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13293]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No.: 210616-0130]
RIN 0648-BH67
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Omnibus Deep-Sea
Coral Amendment
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: NMFS implements the measures of the New England Fishery
Management Council's Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. This action
protects deep-sea corals from the impacts of commercial fishing gear on
Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. These management measures are
intended to reduce, to the extent practicable, impacts of fishing gear
on deep-sea corals in New England while balancing the continued
operations of commercial fisheries.
DATES: Effective July 26, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The New England Fishery Management Council developed an
Environmental Assessment (EA) for this action that describes the
measures in the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment and other considered
alternatives and analyzes the impacts of the measures and alternatives.
Copies of supporting documents used by the New England Fishery
Management Council, including the EA and Regulatory Impact Review
(RIR)/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), are available
from: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery
Management Council, 50 Water Street, Newburyport, MA 01950 and
accessible via the internet in documents available at: <a href="https://www.nefmc.org/library/omnibus-deep-sea-coral-amendment">https://www.nefmc.org/library/omnibus-deep-sea-coral-amendment</a>.
Copies of the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) and the
small entity compliance guide are available from Michael Pentony,
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298, or
available on the internet at: <a href="http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov">http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Travis Ford, Fishery Policy Analyst,
(978) 281-9233.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On November 20, 2019, pursuant to section 304(a)(3) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), NMFS approved the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment in its
entirety as recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council.
The Council developed this action, and the measures described in this
rule, under the discretionary provisions for deep-sea coral protection
in section 303(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This provision gives the
Regional Fishery Management Councils the authority to:
(A) Designate zones where, and periods when, fishing shall be
limited, or shall not be permitted, or shall be permitted only by
specified types of fishing vessels or with specified types and
quantities of fishing gear; and
(B) Designate such zones in areas where deep-sea corals are
identified under section 408 (this section describes the deep-sea coral
research and technology program), to protect deep-sea corals from
physical damage from fishing gear or to prevent loss or damage to such
fishing gear from interactions with deep-sea corals, after considering
long-term sustainable uses of fishery resources in such areas.
This final rule implements the Amendment, which prohibits the use
of all bottom-tending gear (with an exception for red crab pots) along
the outer continental shelf in waters no shallower than 600 m to the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and prohibits the use of bottom-tending
mobile gear in two areas in the Gulf of Maine (Mount Desert Rock and
Outer Schoodic Ridge). In addition, this action creates a dedicated
habitat research area in Jordan Basin but does not impose any
additional restrictions on fishing in this area. This action also
establishes provisions for vessels transiting through these areas and
adds framework provisions for future modifications to the New England
Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area measures. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
requires NMFS to approve, partially approve, or disapprove measures
proposed by the Council based on whether the measures are consistent
with fishery management plans (FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its
National Standards, and other applicable law.
NMFS published a Notice of Availability (NOA) announcing its review
of the Amendment on August 26, 2019 (84 FR 44596). The public comment
period on the NOA ended on October 25, 2019. Following the Amendment's
approval in November 2019, NMFS published a proposed rule for this
action on January 3, 2020, including implementing regulations (85 FR
285). The public comment period on the proposed rule ended on February
18, 2020.
Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area
The Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment establishes a deep-sea coral
protection area on the outer continental shelf in New England waters.
It complements the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area
established by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Amendment
16 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP (81 FR 90246;
December 14, 2016) as described in Sec. 648.372. The Georges Bank
Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area runs along the outer continental shelf
in waters no shallower than 600 meters (m) and extends to the outer
limit of the EEZ boundary to the east and north, and south to the
inter-council boundary as described in Sec. 600.105(a).
[[Page 33554]]
This area is designated with the landward boundary drawn between
the 600-m contour as a hard landward boundary and the 650-m contour as
a hard seaward boundary. In some areas the boundary crosses the 650-m
contour to draw this line as straight as possible; however, the
boundary was constrained on its shallow side by the 600-m contour. From
the landward boundary, the boundaries extend along the northern and
southern boundaries of the New England Council's management region and
to the edge of the EEZ as the eastward boundary.
Gear Restrictions in the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area
This action prohibits the use of bottom-tending commercial fishing
gear within the designated Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area,
including: Bottom-tending otter trawls; bottom-tending beam trawls;
hydraulic dredges; non-hydraulic dredges; bottom-tending seines; bottom
longlines; pots and traps; and sink or anchored gillnets. The
prohibition on these gears protects deep-sea corals from interaction
with and damage from bottom-tending fishing gear. Red crab pot gear is
exempt from the prohibition.
Mount Desert Rock Coral Protection Area
This action designates a coral protection area in an 8-square mile
(mi\2\) (21-square kilometer (km\2\)) area southwest of Mount Desert
Rock, a small, rocky island off the eastern Maine coast, about 20
nautical miles (nmi) (37 km) south of Mount Desert Island, encompassing
depths of 100-200 m. Vessels are prohibited from fishing with bottom-
tending mobile gear within the Mount Desert Rock Coral Protection Area.
Bottom-tending mobile gear includes but is not limited to: Bottom-
tending otter trawls; bottom-tending beam trawls; hydraulic dredges;
non-hydraulic dredges; and seines (with the exception of a purse
seine). This protects corals in this area from fishing impacts from
these gears. Vessels are still able to fish for lobster in this area
using trap gear.
Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area
This action designates a coral protection area in a 31-mi\2\ (79-
km\2\) area on the Outer Schoodic Ridge, roughly 25 nmi (46 km)
southeast of Mount Desert Island, encompassing depths of 104-248 m.
Vessels are prohibited from fishing with bottom-tending mobile gear
within the Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area. Bottom-tending
mobile gear includes but is not limited to: Bottom-tending otter
trawls; bottom-tending beam trawls; hydraulic dredges; non-hydraulic
dredges; and seines (with the exception of a purse seine). This
protects corals in this area from fishing impacts from these gears.
Vessels are still be able to fish for lobster in this area using trap
gear.
Transiting Provisions
Vessels are allowed to transit the Georges Bank, Mount Desert Rock,
and Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Areas provided the vessels
bring bottom-tending fishing gear onboard the vessel, and reel bottom-
tending trawl gear onto the net reel. These transiting provisions are
consistent with those established by the Mid-Atlantic Council for the
Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area.
Jordan Basin Dedicated Habitat Research Area
This action designates the area around Jordan Basin in the Gulf of
Maine as a dedicated habitat research area, but it does not impose any
additional restrictions on fishing in this area. The purpose of this
designation is to encourage further exploration of coral habitats at
the site, and to encourage research on fishing gear impacts on these
habitats.
Framework Adjustments
This action adds framework adjustment provisions to facilitate
future modifications to the New England Deep-Sea Coral Protection
Areas. The new measures that may be changed using a framework
adjustment include adding, revising, or removing coral areas; changing
fishing restrictions in coral areas; and developing new, or changing
existing, coral area fishery access or exploratory fishing programs.
Letters of Acknowledgement for Vessels Conducting Scientific Research
The Council requested that researchers seek a Letter of
Acknowledgement (LOA) from NMFS before conducting research in these
areas. Scientific research on a scientific research vessel is not
considered fishing and is therefore exempt from the requirements of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act, Sec. 3, 50 CFR 600.10 and
600.512). NMFS cannot require that scientific research institutions
request an LOA when conducting scientific research at sea on a
scientific research vessel, but we will encourage researchers to do so,
consistent with regulations implementing the Magnuson-Stevens Act
provisions at 50 CFR 600.512.
Comments and Responses
We received six comments on the NOA. Five comments were in support
of our approval of the amendment, and the sixth comment, from the New
England Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was a
statement of no comment on the action. We received 16 comments on the
proposed rule. Thirteen of these comments were in support of the
proposed rule, and the remaining three comments were in opposition to
the rule because the commenters did not believe it went far enough to
protect deep-sea corals.
The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association, Oceana,
Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), the Pew Charitable Trust (Pew), and
Wild Oceans commented in general support of the action on both the NOA
and the proposed rule. One individual commented on the NOA in support
of the rule. The New England Aquarium (NEAq) and seven individuals
commented in support of the proposed rule. CLF, Pew, and Wild Oceans
(collectively referred to as ``joint commenters'' below) submitted a
joint comment also in general support of the action. Supporting this
joint comment was a comment from Pew including 7,628 signatures. Oceana
also included a letter with 193 signatures supporting the proposed
rule. While all of these comments recommended that NMFS approve the
amendment in full, Oceana, NEAq, and the joint commenters suggested
that the amendment could have done more to protect deep-sea corals and
recommended additional actions the Council and NMFS could take to
support the deep-sea coral protection areas.
Comment 1: Oceana, NEAq, and one individual commented that the
amendment leaves some coral habitat vulnerable to damage from fishing
gear, and the joint commenters noted that this action still allows for
expansion into coral areas untouched by fishing. NEAq noted that 20
percent of the suitable deep-sea coral habitat is present in the top
50-600 m of seafloor and that the Council should add protections to
that area in a future action. NEAq stated that the 50- to 600-m region
is designated as essential fish habitat for several species, including
commercially important species. Two additional individuals commented
that the Council should ban commercial fishing in the areas and leave
them open only for subsistence fishing.
Response: We agree that this action does not protect all deep-sea
coral habitat in New England waters and allows the possibility of
future
[[Page 33555]]
expansion of fishing. We note that this action also allows for the
possibility of further expansion of deep-sea coral protections. The
Council is not obligated to permanently protect all habitat suitable
for deep-sea corals. This amendment was developed under the
discretionary authority granted in section 303(b)(2)(B) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act that provides for protecting deep-sea coral after
considering long-term sustainable uses of fishery resources. However,
the Council's recommendation, which substantially protects deep-sea
coral while allowing fishing to continue in a relatively small portion
of the area, strikes a balance between continued operation of fisheries
and deep-sea coral protection in a practical way. NMFS will encourage
the Council to continue to consider further protections for areas of
known-coral presence after considering the long-term sustainable uses
of fishery resources in such areas.
Comment 2: CLF, Pew, and Wild Oceans jointly requested that NMFS
require the Council to revisit the management exemption provided to the
deep-sea red crab fishery. Oceana commented that the Council should
regularly review the effects of red crab gear on coral and sponge
habitat to ensure that the Amendment is achieving its goals. If the red
crab gear is found to be threatening coral and sponge habitats, they
suggest that revisions to the exemption may be warranted. They also
requested that NMFS require the Council to consider a prohibition on
anchoring to provide full protections from gears that can harm corals.
Response: NMFS does not have the authority to require the Council
to consider a prohibition on anchoring of red crab gear to protect
deep-sea corals. NMFS determined that the Council considered and
complied with all the National Standards and the MSA's requirement to
consider long-term sustainable uses of the fishery resources. Should
the Council consider red crab gear prohibitions, NMFS will support the
Council in the development of subsequent actions to further protect
deep-sea coral.
Comment 3: The joint commenters also requested that NMFS require
fishery managers to expand framework adjustment provisions in New
England fishery management plans for future modifications to the deep-
sea coral areas and management measures as new data become available.
Response: This action adds framework adjustment provisions to
facilitate future modifications to the New England Deep-Sea Coral
Protection Areas. The new measures that may be changed using a
framework adjustment include: Adding, revising, or removing coral
areas; changing fishing restrictions in coral areas; and developing
new, or changing existing, coral area fishery access or exploratory
fishing programs.
Comment 4: Oceana and NEAq discouraged the use of a framework to
allow fishing in these newly protected areas. Oceana encouraged NMFS to
carefully consider the suite of framework provisions included in the
Amendment, only approve minor modifications that will strengthen
conservation measures, and clearly state the qualifying actions
required to approve framework measures. NEAq insisted that there be a
full consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, including
scientists, fishermen, and non-governmental organizations, among others
before allowing fishing within these areas.
Response: While the framework adjustment provisions included in the
Amendment do allow for changes to coral protection areas and
restrictions in those areas, NMFS will work with the Council to ensure
that any framework adjustments are consistent with the goals and
objectives of the Amendment and that the public is given the ability to
participate, as with any Council action.
Comment 5: Both Oceana and the joint commenters requested that NMFS
notify the Council if new information indicates the presence of corals
outside of the protection area and instruct the Council to amend
protections and conserve additional area. In addition, they encouraged
NMFS to include a directive for the Council to review and revise the
regulations implemented by the Amendment in the near future to ensure
they are achieving the Amendment's goals and objectives.
Response: NMFS staff and members of the Council's Habitat Plan
Development Team (PDT) actively inform the PDT and the Council of the
results of new studies and deep-sea explorations and will continue to
do so moving forward. However, NMFS does not have the authority to
require the Council to increase protections. NMFS will work with the
Council and its PDT on future actions to ensure that they consider new
information that is relevant to the actions, consistent with MSA
requirements.
Comment 6: Two individuals expressed concern that the vessel trip
report (VTR) analysis used to consider financial impacts indicates that
large and small businesses are facing substantially similar financial
impacts overall, although the most highly exposed small businesses
generate a larger fraction of their overall revenue from areas within
the preferred alternative when compared to large businesses.
Response: The VTR data analysis indicates that between $6.5-$8.5
million in gross revenue will be potentially displaced under the
preferred alternative, although analysis of the vessel monitoring
system data suggests this revenue number is an overestimate. After
Council discussions at the Council's coral workshops in March 2017, the
Council determined that the designation of a broad coral protection
zone in waters no shallower than 600 m would cause little change in
bottom trawl, trap/pot, and gillnet effort, and that the use of the VTR
data was leading to an overestimate of the potential displacement of
effort because of the lack of precision in the data. The VTR's provide
a single geographic location for a given trip. The VTR analysis puts
uncertainty buffers around that point (in the form of concentric
circles, representing the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile
confidence intervals based on statistical analyses of the distance
between self-reported VTR points and observed hauls based on trip
characteristics) and attribute the revenue from that trip
proportionally across the buffer. For trips that occur close to the
closure, that circle may bleed into the closure area, when, based on
industry feedback, it is likely that no part of the trip actually
occurred inside the closure. The industry input from the NEFMC coral
workshops was that, due to the distribution of target species, the
trawl fishery is active out to depths of about 500 m, the lobster
fishery to 550 m, and the red crab fishery to 800 m. For those
fisheries where it was possible, a comparison of VTR data and Vessel
Monitoring System data, which provides more granular position data but
lacks the relevant information on revenue and fishing effort,
additionally suggest the values from VTR are overestimates in line with
the workshop input.
Furthermore, this is an estimate of gross revenue from displaced
effort, and fishermen could relocate that displaced effort to an area
outside the closure and still generate revenue. The effort and costs
associated with obtaining the catch elsewhere is likely to be higher
than the that associated with any displaced fishing (if it is even
economically, biologically, or geographically feasible). Otherwise,
fishermen would presumably be fishing these other locations.
Nevertheless, the gross revenue displaced can be viewed as a likely
overestimated upper bound on impacts to the fishery.
[[Page 33556]]
The commenters did not provide any additional information to
consider.
Comment 7: NEAq and two individuals commented that the economic
benefit provided by deep-sea coral habitat to the ecosystem and the
nation outweighs the economic impacts of prohibiting fishing in these
areas. NEAq further commented that, ``Deep-sea corals may provide a
number of other ecosystem services, including serving as paleoclimatic
records of past ocean conditions, providing sources of material that
may be used in the production of novel pharmaceutical compounds, and
sequestering excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If deep-sea
corals in the proposed protected area provide just 1 percent of the
value that NOAA prescribes to shallow-water coral ecosystems, the deep-
sea coral ecosystems protected through this proposed rule may be valued
at over $42 million annually, or about 6 times the revenue extracted by
fishing. We urge NMFS to continue studying and exploring deep-sea coral
communities to understand better and properly evaluate the contribution
of deep-sea corals to biological diversity, habitat, and human
health.''
Response: NOAA continues to conduct research on deep-sea coral. For
example, after the Council developed this action, in 2019 NOAA's Office
of Ocean Exploration and Research conducted surveys in both areas and
documented many previously unknown high-density coral and sponge
communities, as well as coexisting commercially harvested species. On
one expedition alone, 26 of the 35 samples collected extended known
species' habitat ranges, and some may be previously unknown to science.
Surveys also discovered the deepest high-density community known in the
Northeast U.S. at 2,700 m (8,750 ft) deep. The NOAA Deep Sea Coral
Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) is supporting analysis of this
new information to inform future decision-making.
Also in 2019, NOAA's Office of Science and Technology, National
Systematics Lab, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Dalhousie
University, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada led a U.S.-Canada
transboundary expedition. Compared to the deeper New England slope and
canyons, extremely high coral densities were observed in the Gulf of
Maine. Remotely operated vehicle surveys documented commercially
important fish and shellfish in previously unknown deep-sea coral
gardens. The DSCRTP intends to begin the next New England and Mid-
Atlantic Deep-Sea Coral Initiative starting in 2022, continuing
fieldwork through 2024, followed by analysis of this data in 2025. This
information was unavailable to the Council at the time this rule was
developed. We expect the Council will consider this information and any
other newly discovered and available information in future deep-sea
coral actions.
Further, attempting to balance the value of all coral in areas
managed through the Deep Sea Coral Amendment against the value of
fishing in these areas does not provide an accurate view of the
benefits of this action. The benefits derived from conservation actions
undertaken in the Deep Sea Coral Amendment stem from the difference
between no action (status quo) and the alternatives chosen. This is
primarily the change in coral function and extent before and after this
action. We expect that this action will preserve coral and promote its
vitality, which is expected to provide benefits as noted by NEAq.
However, comparing the total value generated from the stock of deep sea
coral against the value of past fishing activity provides an inapt
description of the benefits of this action. A more accurate view is a
consideration of the net benefits due to increased conservation of deep
sea coral along with the net benefits maintained by the fishery from
its potential displacement of effort as compared to status quo.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(3) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator has determined that this Amendment and final
rule are consistent with the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment, other
provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law.
The Office of Management and Budget determined this rule to be
significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. The suite of
preferred alternatives in this action mitigate a substantial proportion
of the negative impacts to the commercial fisheries compared to other
alternatives in the document. However, this comes along with a trade-
off with any conservation benefits associated with deep sea coral
protection, the value of which are uncertain at this time. As described
above, the intent of this action is to freeze the footprint of existing
fishing, and this action was developed through the Council process with
significant input from the fishing industry. The VTR data analysis
indicates that between $10-$15 million in gross revenue will be
potentially displaced under the preferred alternative, although
analysis of the vessel monitoring system data suggests this revenue
number is an overestimate.\1\ Furthermore, this is an estimate of gross
revenue from displaced effort, and fishermen could relocate that
displaced effort to an area outside the closure and still generate
revenue. A description of and caveats associated with the impact
analyses undertaken in support of this action can be found in section
7.1 of the EA. The discussion in section 7.1 of the EA includes issues
associated with quantifying the full range of costs and benefits
associated with the Amendment. The expected effects of each alternative
relative to the status quo for the fishery-related businesses and
communities are discussed in sections 7.2-7.4 of the EA, and a
discussion of the benefits and costs of the preferred alternative can
be found in section 1.2 of the FRFA.
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\1\ As discussed later in the preamble, the use of the VTR data
was leading to an overestimate of the potential displacement of
effort because of the lack of precision in the data. Furthermore,
the VTR analysis provides an estimate of gross revenue of displaced
effort, and fishermen could relocate that displaced effort to an
area outside the closure and still generate revenue.
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This final rule does not contain policies with federalism or
``takings'' implications, as those terms are defined in E.O. 13132 and
E.O. 12630, respectively.
This action does not contain any collection-of-information
requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Pursuant to section 604 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA),
NMFS has completed a FRFA in support of this action. The FRFA
incorporates the IRFA, a summary of the significant issues raised by
public comments in response to the IRFA (see below), NMFS responses to
those comments (as described above in the Comments and Responses
section of this final rule), and a summary of the analyses completed in
the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment EA in section 11.3. In addition,
because of the unusual delay between the Council's adoption of the
Amendment and this final rule, NMFS prepared a standalone FRFA to
recast analyses from 2014 constant dollars to 2020 constant dollars to
be more accessible to the general public. A summary of the IRFA was
published in the proposed rule for this action and is not repeated
here. A description of why this action was considered, the objectives
of, and the legal basis for this rule is contained in the Amendment and
in the preambles to the proposed rule and this final rule, and is not
repeated here. All of the documents that constitute the FRFA are
available from NMFS and/or the Council, and a copy
[[Page 33557]]
of the IRFA, RIR, the FRFA, and the EA are available upon request (see
ADDRESSES). Following are additional elements of the FRFA.
A Summary of the Significant Issues Raised by the Public in Response to
the IRFA, a Summary of the Agency's Assessment of Such Issues, and a
Statement of Any Changes Made in the Final Rule as a Result of Such
Comments
The proposed rule solicited public comment on whether the VTR
analysis indicates that large and small businesses are facing
substantially similar impact levels overall, although the most highly
exposed small businesses generate a larger fraction of their overall
revenue from areas within the preferred alternative when compared to
large businesses. Two individuals expressed concern regarding this
issue but did not provide any additional information to consider. See
Comment 6 above.
The proposed rule also solicited public comment on value estimates
for the benefits associated with deep-sea coral conservation. The NEAq
and two individuals commented that the economic benefit of the
ecosystem services that deep-sea coral habitat provides outweighs the
economic impacts of prohibiting fishing in these areas. NEAq further
commented that, ``Deep-sea corals may provide a number of other
ecosystem services, including serving as paleoclimatic records of past
ocean conditions, providing sources of material that may be used in the
production of novel pharmaceutical compounds, and sequestering excess
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If deep-sea corals in the proposed
protected area provide just 1 percent of the value that NOAA prescribes
to shallow-water coral ecosystems, the deep-sea coral ecosystems
protected through this proposed rule may be valued at over $42 million
annually, or about 6 times the revenue extracted by fishing.'' See
Comment 7 above. As explained above, NMFS did not make any changes to
the proposed rule as a result of these comments.
Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which This
Rule Would Apply
The description and estimate of the number of small entities that
is available in the proposed rule was presented in 2014 constant
dollars. However, because of the unusual delay between the Council's
completion of the Amendment and this final rule, NMFS recast this
analysis from 2014 constant dollars to 2020 constant dollars to be more
accessible to the general public.
The RFA recognizes three kinds of small entities: Small businesses,
small organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. Small
organizations and small governmental jurisdictions are not directly
regulated by this action. For RFA purposes only, NMFS has established a
small business size standard for businesses, including their
affiliates, whose primary industry is commercial fishing (see 50 CFR
200.2). A business primarily engaged in commercial fishing (NAICS code
11411) is classified as a small business if it is independently owned
and operated, is not dominant in its field of operation (including its
affiliates) and has combined annual receipts not in excess of $11
million for all its affiliated operations worldwide. Throughout this
section, revenue is presented in 2020 dollars, for consistency with the
remainder of the document, although classification was made using 2017
dollars, consistent with SBA guidelines. Further, SBA rules of
affiliation are used to define a business entity. Thus, the following
analysis is conducted upon unique business interests, which can
represent multiple vessel-level permits.
The Deep-Sea Coral Amendment regulates all fishermen with federal
permits allowing the holder to fish in the federal waters off Southern
New England, Georges Bank, and the Gulf of Maine. In 2017, this
represents 10 large commercial fishing businesses, 3,832 small
commercial fishing businesses and 351 recreational for-hire businesses.
However, based on VTR data, only ~200 of these small businesses had any
documented fishing activity in the coral protection zone from 2015 to
2017, annually. Total revenue from estimates used in entity
classification can be found in Table 1.
Table 1--Totals for Revenue Estimates Used for Entity Classification, in $2020
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Commercial For-hire
Year Size Entity type Total revenue revenue revenue
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015.................. Large Business..... Commercial Fishing. $201,865,333 $201,865,333 $0
2016.................. Large Business..... Commercial Fishing. 214,552,827 214,548,464 4,363
2017.................. Large Business..... Commercial Fishing. 224,672,712 224,672,712 0
2015.................. Small Business..... Commercial Fishing. 1,073,834,819 1,072,683,887 1,150,932
2016.................. Small Business..... Commercial Fishing. 1,177,052,910 1,176,007,530 1,045,380
2017.................. Small Business..... Commercial Fishing. 1,103,842,263 1,102,971,802 870,461
2015.................. Small Business..... Recreational For- 111,023,269 55,709,178 55,314,091
hire.
2016.................. Small Business..... Recreational For- 116,426,502 58,483,088 57,943,414
hire.
2017.................. Small Business..... Recreational For- 109,749,129 55,131,243 54,617,886
hire.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking the recast analysis in 2020 constant dollars and public
comments into consideration, NMFS has identified no additional
significant alternatives that accomplish statutory objectives and
minimize any significant economic impacts of the rule on these small
entities. This is because the recreational for-hire sector is not
active in the management regions identified in this action, and the
alternatives considered were developed to take into account impacts on
entities fishing in these areas. Further, the new size standards for
for-hire vessels do not affect the decision to prepare a final
regulatory flexibility analysis as opposed to a certification for this
action. This is because all for-hire entities in the region are already
classified as small businesses.
Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance
Requirements of the Final Rule
This action contains no new collection-of-information, reporting,
or recordkeeping requirements. There are potential economic impacts to
small entities associated with this rule. Those impacts are described
in detail in the Final Omnibus Deep Sea Coral Amendment, specifically,
in the FRFA section 1.2.4.2 and in the analysis of the impacts on human
communities in section 7.1.3 of the EA, which is still applicable.
[[Page 33558]]
Description of the Steps the Agency Has Taken To Minimize the
Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities Consistent With the
Stated Objectives of Applicable Statutes
Throughout the development of this action the Council considered
public comments on how fisherman would be impacted. On March 13 and 15,
2017, the Council held workshops in New Bedford, MA, and Portsmouth,
NH, respectively, to discuss the coral zone boundaries, considering the
canyon and slope zones on Georges Bank (broad zone) at the first
meeting, and the offshore Gulf of Maine zones at the second. Based on
these discussions at the Council's coral workshops, it was determined
that the designation of a broad coral protection zone in waters no
shallower than 600 m causes little change in bottom trawl, trap/pot,
and gillnet effort, and that the use of the VTR data was leading to an
overestimate of the potential displacement of effort because of the
lack of precision in the data. Furthermore, the VTR analysis provides
an estimate of gross revenue of displaced effort, and fishermen could
relocate that displaced effort to an area outside the closure and still
generate revenue. The preferred alternative that this action implements
is a direct result of input gathered at these workshops. In addition,
the Council exempted the red crab fishery from these restrictions in
the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area because it is a small
fishery that takes place entirely within the protection area, and
prohibiting the red crab effort from the area would essentially end the
red crab fishery.
Small Entity Compliance Guide
Section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness
Act of 1996 states that, for each rule or group of related rules for
which an agency is required to prepare a FRFA, the agency will publish
one or more guides to assist small entities in complying with the rule,
and will designate such publications as ``small entity compliance
guides.'' The agency will explain the actions a small entity is
required to take to comply with a rule or group of rules. As part of
this rulemaking process, a bulletin to permit holders that also serves
as a small entity compliance guide was prepared. This final rule and
the guide (i.e., bulletin) will be sent via email to the Greater
Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office scallop email list and are available
on the website at: <a href="http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/">http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/</a>. Hard
copies of the guide and this final rule will be available upon request
(see ADDRESSES).
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648
Fisheries, Fishing, Recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Dated: June 17, 2021.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is amended
as follows:
PART 648--FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
0
1. The authority citation for part 648 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
0
2. In Sec. 648.14, add paragraphs (b)(13) through (15) to read as
follows:
Sec. 648.14 Prohibitions.
* * * * *
(b) * * *
(13) Fish with bottom-tending gear within the Georges Bank Deep-Sea
Coral Protection Area described at Sec. 648.373(a)(2), unless
transiting pursuant to Sec. 648.373(d) or fishing red crab trap gear
in accordance with Sec. 648.264. Bottom-tending gear includes, but is
not limited to, bottom-tending otter trawls, bottom-tending beam
trawls, hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, bottom-tending
seines, bottom longlines, pots and traps, and sink or anchored gill
nets.
(14) Fish with bottom-tending mobile gear within the Mount Desert
Rock Coral Protection Area described at Sec. 648.373(b), unless
transiting pursuant to Sec. 648.373(d). Bottom-tending mobile gear
includes, but is not limited, to otter trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic
dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and seines (with the exception of a
purse seine).
(15) Fish with bottom-tending mobile gear within the Outer Schoodic
Ridge Coral Protection Area described at Sec. 648.373(c), unless
transiting pursuant to Sec. 648.373(d). Bottom-tending mobile gear
includes, but is not limited to, otter trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic
dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and seines (with the exception of a
purse seine).
* * * * *
0
3. In Sec. 648.371 revise paragraph (d) and add paragraph (f) to read
as follows:
Sec. 648.371 Dedicated Habitat Research Areas.
* * * * *
(d) Transiting. Unless otherwise restricted or specified in this
paragraph (d), a vessel may transit the Dedicated Habitat Research
Areas of this section provided that its prohibited gear is stowed and
not available for immediate use as defined in Sec. 648.2.
* * * * *
(f) Jordan Basin Dedicated Habitat Research Area. (1) The Jordan
Basin DHRA is defined by the following coordinates, connected in the
order listed by straight lines:
Table 3 to Paragraph (f)(1)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Longitude Latitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DHRA1................................... -67[deg]51.38' 43[deg]27.47'
DHRA2................................... -67[deg]47.38' 43[deg]27.46'
DHRA3................................... -67[deg]47.18' 43[deg]16.92'
DHRA4................................... -67[deg]51.05' 43[deg]17.05'
DHRA1................................... -67[deg]51.38' 43[deg]27.47'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Fishing vessels, regardless of gear type, may fish within the
Jordan Basin DHRA.
* * * * *
0
4. Add Sec. 648.373 to read as follows:
Sec. 648.373 New England Deep-Sea Coral Protection Areas
(a) Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area. (1) No vessel may
fish with bottom-tending gear within the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral
Protection Area described in this section, unless transiting pursuant
to paragraph (d) of this section or fishing red crab trap gear in
accordance with Sec. 648.264. Bottom-tending gear includes, but is not
limited to, bottom-tending otter trawls, bottom-tending beam trawls,
hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, bottom-tending seines, bottom
longlines, pots and traps, and sink or anchored gillnets.
[[Page 33559]]
(2) The Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area is bound on the
west by the New England/Mid-Atlantic Inter-council Boundary line
(detailed in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section); bound on the north
by a simplified line (detailed in paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section)
following the 600m depth contour along the southern flank of Georges
Bank; and bound on the east and south by the U.S.-Canada Maritime
Boundary and the outer limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone
(detailed in paragraph (a)(2)(iii) of this section).
(i) The western boundary is defined by the following coordinates,
connected in the order listed, south to north, by straight lines:
Table 1 to Paragraph (a)(2)(i)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Longitude Latitude Note
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1............................................................... -68[deg]47.62' 38[deg]2.21' (\1\)
2............................................................... -68[deg]49.99' 38[deg]4.84'
3............................................................... -68[deg]57.35' 38[deg]13.00'
4............................................................... -69[deg]4.73' 38[deg]21.15'
5............................................................... -69[deg]12.13' 38[deg]29.29'
6............................................................... -69[deg]19.57' 38[deg]37.42'
7............................................................... -69[deg]27.03' 38[deg]45.54'
8............................................................... -69[deg]34.53' 38[deg]53.66'
9............................................................... -69[deg]42.05' 39[deg]1.77'
10.............................................................. -69[deg]49.60' 39[deg]9.86'
11.............................................................. -69[deg]57.18' 39[deg]17.96'
12.............................................................. -70[deg]4.78' 39[deg]26.04'
13.............................................................. -70[deg]12.42' 39[deg]34.11'
14.............................................................. -70[deg]20.09' 39[deg]42.18'
15.............................................................. -70[deg]27.78' 39[deg]50.24'
16.............................................................. -70[deg]31.64' 39[deg]54.26'
17.............................................................. -70[deg]32.09' 39[deg]54.72' (\2\)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(\1\) POINT 1 represents the outer limit of the US EEZ.
(\2\) POINT 17 represents where the western and northern boundaries meet.
(ii) The northern (nearshore) boundary is defined by the following
coordinates, connected in the order listed, west to east, by straight
lines.
Table 2 to Paragraph (a)(2)(ii)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Longitude Latitude Note
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.............................................................. -70[deg]32.09' 39[deg]54.72' (\3\)
18.............................................................. -70[deg]29.83' 39[deg]59.78'
19.............................................................. -70[deg]28.72' 39[deg]54.41'
20.............................................................. -70[deg]27.52' 39[deg]53.44'
21.............................................................. -70[deg]26.05' 39[deg]53.13'
22.............................................................. -70[deg]23.81' 39[deg]53.13'
23.............................................................. -70[deg]22.44' 39[deg]53.72'
24.............................................................. -70[deg]21.97' 39[deg]54.94'
25.............................................................. -70[deg]20.12' 39[deg]53.97'
26.............................................................. -70[deg]16.98' 39[deg]53.60'
27.............................................................. -70[deg]17.35' 39[deg]54.55'
28.............................................................. -70[deg]16.99' 39[deg]54.77'
29.............................................................. -70[deg]17.55' 39[deg]57.01'
30.............................................................. -70[deg]16.69' 39[deg]57.06'
31.............................................................. -70[deg]14.54' 39[deg]57.75'
32.............................................................. -70[deg]13.64' 39[deg]58.44'
33.............................................................. -70[deg]12.58' 39[deg]58.82'
34.............................................................. -70[deg]12.16' 39[deg]58.32'
35.............................................................. -70[deg]13.85' 39[deg]56.68'
36.............................................................. -70[deg]14.29' 39[deg]56.56'
37.............................................................. -70[deg]12.51' 39[deg]55.18'
38.............................................................. -70[deg]11.17' 39[deg]55.2'
39.............................................................. -70[deg]11.19' 39[deg]54.34'
40.............................................................. -70[deg]10.33' 39[deg]53.64'
41.............................................................. -70[deg]7.98' 39[deg]54.17'
42.............................................................. -70[deg]6.99' 39[deg]54.94'
43.............................................................. -70[deg]6.56' 39[deg]53.85'
44.............................................................. -70[deg]4.99' 39[deg]53.24'
45.............................................................. -70[deg]02.97' 39[deg]52.62'
46.............................................................. -70[deg]02.70' 39[deg]53.66'
47.............................................................. -70[deg]01.24' 39[deg]54.69'
48.............................................................. -70[deg]00.34' 39[deg]53.26'
49.............................................................. -69[deg]59.41' 39[deg]52.49'
50.............................................................. -69[deg]57.88' 39[deg]52.61'
51.............................................................. -69[deg]57.05' 39[deg]53.05'
[[Page 33560]]
52.............................................................. -69[deg]56.35' 39[deg]53.59'
53.............................................................. -69[deg]56.11' 39[deg]54.94'
54.............................................................. -69[deg]55.76' 39[deg]55.08'
55.............................................................. -69[deg]54.62' 39[deg]53.23'
56.............................................................. -69[deg]53.02' 39[deg]54.29'
57.............................................................. -69[deg]52.21' 39[deg]54.39'
58.............................................................. -69[deg]52.34' 39[deg]53.64'
59.............................................................. -69[deg]50.97' 39[deg]53.36'
60.............................................................. -69[deg]50.65' 39[deg]53.73'
61.............................................................. -69[deg]49.45' 39[deg]52.85'
62.............................................................. -69[deg]49.63' 39[deg]52.32'
63.............................................................. -69[deg]48.88' 39[deg]52.96'
64.............................................................. -69[deg]47.91' 39[deg]52.54'
65.............................................................. -69[deg]48.06' 39[deg]51.85'
66.............................................................. -69[deg]42.35' 39[deg]52.03'
67.............................................................. -69[deg]42.19' 39[deg]52.68'
68.............................................................. -69[deg]41.32' 39[deg]52.27'
69.............................................................. -69[deg]39.66' 39[deg]52.33'
70.............................................................. -69[deg]40.03' 39[deg]53.03'
71.............................................................. -69[deg]39.34' 39[deg]53.81'
72.............................................................. -69[deg]38.51' 39[deg]53.04'
73.............................................................. -69[deg]38.11' 39[deg]53.27'
74.............................................................. -69[deg]37.59' 39[deg]52.38'
75.............................................................. -69[deg]36.93' 39[deg]51.89'
76.............................................................. -69[deg]36.99' 39[deg]53.42'
77.............................................................. -69[deg]37.44' 39[deg]53.85'
78.............................................................. -69[deg]37.02' 39[deg]54.34'
79.............................................................. -69[deg]37.52' 39[deg]55.59'
80.............................................................. -69[deg]37.01' 39[deg]57.70'
81.............................................................. -69[deg]36.71' 39[deg]56.34'
82.............................................................. -69[deg]36.27' 39[deg]55.53'
83.............................................................. -69[deg]34.57' 39[deg]54.60'
84.............................................................. -69[deg]33.63' 39[deg]52.98'
85.............................................................. -69[deg]32.47' 39[deg]52.93'
86.............................................................. -69[deg]31.87' 39[deg]53.95'
87.............................................................. -69[deg]30.29' 39[deg]53.10'
88.............................................................. -69[deg]29.48' 39[deg]53.43'
89.............................................................. -69[deg]28.95' 39[deg]54.14'
90.............................................................. -69[deg]27.35' 39[deg]54.43'
91.............................................................. -69[deg]27.56' 39[deg]53.86'
92.............................................................. -69[deg]26.77' 39[deg]53.38'
93.............................................................. -69[deg]26.07' 39[deg]53.97'
94.............................................................. -69[deg]25.88' 39[deg]53.50'
95.............................................................. -69[deg]24.94' 39[deg]53.79'
96.............................................................. -69[deg]24.47' 39[deg]53.50'
97.............................................................. -69[deg]23.95' 39[deg]54.81'
98.............................................................. -69[deg]23.32' 39[deg]54.05'
99.............................................................. -69[deg]21.95' 39[deg]54.09'
100............................................................. -69[deg]21.07' 39[deg]54.38'
101............................................................. -69[deg]20.72' 39[deg]54.97'
102............................................................. -69[deg]19.83' 39[deg]54.78'
103............................................................. -69[deg]19.16' 39[deg]55.00'
104............................................................. -69[deg]18.60' 39[deg]56.03'
105............................................................. -69[deg]18.28' 39[deg]55.46'
106............................................................. -69[deg]17.12' 39[deg]55.53'
107............................................................. -69[deg]16.92' 39[deg]56.20'
108............................................................. -69[deg]16.27' 39[deg]55.87'
109............................................................. -69[deg]15.58' 39[deg]56.29'
110............................................................. -69[deg]14.44' 39[deg]57.54'
111............................................................. -69[deg]13.82' 39[deg]57.37'
112............................................................. -69[deg]13.47' 39[deg]58.01'
113............................................................. -69[deg]12.44' 39[deg]56.95'
114............................................................. -69[deg]12.06' 39[deg]57.69'
115............................................................. -69[deg]11.10' 39[deg]56.69'
116............................................................. -69[deg]10.92' 39[deg]57.04'
117............................................................. -69[deg]10.86' 39[deg]58.26'
118............................................................. -69[deg]10.40' 39[deg]58.14'
119............................................................. -69[deg]10.07' 39[deg]59.85'
120............................................................. -69[deg]08.70' 39[deg]59.01'
121............................................................. -69[deg]07.72' 39[deg]59.00'
122............................................................. -69[deg]07.97' 39[deg]58.50'
123............................................................. -69[deg]07.00' 39[deg]57.74'
[[Page 33561]]
124............................................................. -69[deg]06.31' 39[deg]57.59'
125............................................................. -69[deg]05.31' 39[deg]58.82'
126............................................................. -69[deg]04.61' 39[deg]58.14'
127............................................................. -69[deg]04.44' 39[deg]58.88'
128............................................................. -69[deg]03.89' 39[deg]58.95'
129............................................................. -69[deg]04.27' 40[deg]00.04'
130............................................................. -69[deg]03.33' 40[deg]00.15'
131............................................................. -69[deg]03.04' 40[deg]00.45'
132............................................................. -69[deg]03.43' 40[deg]02.96'
133............................................................. -69[deg]02.67' 40[deg]04.10'
134............................................................. -69[deg]03.34' 40[deg]05.17'
135............................................................. -69[deg]02.91' 40[deg]05.86'
136............................................................. -69[deg]02.12' 40[deg]04.15'
137............................................................. -69[deg]01.85' 40[deg]02.32'
138............................................................. -69[deg]01.28' 40[deg]01.87'
139............................................................. -69[deg]00.75' 40[deg]01.92'
140............................................................. -68[deg]59.76' 40[deg]00.83'
141............................................................. -68[deg]59.08' 40[deg]01.51'
142............................................................. -68[deg]58.63' 40[deg]00.89'
143............................................................. -68[deg]57.67' 40[deg]00.45'
144............................................................. -68[deg]56.65' 40[deg]00.44'
145............................................................. -68[deg]56.3' 40[deg]00.92'
146............................................................. -68[deg]55.27' 40[deg]00.56'
147............................................................. -68[deg]55.34' 40[deg]01.22'
148............................................................. -68[deg]53.97' 40[deg]01.40'
149............................................................. -68[deg]53.58' 40[deg]00.82'
150............................................................. -68[deg]53.14' 40[deg]01.24'
151............................................................. -68[deg]52.73' 40[deg]00.99'
152............................................................. -68[deg]51.53' 40[deg]02.81'
153............................................................. -68[deg]50.76' 40[deg]03.08'
154............................................................. -68[deg]50.10' 40[deg]03.77'
155............................................................. -68[deg]50.40' 40[deg]04.73'
156............................................................. -68[deg]48.94' 40[deg]04.35'
157............................................................. -68[deg]49.05' 40[deg]05.84'
158............................................................. -68[deg]48.11' 40[deg]05.05'
159............................................................. -68[deg]47.58' 40[deg]03.99'
160............................................................. -68[deg]47.90' 40[deg]03.25'
161............................................................. -68[deg]47.71' 40[deg]02.93'
162............................................................. -68[deg]46.96' 40[deg]03.36'
163............................................................. -68[deg]46.51' 40[deg]04.02'
164............................................................. -68[deg]46.21' 40[deg]03.41'
165............................................................. -68[deg]45.61' 40[deg]03.36'
166............................................................. -68[deg]45.44' 40[deg]03.86'
167............................................................. -68[deg]45.08' 40[deg]03.60'
168............................................................. -68[deg]45.11' 40[deg]04.24'
169............................................................. -68[deg]44.63' 40[deg]04.06'
170............................................................. -68[deg]44.12' 40[deg]04.58'
171............................................................. -68[deg]43.78' 40[deg]02.68'
172............................................................. -68[deg]42.97' 40[deg]03.02'
173............................................................. -68[deg]42.28' 40[deg]01.90'
174............................................................. -68[deg]41.01' 40[deg]02.72'
175............................................................. -68[deg]41.16' 40[deg]03.54'
176............................................................. -68[deg]41.50' 40[deg]04.04'
177............................................................. -68[deg]41.06' 40[deg]04.02'
178............................................................. -68[deg]40.15' 40[deg]05.30'
179............................................................. -68[deg]39.31' 40[deg]04.19'
180............................................................. -68[deg]38.69' 40[deg]04.57'
181............................................................. -68[deg]37.78' 40[deg]03.47'
182............................................................. -68[deg]37.07' 40[deg]04.08'
183............................................................. -68[deg]36.76' 40[deg]03.68'
184............................................................. -68[deg]36.36' 40[deg]04.02'
185............................................................. -68[deg]36.55' 40[deg]04.82'
186............................................................. -68[deg]35.91' 40[deg]05.56'
187............................................................. -68[deg]35.16' 40[deg]04.83'
188............................................................. -68[deg]33.63' 40[deg]04.04'
189............................................................. -68[deg]32.76' 40[deg]04.76'
190............................................................. -68[deg]32.44' 40[deg]05.91'
191............................................................. -68[deg]31.58' 40[deg]05.48'
192............................................................. -68[deg]30.88' 40[deg]05.81'
193............................................................. -68[deg]30.89' 40[deg]06.29'
194............................................................. -68[deg]30.29' 40[deg]06.40'
195............................................................. -68[deg]31.11' 40[deg]06.95'
[[Page 33562]]
196............................................................. -68[deg]30.46' 40[deg]07.60'
197............................................................. -68[deg]30.46' 40[deg]08.19'
198............................................................. -68[deg]29.29' 40[deg]08.05'
199............................................................. -68[deg]29.48' 40[deg]09.55'
200............................................................. -68[deg]30.08' 40[deg]11.48'
201............................................................. -68[deg]28.16' 40[deg]10.69'
202............................................................. -68[deg]27.41' 40[deg]10.95'
203............................................................. -68[deg]27.66' 40[deg]10.26'
204............................................................. -68[deg]26.67' 40[deg]09.09'
205............................................................. -68[deg]26.81' 40[deg]07.63'
206............................................................. -68[deg]25.20' 40[deg]06.46'
207............................................................. -68[deg]24.46' 40[deg]06.12'
208............................................................. -68[deg]24.07' 40[deg]07.70'
209............................................................. -68[deg]23.39' 40[deg]07.29'
210............................................................. -68[deg]22.17' 40[deg]07.15'
211............................................................. -68[deg]21.86' 40[deg]08.26'
212............................................................. -68[deg]22.03' 40[deg]08.77'
213............................................................. -68[deg]21.58' 40[deg]08.86'
214............................................................. -68[deg]20.52' 40[deg]09.57'
215............................................................. -68[deg]19.88' 40[deg]09.36'
216............................................................. -68[deg]19.14' 40[deg]10.44'
217............................................................. -68[deg]18.51' 40[deg]10.02'
218............................................................. -68[deg]17.72' 40[deg]09.64'
219............................................................. -68[deg]17.76' 40[deg]10.66'
220............................................................. -68[deg]16.86' 40[deg]10.68'
221............................................................. -68[deg]16.78' 40[deg]11.65'
222............................................................. -68[deg]16.70' 40[deg]12.27'
223............................................................. -68[deg]16.81' 40[deg]13.24'
224............................................................. -68[deg]16.29' 40[deg]14.68'
225............................................................. -68[deg]14.75' 40[deg]13.04'
226............................................................. -68[deg]14.00' 40[deg]12.79'
227............................................................. -68[deg]13.88' 40[deg]12.21'
228............................................................. -68[deg]13.14' 40[deg]11.49'
229............................................................. -68[deg]13.30' 40[deg]12.07'
230............................................................. -68[deg]12.84' 40[deg]12.48'
231............................................................. -68[deg]12.54' 40[deg]13.08'
232............................................................. -68[deg]12.20' 40[deg]12.80'
233............................................................. -68[deg]11.51' 40[deg]13.48'
234............................................................. -68[deg]10.65' 40[deg]12.05'
235............................................................. -68[deg]10.05' 40[deg]13.00'
236............................................................. -68[deg]08.65' 40[deg]12.16'
237............................................................. -68[deg]08.33' 40[deg]13.06'
238............................................................. -68[deg]08.60' 40[deg]14.17'
239............................................................. -68[deg]08.15' 40[deg]15.30'
240............................................................. -68[deg]08.33' 40[deg]15.56'
241............................................................. -68[deg]09.02' 40[deg]16.17'
242............................................................. -68[deg]08.73' 40[deg]16.56'
243............................................................. -68[deg]09.02' 40[deg]17.94'
244............................................................. -68[deg]08.82' 40[deg]18.63'
245............................................................. -68[deg]09.14' 40[deg]21.96'
246............................................................. -68[deg]09.19' 40[deg]22.96'
247............................................................. -68[deg]07.89' 40[deg]24.16'
248............................................................. -68[deg]08.53' 40[deg]22.91'
249............................................................. -68[deg]08.36' 40[deg]21.85'
250............................................................. -68[deg]07.94' 40[deg]20.88'
251............................................................. -68[deg]07.22' 40[deg]19.75'
252............................................................. -68[deg]06.28' 40[deg]17.81'
253............................................................. -68[deg]05.00' 40[deg]16.41'
254............................................................. -68[deg]03.61' 40[deg]17.70'
255............................................................. -68[deg]03.27' 40[deg]15.88'
256............................................................. -68[deg]02.93' 40[deg]15.07'
257............................................................. -68[deg]01.95' 40[deg]14.69'
258............................................................. -68[deg]00.78' 40[deg]15.22'
259............................................................. -68[deg]00.67' 40[deg]15.85'
260............................................................. -67[deg]59.14' 40[deg]14.75'
261............................................................. -67[deg]58.80' 40[deg]15.83'
262............................................................. -67[deg]58.28' 40[deg]15.58'
263............................................................. -67[deg]57.85' 40[deg]16.63'
264............................................................. -67[deg]57.58' 40[deg]17.38'
265............................................................. -67[deg]56.51' 40[deg]16.19'
266............................................................. -67[deg]55.99' 40[deg]16.45'
267............................................................. -67[deg]55.23' 40[deg]14.90'
[[Page 33563]]
268............................................................. -67[deg]54.31' 40[deg]16.24'
269............................................................. -67[deg]53.88' 40[deg]17.41'
270............................................................. -67[deg]52.96' 40[deg]16.95'
271............................................................. -67[deg]52.29' 40[deg]17.18'
272............................................................. -67[deg]52.46' 40[deg]19.25'
273............................................................. -67[deg]52.26' 40[deg]19.59'
274............................................................. -67[deg]52.88' 40[deg]20.05'
275............................................................. -67[deg]52.54' 40[deg]20.86'
276............................................................. -67[deg]53.31' 40[deg]21.24'
277............................................................. -67[deg]53.07' 40[deg]22.08'
278............................................................. -67[deg]51.62' 40[deg]21.24'
279............................................................. -67[deg]51.26' 40[deg]20.48'
280............................................................. -67[deg]49.97' 40[deg]18.81'
281............................................................. -67[deg]49.29' 40[deg]18.78'
282............................................................. -67[deg]49.49' 40[deg]18.49'
283............................................................. -67[deg]49.40' 40[deg]18.13'
284............................................................. -67[deg]49.12' 40[deg]18.09'
285............................................................. -67[deg]47.94' 40[deg]15.79'
286............................................................. -67[deg]46.47' 40[deg]16.00'
287............................................................. -67[deg]46.23' 40[deg]16.37'
288............................................................. -67[deg]45.61' 40[deg]16.18'
289............................................................. -67[deg]45.80' 40[deg]16.54'
290............................................................. -67[deg]45.66' 40[deg]17.53'
291............................................................. -67[deg]45.34' 40[deg]18.75'
292............................................................. -67[deg]44.52' 40[deg]18.25'
293............................................................. -67[deg]44.13' 40[deg]18.39'
294............................................................. -67[deg]43.50' 40[deg]18.84'
295............................................................. -67[deg]43.42' 40[deg]18.00'
296............................................................. -67[deg]42.81' 40[deg]18.27'
297............................................................. -67[deg]42.61' 40[deg]17.62'
298............................................................. -67[deg]41.69' 40[deg]17.88'
299............................................................. -67[deg]41.81' 40[deg]19.20'
300............................................................. -67[deg]42.61' 40[deg]20.29'
301............................................................. -67[deg]39.96' 40[deg]22.27'
302............................................................. -67[deg]40.38' 40[deg]24.07'
303............................................................. -67[deg]39.92' 40[deg]25.32'
304............................................................. -67[deg]39.77' 40[deg]24.13'
305............................................................. -67[deg]39.64' 40[deg]23.12'
306............................................................. -67[deg]39.20' 40[deg]21.31'
307............................................................. -67[deg]39.88' 40[deg]20.41'
308............................................................. -67[deg]39.06' 40[deg]19.39'
309............................................................. -67[deg]37.75' 40[deg]18.86'
310............................................................. -67[deg]37.54' 40[deg]19.41'
311............................................................. -67[deg]36.18' 40[deg]19.12'
312............................................................. -67[deg]35.49' 40[deg]20.23'
313............................................................. -67[deg]34.74' 40[deg]19.65'
314............................................................. -67[deg]34.16' 40[deg]21.13'
315............................................................. -67[deg]33.06' 40[deg]20.46'
316............................................................. -67[deg]32.36' 40[deg]21.41'
317............................................................. -67[deg]31.99' 40[deg]20.77'
318............................................................. -67[deg]30.93' 40[deg]20.91'
319............................................................. -67[deg]30.69' 40[deg]20.52'
320............................................................. -67[deg]30.02' 40[deg]21.66'
321............................................................. -67[deg]29.38' 40[deg]21.09'
322............................................................. -67[deg]28.94' 40[deg]21.57'
323............................................................. -67[deg]28.35' 40[deg]22.81'
324............................................................. -67[deg]27.79' 40[deg]22.19'
325............................................................. -67[deg]26.75' 40[deg]21.57'
326............................................................. -67[deg]25.66' 40[deg]22.31'
327............................................................. -67[deg]25.43' 40[deg]22.61'
328............................................................. -67[deg]25.30' 40[deg]23.42'
329............................................................. -67[deg]25.36' 40[deg]24.34'
330............................................................. -67[deg]25.16' 40[deg]24.64'
331............................................................. -67[deg]25.53' 40[deg]24.93'
332............................................................. -67[deg]24.73' 40[deg]25.43'
333............................................................. -67[deg]24.13' 40[deg]27.58'
334............................................................. -67[deg]23.69' 40[deg]24.23'
335............................................................. -67[deg]22.74' 40[deg]23.27'
336............................................................. -67[deg]21.70' 40[deg]23.12'
337............................................................. -67[deg]21.33' 40[deg]23.77'
338............................................................. -67[deg]20.68' 40[deg]23.40'
339............................................................. -67[deg]20.05' 40[deg]24.39'
[[Page 33564]]
340............................................................. -67[deg]19.11' 40[deg]23.85'
341............................................................. -67[deg]18.75' 40[deg]25.17'
342............................................................. -67[deg]18.09' 40[deg]24.77'
343............................................................. -67[deg]17.32' 40[deg]25.14'
344............................................................. -67[deg]17.33' 40[deg]25.59'
345............................................................. -67[deg]16.37' 40[deg]25.50'
346............................................................. -67[deg]15.62' 40[deg]25.40'
347............................................................. -67[deg]15.19' 40[deg]25.64'
348............................................................. -67[deg]14.76' 40[deg]26.24'
349............................................................. -67[deg]14.99' 40[deg]26.93'
350............................................................. -67[deg]13.99' 40[deg]26.63'
351............................................................. -67[deg]13.29' 40[deg]27.31'
352............................................................. -67[deg]12.58' 40[deg]26.87'
353............................................................. -67[deg]12.77' 40[deg]27.74'
354............................................................. -67[deg]12.23' 40[deg]28.01'
355............................................................. -67[deg]12.05' 40[deg]27.56'
356............................................................. -67[deg]11.37' 40[deg]27.75'
357............................................................. -67[deg]10.84' 40[deg]27.12'
358............................................................. -67[deg]10.19' 40[deg]27.14'
359............................................................. -67[deg]09.05' 40[deg]28.84'
360............................................................. -67[deg]07.83' 40[deg]28.25'
361............................................................. -67[deg]07.55' 40[deg]28.65'
362............................................................. -67[deg]07.58' 40[deg]29.49'
363............................................................. -67[deg]05.80' 40[deg]28.71'
364............................................................. -67[deg]04.83' 40[deg]29.41'
365............................................................. -67[deg]04.52' 40[deg]29.86'
366............................................................. -67[deg]03.56' 40[deg]29.83'
367............................................................. -67[deg]03.27' 40[deg]31.27'
368............................................................. -67[deg]01.67' 40[deg]30.25'
369............................................................. -67[deg]00.06' 40[deg]31.03'
370............................................................. -66[deg]59.48' 40[deg]31.63'
371............................................................. -67[deg]00.01' 40[deg]32.61'
372............................................................. -66[deg]59.56' 40[deg]32.78'
373............................................................. -67[deg]00.34' 40[deg]34.03'
374............................................................. -67[deg]01.15' 40[deg]34.92'
375............................................................. -67[deg]01.25' 40[deg]36.83'
376............................................................. -66[deg]59.94' 40[deg]35.55'
377............................................................. -66[deg]59.40' 40[deg]35.40'
378............................................................. -66[deg]58.89' 40[deg]35.52'
379............................................................. -66[deg]58.73' 40[deg]34.91'
380............................................................. -66[deg]58.44' 40[deg]34.94'
381............................................................. -66[deg]58.13' 40[deg]35.50'
382............................................................. -66[deg]57.52' 40[deg]34.93'
383............................................................. -66[deg]57.43' 40[deg]35.42'
384............................................................. -66[deg]56.72' 40[deg]35.16'
385............................................................. -66[deg]56.44' 40[deg]35.81'
386............................................................. -66[deg]56.09' 40[deg]35.36'
387............................................................. -66[deg]55.56' 40[deg]35.65'
388............................................................. -66[deg]55.61' 40[deg]34.90'
389............................................................. -66[deg]54.85' 40[deg]34.42'
390............................................................. -66[deg]54.68' 40[deg]35.40'
391............................................................. -66[deg]52.45' 40[deg]36.18'
392............................................................. -66[deg]52.51' 40[deg]36.80'
393............................................................. -66[deg]51.93' 40[deg]36.82'
394............................................................. -66[deg]51.88' 40[deg]37.40'
395............................................................. -66[deg]51.38' 40[deg]37.30'
396............................................................. -66[deg]51.44' 40[deg]37.81'
397............................................................. -66[deg]50.36' 40[deg]37.77'
398............................................................. -66[deg]50.78' 40[deg]38.81'
399............................................................. -66[deg]49.27' 40[deg]38.41'
400............................................................. -66[deg]48.84' 40[deg]38.70'
401............................................................. -66[deg]49.25' 40[deg]39.85'
402............................................................. -66[deg]47.92' 40[deg]39.57'
403............................................................. -66[deg]47.83' 40[deg]39.82'
404............................................................. -66[deg]47.79' 40[deg]40.82'
405............................................................. -66[deg]46.91' 40[deg]40.33'
406............................................................. -66[deg]46.02' 40[deg]40.07'
407............................................................. -66[deg]45.89' 40[deg]41.47'
408............................................................. -66[deg]44.79' 40[deg]41.19'
409............................................................. -66[deg]44.30' 40[deg]41.37'
410............................................................. -66[deg]44.17' 40[deg]42.32'
411............................................................. -66[deg]43.43' 40[deg]42.42'
[[Page 33565]]
412............................................................. -66[deg]42.39' 40[deg]42.67'
413............................................................. -66[deg]42.87' 40[deg]44.75'
414............................................................. -66[deg]42.49' 40[deg]45.21'
415............................................................. -66[deg]42.67' 40[deg]45.83'
416............................................................. -66[deg]43.02' 40[deg]46.23'
417............................................................. -66[deg]41.12' 40[deg]45.96'
418............................................................. -66[deg]40.98' 40[deg]45.61'
419............................................................. -66[deg]40.63' 40[deg]45.35'
420............................................................. -66[deg]39.37' 40[deg]45.98'
421............................................................. -66[deg]39.74' 40[deg]46.65'
422............................................................. -66[deg]39.99' 40[deg]46.93'
423............................................................. -66[deg]39.23' 40[deg]46.97'
424............................................................. -66[deg]38.17' 40[deg]47.99'
425............................................................. -66[deg]37.69' 40[deg]47.13'
426............................................................. -66[deg]36.94' 40[deg]47.36'
427............................................................. -66[deg]37.05' 40[deg]47.83'
428............................................................. -66[deg]36.49' 40[deg]47.87'
429............................................................. -66[deg]36.12' 40[deg]48.59'
430............................................................. -66[deg]35.63' 40[deg]48.13'
431............................................................. -66[deg]35.30' 40[deg]48.35'
432............................................................. -66[deg]35.35' 40[deg]49.96'
433............................................................. -66[deg]34.96' 40[deg]50.30'
434............................................................. -66[deg]34.50' 40[deg]50.33'
435............................................................. -66[deg]34.26' 40[deg]50.91'
436............................................................. -66[deg]34.76' 40[deg]51.34'
437............................................................. -66[deg]33.57' 40[deg]51.38'
438............................................................. -66[deg]34.29' 40[deg]52.10'
439............................................................. -66[deg]33.55' 40[deg]52.16'
440............................................................. -66[deg]33.32' 40[deg]52.70'
441............................................................. -66[deg]32.88' 40[deg]52.69'
442............................................................. -66[deg]32.62' 40[deg]51.96'
443............................................................. -66[deg]32.01' 40[deg]51.53'
444............................................................. -66[deg]30.28' 40[deg]53.07'
445............................................................. -66[deg]30.69' 40[deg]53.61'
446............................................................. -66[deg]30.15' 40[deg]53.84'
447............................................................. -66[deg]30.14' 40[deg]54.17'
448............................................................. -66[deg]30.67' 40[deg]54.62'
449............................................................. -66[deg]28.81' 40[deg]54.47'
450............................................................. -66[deg]28.84' 40[deg]55.04'
451............................................................. -66[deg]28.16' 40[deg]55.03'
452............................................................. -66[deg]27.30' 40[deg]55.99'
453............................................................. -66[deg]25.16' 40[deg]58.14'
454............................................................. -66[deg]24.11' 40[deg]59.64'
455............................................................. -66[deg]24.37' 41[deg]00.32'
456............................................................. -66[deg]23.57' 41[deg]00.33'
457............................................................. -66[deg]22.61' 41[deg]01.68'
458............................................................. -66[deg]23.05' 41[deg]02.64'
459............................................................. -66[deg]24.77' 41[deg]03.86'
460............................................................. -66[deg]24.03' 41[deg]04.11'
461............................................................. -66[deg]24.60' 41[deg]04.95'
462............................................................. -66[deg]22.60' 41[deg]04.23'
463............................................................. -66[deg]21.17' 41[deg]04.35'
464............................................................. -66[deg]21.11' 41[deg]05.02'
465............................................................. -66[deg]19.77' 41[deg]04.45'
466............................................................. -66[deg]18.07' 41[deg]06.00'
467............................................................. -66[deg]18.24' 41[deg]07.82'
468............................................................. -66[deg]17.07' 41[deg]08.68'
469............................................................. -66[deg]16.90' 41[deg]08.93'
470............................................................. -66[deg]16.86' 41[deg]08.98' (\4\)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
(\3\) POINT 17 represents where the western and northern boundaries meet.
(\4\) POINT 470 represents the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.
(iii) The eastern and southern boundary (from Point 470) follows
the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary southeasterly to its intersection
with the outer limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. The boundary
then follows the outer limit of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone
southwesterly back to its origin at POINT 01.
(b) Mount Desert Rock Coral Protection Area. (1) No vessel may fish
with bottom-tending mobile gear, as defined in Sec. 648.2, within the
Mount Desert Rock Coral Protection Area described in this section,
unless transiting pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section. Bottom-
tending mobile gear includes, but is not limited to, otter
[[Page 33566]]
trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and
seines (with the exception of a purse seine).
(2) The Mount Desert Rock Coral Protection Area is defined by the
following coordinates, connected in the order listed by straight lines:
Table 3 to Paragraph (b)(2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Longitude Latitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MDR1.................................... -68[deg]13.16' 43[deg]56.99'
MDR2.................................... -68[deg]12.00' 43[deg]57.00'
MDR3.................................... -68[deg]11.45' 43[deg]56.17'
MDR4.................................... -68[deg]12.21' 43[deg]52.62'
MDR5.................................... -68[deg]14.32' 43[deg]52.11'
MDR1.................................... -68[deg]13.16' 43[deg]56.99'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area. (1) No vessel may
fish with bottom-tending mobile gear, as defined in Sec. 648.2, within
the Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area described in this
section, unless transiting pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section.
Bottom-tending mobile gear includes, but is not limited to, otter
trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and
seines (with the exception of a purse seine).
(2) The Outer Schoodic Ridge Coral Protection Area is defined by
the following coordinates, connected in the order listed by straight
lines:
Table 4 to Paragraph (c)(2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Longitude Latitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OSR1.................................... -67[deg]35.60' 44[deg]13.49'
OSR2.................................... -67[deg]33.10' 44[deg]12.56'
OSR3.................................... -67[deg]39.70' 44[deg]02.48'
OSR4.................................... -67[deg]42.29' 44[deg]03.48'
OSR1.................................... -67[deg]35.60' 44[deg]13.49'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(d) Transiting. Vessels may transit the New England Deep-Sea Coral
Management Areas defined in this section, provided bottom-tending trawl
nets are out of the water and stowed on the reel and any other fishing
gear that is prohibited in these areas is onboard, out of the water,
and not deployed. Fishing gear is not required to meet the definition
of ``not available for immediate use'' in Sec. 648.2, when a vessel
transits the New England Deep-Sea Coral Management Areas.
(e) Framework adjustments. The Council may at any time initiate a
framework adjustment to add or adjust management measures within the
New England Deep-Sea Coral Management Areas if it finds that action is
necessary to meet or be consistent with the goals and objectives of
those areas. The Council shall develop and analyze appropriate
management actions over the span of at least two Council meetings. The
Council shall provide the public with advance notice of the
availability of both the proposals and the analyses, and opportunity to
comment on them prior to and at the second Council meeting. Measures
that may be changed or implemented through framework action include:
(1) Adding, revising, or removing coral areas;
(2) Changing fishing restrictions in coral areas; and
(3) Developing new, or changing existing, coral area fishery access
or exploratory fishing programs.
[FR Doc. 2021-13293 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 25, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.