Proposed Rule2021-18848
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan
Primary source
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Published
September 1, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan to NMFS for review and approval. Amendment 7 proposes to implement a rebuilding plan for the overfished bluefish stock, as well as revisions to fishery management plan goals and objectives, administrative measures during the specifications process, and the allocation percentages of quota between the commercial and recreational sectors and commercial quota among the states. The purpose of this amendment is to implement a rebuilding plan, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and to update the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan; responding to recent changes in stock health and distribution using the best information available, while recognizing economic need and reliance throughout the management area. This notice is intended to alert the public to this action and provide an opportunity for comment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 167 (Wednesday, September 1, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 167 (Wednesday, September 1, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48968-48969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18848]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
RIN 0648-BK64
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 7 to
the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of availability of proposed fishery management
plan amendment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has submitted
Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan to NMFS
for review and approval. Amendment 7 proposes to implement a rebuilding
plan for the overfished bluefish stock, as well as revisions to fishery
management plan goals and objectives, administrative measures during
the specifications process, and the allocation percentages of quota
between the commercial and recreational sectors and commercial quota
among the states. The purpose of this amendment is to implement a
rebuilding plan, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, and to update the Bluefish Fishery
Management Plan; responding to recent changes in stock health and
distribution using the best information available, while recognizing
economic need and reliance throughout the management area. This notice
is intended to alert the public to this action and provide an
opportunity for comment.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 1, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2021-0071, by the following method:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
1. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, and enter ``NOAA-NMFS-2021-
0071'' in the Search box;
2. Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields; and
3. Enter or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for this action that describes the
proposed measures and other considered alternatives. The EA also
provides a thorough analysis of the biological, economic, and social
impacts of the proposed measures and other considered alternatives.
Copies of Amendment 7, including the EA, the Regulatory Impact Review,
and the Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis prepared in support of this
action, are available upon request from: Dr. Christopher M. Moore,
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201,
800 N State Street, Dover, DE 19901. These documents are also
accessible via the internet at <a href="https://www.mafmc.org/supporting-documents">https://www.mafmc.org/supporting-documents</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Policy
Analyst, (978) 281-9180.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) cooperatively
manage bluefish from Maine to Florida under the Atlantic Bluefish
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council and Commission initiated
Amendment 7 as a joint action in December 2017 to address a
comprehensive range of management issues in the bluefish fishery from
goals and objectives of the FMP to the allocation and transfer of quota
between the commercial and recreational sectors. Following the
overfished stock determination from the 2019 operational stock
assessment, a rebuilding plan for bluefish was also added to the
amendment, and final alternatives were approved at the joint meeting of
the Council and Commission's Bluefish Management Board in February
2021. Public hearings on these alternatives were held throughout the
spring of 2021, and the Council and Board approved Amendment 7 on June
8, 2021, with the intent that the changes would be effective for the
2022 fishing year that begins on January 1, 2022.
The purpose of this amendment is to implement a rebuilding plan for
bluefish, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and to update the FMP;
responding to recent changes in stock health and distribution using the
best information available, while recognizing economic need and
reliance throughout the management area. This action proposes to:
<bullet> Update the Bluefish FMP goals and objectives from those
that were initially established for the fishery in 1991 to better
reflect today's fishery;
<bullet> Re-allocate bluefish quota between the commercial and
recreational fishery sectors to more accurately reflect recent catch
and landings data in the fishery, allocating 14 percent to the
commercial
[[Page 48969]]
fishery and 86 percent to the recreational fishery (a 3-percentage
point change from the current allocations of 17 percent to the
commercial sector and 83 percent to the recreational sector);
<bullet> Re-allocate bluefish commercial quota to the states from
Maine to Florida based on the most recent 10 years of landings data
(2009-2018) rather than outdated historical information (1981-1989),
including a 0.1-percent minimum default allocation so no states in the
management unit lose quota entirely;
<bullet> Implement a 7-year rebuilding plan using a constant
fishing mortality model where fishing mortality (F) = 0.154;
<bullet> Revise measures to allow the sector quota transfer to be
bi-directional (from commercial to recreational or vice versa), with a
revised maximum transfer cap of 10-percent of the Acceptable Biological
Catch; and
<bullet> Revise administrative measures in the specifications
process to allow for the accounting of sector-specific management
uncertainty.
Additional information on these proposed changes can be found in
the EA for this amendment and forthcoming proposed rule.
Public Comment Instructions
The Magnuson-Stevens Act allows NMFS as the implementing agency to
approve, partially approve, or disapprove measures recommended by the
Council in a regulatory amendment based on whether the measures are
consistent with the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its National
Standards, and other applicable law. As such, NMFS is soliciting public
comments on whether the measures in Amendment 7 to the Atlantic
Bluefish FMP and its supporting documents are consistent with the FMP,
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. Public comments on
this amendment may be submitted through the end of the comment period
specified in the DATES section of this notice of availability (NOA).
A proposed rule that would implement this amendment, including
draft regulatory text, will also be published in the Federal Register
for public comment. All comments received by the end of the comment
period on this NOA, whether specifically directed to the NOA or the
proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision
on Amendment 7. Comments received after the end of the comment period
for this NOA will not be considered in the approval/disapproval
decision of this action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 27, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-18848 Filed 8-31-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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