Rule2022-13970
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan
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 30, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS approves Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan, as submitted by the New England Fishery Management Council. This amendment updates the management objectives of the skate fishery management plan, which have not been changed since the original plan was adopted in 2003. The purpose of this action is to ensure that the skate management continues to reflect and address the current needs and condition of the skate fishery.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 39002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13970]
[[Page 39002]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[RTID 0648-XB846]
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 8 to
the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Agency decision.
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SUMMARY: NMFS approves Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex
Fishery Management Plan, as submitted by the New England Fishery
Management Council. This amendment updates the management objectives of
the skate fishery management plan, which have not been changed since
the original plan was adopted in 2003. The purpose of this action is to
ensure that the skate management continues to reflect and address the
current needs and condition of the skate fishery.
DATES: The amendment was approved on June 24, 2022.
ADDRESSES: The New England Fishery Management Council prepared a
supporting document for this action that describes the proposed
revisions to the Northeast Skate management objectives and consistency
with applicable law. NMFS prepared a Categorical Exclusion (CE) for
this action in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act,
detailing why this action is administrative in nature and may be
categorically excluded from requirements to prepare either an
Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment. Copies of
the Council document for Amendment 8, the CE, and other supporting
documents for this action, are available upon request from Thomas A.
Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50
Water Street, Newburyport, MA 01950. These documents are also
accessible via the internet at <a href="https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/skates">https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/skates</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Policy
Analyst, (978) 281-9180.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The New England Fishery Management Council manages a complex of
seven skate species (barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth,
thorny, and winter skate) off the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts
under the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This
FMP was originally adopted in 2003, and the FMP management goal and
objectives have been unchanged since that time. This action updates two
of the seven management objectives of the Northeast Skate FMP, with the
intent to ensure that skate management continues to reflect and address
the current needs and condition of the skate fishery.
Over the course of several meetings throughout 2021, the Council
determined that a few aspects within the existing FMP objectives are
out of date and should be revised. These updates were originally
included in Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate FMP (85 FR 84304), and
subsequently Framework Adjustment 9 to the FMP (86 FR 64186), before
both actions were discontinued. On February 1, 2022, the Council voted
to submit the revisions to the Northeast Skate FMP objectives as
Amendment 8. Although FMP objectives guide management decisions for the
skate fishery, they are not formally codified within the regulatory
text, and the changes within this action are administrative in nature
with no immediate or direct impact on the fishery and/or the skate
regulations.
NMFS published a Notification of Availability (NOA) for Amendment 8
in the Federal Register on April 1, 2022 (87 FR 19063), with a comment
period ending on May 31, 2022. See the Comments and Responses section
for additional detail.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) allows NMFS as the implementing agency to
approve, partially approve, or disapprove measures recommended by the
Council in an amendment based on whether the action is consistent with
the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its National Standards, and other
applicable law. After considering public comment on the NOA, NMFS
approved Amendment 8 in its entirety on June 24, 2022. This notice
announces the Agency's decision to approve Amendment 8.
Approved Action
NMFS is approving Amendment 8 in its entirety as adopted by the
Council. This action revises two of the seven objectives of the
Northeast Skate Complex FMP, to update guidance for regulatory
decisions and to ensure that skate management continues to reflect and
address the current needs and condition of the fishery. Prior to
revision, these objectives referenced some rebuilt species of skate as
overfished, and future goals for the fishery that have already been
accomplished. Amendment 8 updates skate management objectives 2 and 5
to read as follows:
<bullet> Objective 2: Implement measures to: protect any overfished
species of skates and increase their biomass to target levels and
prevent overfishing of the species in the Northeast skate complex--this
may be accomplished through management measures in other FMPs
(groundfish, monkfish, scallops), skate-specific management measures,
or a combination, as necessary.
<bullet> Objective 5: Promote and encourage skate research for
critical biological, ecological, and fishery information based on the
research needs identified and updated by the Council.
Additional information on this action can be found in the Council
document and CE for this amendment (See ADDRESSES).
Comments and Responses
NMFS received one comment during the public comment period for this
action. The comment was not directly responsive to the action, but
concerned the overall preservation of skate species. NMFS agrees that
conservation of the skate resource is important, and the revision of
management goals and objectives in this action will help achieve this
purpose. After careful consideration of the received comment, NMFS is
approving Amendment 8 in its entirety.
Changes From the Proposed Action
There are no changes to the action recommended by the Council and
described in the Notification of Availability for Amendment 8 to the
Northeast Skate Complex FMP.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 24, 2022.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-13970 Filed 6-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 30, 2022.
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