Notice2023-11232
Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine Conservation Plan for Pacific Insular Areas other Than American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands; Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund
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
May 26, 2023
Effective
August 4, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for Pacific Insular Areas other than American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34131-34132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11232]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC935]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine Conservation Plan for Pacific
Insular Areas other Than American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana
Islands; Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of agency decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP)
for Pacific Insular Areas other than American Samoa, Guam, and the
Northern Mariana Islands.
DATES: This agency decision is effective from August 4, 2023, through
August 3, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the MCP, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2023-0056, from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2023-0056">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2023-0056</a>, or from the Western
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite
1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, 808-522-8220, <a href="https://www.wpcouncil.org">https://www.wpcouncil.org</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Kamikawa, Sustainable Fisheries,
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 808-725-5177.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 204(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
authorizes the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), and in consultation with the
Council, to negotiate and enter into a Pacific Insular Area fishery
agreement (PIAFA). A PIAFA would allow foreign fishing within the U.S.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) adjacent to a Pacific Insular Area other
than American Samoa, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands, that is, in
the EEZ around the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA). The PRIA are
Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman
Reef, Midway Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. Before entering
into a PIAFA for the PRIA, the Council must develop and submit to the
Secretary a 3-year MCP that details the uses for funds collected by the
Secretary under the PIAFA. NMFS is the designee of the Secretary for
MCP review and approval.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires payments received under a PIAFA,
and any funds or contributions received in support of conservation and
management objectives for the MCP, to be deposited into the Western
Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund (Fund) for use by the Council.
Additionally, in the case of violations by foreign fishing vessels in
the EEZ around the PRIA, amounts received by the Secretary attributable
to fines and penalties imposed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
including sums collected from the forfeiture and disposition or sale of
property seized subject to its authority, are deposited into the Fund
for use by the Council, after direct costs of the enforcement action
are subtracted. Section 204(e)(7)(C) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act also
authorizes the Council to use the Fund to meet conservation and
management objectives in the State of Hawaii, if funds remain
available.
An MCP must be consistent with the Council's fishery ecosystem
plans (FEPs), must identify conservation and management objectives
(including criteria for determining when such objectives have been
met), and must
[[Page 34132]]
prioritize planned marine conservation projects. Although no foreign
fishing in the PRIA is being considered at this time, the Council
reviewed and approved the draft MCP at its March 2023 meeting. On April
5, 2023, the Council's Executive Director submitted the MCP to NMFS for
review and approval.
The MCP contains the following five conservation and management
objectives that are consistent with the FEP for the PRIA and the FEP
for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific:
1. Support quality research and monitoring to obtain the most
complete scientific information available to assess and manage
fisheries within an ecosystem approach;
2. Conduct education and outreach to foster good stewardship
principles and broad and direct public participation in the Council's
decision making process;
3. Promote regional cooperation to manage domestic and
international fisheries;
4. Encourage development of technologies and methods to achieve the
most effective level of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) and
to ensure safety at sea; and
5. Western Pacific Community Development Program and Western
Pacific Community Demonstration Projects Program.
In addition, the MCP contains seven conservation and management
objectives that are consistent with the FEP for the Hawaii Archipelago:
1. Support quality research and monitoring to obtain the most
complete scientific information available to assess and manage
fisheries within an ecosystem approach;
2. Promote an ecosystem approach to fisheries management including
reducing bycatch in fisheries and minimizing impacts on marine habitat
and impacts on protected species and addressing climate change
adaptation and mitigation;
3. Conduct education and outreach to foster good stewardship
principles and broad and direct public participation in the Council's
decision making process;
4. Recognize the importance of island cultures and traditional
fishing practices in managing fishery resources and foster
opportunities for participation;
5. Promote responsible domestic fisheries development to provide
long term economic growth and stability by reducing foreign imports and
increasing local seafood production;
6. Promote regional cooperation and capacity building to manage
domestic and international fisheries; and
7. Encourage development of technologies and methods to achieve the
most effective level of monitoring, control and surveillance and to
ensure safety at sea.
Please refer to the MCP for projects and activities designed to
meet each objective, the evaluative criteria, and priority rankings.
This notice announces that NMFS has reviewed the MCP and determined
that it satisfies the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Accordingly, we have approved the MCP for the 3-year period from August
4, 2023, through August 3, 2026. This MCP supersedes the one approved
previously for August 4, 2020, through August 3, 2023 (85 FR 65389,
October 15, 2020).
Dated: May 22, 2023.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-11232 Filed 5-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 26, 2023.
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.