Proposed Rule2023-24309
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Scallop Specification Process Flexibility
Primary source
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Published
November 3, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 18 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Scallop Fishery off Alaska (Scallop FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved, Amendment 18 would revise timing requirements for Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports to allow more flexibility for non-annual assessments and to set scallop harvest specifications less frequently than on an annual basis. This would reduce the burden on staff and provide more time for the development of new stock assessment methods. Amendment 18 is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Scallop FMP, and other applicable laws.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 75535-75536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24309]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[RTID 0648-XD197]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Scallop
Specification Process Flexibility
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendment;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council)
submitted Amendment 18 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the
Scallop Fishery off Alaska (Scallop FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce
for review. If approved, Amendment 18 would revise timing requirements
for Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) reports to allow
more flexibility for non-annual assessments and to set scallop harvest
specifications less frequently than on an annual basis. This would
reduce the burden on staff and provide more time for the development of
new stock assessment methods. Amendment 18 is intended to promote the
goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Scallop FMP, and other
applicable laws.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than January 2, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2023-0094, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0094 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Gretchen Harrington,
Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division,
Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. Box
21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
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="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address), 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).
Electronic copies of proposed Amendment 18 and the draft Analysis
prepared for this action may be obtained from <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Megan Mackey, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each
regional fishery management
[[Page 75536]]
council submit any FMP amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and
approval, disapproval, or partial approval by the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary). The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon
receiving an FMP amendment, immediately publish a notice in the Federal
Register announcing that the amendment is available for public review
and comment. The Council has submitted Amendment 18 to the Secretary
for review. This document announces that proposed Amendment 18 is
available for public review and comment.
The scallop fishery in the exclusive economic zone off Alaska under
the Scallop FMP is jointly managed by NMFS and the State of Alaska. The
Council prepared the FMP under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). Regulations governing U.S. fisheries and
implementing the FMP appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and 679.
The Scallop FMP delegates many management aspects of the scallop
fishery to the State of Alaska but maintains Federal oversight. This
authority is limited by the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the FMP. While the
FMP includes scallop stocks off the coast of Alaska, including
weathervane scallop (Patinopecten caurinus), reddish scallop (Chlamys
rubida), spiny scallop (Chlamys hastata), and rock scallop (Crassadoma
gigantea), the weathervane scallop is the only commercially targeted
stock at this time. Commercial fishing for weathervane scallops occurs
in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and waters off the Aleutian Islands.
There is currently no formal stock assessment model for the scallop
fishery. Instead, the State sets guideline harvest levels (GHLs)
informed by data collected through the scallop fishery observer program
and fishery-independent scallop dredge surveys. Standardized catch per
unit effort (CPUE) indices are estimated to account for depth, month,
vessel, bed, and season variations.
Previously, the overfishing level (OFL) and acceptable biological
catch (ABC) have been set based on the definition of optimal yield
(OY). More recently, OFL and ABC have been based on the OY re-defined
in 2012 (Amendment 13), when OY was re-defined as 0 to 1.29 million
pounds (lb) (585 tons (t)) of shucked scallop meats to include
estimated discards over the reference time frame. Annual specifications
have been defined as: max OFL = OY, and ABC = 90 percent of OFL. Alaska
scallop harvests have not exceeded OY in any year since it was first
established.
In the absence of stock-size estimates, the status of the scallop
stock relative to its overfished state is unknown. Consistent with
assessments since the 2011/12 season, the 2022/23 OFL is set equal to
the OY (1.284 million lb.; 582 t) as defined in the Scallop FMP and the
2022/23 ABC is set equal to the maximum ABC control rule value (90
percent of OFL or 1.156 million lb.; 524 t). Estimated total fishing
removals (retained and discarded) for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons
were 311,978 lb (141.5 t) and 345,690 lb (156.8 t) of shucked meats,
respectively (table 1). These estimates are less than 30 percent of the
ABC/annual catch limit (ACL) and OFL; therefore, overfishing did not
occur in 2021/22 or 2022/23.
Currently, the Scallop FMP requires the SAFE report to be created
on an annual basis. The proposed management measure in Amendment 18
would amend the FMP to allow flexibility for non-annual assessments.
This would remove prescriptive language dictating that SAFE reports are
produced on an annual basis. Amendment 18 would give the Council
flexibility in modifying the assessment cycle with the potential to set
multi-year specifications, based on a period of no more than 3 years,
that best suit the needs of the stock. If a formal stock assessment
model is developed, or there is a decrease in estimated stock
abundance, the Council could request that the development of the SAFE
report revert to being reviewed annually.
NMFS is soliciting public comments on proposed Amendment 18 through
the end of the comment period (see DATES). All relevant written
comments received by the end of the applicable comment period will be
considered by NMFS in the approval/partial approval/disapproval
decision for Amendment 18 and addressed in the response to comments in
the final decision. Comments received after the end of the applicable
comment period will not be considered in the approval/disapproval
decision on Amendment 18. To be considered, comments must be received,
not just postmarked or otherwise transmitted, by the last day of the
comment period (see DATES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 31, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-24309 Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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