Proposed Rule2024-06103
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Framework Adjustment 66
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Published
March 22, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
This action proposes to approve and implement Framework Adjustment 66 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. This rule proposes to set catch limits for 8 of the 20 multispecies stocks, modify the accountability measure trigger for Atlantic halibut, and make a temporary modification to the accountability trigger for the scallop fishery for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and to achieve the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 57 (Friday, March 22, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 57 (Friday, March 22, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20412-20422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06103]
[[Page 20412]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 240318-0082]
RIN 0648-BM71
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast
Multispecies Fishery; Framework Adjustment 66
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action proposes to approve and implement Framework
Adjustment 66 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.
This rule proposes to set catch limits for 8 of the 20 multispecies
stocks, modify the accountability measure trigger for Atlantic halibut,
and make a temporary modification to the accountability trigger for the
scallop fishery for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. This action is
necessary to respond to updated scientific information and to achieve
the goals and objectives of the fishery management plan. The proposed
measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished
stocks, achieve optimum yield, and ensure that management measures are
based on the best scientific information available.
DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m. EST on April 8, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2023-0153,
by the following method:
<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 type NOAA-NMFS-2023-0153 in the Search box
(note: copying and pasting the FDMS Docket Number directly from this
document may not yield search results). Click on the ``Comment'' icon,
complete the required fields, and 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. 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, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. You may submit anonymous
comments by entering ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous.
Copies of Framework Adjustment 66, including the draft
Environmental Assessment, the Regulatory Impact Review, and the
Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis prepared by the New England Fishery
Management Council in support of this action, are available from Dr.
Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management
Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. The supporting
documents are also accessible via the internet at: <a href="http://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/northeast-multispecies">http://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/northeast-multispecies</a> or <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Sullivan, Fishery Policy Analyst,
phone: 978-282-8493; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5a16332074092f3636332c3b341a34353b3b743d352c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="367a5f4c1865435a5a5f405758765859575718515940">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary of Proposed Measures
This action would implement the management measures in Framework
Adjustment 66 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
(FMP). The New England Fishery Management Council reviewed the proposed
regulations and deemed them consistent with, and necessary to
implement, Framework 66 in a January 16, 2024, letter from Council
Chairman Eric Reid to Regional Administrator Michael Pentony. Under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, on behalf of
the Secretary of Commerce, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office's Regional Administrator approves, disapproves, or partially
approves measures that the Council proposes, based on consistency with
the Act and other applicable law. NMFS reviews proposed regulations for
consistency with the fishery management plan, plan amendments, the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other applicable law. The Regional
Administrator is seeking comments on these proposed regulations and
intends to promulgate the final regulations after careful consideration
of any submitted comments. Through Framework 66, the Council proposes
to:
<bullet> Set shared U.S./Canada quotas for Georges Bank (GB)
yellowtail flounder and eastern GB cod and haddock for fishing years
2024 and 2025;
<bullet> Set specifications, including catch limits for eight
groundfish stocks: redfish, northern windowpane flounder, and southern
windowpane flounder for fishing years 2024-2026, and GB cod, GB
haddock, Gulf of Maine (GOM) haddock, GB yellowtail flounder, and white
hake for fishing years 2024-2025;
<bullet> Make a minor adjustment to the subcomponent quotas for GOM
cod and adjust the amount set aside for Canadian catch for Atlantic
halibut;
<bullet> Remove the management uncertainty buffer for sectors for
GOM haddock and white hake, if the at-sea monitoring (ASM) target
coverage level is set at 90 percent or greater for the 2024 and 2025
fishing years;
<bullet> Modify the catch threshold for implementing the Atlantic
halibut accountability measures (AM); and
<bullet> Temporarily modify the catch threshold for implementing
the scallop fishery's AM for GB yellowtail flounder.
This action also proposes minor, clarifying regulatory changes that
are not part of Framework 66, but that may be considered and
implemented under section 305(d) authority in the Magnuson-Stevens Act
to make changes necessary to carry out the FMP. NMFS is proposing these
changes in conjunction with the Framework 66 proposed measures for
expediency purposes. These proposed changes are described below under
the heading, Minor, Clarifying Regulatory Changes under Secretarial
Authority.
Fishing Years 2024 and 2025 Shared U.S./Canada Quotas
Management of Transboundary Georges Bank Stocks
Eastern GB cod, eastern GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder are
jointly managed with Canada under the United States/Canada Resource
Sharing Understanding. The Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee
(TRAC) is the scientific arm of the Understanding and is tasked with
assessing the shared stocks and providing information necessary to
support management of shared resources by the Transboundary Management
Guidance Committee (TMGC). The TMGC is a government-industry committee
made up of representatives from the United States and Canada that acts
to provide management guidance for U.S. and Canadian domestic
management authorities. For historical information about the TMGC see:
<a href="http://www.bio.gc.ca/info/intercol/tmgc-cogst/index-en.php">http://www.bio.gc.ca/info/intercol/tmgc-cogst/index-en.php</a>. Each year,
the TMGC recommends a shared quota for each stock based on the most
recent stock
[[Page 20413]]
information and the TMGC's harvest strategy. The TMGC's harvest
strategy for setting catch levels is to maintain a low to neutral risk
(less than 50 percent) of exceeding the fishing mortality limit for
each stock. The harvest strategy also specifies that, when stock
conditions are poor, fishing mortality should be further reduced to
promote stock rebuilding. The shared quotas are allocated between the
United States and Canada based on a formula that considers historical
catch (10-percent weighting) and the current resource distribution (90-
percent weighting).
For GB yellowtail flounder, the Council's Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) also recommends an acceptable biological
catch (ABC) for the stock. The ABC is typically used to inform the U.S.
TMGC's discussions with Canada for the annual shared quota. Although
the stock is jointly managed with Canada, and the TMGC recommends
annual shared quotas, the Council may not set catch limits that would
exceed the SSC's recommendation. The SSC does not recommend ABCs for
eastern GB cod and haddock because they are management units of the
total GB cod and haddock stocks. The SSC recommends overall ABCs for
the total GB cod and haddock stocks. The shared U.S./Canada quota for
eastern GB cod and haddock is included in these overall ABCs, and must
be consistent with the SSC's recommendation for the total GB stocks.
2024 and 2025 U.S./Canada Quotas
The TRAC assessed the three transboundary stocks in July 2023, and
detailed summaries of these assessments can be found at: <a href="https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/assessments/trac/">https://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/assessments/trac/</a>. The TMGC met in September 2023 to
recommend shared quotas for 2024 based on the updated assessments, the
Council adopted the TMGC's recommendations in Framework 66. Framework
66 proposes to set the same shared quotas for a second year (i.e., for
fishing year 2025) as placeholders, with the expectation that those
quotas will be reviewed annually and new recommendations will be
received from the TMGC. The proposed 2024 and 2025 shared U.S./Canada
quotas, and each country's allocation, are listed in table 1.
Table 1--Proposed 2024 and 2025 Fishing Years U.S./Canada Quotas (mt, live weight) and Percent of Quota
Allocated to Each Country
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quota Eastern GB cod Eastern GB haddock GB yellowtail flounder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Shared Quota................... 520.................... 10,000................. 168.
U.S. Quota........................... 151 (29 percent)....... 3,100 (31 percent)..... 71 (42 percent).
Canadian Quota....................... 369 (71 percent)....... 6,900 (69 percent)..... 97 (58 percent).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The proposed 2024 U.S. quotas for the eastern GB cod and GB haddock
would represent 12-percent and 104-percent increases, respectively,
compared to 2023; the proposed GB yellowtail flounder would represent a
33-percent decrease. For a more detailed discussion of the TMGC's 2024
catch advice, including a description of each country's quota share,
see the TMGC's guidance document that is posted at: <a href="https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/">https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/</a>.
The regulations implementing the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing
Understanding at 50 CFR 648.85(a) require deducting any overages of the
U.S. quota for eastern GB cod, eastern GB haddock, or GB yellowtail
flounder from the U.S. quota in the following fishing year. If catch
information for the 2023 fishing year indicates that the U.S. fishery
exceeded its quota for any of the shared stocks, we will reduce the
respective U.S. quotas for the 2024 fishing year in a future management
action, as close to May 1, 2024, as possible. If any fishery that is
allocated a portion of the U.S. quota exceeds its allocation and causes
an overage of the overall U.S. quota, the overage reduction would be
applied only to that fishery's allocation in the following fishing
year. This ensures that catch by one component of the overall fishery
does not negatively affect another component of the overall fishery.
Catch Limits for Fishing Years 2024-2026
Summary of the Proposed Catch Limits
Tables 2 through 12 show the proposed catch limits for the 2024-
2026 fishing years. A brief summary of how these catch limits were
developed is provided below. More details on the proposed catch limits
for each groundfish stock can be found in appendix II (Calculation of
Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Limits, FY 2024--FY 2026) to the
Framework 66 Environmental Assessment (see ADDRESSES for information on
how to get this document).
Through Framework 66, the Council proposes to adopt catch limits
for redfish, northern windowpane flounder, and southern windowpane
flounder for the 2024-2026 fishing years, based on stock assessments
completed in 2023, and catch limits for GB cod, GB haddock, GOM
haddock, GB yellowtail flounder, and white hake for fishing years 2024-
2025. Framework 65 (86 FR 40353; July 28, 2021) previously set 2024
quotas for redfish, northern windowpane flounder, and southern
windowpane flounder based on assessments conducted in 2020, and those
would remain in place. Framework 63 (87 FR 42375; July 15, 2022)
previously set the 2023-2024 quota for GOM cod, based on an assessment
conducted in 2021, and that would also remain in place. Table 2
provides an overview of which catch limits, if any, would change, as
proposed in Framework 66, as well as when the stock was most recently
assessed. Table 3 provides the percent change in the 2024 catch limit
compared to the 2023 fishing year.
Table 2--Changes to Catch Limits, as Proposed in Framework 66
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most recent Proposed change in
Stock assessment Framework 66
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod......................... 2021 New 2024 U.S. ABC.
GOM Cod........................ 2021 Adjust sub-components,
2024 catch limit set
by Framework 63.
GB Haddock..................... 2022 New 2024-2025 U.S. ABC.
[[Page 20414]]
GOM Haddock.................... 2022 New 2024-2025 ABC.
GB Yellowtail Flounder......... 2022 New 2024-2025 ABC.
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder..... 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder..... 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
American Plaice................ 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
Witch Flounder................. 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
GB Winter Flounder............. 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
GOM Winter Flounder............ 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
SNE/MA Winter Flounder......... 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
Redfish........................ 2023 New 2024-2026 ABC.
White Hake..................... 2022 New 2024-2025 ABC.
Pollock........................ 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
N. Windowpane Flounder......... 2023 New 2024-2026 ABC.
S. Windowpane Flounder......... 2023 New 2024-2026 ABC.
Ocean Pout..................... 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
Atlantic Halibut............... 2022 Adjust Canadian catch
estimate, 2024 catch
limits set by
Framework 65.
Atlantic Wolffish.............. 2022 No change: 2024-2025
catch limits set by
Framework 65.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
N = northern; S = southern; SNE = Southern New England; MA = Mid-
Atlantic.
Table 3--Proposed Fishing Years 2024-2026 Overfishing Limits and Acceptable Biological Catches
[mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 Percent 2025 2026
Stock -------------------------- change from ---------------------------------------------------
OFL U.S. ABC 2023 OFL U.S. ABC OFL U.S. ABC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod....................................................... UNK 535 3 UNK ........... ........... ...........
GOM Cod...................................................... 980 551 0 ........... ........... ........... ...........
GB Haddock................................................... 17,768 7,058 -41 15,096 5,382 ........... ...........
GOM Haddock.................................................. 2,651 2,406 -4 2,549 2,312 ........... ...........
GB Yellowtail Flounder....................................... UNK 71 -33 UNK 71 ........... ...........
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder................................... 89 40 0 345 40 ........... ...........
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder................................... 1,279 992 -11 1,184 915 ........... ...........
American Plaice.............................................. 7,091 5,520 -3 6,763 5,270 ........... ...........
Witch Flounder............................................... UNK 1,256 0 UNK 1,256 ........... ...........
GB Winter Flounder........................................... 2,153 1,549 -9 2,100 1,490 ........... ...........
GOM Winter Flounder.......................................... 1,072 804 0 1,072 804 ........... ...........
SNE/MA Winter Flounder....................................... 1,425 627 0 1,536 627 ........... ...........
Redfish...................................................... 11,041 8,307 -17 10,982 8,273 11,177 8,418
White Hake................................................... 2,607 1,934 5 2,591 1,921 ........... ...........
Pollock...................................................... 18,208 13,940 -7 17,384 13,294 ........... ...........
N. Windowpane Flounder....................................... UNK 136 -15 UNK 136 UNK 136
S. Windowpane Flounder....................................... 284 213 -45 284 213 284 213
Ocean Pout................................................... 125 87 0 125 87 ........... ...........
Atlantic Halibut............................................. UNK 78 -9 UNK 78 ........... ...........
Atlantic Wolffish............................................ 124 93 0 124 93 ........... ...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNK = Unknown.
Note: An empty cell indicates no overfishing limit (OFL)/ABC is adopted for that year. These catch limits would be set in a future action.
Overfishing Limits and Acceptable Biological Catches
The overfishing limit (OFL) is calculated to set the maximum amount
of fish that can be caught in a year, without constituting overfishing.
The ABC is typically set lower than the OFL to account for scientific
uncertainty. For GB cod, GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder, the
total ABC is reduced by the amount of the Canadian quota (see table 1
for the Canadian and U.S. shares of these stocks). Although the TMGC
recommendations were only for fishing year 2024, the portion of the
shared quota that would be allocated to Canada in fishing year 2024 was
used to project the U.S. portions of the ABCs for these three stocks
for 2025. This avoids artificially inflating the U.S. ABC up to the
total ABC for the 2025 fishing year. The TMGC will make new
recommendations for 2025, which would replace any quotas for these
stocks set in this action. Additionally, although GB winter flounder,
white hake, and Atlantic halibut are not jointly managed with Canada,
there is some Canadian catch of these stocks. Because the total ABC
must account for all sources of fishing mortality, expected Canadian
catch of GB winter flounder (38 metric tons; mt), white hake (57 mt),
and Atlantic halibut (82 mt) is deducted from the total ABC. The U.S.
ABC is the amount available to the U.S. fishery after accounting for
Canadian catch (see table 3). For stocks without Canadian catch, the
U.S. ABC is equal to the total ABC.
The OFLs are currently unknown for GB cod, GB yellowtail flounder,
witch flounder, northern windowpane flounder, and Atlantic halibut. For
2024, the SSC recommended maintaining the unknown OFL for GB yellowtail
flounder and northern windowpane flounder. Empirical stock assessments
are used for these five stocks, and these assessments can no longer
provide quantitative estimates of the status
[[Page 20415]]
determination criteria, nor are they appropriate proxies for stock
status determination able to be developed. For each of these stocks,
the Council has relied on the SSC to provide advice on the likelihood
of preventing overfishing and promoting rebuilding under the proposed
ABCs. Based on the SSC's recommendation, we have preliminarily
determined that these ABCs are based on the best scientific information
available and therefore provide a sufficient limit for preventing
overfishing and are consistent with the National Standards. This action
does not propose any changes to the status determination criteria for
these stocks.
GOM Haddock
In Framework 65, the Council recommended specifications for GOM
haddock for fishing years 2023-2025 based on 75 percent of the fishing
mortality associated with maximum sustainable yield (F<INF>MSY</INF>).
Subsequently, the Council requested that NMFS take emergency action to
increase the fishing year 2023 ABC due to concerns about the
significant decrease from 2022 and the potential economic impacts if
the catch limit were reached earlier in the fishing year. As part of
the final rule for Framework 65 (88 FR 56527; August 18, 2023), NMFS
took emergency action, increasing the ABC to the level at 100 percent
of F<INF>MSY</INF>. The ABC for GOM haddock under the emergency rule
was in effect for 180 days and was scheduled to expire on February 14,
2024. On January 9, 2024, we extended the emergency action for the
remainder of the 2023 fishing year through April 30, 2024 (89 FR 1036).
In Framework 66, the Council has recommended increasing the GOM
haddock ABC to the level at 90 percent of F<INF>MSY</INF> for fishing
years 2024 and 2025, based on the recommendation from the SSC. This
would be a temporary modification to the standard F<INF>MSY</INF>
scientific uncertainty buffer, until the time of the next management
track assessment and update of catch advice. This advice takes into
consideration the current status of the GOM haddock stock, which was
last assessed in 2022 at 270 percent of the target biomass
(B<INF>MSY</INF>), and seeks to strike a balance between the biological
and economic considerations.
White Hake
White hake is in a rebuilding plan, implemented in Framework 61
(2021), which specifies setting the ABCs at 70 percent of
F<INF>MSY</INF>. When the stock was assessed in 2022, it was determined
to no longer be overfished, but has not yet rebuilt. In Framework 65
(2023), the Council opted to set the ABC for a single year (2023) and
therefore Framework 66 must set the ABCs for fishing years 2024 and
2025. The SSC recommended modifying the rebuilding plan to allow the
ABC to be set at 75 percent of F<INF>MSY</INF> for two years only (2024
and 2025). In 2026, the rebuilding plan would revert to 70 percent of
F<INF>MSY</INF>. The SSC recommended no other changes to the rebuilding
plan, including the rebuilding timeline ending in 2031, because the
stock is still projected to rebuild within that time.
Annual Catch Limits
Development of Annual Catch Limits
The U.S. ABC for each stock is divided among the various fishery
components to account for all sources of fishing mortality. An estimate
of catch expected from state waters and the other sub-component (e.g.,
non-groundfish fisheries or some recreational groundfish fisheries) is
deducted from the U.S. ABC. The remaining portion of the U.S. ABC is
distributed to the fishery components that receive an allocation for
the stock. Components of the fishery that receive an allocation have a
sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) set by reducing their portion of the
ABC (the sub-ABC) to account for management uncertainty and are subject
to AMs if they exceed their respective catch limit during the fishing
year. For GOM cod and haddock only, the U.S. ABC is first divided
between the commercial and recreational fisheries, before being further
divided into sub-components and sub-ACLs. This process is described
fully in appendix II of the Framework 66 Environmental Assessment.
Sector and Common Pool Allocations
For stocks allocated to sectors, the commercial groundfish sub-ACL
is further divided into the non-sector (common pool) sub-ACL and the
sector sub-ACL, based on the total vessel enrollment in sectors and the
cumulative potential sector contributions (PSC) associated with those
sectors. The preliminary sector and common pool sub-ACLs proposed in
this action are based on fishing year 2023 PSCs and fishing year 2023
sector rosters. All permits enrolled in a sector, and the vessels
associated with those permits, have until April 30, 2024, to withdraw
from a sector and fish in the common pool for the 2024 fishing year. In
addition to the enrollment delay, all permits that change ownership
after the roster deadline may join a sector (or change sector) through
April 30, 2024. If changes to the sector rosters occur, updated catch
limits will be announced as soon as possible in the 2024 fishing year
to reflect the final sector rosters as of May 1, 2024.
Management Uncertainty Buffer for Sectors
In Framework 66, the Council proposes to remove the management
uncertainty buffer for the sector sub-ACL for GOM haddock and white
hake, if the ASM coverage target is 90 percent or higher. If approved,
this measure would remain in place for the next 2 fishing years, unless
the Council sets new specifications for fishing year 2025 based on
updated assessments. Based on the current assessment schedule, GOM
haddock could receive new specifications for fishing year 2025, and in
that situation, this measure would not apply in fishing year 2025
unless the Council included it in that action. White hake is not
scheduled to receive new specifications until fishing year 2026. The
Council's goal is to mitigate the economic impacts of the ACLs for
these two potentially constraining stocks by increasing the sector sub-
ACLs if the ASM coverage target is high enough to reduce uncertainty.
Amendment 23 (87 FR 75852; December 9, 2022) implemented a measure to
set the management uncertainty buffer for the sector sub-ACL for each
allocated groundfish stock to zero. In years that the ASM coverage
target is set at 100 percent, the management uncertainty buffer will
default to zero for the sector sub-ACL for allocated stocks, unless the
Council's consideration of the 100-percent coverage target warrants
specifying a different management uncertainty buffer in order to
prevent exceeding the sub-ACL. The process by which the Council
evaluates and sets management uncertainty buffers was unchanged by
Amendment 23, and the Council may adjust management uncertainty buffers
in future actions.
As established in Amendment 23, the ASM coverage target is
dependent on the level of funding for ASM and observers, and NMFS must
evaluate overall annual appropriations from Congress to finalize the
ASM coverage target. NMFS must also provide the target as soon as it
can each year so that sectors can establish their rosters and meet
annual deadlines. Therefore, on February 20, 2024, the Regional
Administrator announced that the preliminary fishing year 2024 ASM
coverage target will be 100 percent. NMFS is currently evaluating
whether the preliminary coverage target can be met given the level of
2024 appropriations funding for reimbursing sectors for the cost of
monitoring, and
[[Page 20416]]
will announce the final ASM coverage target in the final rule.
If this measure removing the management uncertainty buffers for two
stocks is approved, and the final ASM coverage target is set between 90
and 99 percent, sectors' sub-ABCs for GOM haddock and white hake would
not be reduced to account for the management uncertainty for fishing
year 2024 (see table 5, bold stocks). The removal of the management
uncertainty buffer for the sectors alone is not likely to cause the ABC
or OFL to be exceeded. The fishery would remain accountable for
remaining within the sub-ACLs allocated to it. Further, the revised
management uncertainty buffers apply only to sectors and not to the
common pool component of the fishery or other sub-ACLs or sub-
components for any stocks. In the case of GOM haddock, the recreational
fishery and common pool fishery would both retain a management
uncertainty buffer; for white hake, only the common pool fishery would
have a management uncertainty buffer applied. Therefore, a certain
level of uncertainty buffer will continue to exist for each stock's
ACL.
If the final ASM coverage target is set below 90 percent, this
measure would not be in effect for fishing year 2024, and all stocks
would have sectors' sub-ABCs reduced to account for management
uncertainty (see table 4). If the final ASM coverage target is set at
100 percent for fishing year 2024, sectors' sub-ABCs would not be
reduced for any allocated stocks (see table 5). Table 6 displays the
ACLs and sub-ACLs for all stocks with the management uncertainty buffer
left in place for fishing year 2025, but this would be updated in a
future action based on the coverage target for that fishing year.
Common Pool Total Allowable Catches
The common pool sub-ACL for each allocated stock (except for
Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) winter flounder) is further
divided into trimester total allowable catches (TACs). Table 8
summarizes the common pool trimester TACs proposed in this action.
Incidental catch TACs are also specified for certain stocks of
concern (i.e., stocks that are overfished or subject to overfishing)
for common pool vessels fishing in the special management programs
(i.e., special access programs (SAP) and the Regular B Days-at-Sea
(DAS) Program), in order to limit the catch of these stocks under each
program. Tables 9 through 12 summarize the proposed Incidental Catch
TACs for each stock and the distribution of these TACs to each special
management program.
Table 4--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2024 Fishing Year With Management Uncertainty Buffer Left in Place
[mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midwater State
Stock Total ACL Groundfish Sector sub- Common pool Recreational trawl Scallop Small-mesh waters sub- Other sub-
sub-ACL ACL sub-ACL sub-ACL fishery fishery fisheries component component
A to H A + B + C A B C D E F G H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.......................................................... 515 386 375 11 .............. .......... .......... .......... 43 86
GOM Cod......................................................... 522 474 271 11 192 .......... .......... .......... 48 0
GB Haddock...................................................... 6,702 6,571 6,422 149 .............. 131 .......... .......... 0 0
GOM Haddock..................................................... 2,272 2,194 1,404 31 759 22 .......... .......... 48 8.0
GB Yellowtail Flounder.......................................... 68 56 53 3.0 .............. .......... 11.0 1.3 0 0
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 38 33 25 8.1 .............. .......... 2.7 .......... 0.2 2.0
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 946 876 828 48 .............. .......... .......... .......... 30 40
American Plaice................................................. 5,247 5,192 5,046 145 .............. .......... .......... .......... 28 28
Witch Flounder.................................................. 1,196 1,146 1,104 41 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 31
GB Winter Flounder.............................................. 1,503 1,488 1,442 45 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 16
GOM Winter Flounder............................................. 772 607 519 88 .............. .......... .......... .......... 153 12.1
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.......................................... 604 441 387 53 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 144
Redfish......................................................... 7,892 7,892 7,809 83 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
White Hake...................................................... 1,838 1,828 1,810 19 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 10
Pollock......................................................... 13,299 12,184 12,070 114 .............. .......... .......... .......... 627 488
N. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 127 94 na 94 .............. .......... 27 .......... 0.0 6.8
S. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 205 30 na 30 .............. .......... 71 .......... 6.4 98
Ocean Pout...................................................... 83 49 na 49 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 34
Atlantic Halibut................................................ 75 58 na 58 .............. .......... .......... .......... 16 1.2
Atlantic Wolffish............................................... 87 87 na 87 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: not allocated to sectors.
Table 5--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2024 Fishing Year With Management Uncertainty Buffer Removed for Sectors
[mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midwater State
Stock Total ACL Groundfish Sector sub- Common pool Recreational trawl Scallop Small-mesh waters sub- Other sub-
sub-ACL ACL sub-ACL sub-ACL fishery fishery fisheries component component
A to H A + B + C A B C D E F G H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.......................................................... 534 406 395 11 .............. .......... .......... .......... 43 86
GOM Cod......................................................... 536 488 285 11 192 .......... .......... .......... 48 0
[[Page 20417]]
GB Haddock...................................................... 7,040 6,909 6,761 149 .............. 131 .......... .......... 0 0
GOM Haddock..................................................... 2,346 2,268 1,478 31 759 22 .......... .......... 48 8.0
GB Yellowtail Flounder.......................................... 70 58 55 3.0 .............. .......... 11.0 1.3 0 0
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 40 35 27 8.1 .............. .......... 2.7 .......... 0.2 2.0
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 990 920 872 48 .............. .......... .......... .......... 30 40
American Plaice................................................. 5,512 5,457 5,312 145 .............. .......... .......... .......... 28 28
Witch Flounder.................................................. 1,254 1,204 1,163 41 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 31
GB Winter Flounder.............................................. 1,548 1,532 1,487 45 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 16
GOM Winter Flounder............................................. 800 635 546 88 .............. .......... .......... .......... 153 12.1
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.......................................... 624 461 408 53 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 144
Redfish......................................................... 8,303 8,303 8,220 83 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
White Hake...................................................... 1,933 1,923 1,905 19 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 10
Pollock......................................................... 13,934 12,819 12,705 114 .............. .......... .......... .......... 627 488
N. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 127 94 na 94 .............. .......... 27 .......... 0.0 6.8
S. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 205 30 na 30 .............. .......... 71 .......... 6.4 98
Ocean Pout...................................................... 83 49 na 49 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 34
Atlantic Halibut................................................ 75 58 na 58 .............. .......... .......... .......... 16 1.2
Atlantic Wolffish............................................... 87 87 na 87 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: not allocated to sectors.
For bold stocks, management uncertainty buffer would be removed if ASM target is 90 percent or higher. For all other allocated stocks, it is removed only if ASM target is 100.
Table 6--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2025 Fishing Year *
[mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midwater State
Stock Total ACL Groundfish Sector sub- Common pool Recreational trawl Scallop Small-mesh waters sub- Other sub-
sub-ACL ACL sub-ACL sub-ACL fishery fishery fisheries component component
A to H A + B + C A B C D E F G H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Haddock...................................................... 5,111 5,011 4,897 113 .............. 100 .......... .......... 0 0
GOM Haddock..................................................... 2,183 2,108 1,350 30 729 22 .......... .......... 46 8
GB Yellowtail Flounder.......................................... 68 56 53 3.0 .............. .......... 11 1.3 0 0
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 38 33 25 8.1 .............. .......... 2.7 .......... 0.2 2.0
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 873 808 764 45 .............. .......... .......... .......... 28 37
American Plaice................................................. 5,009 4,956 4,818 139 .............. .......... .......... .......... 26 26
Witch Flounder.................................................. 1,196 1,146 1,104 41 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 31
GB Winter Flounder.............................................. 1,446 1,431 1,387 44 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 15
GOM Winter Flounder............................................. 772 607 519 88 .............. .......... .......... .......... 153 12.1
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.......................................... 604 441 387 53 .............. .......... .......... .......... 19 144
Redfish......................................................... 7,859 7,859 7,777 82 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
White Hake...................................................... 1,825 1,816 1,797 19 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 10
Pollock......................................................... 12,683 11,619 11,510 109 .............. .......... .......... .......... 598 465
N. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 127 94 na 94 .............. .......... 27 .......... 0.0 6.8
S. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 205 30 na 30 .............. .......... 71 .......... 6.4 98
Ocean Pout...................................................... 83 49 na 49 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 34
Atlantic Halibut................................................ 75 58 na 58 .............. .......... .......... .......... 16 1.2
Atlantic Wolffish............................................... 87 87 na 87 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: not allocated to sectors.
* Northeast multispecies stocks not included in table 6 do not have catch limits approved or proposed for fishing year 2025.
[[Page 20418]]
Table 7--Proposed Catch Limits for the 2026 Fishing Year *
[mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midwater State
Stock Total ACL Groundfish Sector sub- Common pool Recreational trawl Scallop Small-mesh waters sub- Other sub-
sub-ACL ACL sub-ACL sub-ACL fishery fishery fisheries component component
A to H A + B + C A B C D E F G H
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Redfish......................................................... 7,997 7,997 7,913 84 .............. .......... .......... .......... 0 0
N. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 127 94 na 94 .............. .......... 27 .......... 0.0 7
S. Windowpane Flounder.......................................... 205 30 na 30 .............. .......... 71 .......... 6 98
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
na: not allocated to sectors.
* Northeast multispecies stocks not included in table 7 do not have catch limits approved or proposed for fishing year 2026.
Table 8--Proposed Fishing Years 2024-2026 Common Pool Trimester TACs
[mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 2025 2026
Stock --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod............................. 3.1 3.7 4.2 ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ...........
GOM Cod............................ 5.2 3.5 1.9 ........... ........... ........... ........... ........... ...........
GB Haddock......................... 40.1 49.0 59.4 30.6 37.4 45.3 ........... ........... ...........
GOM Haddock........................ 8.3 8.0 14.5 8.0 7.7 13.9 ........... ........... ...........
GB Yellowtail Flounder............. 0.6 0.9 1.5 0.6 0.9 1.5 ........... ........... ...........
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder......... 1.7 2.3 4.1 1.7 2.3 4.1 ........... ........... ...........
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder......... 27.6 12.6 8.2 25.5 11.6 7.6 ........... ........... ...........
American Plaice.................... 107.5 11.6 26.2 102.6 11.1 25.0 ........... ........... ...........
Witch Flounder..................... 22.6 8.2 10.3 22.6 8.2 10.3 ........... ........... ...........
GB Winter Flounder................. 3.6 10.9 30.8 3.5 10.5 29.6 ........... ........... ...........
GOM Winter Flounder................ 32.7 33.6 22.1 32.7 33.6 22.1 ........... ........... ...........
Redfish............................ 20.7 25.7 36.4 20.6 25.5 36.3 21.0 26.0 36.9
White Hake......................... 7.1 5.8 5.8 7.0 5.7 5.7 ........... ........... ...........
Pollock............................ 31.9 39.9 42.1 30.4 38.0 40.2 ........... ........... ...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 9--Proposed Common Pool Incidental Catch TACs for the 2024-2026 Fishing Years
[mt, live weight]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of
Stock common pool 2024 2025 2026
sub-ACL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.......................................... 1.68 0.18 .............. ..............
GOM Cod......................................... 1 0.11 .............. ..............
GB Yellowtail Flounder.......................... 2 0.06 0.06 ..............
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder...................... 1 0.48 0.45 ..............
American Plaice................................. 5 7.27 6.94 ..............
Witch Flounder.................................. 5 2.06 2.06 ..............
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.......................... 1 0.53 0.53 ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 10--Percentage of Incidental Catch TACs Distributed to Each
Special Management Program
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regular B DAS Eastern U.S./
Stock program CA haddock SAP
(percent) (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.................................. 60 40
GOM Cod................................. 100 n/a
GB Yellowtail Flounder.................. 50 50
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder.............. 100 n/a
American Plaice......................... 100 n/a
Witch Flounder.......................... 100 n/a
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.................. 100 n/a
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 20419]]
Table 11--Proposed Fishing Years 2024-2026 Incidental Catch TACs for Each Special Management Program
[mt, live weight]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regular B DAS program Eastern U.S./Canada haddock SAP
Stock -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 2025 2026 2024 2025 2026
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod.................................................. 0.11 .............. .............. 0.07 .............. ..............
GOM Cod................................................. 0.11 .............. .............. n/a n/a n/a
GB Yellowtail Flounder.................................. 0.03 0.03 .............. 0.03 0.03 ..............
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder.............................. 0.48 0.45 .............. n/a n/a n/a
American Plaice......................................... 7.27 6.94 .............. n/a n/a n/a
Witch Flounder.......................................... 2.06 2.06 .............. n/a n/a n/a
SNE/MA Winter Flounder.................................. 0.53 0.53 .............. n/a n/a n/a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 12--Proposed Fishing Years 2024-2026 Regular B DAS Program Quarterly Incidental Catch TACs
[mt, live weight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 2025 2026
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
(13%) (29%) (29%) (29%) (13%) (29%) (29%) (29%) (13%) (29%) (29%) (29%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Cod...................................................... 0.01 0.03 0.03 0.03 ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........
GOM Cod..................................................... 0.01 0.03 0.03 0.03 ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........
GB Yellowtail Flounder...................................... 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 ......... ......... ......... .........
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder.................................. 0.06 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.06 0.13 0.13 0.13 ......... ......... ......... .........
American Plaice............................................. 0.94 2.11 2.11 2.11 0.90 2.01 2.01 2.01 ......... ......... ......... .........
Witch Flounder.............................................. 0.27 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.27 0.60 0.60 0.60 ......... ......... ......... .........
SNE/MA Winter Flounder...................................... 0.07 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.07 0.15 0.15 0.15 ......... ......... ......... .........
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modification to the Accountability Measure Trigger for Atlantic Halibut
As described above, for certain stocks, a portion of the ABC is set
aside to account for an estimate of catch by Canadian fisheries. While
this is not required by regulation, it has been the practice followed
by the groundfish plan development team (PDT) and supported by the SSC
and Council for many years. Once the Canadian catch estimate is
removed, the resulting amount is called the U.S. ABC. The U.S. ABC is
further reduced to provide a buffer for management uncertainty
(approximately 5 percent), resulting in the ACL. Currently, if the ACL
for Atlantic halibut is exceeded by more than the management
uncertainty buffer (i.e., if the U.S. ABC is exceeded), the AMs for the
stock are implemented.
Framework 66 proposes to modify the catch threshold for
implementing the Atlantic halibut AM. In the situation where the ACL is
exceeded by more than the management uncertainty buffer, NMFS would
take into account the landings from the Canadian fishery for the last
calendar year and determine whether, when combined with the landings by
U.S. fisheries (Federal and state), the total ABC had been exceeded as
well. Framework 66 does not propose any changes to the AMs themselves,
which are a combination of a zero-possession limit and gear-area
restrictions.
Considering Canadian landings on a calendar year (rather than the
groundfish fishing year, which begins May 1) basis to determine if the
total ABC was exceeded would be consistent with how the Canadian catch
estimate is set and would ensure Canadian data is available and
complete when a total catch evaluation would occur. While NMFS expects
the practice followed by the PDT of accounting for Canadian catch as a
part of specifications-setting will continue, the modification to this
AM catch threshold would not apply in a situation where the U.S. ABC
for Atlantic halibut had not been set based on the removal of the
Canadian catch estimate from the total ABC.
Temporary Modification to the Catch Threshold for Scallop Fishery
Accountability Measures
The scallop fishery has sub-ACLs for GB yellowtail flounder. If the
scallop fishery exceeds its sub-ACL, it is subject to AMs that, in
general, restrict the scallop fishery in seasons and areas with high
encounter rates for this stock. Framework 47 (77 FR 26104; May 2, 2012)
set a policy for implementing scallop fishery AMs for groundfish
stocks. Currently, the scallop fishery is subject to AMs for these
stocks if either: (1) The scallop fishery exceeds its sub-ACL and the
total ACL is exceeded; or (2) the scallop fishery exceeds its sub-ACL
by 50 percent or more. This policy was intended to provide flexibility
for the scallop fishery.
Frameworks 56 (82 FR 35660; August 1, 2017) and 58 (84 FR 34799;
July 19, 2019) previously made a change to the policy for GB yellowtail
flounder to remove the second catch threshold for the 2017-18 and 2019-
20 fishing years, respectively. Framework 66 proposes to reinstate this
provision for the 2024 and 2025 fishing years, so that the AMs for GB
yellowtail flounder would only be implemented if scallop fishery catch
exceeds its sub-ACL by any amount and the total ACL is also exceeded.
Unless this proposed modification is extended in a future action, the
underlying policy for implementing the scallop fishery's AM for GB cod
would be in effect for catches in fishing year 2026 and beyond.
In recent years, a significant portion of the overall ACL has
remained uncaught as groundfish vessels have reduced their catch and
avoided the stock. If catch leads to exceeding the total ACL, the
appropriate AM (depending on the fishery or fisheries
[[Page 20420]]
that contributed to the overage) would be put in place to prevent
subsequent ACL overages and correct the cause of the overage. This
measure provides the scallop fishery with flexibility to adjust to
current catch conditions and better achieve optimum yield while still
providing an incentive to avoid yellowtail flounder.
Minor, Clarifying Regulatory Changes Under Secretarial Authority
Framework 66 would also make minor, clarifying changes in the
regulations. Specifically, this action would revise 50 CFR
648.90(a)(5)(i)(F) to reorganize the section to improve clarity and
readability regarding the Atlantic halibut accountability measures.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the
NMFS Assistant Administrator has made a preliminary determination that
this proposed rule is consistent with Framework 66, other provisions of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law, subject to further
consideration after public comment. In making the final determination,
the Regional Administrator will consider the data, views, and comments
received during the public comment period.
NMFS finds that a 15-day comment period for this action provides a
reasonable opportunity for public participation in this action, while
also ensuring that the final specifications are in place at the start
of the groundfish fishing year on May 1, 2024. Each year setting
specifications occurs for some portion of the groundfish stocks.
Stakeholders and industry groups are familiar with this process and
expect modifications to occur regularly. Further, stakeholder and
industry groups have been aware of this action and participated in its
development in public meetings throughout the past year. Having a 15-
day comment period would improve the likelihood of implementing
measures, if approved, on May 1, 2024. A prolonged comment period and
subsequent potential delay in implementation would be contrary to the
public interest, as it would leave in place default quotas for some
stocks that do not already have specifications for fishing year 2024,
rather than replacing them with the quotas proposed in this rule, which
are based on the most recent, best available science. If the final rule
is not implemented by May 1, the fishery would be operating under lower
quotas for several stocks than those proposed in Framework 66, and an
extended delay could limit economic opportunities for the fishery, as
well as lead to confusion and uncertainty. Providing timely access to
these stocks is also a potential safely issue. A significant portion of
fishing activity occurs in early summer, due to better weather, and,
for some smaller vessels, summer may be the only season in which they
are able to participate in the fishery.
This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order (E.O.) 12866.
An Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) was prepared for
this proposed rule, as required by section 603 of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 603. The IRFA describes the economic impact
that this proposed rule would have on small entities, including small
businesses, and also determines ways to minimize these impacts. The
IRFA includes this CLASSIFICATION and the Summary of Proposed Measures
sections of this proposed rule and analyses contained in Framework 66
and its accompanying Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/
IRFA. A copy of the full analysis is available from the Council (see
ADDRESSES). A summary of the IRFA follows.
Description of the Reasons Why Action by the Agency Is Being Considered
and Statement of the Objectives of, and Legal Basis for, this Proposed
Rule
This action proposes management measures, including annual catch
limits, for the multispecies fishery in order to prevent overfishing,
rebuild overfished groundfish stocks, and achieve optimum yield in the
fishery, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. A complete
description of the action, why it is being considered, and the legal
basis for this action are contained in Framework 66, and in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this proposed rule under the
Summary of Proposed Measures heading, and are not repeated here.
Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which This
Proposed Rule Would Apply
This proposed rule would impact the commercial and recreational
groundfish, Atlantic sea scallop, small-mesh multispecies, Atlantic
herring, and large-mesh non-groundfish fisheries. Individually
permitted vessels may hold permits for several fisheries, harvesting
species of fish that are regulated by several different FMPs, beyond
those impacted by the proposed action. Furthermore, multiple-permitted
vessels and/or permits may be owned by entities affiliated by stock
ownership, common management, identity of interest, contractual
relationships, or economic dependency. For the purposes of the RFA
analysis, the ownership entities, not the individual vessels, are
considered to be the regulated entities.
As of June 1, 2023, NMFS had issued 675 commercial limited-access
groundfish permits associated with vessels (including those in
confirmation of permit history (CPH)), 639 party/charter groundfish
permits, 696 limited access and general category Atlantic sea scallop
permits, 694 small-mesh multispecies permits, 73 Atlantic herring
permits, and 752 large-mesh non-groundfish permits (limited access
summer flounder and scup permits). Therefore, this action potentially
regulates 3,529 permits. When accounting for overlaps between
fisheries, this number falls to 2,029 permitted vessels. Each vessel
may be individually owned or part of a larger corporate ownership
structure and, for RFA purposes, it is the ownership entity that is
ultimately regulated by the proposed action. Ownership entities are
identified on June 1st of each year based on the list of all permit
numbers, for the most recent complete calendar year, that have applied
for any type of Greater Atlantic Region Federal fishing permit. The
current ownership data set is based on calendar year 2022 permits and
contains gross sales associated with those permits for calendar years
2018 through 2022.
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. The determination as to whether the
entity is large or small is based on the average annual revenue for the
five years from 2018 through 2022. The Small Business Administration
(SBA) has established size standards for all other major industry
sectors in the U.S., including for-hire fishing (NAICS code 487210).
These entities are classified as small businesses if combined annual
receipts are not in excess of $8.0 million for all of an entity's
affiliated operations. As with commercial fishing businesses, the
annual average of the three most recent years (2018-2022) is utilized
in determining annual receipts for
[[Page 20421]]
businesses primarily engaged in for-hire fishing.
Based on the ownership data, 1,538 distinct business entities hold
at least one permit that the proposed action potentially regulates. All
1,538 business entities identified could be directly regulated by this
proposed action. Of these 1,538 entities, 871 are commercial fishing
entities, 291 are for-hire entities, and 376 did not have revenues
(were inactive in 2022). Of the 871 commercial fishing entities, 860
are categorized as small entities and 11 are categorized as large
entities, per the NMFS guidelines. Furthermore, 520 of these commercial
fishing entities held limited access groundfish permits, with 516 of
these entities being classified as small businesses and 4 of these
entities being classified as large businesses. All 291 for-hire
entities are categorized as small businesses.
Description of the Projected Reporting, Record-Keeping, and Other
Compliance Requirements of This Proposed Rule
The proposed action does not contain any new collection-of-
information requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).
Federal Rules Which May Duplicate, Overlap, or Conflict With This
Proposed Rule
The proposed action does not duplicate, overlap, or conflict with
any other Federal rules.
Description of Significant Alternatives to the Proposed Action Which
Accomplish the Stated Objectives of Applicable Statutes and Which
Minimize Any Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities
The economic impacts of each proposed measure are discussed in more
detail in sections 6.5 and 7.12 of the draft Framework 66 Environmental
Assessment (see ADDRESSES) and are not repeated here. We note that,
overall, for the updated groundfish specifications and the
modifications to the accountability measures in this proposed rule, the
No Action alternative was the only other alternative considered by the
Council. There are no significant alternatives that would minimize the
economic impacts. The proposed action is predicted to generate $40.8
million in gross revenues for the sector portion of the commercial
groundfish trips. This amount is $20.4 million more than the amount of
gross revenues under the No Action alternative, but $3.9 million less
than the amount of gross revenues generated in fishing year 2022. Small
entities engaged in common pool groundfish fishing are expected to be
positively impacted by the proposed action as well, relative to the No
Action alternative. Small entities engaged in the recreational
groundfish fishery are likely to be negatively impacted by the decrease
in the GOM haddock sub-ACL. Sub-ACL decreases for groundfish stocks
allocated to the Atlantic sea scallop fishery and the large-mesh non-
groundfish fishery may negatively affect small entities engaged in
those fisheries. The proposed temporary modification to the scallop
fishery's AM trigger for GB yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2024
and 2025 will reduce the likelihood of negative impacts to the scallop
fishery.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648
Fisheries, Fishing, Recordkeeping, and reporting requirements.
Dated: March 18, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons stated in the preamble, NMFS proposes to amend 50
CFR part 648 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. 648.90, revise paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F) and add paragraph
(a)(5)(iv)(B) to read as follows:
Sec. 648.90 NE multispecies assessment, framework procedures and
specifications, and flexible area action system.
* * * * *
(a) * * *
(5) * * *
(i) * * *
(F) Atlantic halibut. If NMFS determines, as described in paragraph
(a)(5)(i)(D) of this section, that the overall ACL for Atlantic halibut
is exceeded by catch from U.S. Federal and state fisheries by any
amount greater than the management uncertainty buffer and, after
accounting for the amount of landings of Atlantic halibut from Canadian
fisheries, as appropriate, that the total ABC for Atlantic halibut has
also been exceeded, the applicable AM shall be implemented as described
in paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F)(1) of this section. If a sub-ACL for Atlantic
halibut is allocated to another fishery, consistent with the process
specified at Sec. 648.90(a)(4), and there are AMs for that fishery,
the multispecies fishery AM shall only be implemented if the sub-ACL
allocated to the multispecies fishery is exceeded (i.e., the sector and
common pool catch for a particular stock, including the common pool's
share of any overage of the overall ACL caused by excessive catch by
other sub-components of the fishery pursuant to Sec. 648.90(a)(5),
exceeds the common pool sub-ACL) and the overall ACL is also exceeded.
(1) Description of AM. When the AM is implemented, any vessel
issued a Federal permit for any fishery management plan may not fish
for, possess, or land Atlantic halibut for the fishing year in which
the AM is implemented, as specified in paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F) of this
section, unless otherwise specified in paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F)(2) of
this section. Additionally, the applicable AM areas, as defined in
paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F)(4) of this section, shall be implemented as
follows: Any vessel issued a limited access NE multispecies permit and
fishing with trawl gear in the Atlantic Halibut Trawl Gear AM Area may
only use a haddock separator trawl, as specified in Sec.
648.85(a)(3)(iii)(A); a Ruhle trawl, as specified in Sec.
648.85(b)(6)(iv)(J)(3); a rope separator trawl, as specified in Sec.
648.84(e); or any other gear approved consistent with the process
defined in Sec. 648.85(b)(6); except that selective trawl gear is not
required in the portion of the Trawl Gear AM Area between 41 degrees 40
minutes and 42 degrees from April 1 through July 31. When in effect, a
limited access NE multispecies permitted vessel with gillnet gear may
not fish or be in the Atlantic Halibut Fixed Gear AM Area from March 1
through October 31, unless transiting with its gear stowed and not
available for immediate use as defined in Sec. 648.2, or such gear was
approved consistent with the process defined in Sec. 648.85(b)(6).
(2) Vessels exempt from the no possession AM. Vessels issued only a
charter/party permit, and/or an Atlantic highly migratory species
angling permit, and/or an Atlantic highly migratory species charter/
headboat permit are exempt from the no possession AM. This exemption
does not apply to any vessel that is issued any other permit that is
subject to the AM. For example, a vessel issued a Northeast
multispecies charter/party permit and a bluefish charter/party permit
would be exempt from the no possession AM, but a vessel issued a
Northeast multispecies charter/party permit and a commercial bluefish
permit would not be exempt from the no possession AM.
(3) Review of the AM. If the overall ACL is exceeded by more than
20
[[Page 20422]]
percent, the Council shall revisit the AM in a future action.
(4) Atlantic halibut AM area. The AM areas defined below are
bounded by the following coordinates, connected in the order listed by
rhumb lines, unless otherwise noted.
Table 1 to Paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F)(4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlantic halibut trawl gear AM area
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points N latitude W longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1........................... 42[deg]00' 69[deg]20'
2........................... 42[deg]00' 68[deg]20'
3........................... 41[deg]30' 68[deg]20'
4........................... 41[deg]30' 69[deg]20'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2 to Paragraph (a)(5)(i)(F)(4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlantic halibut gillnet gear AM area
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points N latitude W longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1........................... 43[deg]10' 69[deg]40'
2........................... 43[deg]10' 69[deg]30'
3........................... 43[deg]00' 69[deg]30'
4........................... 43[deg]00' 69[deg]40'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * * *
(iv) * * *
(B) 2024 and 2025 fishing year threshold for implementing the
Atlantic sea scallop fishery AM for GB yellowtail flounder. For the
2024 and 2025 fishing years, if scallop fishery catch exceeds the GB
yellowtail flounder sub-ACL specified in paragraph (a)(4) of this
section, and total catch exceeds the overall ACL for that stock, then
the applicable scallop fishery AM will take effect, as specified in
Sec. 648.64 of the Atlantic sea scallop regulations. For the 2026
fishing year and onward, the threshold for implementing scallop fishery
AMs for GB yellowtail flounder will return to that listed in paragraph
(a)(5)(iv)(A) of this section.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2024-06103 Filed 3-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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