Rule2024-23318
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Adjustment to the 2024 Specifications
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
October 9, 2024
Effective
October 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS increases the 2024 Atlantic herring annual catch limit and Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by 1,000 metric tons (mt) for the remainder of 2024. This action is required by the herring regulations when, based on data through October 1, 2024, NMFS determines that the New Brunswick weir fishery has landed less than 2,722 mt of herring. This notification informs the public of these catch limit changes.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 81869-81870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23318]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 240228-0062; RTID 0648-XE363]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring
Fishery; Adjustment to the 2024 Specifications
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.
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SUMMARY: NMFS increases the 2024 Atlantic herring annual catch limit
and Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by 1,000 metric tons (mt) for the
remainder of 2024. This action is required by the herring regulations
when, based on data through October 1, 2024, NMFS determines that the
New Brunswick weir fishery has landed less than 2,722 mt of herring.
This notification informs the public of these catch limit changes.
DATES: Effective October 8, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Trudeau, Fishery Resource
Management Specialist, 978-281-9252, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c4a5b7aca8a1bdeab0b6b1a0a1a5b184aaaba5a5eaa3abb2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ddbcaeb5b1b8a4f3a9afa8b9b8bca89db3b2bcbcf3bab2ab">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS published final 2024 specifications for
the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan on March 4, 2024 (89 FR
15482), establishing the 2024 annual catch limit (ACL) and area sub-
ACLs. Table 1 shows the current herring specifications for 2024 and the
specifications as revised by this action for the remainder of the
calendar year.
The NMFS Regional Administrator tracks herring landings in the New
Brunswick weir fishery each year. The regulations at 50 CFR 648.201(h)
require that if the New Brunswick weir fishery landings through October
1 are determined to be less than 2,722 mt, then NMFS subtracts 1,000 mt
from the management uncertainty buffer and reallocates that amount to
the ACL and Area 1A sub-ACL. When such a determination is made, NMFS is
required to notify the New England Fishery Management Council and
publish the ACL and Area 1A sub-ACL adjustment in the Federal Register.
Information from Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans
indicates that the New Brunswick weir fishery landed 930 mt of herring
through October 1, 2024. Therefore, the Regional Administrator
determined that, effective upon notification filing in the Federal
Register, 1,000 mt will be reallocated from the management uncertainty
buffer to the Area 1A sub-ACL and the ACL. This 1,000 mt reallocation
increases the Area 1A sub-ACL from 5,504 mt to 6,504 mt and the ACL
from 19,141 mt to 20,141 mt for the remainder of 2024.
Additionally, NMFS will use the adjusted allocations when we
project whether catch from Area 1A will reach 92 percent of the Area 1A
sub-ACL, or whether overall herring catch will reach 95 percent of the
ACL. When Area 1A catch is projected to reach 92 percent of the Area 1A
sub-ACL, catch from this area is reduced to 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per
trip, per calendar day. When overall catch is projected to reach 95
percent of the ACL, then catch in or from all herring management areas
is limited to 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per trip, per calendar day.
Table 1--Atlantic Herring Specifications for 2024
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Current specifications Adjusted specifications
(mt) (mt)
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Overfishing Limit........................................ 32,233 32,233
Acceptable Biological Catch.............................. 23,409 23,409
Management Uncertainty................................... 4,220 3,220
Optimum Yield/ACL........................................ 19,141 20,141
Domestic Annual Harvest.................................. 19,141 20,141
Border Transfer.......................................... 0 0
Domestic Annual Processing............................... 19,141 20,141
U.S. At-Sea Processing................................... 0 0
Area 1A Sub-ACL (28.9 percent)........................... 5,504 6,504
Area 1B Sub-ACL (4.3 percent)............................ 819 819
Area 2 Sub-ACL (27.8 percent)............................ 5,449 5,449
Area 3 Sub-ACL (39 percent).............................. 7,484 7,484
Fixed Gear Set-Aside..................................... 30 30
Research Set-Aside (RSA)................................. 0% 0%
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[[Page 81870]]
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR part 648, which was
issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempt from review under
Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause
under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior notice and the opportunity for
public comment on this inseason adjustment because it would be
unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. This action allocates
a portion of the management uncertainty buffer to the ACL and Area 1A
sub-ACL for the remainder of the calendar year pursuant to a previously
published regulation that provides no discretionary decision-making.
This reallocation process was the subject of prior notice and comment
rulemaking. The adjustment is routine and formulaic, required by
regulation, and is expected by industry. The potential to reallocate
the management uncertainty buffer was also outlined in the 2024 herring
specifications that were published March 23, 2023 (88 FR 17397), which
were developed through public notice and comment. Further, this
reallocation provides additional economic opportunity for the herring
fleet. If implementation of this action is delayed to solicit public
comment, the objective of the fishery management plan to achieve
optimum yield in the fishery could be compromised. Deteriorating
weather conditions during the latter part of the fishing year may
reduce fishing effort, and could also prevent the ACL from being fully
harvested. This would result in a negative economic impact on vessels
permitted to fish in this fishery. Based on these considerations, NMFS
further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), good cause to waive the
30-day delayed effectiveness period for the reasons stated above.
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)
Dated: October 3, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-23318 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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