Notice2025-10430
Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine Conservation Plan for Guam; 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
June 10, 2025
Effective
June 10, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for Guam.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 110 (Tuesday, June 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24384-24385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-10430]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE877]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine Conservation Plan for Guam;
Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of agency decision.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP)
for Guam.
DATES: This agency decision is effective from June 10, 2025 through
August 3, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the MCP, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2025-0039, from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2025-0039">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2025-0039</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 American Samoa, Guam, or the
Northern Mariana Islands. The Governor of the Pacific Insular Area to
which the PIAFA applies must request the PIAFA. The Secretary of State
may negotiate and enter the PIAFA after consultation with, and
concurrence of, the applicable Governor.
Before entering into a PIAFA, the applicable Governor, with
concurrence of the Council, must develop and submit to the Secretary a
3-year MCP providing details on uses for any funds collected by the
Secretary under the PIAFA. The MCP must be consistent with the
Council's Fishery Ecosystem Plans, must identify conservation and
management objectives (including criteria for determining when such
objectives have been met), and must prioritize planned marine
conservation projects. NMFS is the designee of the Secretary for MCP
review and approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires payments
received under a PIAFA to be deposited into the United States Treasury
and then conveyed to the Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for which
funds were collected.
In the case of violations by foreign fishing vessels in the EEZ
around any Pacific Insular Area, 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 Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area adjacent to the EEZ in which
the violation occurred, after direct costs of the enforcement action
are subtracted. The Pacific Insular Area government may use funds
deposited into the Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for fisheries
enforcement and for implementation of a MCP.
At its September 2023 meeting, the Council reviewed and concurred
with the Guam MCP. On November 27, 2023, the Governor of Guam submitted
the MCP to NMFS for review and approval. NMFS approved this MCP on
March 18, 2024, it became effective on March 27, 2024, and it is in
effect through August 3, 2026 (89 RF 21241). Following the approval in
March 2024, the Governor of Guam submitted an amended MCP to the
Council, which reviewed and concurred with the amended MCP at its
meeting in December 2024. The Governor of Guam submitted the amended
MCP to NMFS for review and approval on January 14, 2025. The amended
MCP included revisions to Program Strategy 5.3, the Americans with
Disabilities Act Accessible Fishing Platform, to refine its scope and
implementation. The approved strategy initially outlined objectives
focused on community fishing access, cultural preservation,
conservation, education, and inclusivity in Guam's fisheries. The
amendments shifted the focus toward structural improvements, including
the replacement of steel guardrails and wheel stops with fiberglass;
replacing railings on the platform, stairway, and wheelchair ramp; and
securing funding for regular maintenance. These refinements increased
the priority level of the project from high to very high by emphasizing
critical structural improvements that enhance safety and accessibility
for users with disabilities. The overall cost was reduced from $320,000
to $140,000 as a result of a more defined scope and the use of more
cost-effective materials. All other elements of Program Strategy 5.3
remain unchanged.
The conservation and management objectives of this amended MCP are
identical to those included in the MCP currently in effect. Please
refer to the amended MCP for projects and activities designed to meet
each objective, the evaluative criteria, and priority rankings. The
evaluative criteria have also not been amended.
This notice announces that NMFS has reviewed the amended MCP and
determined that it satisfies the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. Accordingly, NMFS has approved the amended MCP for the time period
from the publication of this notice through August 3, 2026. This MCP
[[Page 24385]]
supersedes the plan approved previously for March 27, 2024, through
August 3, 2026 (89 FR 21241, March 27, 2024).
Dated: June 4, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-10430 Filed 6-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 10, 2025.
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