[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8212]



[[Page 19028]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

RIN 0648-AW66


Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Purse Seine Prohibited Areas 
Around American Samoa

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery ecosystem plan amendment; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for 
Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FEP). If approved by 
the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 3 would prohibit purse seine 
fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within 75 nautical 
miles (nm) of shore around American Samoa. The proposed action is 
intended to reduce catch competition between purse seine vessels and 
local trolling and longline fleets due to possible localized stock 
depletion by purse seine fishing, and to minimize gear conflicts 
between the local longline fleet and domestic purse seine vessels.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 3, including an environmental assessment, 
must be received by June 6, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Copies of Amendment 3, including an environmental 
assessment, are available from http://www.regulations.gov, or the 
Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-
8220, fax 808-522-8226, http://www.wpcouncil.org. Comments on the 
amendment, including the environmental assessment, identified by 0648-
AW66, may be sent to either of the following addresses:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov; or
    <bullet> Mail: Mail written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted to one of the above two 
addresses to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent 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 to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All 
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 
voluntarily by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the 
required name and organization fields if you wish to remain anonymous). 
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word 
or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Bailey, NMFS PIR Sustainable 
Fisheries Division, 808-944-2248.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pelagic fisheries in the U.S. western 
Pacific are managed under the FEP, developed by the Council, and 
approved and implemented by NMFS. The Council submitted Amendment 3 to 
NMFS for review under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Council prepared Amendment 3 
to address pelagic fishing concerns in American Samoa. Local, pelagic 
trolling vessels target skipjack and yellowfin tuna in the EEZ around 
American Samoa. These vessels are usually small and incapable of safely 
traveling long distances from shore or holding large quantities of fish 
and are, therefore, limited to day trips in nearshore areas (less than 
50 nm (93 km)) from shore.
    Local pelagic longline vessels target albacore tuna and retain non-
target skipjack. Small longline vessels (less than 50 ft) are limited 
to fishing within 50 nm (93 km) of shore and large longline vessels (50 
ft and longer) can travel throughout the EEZ around American Samoa, and 
beyond, to fish. Longline gear is deployed in the morning, left to 
fish, and brought back on board starting in the late afternoon 
extending into the early morning of the next day. The length of 
mainline averages 40 nm (74 km), is deployed horizontally with floats 
at the surface, and drifts with the current. Individual vessels usually 
set one line per day.
    Purse seine vessels also target skipjack tuna, but are much larger, 
and more sophisticated and efficient. Fish aggregating devices (FADs), 
either natural or man-made, are deployed to drift around the ocean, 
until sufficient quantities of fish are accumulated to them. Purse 
seines are then deployed near or around FADs. Conditions for purse 
seine fishing in the EEZ around American Samoa are less favorable than 
other areas, and most domestic purse seine fishing is conducted outside 
the EEZ, to the north and northwest. There are 11 vessels in the U.S. 
purse seine fleet with an endorsement to fish within the U.S. EEZ. The 
average skipjack tuna catch per set is approximately 2.4 mt (5,308 lb).
    The Council is concerned about possible impacts on other pelagic 
fisheries if U.S. purse seine vessels were to increase activity in the 
EEZ around American Samoa near areas fished by troll and pelagic 
longline vessels. Localized fish depletion can occur when a stock in a 
small area is reduced by the removal of large amounts of fish, thereby 
temporarily depleting the availability of the stock to fishing activity 
or other predators in that area. Research suggests localized depletion 
may occur when large scale fishing operations, such as purse seine, 
competes with small-scale fishing operations, triggering catch 
competition for a single resource in a limited area. Reductions in fish 
density and catch rate could cause small vessels to travel farther to 
maintain catch rates, resulting in lost revenue due to increased 
expenses and possible safety-at-sea issues if vessels fish farther from 
port and for longer durations. Amendment 3 could also reduce gear 
conflicts by separating purse seine operations from trolling longline 
activity closer to shore. All other measures currently applicable to 
the purse seine fishery, including large vessel prohibited areas of 50 
nm, would remain unchanged.
    Comments on Amendment 3 must be received by June 6, 2011 to be 
considered by NMFS in the decision to approve, partially approve, or 
disapprove the amendment. NMFS soon expects to publish and request 
public comment on a proposed rule that would implement the measures 
recommended in Amendment 3.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: April 1, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-8212 Filed 4-5-11; 8:45 am]
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