Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 27713 

FR 28355, May 22, 2001) or Executive 

Order 13045, entitled ‘‘Protection of 

Children from Environmental Health 

Risks and Safety Risks’’ (62 FR 19885, 

April 23, 1997); nor is it considered a 

regulatory action under Executive Order 

13771, entitled ‘‘Reducing Regulations 

and Controlling Regulatory Costs’’ (82 

FR 9339, February 3, 2017). This action 

does not contain any information 

collections subject to OMB approval 

under the Paperwork Reduction Act 

(PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., nor does 

it require any special considerations 

under Executive Order 12898, entitled 

‘‘Federal Actions to Address 

Environmental Justice in Minority 

Populations and Low-Income 

Populations’’ (59 FR 7629, February 16, 

1994). 

Since tolerances and exemptions that 

are established on the basis of a petition 

under FFDCA section 408(d), such as 

the tolerance exemption in this action, 

do not require the issuance of a 

proposed rule, the requirements of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 

U.S.C. 601 et seq.) do not apply. 

This action directly regulates growers, 

food processors, food handlers, and food 

retailers, not States or tribes. As a result, 

this action does not alter the 

relationships or distribution of power 

and responsibilities established by 

Congress in the preemption provisions 

of FFDCA section 408(n)(4). As such, 

EPA has determined that this action will 

not have a substantial direct effect on 

States or tribal governments, on the 

relationship between the national 

government and the States or tribal 

governments, or on the distribution of 

power and responsibilities among the 

various levels of government or between 

the Federal Government and Indian 

tribes. Thus, EPA has determined that 

Executive Order 13132, entitled 

‘‘Federalism’’ (64 FR 43255, August 10, 

1999), and Executive Order 13175, 

entitled ‘‘Consultation and Coordination 

with Indian Tribal Governments’’ (65 FR 

67249, November 9, 2000), do not apply 

to this action. In addition, this action 

does not impose any enforceable duty or 

contain any unfunded mandate as 

described under Title II of the Unfunded 

Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) (2 U.S.C. 

1501 et seq.). 

This action does not involve any 

technical standards that would require 

EPA’s consideration of voluntary 

consensus standards pursuant to section 

12(d) of the National Technology 

Transfer and Advancement Act 

(NTTAA) (15 U.S.C. 272 note). 

V. Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), EPA will 

submit a report containing this rule and 

other required information to the U.S. 

Senate, the U.S. House of 

Representatives, and the Comptroller 

General of the United States prior to 

publication of the rule in the Federal 

Register. This action is not a ‘‘major 

rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 180 

Environmental protection, 

Administrative practice and procedure, 

Agricultural commodities, Pesticides 

and pests, Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements. 

Dated: May 29, 2018. 

Richard P. Keigwin, Jr., 

Director, Office of Pesticide Programs. 

Therefore, 40 CFR chapter I is 

amended as follows: 

PART 180—[AMENDED] 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 180 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 21 U.S.C. 321(q), 346a and 371. 

■ 2. Add § 180.1356 to subpart D to read 

as follows: 

§ 180.1356 Extract of Swinglea glutinosa; 

exemption from the requirement of a 

tolerance. 

Residues of the biochemical pesticide 

Extract of Swinglea glutinosa are exempt 

from the requirement of a tolerance in 

or on all food commodities when 

applied pre-harvest in accordance with 

label directions and good agricultural 

practices. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12809 Filed 6–13–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 180209147–8509–02] 

RIN 0648–BH76 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; 2018–2020 Small-Mesh 

Multispecies Specifications 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues final 2018 and 

projected 2019–2020 specifications for 

the small-mesh multispecies fishery, 

and corrects an error from a previous 

action. The specifications are necessary 

to establish allowable catch limits for 

each stock within the fishery to control 

overfishing while allowing optimum 

yield, consistent with the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act. The intent of this 

action is to inform the public of these 

specifications for the 2018 fishing year, 

projected specifications for 2019–2020, 

and the regulatory correction. 

DATES: Effective June 14, 2018, through 

April 30, 2019. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of these 

specifications, including the 

Environmental Assessment (EA), 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Analyses, and 

other supporting documents for the 

action, are available upon request from 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 

New England Fishery Management 

Council, Mid-Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council, 50 Water Street, 

Newburyport, MA 01950. These 

documents are also accessible via the 

internet at www.nefmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cynthia Hanson, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978) 281–9180. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The small-mesh multispecies fishery 

is managed by the New England Fishery 

Management Council within the 

Northeast Multispecies Fishery 

Management Plan (FMP). The fishery is 

composed of five stocks of three species 

of hakes: Northern silver hake; southern 

silver hake; northern red hake; southern 

red hake; and offshore hake. Southern 

silver hake and offshore hake are often 

grouped together and collectively 

referred to as ‘‘southern whiting.’’ 

Amendment 19 to the FMP (78 FR 

20260; April 4, 2013) established a 

process and framework for setting catch 

specifications for the small-mesh 

fishery. The FMP requires the 

specification of an overfishing limit 

(OFL), acceptable biological catch 

(ABC), annual catch limit (ACL), and 

total allowable landings (TAL) for each 

stock within the fishery for up to three 

years at a time, based on the most recent 

stock projections for upcoming years. 

This action implements the Council’s 

recommended small-mesh multispecies 

specifications for the 2018 fishing year, 

announces projected 2019 and 2020 

specifications as recommended by the 

Council, and makes a minor regulatory 

correction. 

The proposed rule for this action 

published in the Federal Register on 

April 12, 2018 (83 FR 15780), and 

comments were accepted through April 

27, 2018. Additional background 

information regarding the development 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with RULES
27714 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

of these specifications was provided in 

the proposed rule (83 FR 15780; April 

12, 2018) and is not repeated here. 

Final Specifications 

This action implements the final 2018 

and projected 2019–2020 small-mesh 

multispecies specifications as proposed 

(Table 1). All other management 

measures in the small-mesh 

multispecies fishery (such as possession 

limits) will remain unchanged. By 

providing projected quotas for 2019 and 

2020, NMFS hopes to assist fishery 

participants in planning ahead. The 

Council will review these specifications 

annually, and NMFS will provide notice 

prior to each fishing year to announce 

any necessary changes for 2019 and 

2020. For more information on the 

Council’s recommendations and 

decision-making process, please see the 

proposed rule (83 FR 15780). 

TABLE 1—SMALL-MESH MULTISPECIES SPECIFICATIONS FOR FISHING YEARS 2018–2020, WITH PERCENT CHANGE FROM

2017, IN METRIC TONS

OFL ABC ACL Percent 

change TAL Percent change 

Northern Silver Hake ............................... 58,350 31,030 29,475 +27 26,604 +33 

Northern Red Hake .................................. 840 721 685 +45 274 +128 

Southern Whiting ..................................... 31,180 19,395 18,425 ¥35 14,465 ¥39 

Southern Red Hake ................................. 1,150 1,060 1,007 ¥38 305 ¥59 

Regulatory Correction 

This action also corrects regulatory 

text specifying the red hake possession 

limits in the southern small-mesh 

exemption areas (Southern New 

England and Mid-Atlantic Exemption 

Areas). In the 2015–2017 specifications 

for this fishery (May 28, 2015; 80 FR 

30379), we implemented a new 3,000-lb 

(1,361-kg) red hake possession limit for 

the northern exemption areas, but we 

did not specify that the possession limit 

in the southern areas would remain 

5,000 lb (2,268 kg). This action revises 

the regulations to specify the 5,000-lb 

(2,268-kg) possession limit for red hake 

harvested in the southern small-mesh 

exemption areas, as originally intended 

by the Council. 

Comments and Responses 

The public comment period for the 

proposed rule ended on April 27, 2018. 

We received three comments from the 

public on this rule. One commenter 

asked how the input of the active 

fishing community contributed to the 

development of these specifications. 

These specifications were developed 

through the Council process, which 

involved multiple discussions at public 

Council meetings (such as meetings on 

June 20, 2017, in Portland, ME; on 

September 26, 2017, in Gloucester, MA; 

and on December 7, 2017, in Newport, 

RI) where concerns and interests of the 

active fishing community were 

considered. Active members of the 

fishing community also sit on the SmallMesh Multispecies (Whiting) Advisory 

Panel, which makes recommendations 

on management of the fishery to the 

Council and its Small-Mesh 

Multispecies Committee. The public 

comment period announced by the 

proposed rule was another opportunity 

for fishermen to offer suggestions and 

improvements to the specifications. The 

other two comments were not relevant 

either to this action or to fisheries in 

general and did not warrant a response. 

No changes to the proposed 

specifications were made as a result of 

these comments. 

Changes From the Proposed Rule 

There are no substantive changes from 

the proposed rule. 

Classification 

Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS 

Assistant Administrator has determined 

that this final rule is consistent with the 

Small-Mesh Multispecies FMP, other 

provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, and other applicable law. 

This final rule does not duplicate, 

conflict, or overlap with any existing 

Federal rules. 

This action does not contain a 

collection of information requirement 

for purposes of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. 

This final rule has been determined to 

be not significant for purposes of 

Executive Order 12866. 

The Assistant Administrator for 

Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause 

under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 

30-day delay in the date of effectiveness 

for this rule, to ensure that the final 

specifications are in place as close as 

practicable to the start of the 2018 

small-mesh multispecies fishing year, 

which began on May 1, 2018. This 

action establishes the final 

specifications (i.e., annual catch limits) 

for the small-mesh multispecies fishery 

for the 2018 fishing year. A delay in 

effectiveness well beyond the start of 

the 2018 fishing year would be contrary 

to the public interest, as it could create 

confusion and potential economic harm 

to the commercial small-mesh 

multispecies industry. Additionally, it 

could compromise the effectiveness of 

the new specifications in achieving 

optimal yield and preventing 

overfishing. 

This rule is being issued at the earliest 

possible date. Preparation of the 

proposed rule was dependent on the 

submission of the EA, in support of the 

specifications, that is developed by the 

Council. A complete specifications 

document and accompanying EA was 

received by NMFS in late January 2018. 

Documentation in support of the 

Council’s recommended specifications 

is required for NMFS to provide the 

public with information from the 

environmental and economic analyses, 

as required in rulemaking, and to 

evaluate the consistency of the 

Council’s recommendation with the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act and other 

applicable law. The proposed rule 

published on April 12, 2018, with a 15- 

day comment period ending April 27, 

2018. 

Although the specifications from 2017 

are carried into 2018 until the new catch 

limits are implemented, the Council has 

recommended changes based on the 

most recent assessment of the four main 

small-mesh multispecies stocks that 

should be in place as soon as possible. 

Harvest occurring within the first weeks 

of the fishing year based on old catch 

limits could be detrimental to southern 

hake stocks, including southern red 

hake, which is experiencing overfishing. 

Furthermore, this action increases the 

northern silver hake quota by 33 percent 

and increases northern red hake quota 

by 128 percent, providing federally 

permitted vessels additional harvest 

opportunity for the 2018 fishing year. 

The timely implementation of these 

specifications will help to ensure that 

the industry has the opportunity to 

achieve optimal yield in the fishery, and 

to access the increased quotas for the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 27715 

northern stocks. It is also important to 

implement the lower southern stock 

catch limits as soon as possible to avoid 

the potential for overfishing. The 

commercial whiting industry has been 

involved in the development of these 

specifications and is anticipating this 

rule. Therefore, there would be no 

benefit to delaying the implementation 

of these specifications. For these 

reasons, we find that there is good cause 

to waive the 30-day delay in the date of 

effectiveness. 

Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 

The final regulatory flexibility 

analysis (FRFA) included in this final 

rule was prepared consistent with 5 

U.S.C. 604(a), and incorporates the 

initial regulatory flexibility analysis 

(IRFA) and a summary of analyses 

completed to support the action. A 

public copy of the environmental 

assessment/IRFA is available from the 

Council (see ADDRESSES). The preamble 

to the proposed rule included a detailed 

summary of the analyses contained in 

the IRFA, and that discussion is not 

repeated here. 

A Summary of the Significant Issues 

Raised by the Public in Response to the 

IRFA, a Summary of the Agency’s 

Assessment of Such Issues, and a 

Statement of Any Changes Made in the 

Final Rule as a Result of Such 

Comments 

NMFS did not receive any comments 

in response to the IRFA or regulatory 

flexibility analysis (RFA) process. Refer 

to the ‘‘Comments and Responses’’ 

section of this rule’s preamble for more 

detail on the public comments that were 

received. No changes to the proposed 

rule were required to be made as a result 

of public comment. 

Description and Estimate of Number of 

Small Entities to Which the Rule Would 

Apply 

This final rule affects small entities 

engaged in commercial fishing 

operations within the small-mesh 

multispecies fishery that is a subset of 

the northeast multispecies fishery. For 

the purposes of the RFA analysis, the 

ownership entities (or firms), not the 

individual vessels, are considered to be 

the regulated entities. Because of this, 

some vessels with northeast 

multispecies permits may be considered 

to be part of the same firm because they 

may have the same owners. In terms of 

RFA, a business primarily engaged in 

commercial fishing activity is classified 

as a small business if it has combined 

annual gross receipts not in excess of 

$11 million (NAICS 11411) for all its 

affiliated operations worldwide. To 

identify these small and large firms, 

vessel ownership data from the permit 

database were grouped according to 

common owners and sorted by size. The 

current ownership data set used for this 

analysis is based on calendar year 2016 

(the most recent complete year 

available) and contains average gross 

sales associated with those permits for 

calendar years 2014 through 2016. 

The small-mesh exempted fishery 

allows vessels to harvest species in 

designated areas using mesh sizes 

smaller than the minimum mesh size 

required by Regulated Mesh Area (RMA) 

regulations. To participate in the smallmesh multispecies exempted fishery, 

vessels must possess either a limited 

access multispecies permit (categories 

A, C, D, E or F) or an open access 

multispecies permit (category K). 

Limited access multispecies permit 

holders can target small-mesh 

multispecies with different possession 

limit requirements depending on fishing 

region and mesh size used. Open access, 

Category K permit holders may fish for 

small-mesh multispecies when 

participating in an exempted fishing 

program. Therefore, entities holding one 

or more multispecies permits (permit 

type A, C–F, K) are the entities that have 

the potential to be directly impacted by 

this action. According to the 

commercial database, there were 853 

distinct ownership entities, based on 

entities’ participation during the 2014– 

2016 time-period, that could potentially 

target small-mesh multispecies. This 

includes entities that could not be 

classified into a business type because 

they did not earn revenue from landing 

and selling fish in 2014–2016 and thus 

are considered to be small. Of the 853 

total firms, 844 are categorized as small 

business entities and nine are 

categorized as large businesses. 

While 853 commercial entities have 

the potential to be impacted by the 

proposed action, not all of these entities 

actively land small-mesh multispecies 

for commercial sale. There are 406 

distinct entities that commercially sold 

small-mesh multispecies from 2014– 

2016 and may be directly affected by the 

proposed action. Of those, 404 are 

categorized as small businesses. 

Description of Projected Reporting, 

Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance 

Requirements 

No additional reporting, 

recordkeeping, or other compliance 

requirements are included in this final 

rule. 

Description of the Steps the Agency Has 

Taken To Minimize the Significant 

Economic Impact on Small Entities 

Consistent With the Stated Objectives of 

Applicable Statutes 

Specification of commercial catch 

limits is constrained by the conservation 

objectives of in the FMP and 

implemented at 50 CFR part 648 under 

the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This action 

implements final 2018 and projected 

2019–2020 commercial catch 

specifications for the small-mesh 

multispecies fishery based on the most 

recent stock assessment update. The 

Council also considered taking no 

action, where the same catch limits and 

specifications from 2017 would 

continue into 2018 with no change. 

Only these two alternatives were 

considered by the Council. The 

alternative status quo specifications do 

not address the overfishing and 

overfished designations raised by the 

2017 stock assessment update, and thus 

do not meet the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

requirements. The specifications 

implemented by this final rule minimize 

the economic impacts on small entities 

to the extent practicable while adhering 

to the conservation requirements of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act. As described in 

the proposed rule for this action, we do 

not anticipate these specifications to 

have a significant impact on those small 

entities to which this final rule would 

apply. 

Small Entity Compliance Guide 

Section 212 of the Small Business 

Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 

1996 states that, for each rule or group 

of related rules for which an agency is 

required to prepare a FRFA, the agency 

shall publish one or more guides to 

assist small entities in complying with 

the rule, and shall designate such 

publications as ‘‘small entity 

compliance guides.’’ The agency shall 

explain the actions a small entity is 

required to take to comply with a rule 

or group of rules. As part of this 

rulemaking process, a letter to permit 

holders that also serves as small entity 

compliance guide was prepared and 

will be sent to all holders of Federal 

permits issued for the small-mesh 

multispecies fishery. In addition, copies 

of this final rule and guide (i.e., permit 

holder letter) are available from NMFS 

at the following website: www.greater

atlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov. 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648 

Fisheries, Fishing, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. 


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27716 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

Dated: June 11, 2018. 

Donna S. Wieting, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is amended 

as follows: 

PART 648—FISHERIES OF THE 

NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 648 

continues to read as follows: 

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

■ 2. In § 648.86, revise the introductory 

text of paragraphs of (d)(1)(i), (ii), and 

(iii) and add paragraph (d)(1)(v) to read 

as follows: 

§ 648.86 NE Multispecies possession 

restrictions. 

* * * * * 

(d) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) Vessels possessing on board or 

using nets of mesh size smaller than 2.5 

in (6.35 cm). Owners or operators of a 

vessel may possess and land not more 

than 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) of combined 

silver hake and offshore hake, if either 

of the following conditions apply: 

* * * * * 

(ii) Vessels possessing on board or 

using nets of mesh size equal to or 

greater than 2.5 in (6.35 cm) but less 

than 3 in (7.62 cm). An owner or 

operator of a vessel that is not subject 

to the possession limit specified in 

paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section may 

possess and land not more than 7,500 lb 

(3,402 kg) of combined silver hake and 

offshore hake if either of the following 

conditions apply: 

* * * * * 

(iii) Vessels possessing on board or 

using nets of mesh size equal to or 

greater than 3 in (7.62 cm). An owner 

or operator of a vessel that is not subject 

to the possession limits specified in 

paragraphs (d)(1)(i) and (ii) of this 

section may possess and land not more 

than 30,000 lb (13,608 kg) of combined 

silver hake and offshore hake when 

fishing in the GOM or GB Exemption 

Areas, as described in § 648.80(a), and 

not more than 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) of 

combined silver hake and offshore hake 

when fishing in the SNE or MA 

Exemption Areas, as described in 

§ 648.80(b)(10) and (c)(5), respectively, 

if both of the following conditions 

apply: 

* * * * * 

(v) Possession limits for red hake. 

Vessels participating in the small-mesh 

multispecies fishery consistent with 

paragraph (d)(1) of this section, may 

possess and land not more than 3,000 lb 

(1,361 kg) of red hake when fishing in 

the GOM or GB Exemption areas, as 

described in § 648.80(a), and not more 

than 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) of red hake 

when fishing in the SNE or MA 

Exemption Areas, as described in 

§ 648.80(b)(10) and (c)(5), respectively. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2018–12780 Filed 6–13–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 665 

[Docket No. 180202114–8513–02] 

RIN 0648–BH60 

Pacific Island Fisheries; 5-Year 

Extension of Moratorium on Harvest of 

Gold Corals 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This final rule extends the 

region-wide moratorium on the harvest 

of gold corals in the U.S. Pacific Islands 

through June 30, 2023. NMFS intends 

this final rule to prevent overfishing and 

to stimulate research on gold corals. 

DATES: This rule is effective July 16, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: Background information on 

Pacific Island precious coral fisheries is 

found in the fishery ecosystem plans 

available from the Western Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council), 

1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, 

HI 96813, tel (808) 522–8220, fax (808) 

522–8226, or www.wpcouncil.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate 

Taylor, NMFS PIR Sustainable 

Fisheries, (808)725–5182. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Precious 

corals (also called deep-sea corals) 

include black, pink, red, bamboo, and 

gold corals, and are harvested for use in 

high quality jewelry. NMFS and the 

Council manage the fishery for precious 

corals in the U.S. Pacific Islands under 

fishery ecosystem plans (FEP) for 

American Samoa, Hawaii, the Mariana 

Archipelago (Guam and the Northern 

Mariana Islands), and the Pacific 

Remote Islands Area. The U.S. fishery 

for gold corals in the Pacific Islands has 

been dormant since 2001. 

In 2008, the Council recommended, 

and NMFS implemented, a five-year 

moratorium on the harvest of gold corals 

in the Pacific Islands Region (73 FR 

47098, August 13, 2008). The measure 

was a precautionary response to 

research that suggested that gold coral 

growth rates and recruitment were 

much lower than previously known. 

The Council considered additional 

research in 2012 that included refined 

gold coral growth rates and the 

identification of previously unknown 

habitat requirements. Based on that 

information, in 2013 the Council 

recommended that NMFS extend the 

moratorium for five years, which the 

agency did in May 2013 (78 FR 32181, 

May 29, 2013). 

The current moratorium is scheduled 

to expire on June 30, 2018, but the 

Council continues to be concerned 

about uncertainties related to slow gold 

coral growth rates, taxonomy, and 

complex habitat requirements. 

Extending the moratorium another five 

years will provide additional time for 

further research and for the Council to 

develop sustainable management 

measures for gold corals. Based on the 

Council’s concerns, NMFS is extending 

the moratorium on harvesting gold 

corals for five years, through June 30, 

2023. 

Additional background information 

on this action is in the preamble to the 

proposed rule (83 FR 18260, April 26, 

2018). 

Comments and Responses 

On April 26, 2018, NMFS published 

a proposed rule and request for public 

comments (83 FR 18260). The comment 

period ended May 11, 2018. NMFS 

received input from four commenters, 

all generally in support of the rule. We 

respond below to specific comments. 

Comment 1: Additional research on 

gold coral growth rates would help 

develop sustainable catch levels in the 

future. 

Response: NMFS agrees research is 

needed on the biology of gold corals to 

quantify the impacts of possible future 

harvesting on these coral species. 

Extending the moratorium may 

stimulate this needed research. 

Comment 2: NMFS should reduce 

harvest effort gradually until the longterm optimal level is achieved and gold 

corals are allowed to recover. 

Response: Prior to the implementation 

of the first moratorium in 2008, the gold 

coral fishery was regulated by an annual 

harvest quota of 240 kg. This quota was 

divided between two coral beds located 

in the main Hawaiian Islands (20 kg 

each), and two coral beds located in the 

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (33.5 

and 66.5 kg). The Council considered a 

range of new management alternatives 


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