4834 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 17 / Thursday, January 25, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

43446, July 10, 2023, adopting final 

rules containing information collection 

requirements designed to promote caller 

ID authentication technology. These 

rules governing non-gateway 

intermediate providers, among other 

entities, implement the Pallone-Thune 

Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal 

Enforcement and Deterrence Act 

(TRACED Act), promote the deployment 

of caller ID authentication technology, 

and combat the practice of illegal caller 

ID spoofing. 

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 64 

Carrier equipment, Communications 

common carriers, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, 

Telecommunications, Telephone. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01167 Filed 1–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 230316–0077; RTID 0648– 

XD685] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; 2024 

River Herring and Shad Catch Cap 

Reached for Midwater Trawl Vessels in 

the Cape Cod Catch Cap Closure Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; possession 

limit adjustment. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is reducing the 

Atlantic herring possession limit for 

herring vessels fishing with midwater 

trawl in the River Herring and Shad 

Cape Cod Catch Cap Closure Area. This 

is required because NMFS projects that 

catch of river herring and shad by 

midwater trawl herring vessels will 

reach the Cape Cod Catch Cap threshold 

for river herring and shad before the end 

of the fishing year. This action is 

intended to prevent overharvest of river 

herring and shad. 

DATES: Effective 00:01 hours local time, 

January 23, 2024, through December 31, 

2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Louis Forristall, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978)-281–9321. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Regional Administrator of the Greater 

Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 

monitors river herring and shad catch 

by Atlantic herring vessels. River 

herring and shad catch caps are 

allocated to the herring fishery by area 

and gear type. 

The Cape Cod Catch Cap Area river 

herring and shad cap is allocated to 

Atlantic herring vessels using midwater 

trawl gear in the Cape Cod Catch Cap 

Area. Catch from all Atlantic herring 

trips using midwater trawl gear in that 

area that land more than 6,600 pounds 

(lb), equivalent to 2,994 kilograms (kg), 

of herring is counted towards the river 

herring and shad catch cap. Regulations 

at 50 CFR 648.201(a)(4)(ii) require 

NMFS to implement a 2,000-lb (907.2- 

kg) Atlantic herring possession limit for 

vessels fishing with the specified gear in 

a specified catch cap closure area 

beginning on the date that catch is 

projected to reach 95 percent of the river 

herring and shad catch cap for that area. 

Based on vessel reports, dealer 

reports, and other available information, 

the Regional Administrator projects that 

midwater trawl herring vessels will 

have caught 95 percent of the river 

herring and shad 2024 Cape Cod Catch 

Cap by January 23, 2024. Therefore, 

effective 00:01 hours local time January 

23, 2024, through 24:00 hours local time 

on December 31, 2024, Atlantic herring 

vessels using midwater trawl gear may 

not attempt or do any of the following: 

Fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, 

or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of 

Atlantic herring from the Cape Cod 

Catch Cap Closure Area per trip; or land 

Atlantic herring from the Cape Cod 

Catch Cap Closure Area more than once 

per calendar day. Also effective 00:01 

hours local time, January 23, 2024, 

through 24:00 hours local time, 

December 31, 2024, unless it is from a 

vessel that enters port before 00:01 

hours local time on January 23, 2024, 

and catch is landed in accordance with 

state management measures, federally 

permitted dealers may not attempt or do 

any of the following: purchase; receive; 

possess; have custody or control of; sell; 

barter; trade; or transfer more than 2,000 

lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip 

or calendar day from an Atlantic herring 

midwater trawl vessel fishing in the 

Cape Cod Catch Cap Closure Area. 

Midwater trawl vessels may transit 

through or land in the Cape Cod Catch 

Cap Closure Area with more than 2,000 

lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring on 

board, provided that: The herring were 

caught in an area not subject to a 2,000- 

lb (907.2-kg) limit; all fishing gear is 

stowed and not available for immediate 

use as defined at § 648.2 while the 

vessel is in the Closure Area; and the 

vessel is issued a permit appropriate to 

the amount of herring on board and the 

area where the herring was harvested. 

Classification 

This action is required by 50 CFR part 

648 and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) to waive prior notice 

and the opportunity for public comment 

because it would be impracticable, 

unnecessary, and contrary to the public 

interest. Data only recently became 

available indicating that midwater trawl 

herring vessels will catch 95 percent of 

the river herring and shad Cape Cod 

Catch Cap before the end of the fishing 

year. High-volume catch and landings in 

the herring fishery can increase river 

herring and shad catch relative to catch 

caps quickly. If implementation of this 

action is delayed to solicit prior public 

comment, the 2024 Cape Cod Catch Cap 

will likely be exceeded; thereby 

undermining the conservation 

objectives of the Atlantic Herring 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP). 

Additionally, the regulations at 

§ 648.201(a)(4)(ii) are designed to be 

implemented as quickly as possible to 

prevent catch from exceeding river 

herring and shad catch caps. NMFS is 

acting in accordance with those 

regulations to carry out the fishery 

management plan under the authority 

provided in section 305(d) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

These regulations were subject to public 

notice and opportunity to comment 

when they were first adopted in 2014. 

Further, Atlantic herring fishing 

industry participants monitor catch 

closely and anticipate potential 

possession limit adjustments as catch 

totals approach river herring and shad 

catch caps, and they expect these 

actions to occur in a timely way 

consistent with the FMP’s objectives. 

For the reasons stated above, NMFS also 

finds good cause to waive the 30-day 

delayed effectiveness in accordance 

with 5 U.S.C 553(d)(3). 

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

Dated: January 22, 2024. 

Everett Wayne Baxter, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01455 Filed 1–22–24; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES