9072 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 28 / Friday, February 9, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

Table 1 of DHS Instruction Manual 023– 

01–001–01, Rev. 1. Paragraph A3 

pertains to the promulgation of rules of 

the following nature: (a) those of a 

strictly administrative or procedural 

nature; (b) those that implement, 

without substantive change, statutory or 

regulatory requirements; (c) those that 

implement, without substantive change, 

procedures, manuals, and other 

guidance documents; (d) those that 

interpret or amend an existing 

regulation without changing its 

environmental effect; (e) those that 

provide technical guidance on safety 

and security matters; and (f) those that 

provide guidance for the preparation of 

security plans. Paragraph L54 pertains 

to regulations which are editorial or 

procedural. 

This rule involves adjusting the 

pilotage rates for the 2024 shipping 

season to account for changes in district 

operating expenses, changes in the 

number of pilots, and anticipated 

inflation. This rule is not part of a larger 

action, and it will not result in 

significant impacts to the human 

environment. All changes are consistent 

with the Coast Guard’s maritime safety 

missions. 

List of Subjects in 46 CFR Part 401 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Great Lakes; Navigation 

(water), Penalties, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Seamen. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Coast Guard amends 46 

CFR part 401 as follows: 

PART 401—GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE 

REGULATIONS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 401 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 46 U.S.C. 2103, 2104(a), 6101, 

7701, 8105, 9303, 9304; DHS Delegation No. 

00170.1, Revision No. 01.3, paragraphs 

(II)(92)(a), (d), (e), (f). 

■ 2. Amend § 401.405 by revising 

paragraphs (a)(1) through (6) to read as 

follows: 

§ 401.405 Pilotage rates and charges. 

(a) * * * 

(1) The St. Lawrence River is $927; 

(2) Lake Ontario is $608; 

(3) Lake Erie is $597 

(4) The navigable waters from 

Southeast Shoal to Port Huron, MI is 

$667; 

(5) Lakes Huron, Michigan, and 

Superior is $430; and 

(6) The St. Mary’s River is $836. 

* * * * * 

Dated: January 31, 2024. 

W.R. Arguin, 

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant 

Commandant for Prevention Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–02410 Filed 2–8–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 240205–0038; RTID 0648– 

XD564] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Monkfish Fishery; 2024 

Monkfish Specifications 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is implementing 

specifications for the 2024 monkfish 

fishery. This action is necessary to 

ensure allowable monkfish harvest 

levels that will prevent overfishing and 

allow harvesting of optimum yield. This 

action is intended to establish the 

allowable 2024 harvest levels, 

consistent with the Monkfish Fishery 

Management Plan and previously 

announced multi-year specifications. 

DATES: The final specifications for the 

2024 monkfish fishery are effective May 

1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Spencer Talmage, Fishery Policy 

Analyst, (978) 281–9232. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The New 

England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 

Management Councils (together, the 

Councils) jointly manage the monkfish 

fishery. The Monkfish Fishery 

Management Plan includes a 

specifications process that requires the 

Councils to recommend quotas on a 

triennial basis. This action finalizes 

2024 specifications approved by the 

Councils in Framework Adjustment 13 

to the Monkfish Fishery Management 

Plan, which included specifications for 

fishing years 2023–2025. 

On August 11, 2023, NMFS published 

a final rule approving Framework 13 

measures for the 2023 fishing year (88 

FR 54495), based on a recent stock 

assessment update and consistent with 

the New England Council’s Scientific 

and Statistical Committee 

recommendations. At that time, NMFS 

also projected a continuation of those 

same specifications for 2024 and 2025. 

The final total allowable landings in 

both the Northern and Southern Fishery 

Management Areas for 2024 are 

summarized in table 1. The 2024 

measures are the same as those 

implemented in 2023. 

TABLE 1—MONKFISH SPECIFICATIONS FOR FISHING YEAR 2024 

[in metric tons] 

Catch limits Northern 

area 

Southern 

area 

Acceptable Biological Catch ............................................................................................................................................ 6,224 5,861 

Annual Catch Limit .......................................................................................................................................................... 6,224 5,861 

Management Uncertainty (3 percent) .............................................................................................................................. 187 176 

Annual Catch Target (Total Allowable Landings + discards) .......................................................................................... 6,038 5,685 

Expected Discards ........................................................................................................................................................... 729 2,205 

Total Allowable Landings ......................................................................................................................................... 5,309 3,481 

NMFS has reviewed the available 

information on fishing years 2022 and 

2023. There have been no annual catch 

limit overages, nor is there any new 

biological information that would 

require altering the projected 2024 

specifications. Based on this, we are 

implementing the fishing year 2024 

specifications announced in the 

Framework 13 final rule. The 2024 

specifications will be effective until 

April 30, 2025. 

This final rule makes no modification 

to other management measures for the 

monkfish fishery (e.g., trip limits, DaysAt-Sea allocations, etc.). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 28 / Friday, February 9, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 9073 

Classification 

Pursuant to section 304(b)(3) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act), the NMFS 

Assistant Administrator has determined 

that this final rule is consistent with the 

Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, 

other provisions of the MagnusonStevens Act, and other applicable law. 

This final rule is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), we 

find good cause to waive prior public 

notice and opportunity for public 

comment on the catch limit and 

allocation adjustments because allowing 

time for notice and comment is 

unnecessary. The Framework 13 

proposed rule provided the public with 

the opportunity to comment on the 

2023–2025 specifications (88 FR 25351, 

April 26, 2023). Two comments were 

received on the proposed rule, only one 

of which specifically addressed the 

2023–2025 specifications. This 

comment supported these 

specifications. Thus, the proposed and 

final rules that contained the projected 

2023–2025 specifications provided a 

full opportunity for the public to 

comment on the substance and process 

of this action. No circumstances or 

conditions have changed in the 

monkfish fishery that would cause new 

concern or necessitate reopening the 

comment period and the final 2024 

specifications being implemented by 

this rule are unchanged from those 

projected in the Framework 13 final 

rule. 

The Chief Counsel for Regulation, 

Department of Commerce, previously 

certified to the Chief Counsel for 

Advocacy of the Small Business 

Administration (SBA) that the 2023– 

2025 monkfish specifications would not 

have a significant economic impact on 

a substantial number of small entities. 

Implementing status quo specifications 

for 2024 will not change the conclusions 

drawn in that previous certification to 

the SBA. Because advance notice and 

the opportunity for public comment are 

not required for this action under the 

Administrative Procedure Act, or any 

other law, the analytical requirements of 

the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 

601 et seq., do not apply to this rule. 

Therefore, no new regulatory flexibility 

analysis is required and none has been 

prepared. 

This final rule contains no 

information collection requirements 

under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995. 

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

Dated: February 5, 2024. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–02677 Filed 2–8–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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