Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 183 / Friday, September 20, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 77029 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program Report and 

Order, WC Docket No. 23–234; FCC 24– 

63 published at 89 FR 61282, July 30, 

2024. The OMB Control Number is 

3060–1323. If you have any comments 

on the burden estimates listed in the 

following, or how the Commission can 

improve the collections and reduce any 

burdens caused thereby, please contact 

Nicole Ongele, Federal Communications 

Commission, Room 3.310, 45 L Street 

NE, Washington, DC 20554. Please 

include the OMB Control Number, 

3060–1323, in your correspondence. 

The Commission will also accept your 

comments via email at PRA@fcc.gov. 

To request materials in accessible 

formats for people with disabilities 

(Braille, large print, electronic files, 

audio format), send an email to fcc504@

fcc.gov or call the Consumer and 

Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 

418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432 

(TTY). 

Synopsis 

As required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), 

the Commission is notifying the public 

that it received OMB approval on 

September 13, 2024, for the information 

collection requirements contained in 47 

CFR 54.2004, 54.2005, 54.2006 and 

54.2008 published at 89 FR 61282, July 

30, 2024. 

Under 5 CFR part 1320, an agency 

may not conduct or sponsor a collection 

of information unless it displays a 

current, valid OMB Control Number. 

No person shall be subject to any 

penalty for failing to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act that does not 

display a current, valid OMB Control 

Number. 

The foregoing notification is required 

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, Public Law 104–13, October 1, 

1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507. 

The total annual reporting burdens 

and costs for the respondents are as 

follows: 

OMB Control Number: 3060–1323. 

OMB Approval Date: September 13, 

2024. 

OMB Expiration Date: September 30, 

2027. 

Title: Schools and Libraries 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program. 

Form Number: FCC Forms 470, 471, 

472, 474—Cybersecurity, 484 and 488— 

Cybersecurity. 

Type of Review: New information 

collection. 

Respondents: State, local or tribal 

government institutions, and other notfor-profit institutions. 

Number of Respondents and 

Responses: 23,000 respondents; 201,100 

responses. 

Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours 

for FCC Form 470—Cybersecurity, 5 

hours for FCC Form 471—Cybersecurity, 

1.75 hours for FCC Forms 472/474— 

Cybersecurity, 15 hours for FCC Form 

484, and 1 hour for FCC Form 488— 

Cybersecurity. 

Frequency of Response: On occasion 

and annual reporting requirements, and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

Obligation to Respond: Required to 

obtain or retain benefits. Statutory 

authority for this information collection 

is contained in sections 1–4, 201–202, 

254, 303(r), and 403 of the 

Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. 151– 

154, 201–202, 254, 303(r), and 403. 

Total Annual Burden: 743,900 hours. 

Total Annual Cost: No cost. 

Needs and Uses: The information 

collected is designed to obtain 

information from applicants and service 

providers that will be used by the 

Commission and/or USAC to evaluate 

the applications and select participants 

to receive funding under the 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program, make 

funding determinations and disburse 

funding in compliance with applicable 

federal laws for payments made through 

the Pilot program. 

The Commission will begin accepting 

applications to participate in the 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program after 

publication of its Report and Order and 

notice of OMB approval of the 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program information 

collection in the Federal Register. 

On June 11, 2024, the Commission 

adopted the Schools and Libraries 

Cybersecurity Pilot Program Report and 

Order in WC Docket No. 23–234, 89 FR 

61282, July 30, 2024. The Commission 

adopted a three-year pilot program 

within the Universal Service Fund to 

provide up to $200 million available to 

support cybersecurity and advanced 

firewall services for eligible schools and 

libraries. Accordingly, the Commission 

adopted and added subpart T to part 54 

of its rules. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary, Office of the Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21466 Filed 9–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 635 

[Docket No. 240916–0238] 

RIN 0648–BN13 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 

Adjustments to the 2024 North Atlantic 

Albacore Tuna, North and South 

Atlantic Swordfish, and Atlantic 

Bluefin Tuna Reserve Category Quotas 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule; temporary quota 

adjustment. 

SUMMARY: NMFS modifies the baseline 

annual U.S. North Atlantic albacore 

tuna (northern albacore) quota, effective 

until changed, in accordance with the 

baseline quota adjustment process. 

NMFS also adjusts the 2024 baseline 

quotas for U.S. North Atlantic albacore 

tuna (northern albacore), North and 

South Atlantic swordfish, and the 

Atlantic bluefin tuna Reserve category 

based on the 2023 underharvest and 

applicable international quota transfer. 

These temporary adjustments are 

effective through December 31, 2024. 

Full annual baseline allocations will be 

available to U.S. harvesters starting 

January 1, 2025. These actions are 

necessary to implement 

recommendations of the International 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) as required by 

the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act 

(ATCA), and to achieve domestic 

management objectives under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

DATES: The final rule is effective 

September 20, 2024. The temporary 

quota adjustments are effective 

September 20, 2024, through December 

31, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Supporting documents, 

including environmental assessments 

and environmental impact statements, 

as well as the 2006 Consolidated 

Atlantic HMS Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP) and its amendments, may be 

downloaded from the Highly Migratory 

Species (HMS) website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/atlantichighly-migratory-species. These 

documents also are available upon 

request from Anna Quintrell or Steve 

Durkee at the email addresses and 

telephone numbers below. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with RULES1
77030 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 183 / Friday, September 20, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Anna Quintrell (301–427–8503, 

anna.quintrell@noaa.gov) or Steve 

Durkee (301–427–8503, steve.durkee@

noaa.gov). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic 

HMS northern albacore, swordfish, and 

bluefin tuna fisheries, are managed 

under the authority of ATCA (16 U.S.C. 

971 et seq.) and the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). The HMS 

FMP and its amendments are 

implemented by regulations at 50 CFR 

part 635. Section 635.27(a) implements 

the ICCAT-recommended quota and 

describes the annual quota adjustment 

process for bluefin tuna. Section 

635.27(c) implements the ICCATrecommended quotas and describes the 

quota adjustment process for both North 

and South Atlantic swordfish. Section 

635.27(e) implements the northern 

albacore annual quota recommended by 

ICCAT and describes the annual 

northern albacore quota adjustment 

process. NMFS is required under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act to provide U.S. 

fishing vessels with a reasonable 

opportunity to harvest quotas under 

relevant international fishery 

agreements such as the International 

Convention for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas, which is implemented 

domestically pursuant to ATCA. 

Note that, consistent with how the 

quotas are established, weight 

information for northern albacore and 

bluefin tuna below is shown in metric 

tons (mt) whole weight (ww), and 

weight information for swordfish is 

shown in both dressed weight (dw) and 

ww. 

Northern Albacore Annual Quota and 

Adjustment Process 

As described below, in accordance 

with the recent ICCAT Recommendation 

23–05, this final rule sets the U.S. 

allocation and annual baseline quota for 

northern albacore at 889.4 mt NOAA 

conducted the analysis supporting this 

rule and described the findings in the 

Environmental Assessment (EA). This 

final rule further adjusts that baseline 

quota to 1,067.3 mt for 2024 based on 

an underharvest of the 2023 adjusted 

quota. 

At its 2021 annual meeting, under 

Recommendation 21–04, ICCAT 

adopted a management procedure for 

northern albacore. The management 

procedure was domestically 

implemented via a 2022 final rule (87 

FR 33049, June 1, 2022). At that time, 

NMFS considered different quota 

alternatives in an environmental 

assessment (EA). NOAA analyzed the 

effects of the maximum possible quota 

pursuant to the northern albacore 

management procedure in the EA, and 

the preferred alternative was selected 

based on that analysis. In other words, 

NOAA analyzed and preferred an 

alternative in the EA where the 

maximum annual baseline quota could 

be up to 950 mt if adopted by ICCAT 

through application of the management 

procedure within Recommendation 21– 

04. Additionally, the 2022 final rule that 

NMFS would implement any new 

annual baseline quotas through final 

rulemaking, assuming no new 

management measures are adopted or 

other relevant changes in circumstances 

occur; that NMFS annually would 

provide notice to the public in the 

Federal Register of the baseline 

northern albacore quota with any 

annual adjustments as allowable for 

over- and underharvest, as appropriate; 

and that NMFS would evaluate the need 

for any additional environmental 

analyses or for proposed and final 

rulemaking when a new quota is 

adopted by ICCAT and then 

implemented by NMFS. Because the U.S 

northern albacore allocation under 

Recommendation 23–05 is within the 

range analyzed in the 2022 EA, and 

because there are no new management 

measures other than the change in the 

baseline quota, this action is consistent 

with the 2022 final rule. Therefore, 

NMFS is proceeding directly to a final 

rule to implement this change in annual 

baseline quota. 

Consistent with the northern albacore 

quota regulations at § 635.27(e), in this 

final rule and temporary quota 

adjustment, NMFS adjusts the U.S. 

annual northern albacore quota for 

allowable underharvest in the previous 

year. NMFS makes such adjustments 

consistent with ICCAT carryover limits, 

and when complete catch information 

for the prior year is available and 

finalized. The maximum underharvest 

that an ICCAT Contracting Party may 

carry forward from one year to the next 

is 25 percent of its baseline quota, 

which, for the 2023 baseline quota 

(711.5 mt), was 177.9 mt for the United 

States. For 2023, the adjusted quota was 

889.4 mt (711.5 mt plus 177.9 mt of 

2022 underharvest). In 2023, U.S. 

landings of northern albacore were 

180.5 mt, which is an underharvest of 

708.9 mt of the 2023 adjusted quota. 

This underharvest exceeds the 177.9-mt 

underharvest carryover limit allowed 

under Recommendation 21–04, which 

applied for 2023; therefore, only 177.9 

mt may be carried forward to the 2024 

fishing year. Thus, the adjusted 2024 

northern albacore quota will be 1,067.3 

mt (889.4 mt plus 177.9 mt 

underharvest) (table 1). 

TABLE 1—2024 NORTHERN ALBACORE QUOTA

Northern albacore quota 

(mt ww) 2023 2024 

Baseline Quota ........................................................................................................................................................ 711.5 889.4 

Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................................................................... 578.8 708.9 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year † ....................................................................................................... (+)177.9 (+)177.9 

Adjusted Quota (Baseline + Underharvest) ............................................................................................................. 889.4 1,067.3 

† Allowable underharvest carryover is capped at 25 percent of the 2023 baseline quota allocation (177.9 mt ww). 

North and South Atlantic Swordfish 

Annual Quota and Adjustment Process 

North Atlantic Swordfish 

Consistent with the North Atlantic 

swordfish quota regulations at 

§ 635.27(c), in this final rule, NMFS 

adjusts the U.S. annual North Atlantic 

swordfish quota for allowable 

underharvest in the previous year. 

NMFS makes such adjustments 

consistent with ICCAT carryover limits 

and when complete catch information 

for the prior year is available and 

finalized. Consistent with ICCAT 

Recommendation 17–02 as amended by 

Recommendation 23–04, the U.S. North 

Atlantic swordfish baseline annual 

quota through 2024 is 2,937.6 mt dw 

(3,907 mt ww). 

Relevant to the North Atlantic 

swordfish quota adjustment in this 

action, and as codified at § 635.27(c)(3), 

the maximum underharvest that the 

United States may carry forward from 

one year to the next is 15 percent of the 

baseline quota, which equates to 440.6 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with RULES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 183 / Friday, September 20, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 77031 

mt dw (586 mt ww). For 2023, the 

adjusted North Atlantic swordfish quota 

was 3,378.2 mt dw (2,937.6 mt dw 

baseline quota plus 440.6 mt dw of 2022 

underharvest). In 2023, U.S. landings of 

North Atlantic swordfish, which 

includes landings and dead discards, 

was 1,008.3 mt dw, which is an 

underharvest of 2,369.9 mt dw of the 

2023 adjusted quota. This underharvest 

exceeds the 440.6-mt dw underharvest 

carryover limit allowed under 

Recommendation 23–04; therefore, only 

440.6 mt dw may be carried forward to 

the 2024 fishing year. 

Additionally, in accordance with 

ICCAT Recommendation 23–04, the 

United States will transfer 150.4 mt dw 

(200 mt ww) of its North Atlantic 

swordfish quota to Morocco, which 

serves to facilitate cooperative 

management efforts between ICCAT 

contracting parties. Morocco agreed to 

adhere to ICCAT management measures, 

reporting requirements, and monitoring 

of the transferred quota. 

Thus, the adjusted 2024 North 

Atlantic swordfish quota will be 3,227.8 

mt dw (2,937.6 mt dw baseline quota, 

plus 440.6 mt dw carryover, minus 

150.4 mt dw transfer to Morocco). In 

accordance with regulations at 

§ 635.27(c)(1)(i), 50 mt dw of the 

adjusted quota will be allocated to the 

Reserve category for inseason 

adjustments and research, 300 mt dw of 

the adjusted quota will be allocated to 

the incidental category, which covers 

recreational landings and landings by 

incidental swordfish permit holders, 

and the remainder of the adjusted quota 

(2,877.8 mt dw) will be allocated to the 

directed category, which will be split 

equally between two seasons in 2024 

(January through June, and July through 

December) (table 2). 

South Atlantic Swordfish 

Consistent with the South Atlantic 

swordfish quota regulations at 

§ 635.27(c), NMFS adjusts the U.S. 

annual South Atlantic swordfish quota 

for allowable underharvest, if any, in 

the previous year. NMFS makes such 

adjustments, if needed, consistent with 

ICCAT carryover limits and when 

complete catch information for the prior 

year is available and finalized. 

Consistent with ICCAT 

Recommendation 17–03 as amended by 

Recommendation 22–04, the U.S. South 

Atlantic swordfish baseline annual 

quota through 2026 is 75.2 mt dw (100 

mt ww), and the amount of 

underharvest that the United States can 

carry forward from one year to the next 

is 75.2 mt dw (100 mt ww) (table 2). In 

2023 there were no landings of South 

Atlantic swordfish by U.S. fishermen, 

which is an underharvest of 75.2 mt dw 

of the 2023 adjusted quota. Of that 

underharvest, 75.2 mt dw may be 

carried forward to the 2024 fishing year. 

Under Recommendations 17–03 and 22– 

04, the United States continues to 

transfer a total of 75.2 mt dw (100 mt 

ww) to other countries. These transfers 

are 37.6 mt dw (50 mt ww) to Namibia, 

18.8 mt dw (25 mt ww) to Coˆte d’Ivoire, 

and 18.8 mt dw (25 mt ww) to Belize. 

Thus, the adjusted 2024 South Atlantic 

swordfish quota will be 75.2 mt dw. 

TABLE 2—2024 NORTH AND SOUTH ATLANTIC SWORDFISH QUOTAS

North Atlantic swordfish quota 

(mt dw) 2023 2024 

Baseline Quota ........................................................................................................................................................ 2,937.6 2,937.6 

International Quota Transfers * ................................................................................................................................ N/A (¥)150.4 

Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................................................................... 2,371.3 2,369.9 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year † ....................................................................................................... (+)440.6 (+)440.6 

Adjusted Quota (Baseline + Carryover + Transfer) ................................................................................................ 3,378.2 3,227.8 

Quota Allocation: 

Directed Category ............................................................................................................................................. 3,028.2 2,877.8 

Incidental Category ........................................................................................................................................... 300 300 

Reserve Category ............................................................................................................................................. 50 50 

South Atlantic swordfish quota 

(mt dw) 

2023 2024 

Baseline Quota ........................................................................................................................................................ 75.2 75.2 

International Quota Transfers ** .............................................................................................................................. (¥)75.2 (¥)75.2 

Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................................................................... 75.2 75.2 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year † ....................................................................................................... 75.2 75.2 

Adjusted quota (Baseline + Transfers + Carryover) ............................................................................................... 75.2 75.2 

* Under ICCAT Recommendation 23–04, the United States transferred 150.4 mt dw (200 mt ww) to Morocco. 

† Allowable underharvest carryover is capped at 15 percent of the baseline quota allocation (440.6 mt dw) for the North Atlantic and 75.2 dw 

(100 mt ww) for the South Atlantic. 

** Under ICCAT Recommendations 17–03 and 22–04, the United States transfers 75.2 mt dw (100 mt ww) annually to Namibia (37.6 mt dw, 

50 mt ww), Coˆte d’Ivoire (18.8 mt dw, 25 mt ww), and Belize (18.8 mt dw, 25 mt ww). 

Bluefin Tuna Annual Quota and 

Adjustment Process 

Consistent with the regulations 

regarding annual bluefin tuna quota 

adjustment at § 635.27(a), in this final 

rule, NMFS announces the addition of 

available underharvest in the bluefin 

tuna Reserve category. Specifically, the 

adjusted 2024 Reserve category quota is 

now 161.5 mt. 

In 2022, NMFS implemented relevant 

provisions of an ICCAT western Atlantic 

bluefin tuna recommendation 

(Recommendation 21–07) in a final rule 

(87 FR 33049, June 1, 2022). That 

rulemaking implemented the annual 

U.S. baseline quota of 1,316.1 mt, plus 

an additional 25 mt to account for 

bycatch related to pelagic longline 

fisheries in the Northeast Distant gear 

restricted area (NED), for a total quota of 

1,341.1 mt. At the 2022 annual meeting, 

a management procedure was 

implemented for bluefin tuna 

(Recommendation 22–09). This 

management procedure set the western 

Atlantic bluefin tuna TAC for 2023 

through 2025 at the same level as 2021 

(Recommendation 22–10). As such, the 

total annual U.S. bluefin tuna quota for 

2024 remains 1,341.1 mt (see 

§ 635.27(a)). Consistent with 

Recommendation 22–10, the maximum 

underharvest that the United States can 

carry forward from one year to the next 

is 10 percent of its total annual quota, 

which equates to 134.1 mt. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with RULES1
77032 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 183 / Friday, September 20, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

In 2023, the adjusted U.S. quota was 

1,447.7 mt, and the U.S. catch, 

including landings and dead discards, 

totaled 1,311.3 mt. Thus, the 2023 

underharvest was 136.4 mt, which 

exceeds the underharvest carryover 

limit (134.1 mt). As such, the United 

States is carrying forward the allowable 

134.1 mt underharvest to 2024. Per 

§ 635.27(a) this underharvest augments 

the Reserve category quota. The 2024 

Reserve category quota of 38.2 mt was 

recently adjusted to 27.4 mt (89 FR 

58074, July 17, 2024). Thus, the 

adjusted 2024 Reserve category quota is 

now, through this action, 161.5 mt (27.4 

mt plus 134.1 mt underharvest) (table 

3). 

TABLE 3—2024 BLUEFIN TUNA QUOTA

Bluefin tuna quota 

(mt ww) 2023 2024 

Baseline Quota ........................................................................................................................................................ 1,316.1 1,316.1 

Total Quota (Baseline Quota + Bycatch Allocation) * .............................................................................................. 1,341.1 1,341.1 

Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................................................................... 106.5 136.4 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year † ....................................................................................................... (+)106.5 (+)134.1 

Adjusted Quota (Total quota + Carryover) .............................................................................................................. 1,447.7 1,475.2 

Baseline Reserve Category Quota .......................................................................................................................... ‡ 38.2 ** 38.2 

Adjusted Reserve Category Quota (Reserve quota + Carryover) .......................................................................... 133.9 161.5 

Values in this table are subject to rounding error. 

* The United States is allocated an additional 25 mt to account for bycatch related to pelagic longline fisheries in the Northeast Distant gear restricted area (NED). 

† Allowable underharvest carryover is capped at 10 percent of the total annual quota (134.1 mt ww). 

‡ The 2023 baseline Reserve category quota of 38.2 mt was adjusted to 27.4 mt (88 FR 48136, July 26, 2023). 

** The 2024 baseline Reserve category quota of 38.2 mt was adjusted to 27.4 mt (89 FR 58074, July 17, 2024). 

Classification 

NMFS is issuing this rule pursuant to 

305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 

U.S.C. 1855(d)) and regulations at 50 

CFR part 635. This final rule has been 

determined to be not significant for 

purposes of Executive Order 12866. 

The Assistant Administrator for 

NMFS (AA) has determined that this 

final rule is consistent with the 2006 

Consolidated HMS FMP and its 

amendments, ATCA, and other 

applicable law. 

The AA finds that pursuant to 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(B), it is unnecessary to 

provide prior notice of, and an 

opportunity for public comment on, this 

action for the following reasons. The 

rulemaking processes for amendment 13 

to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (87 

FR 59966, October 3, 2022), the 2022 

Atlantic bluefin tuna and northern 

albacore quota rule (87 FR 33049, June 

1, 2022), and the 2016 North and South 

Atlantic Swordfish Quota Adjustment 

Rule (81 FR 48719, July 26, 2016) 

specifically provided prior notice of, 

and accepted public comment on, the 

formulaic quota adjustment processes 

for the northern albacore, Atlantic 

bluefin tuna, and swordfish fisheries 

and the manner in which they occur. 

The June 1, 2022, final rule also 

anticipated that NMFS would 

implement U.S. northern albacore 

quotas as recommended by ICCAT in 

accordance with the management 

procedure, up to the analyzed maximum 

baseline quota of 950 mt. The baseline 

quota would remain at 711.5 mt 

annually until changed by ICCAT. 

NMFS anticipated implementing any 

new baseline quotas through final 

rulemaking, assuming no new 

management measures are adopted or 

other relevant changes in circumstances 

occur. Additionally, consistent with 

current practice, NMFS annually would 

provide notice to the public in the 

Federal Register of the baseline 

northern albacore quota with any 

annual adjustments as allowable for 

over- and underharvest, as appropriate. 

NMFS would evaluate the need for any 

additional environmental analyses or for 

proposed and final rulemaking when a 

new quota is adopted by ICCAT and 

implemented by NMFS. These processes 

have not changed, and the application 

of these formulas to the relevant quotas 

in this temporary final rule is a routine 

action that does not have discretionary 

aspects requiring additional agency 

consideration. Additionally, similar 

actions to adjust the quotas based on the 

previous year’s underharvest occur 

annually, and the regulated community 

expects such adjustments in 2024. For 

all of these reasons, it is unnecessary to 

provide prior notice and an additional 

opportunity for public comment on this 

action. 

There is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in 

the date of effectiveness and to make the 

rule effective upon the date of 

publication in the Federal Register. As 

described above, this rule is a routine 

action that applies existing quota 

adjustment formulas, and that the 

regulated community anticipates 

annually and does not need time to 

prepare for. The 2024 fisheries for 

northern albacore, North and South 

Atlantic swordfish, and bluefin tuna 

opened on January 1, 2024. NMFS 

monitors northern albacore, North and 

South Atlantic swordfish, and bluefin 

tuna annual catch and uses the previous 

year’s catch data to calculate the legally 

allowable quotas for the current year. 

However, these adjustments to the 2024 

quotas could not occur earlier in the 

year because the final 2023 landings 

data—which first must collected, 

compiled, and submitted in accordance 

with ICCAT reporting requirements— 

were not available until late July. Given 

that these fisheries are currently open 

and permit-holders are actively fishing, 

delaying the effective date of this rule’s 

quota adjustments could lead to 

premature closure of one or more 

affected fisheries if the unadjusted quota 

limit is reached within the next 30 days. 

Such an event would negatively affect 

the regulated fisheries’ reasonable 

opportunity to catch the available 

quotas, contrary to Magnuson-Stevens 

Act requirements and overall purpose of 

sound conservation and management of 

fisheries—including highly migratory 

species—in a manner that achieves 

optimum yield. Furthermore, delaying 

the effective date of this rule would 

delay the application of North and 

South Atlantic swordfish quota transfers 

pursuant to ICCAT obligations for U.S. 

quota limits, contrary to requirements 

under ATCA. It would also delay 

NMFS’ ability to transfer quota 

inseason, as needed, from the bluefin 

Reserve category to other fishing 

categories to ensure fishing 

opportunities and avoid premature 

fishery closures. As with the quota 

adjustments, such a delay would be 

contrary to the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

requirement to allow U.S. vessels 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with RULES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 183 / Friday, September 20, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 77033 

reasonable opportunity to harvest highly 

migratory species allocations and quotas 

under relevant international fishery 

agreements such as the International 

Convention for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas. 

This action does not contain a 

collection-of-information requirement 

for purposes of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. 

Because prior notice and opportunity 

for public comment are not required for 

this rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other 

law, the analytical requirements of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 

et seq., are inapplicable. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 

et seq. 

Dated: September 16, 2024. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, NMFS amends 50 CFR part 

635 as follows: 

PART 635—ATLANTIC HIGHLY 

MIGRATORY SPECIES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 635 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 

1801 et seq. 

■ 2. In § 635.27, revise paragraph (e)(1) 

to read as follows: 

§ 635.27 Quotas. 

* * * * * 

(e) * * * 

(1) Annual quota. Consistent with 

ICCAT recommendations, the ICCAT 

northern albacore management 

procedure, and domestic management 

objectives, the baseline annual quota, 

before any adjustments, is 889.4 mt. The 

total quota, after any adjustments made 

per paragraph (e)(2) of this section, is 

the fishing year’s total amount of 

northern albacore tuna that may be 

landed by persons and vessels subject to 

U.S. jurisdiction. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2024–21507 Filed 9–19–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No. 240327–0090; RTID 0648– 

XE271] 

Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West 

Coast; 2024 Catch Sharing Plan; 

Inseason Action 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason 

adjustment; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces inseason 

action for the Pacific halibut 

recreational fishery in the International 

Pacific Halibut Commission’s (IPHC) 

regulatory Area 2A off Washington, 

Oregon, and California. Specifically, 

this action transfers 12,000 pounds (lb; 

5.4 metric tons (mt)) of the Area 2A 

Pacific halibut recreational allocation, 

in net pounds, from the Oregon 

recreational fishery to the Washington 

recreational fishery. This action is 

intended to provide opportunity for 

anglers to achieve the total Area 2A 

recreational fishery allocation. 

DATES: 

Effective: September 20, 2024, 

through December 31, 2024. 

Comments due date: Comments will 

be accepted on or before October 7, 

2024. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by NOAA–NMFS–2024–0014, 

by either of the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

NOAA–NMFS–2024–0014 in the Search 

box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Jennifer Quan, Regional Administrator, 

c/o Melissa Mandrup, West Coast 

Region, NMFS, 501 W Ocean Blvd., 

Long Beach, CA 90802. 

Instructions: NMFS may not consider 

comments if they are sent by any other 

method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the 

comment period ends. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and NMFS will post them for public 

viewing on https://www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender is 

publicly accessible. NMFS will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

Docket: This rule is accessible via the 

internet at the Office of the Federal 

Register website at https://

www.federalregister.gov/. Background 

information and documents are 

available at the NOAA Fisheries website 

at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

action/2024-pacific-halibutrecreational-fishery and at the Pacific 

Fishery Management Council’s website 

at https://www.pcouncil.org. Other 

comments received may be accessed 

through https://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Melissa Mandrup, phone: 562–980– 

3231 or email: melissa.mandrup@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 

3, 2024, NMFS published a final rule 

approving changes to the Pacific halibut 

Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) and 

implementing recreational (sport) 

management measures for the 2024 Area 

2A recreational fisheries (89 FR 22966), 

as authorized by the Northern Pacific 

Halibut Act of 1982 (16 U.S.C. 773– 

773(k)). The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) 2024 

CSP provides a recommended 

framework for NMFS’ annual 

management measures and subarea 

allocations based on the 2024 Area 2A 

Pacific halibut catch limit also known as 

the fishery constant exploitation yield 

(FCEY) of 1.47 million lb (666.8 mt) set 

by the IPHC. The Area 2A catch limit 

and recreational fishery allocations were 

adopted by the IPHC and were 

published in the Federal Register on 

March 18, 2024 (89 FR 19275), after 

acceptance by the Secretary of State, 

with concurrence from the Secretary of 

Commerce, in accordance with 50 CFR 

300.62. The final rule published on 

April 3, 2024 (89 FR 22966), established 

50 CFR 300.63(c)(6)(i)(F), which allows 

NMFS to transfer portions of state 

recreation allocations inseason to 

another state under certain 

circumstances (e.g., if a state is 

projected to not utilize its respective 

recreational allocation by the end of the 

fishing season and another state could 

utilize additional pounds to avoid 

closing a fishing season early). 

NMFS has determined that, due to 

lower than expected landings through 

September 5, 2024, and projected 

catches for the remainder of the season 

off Oregon (October 31), Oregon is 

projected to not utilize its full 

recreational allocation by the end of the 


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