[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19063-19064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06927]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[RTID 0648-XB846]


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 8 to 
the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan

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

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

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council has submitted 
Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan to 
NMFS for review and approval. Amendment 8 would update the objectives 
of the skate fishery management plan, which have been unchanged since 
the original plan was adopted in 2003. The purpose of this amendment is 
to ensure that the skate management continues to reflect and address 
the current needs and condition of the skate fishery. These revisions 
were initially included in Amendment 5 and subsequently Framework 
Adjustment 9 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan 
before those prior actions were discontinued by the Council. This 
notice is intended to alert the public to this action and provide an 
opportunity for comment.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 31, 2022.

[[Page 19064]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0031, by the following method:
    Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via 
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
    1. Go to https://www.regulations.gov, and enter ``NOAA-NMFS-2022-
0031'' in the Search box;
    2. Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields; and
    3. Enter or attach your comments.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
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 will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    The New England Fishery Management Council prepared a supporting 
document for this action that describes the proposed revisions to the 
Northeast Skate management objectives and consistency with applicable 
law. NMFS prepared a Categorical Exclusion (CE) for this action in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, detailing why 
this action is administrative in nature and may be categorically 
excluded from requirements to prepare either an Environmental Impact 
Statement or Environmental Assessment. Copies of the Council document 
for Amendment 8, CE, and other supporting documents for this action, 
are available upon request from Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New 
England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Newburyport, MA 
01950. These documents are also accessible via the internet at https://www.nefmc.org/management-plans/skates.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, (978) 281-9180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The New England Fishery Management Council manages a complex of 
seven skate species (barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, 
thorny, and winter skate) off the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts 
under the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This 
FMP was originally adopted in 2003, and the FMP management goal and 
objectives have been unchanged since that time.
    Over the course of several meetings throughout 2021, the Council 
determined that some aspects within the existing FMP objectives are out 
of date and need to be updated. These recommended revisions were 
originally included in Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate FMP (85 FR 
84304), and subsequently Framework Adjustment 9 to the FMP (86 FR 
64186), before both actions were discontinued. On February 1, 2022, the 
Council voted to submit revisions to the FMP management objectives as 
Amendment 8.
    The purpose of this amendment is to update two of the seven 
Northeast Skate FMP management objectives that guide and inform 
regulatory decisions to ensure that skate management continues to 
reflect and address the current needs and condition of the fishery. 
This action would update Objectives 2 and 5 to read as follows:
    <bullet> Objective 2: Implement measures to: Protect any overfished 
species of skates and increase their biomass to target levels and 
prevent overfishing of the species in the Northeast skate complex--this 
may be accomplished through management measures in other FMPs 
(groundfish, monkfish, scallops), skate-specific management measures, 
or a combination, as necessary.
    <bullet> Objective 5: Promote and encourage skate research for 
critical biological, ecological, and fishery information based on the 
research needs identified and updated by the Council.
    Although these objectives guide management decisions for the skate 
fishery, they are not formally codified within the regulatory text. 
Therefore, this action is administrative in nature with no immediate or 
direct impact on the fishery and/or the skate regulations. Additional 
information on these proposed changes can be found in the Council 
document and CE for this amendment (See ADDRESSES).

Public Comment Instructions

    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) allows NMFS as the implementing agency to 
approve, partially approve, or disapprove any amendment submitted by 
the Council based on whether the measures/changes are consistent with 
the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its National Standards, and other 
applicable law. As such, NMFS is soliciting public comments on whether 
the Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP and its supporting 
documents are consistent with the Skate FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 
and other applicable law. Public comments on this amendment may be 
submitted through the end of the comment period specified in the DATES 
section of this notice of availability (NOA).
    This is an administrative amendment that contains no changes to the 
regulatory text or specific management measures of the Northeast skate 
fishery. However, NMFS will still decide whether to approve these 
recommended changes to the central objectives of the FMP that guide and 
inform management decisions. All comments received by the end of the 
comment period on this NOA will be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on Amendment 8. Comments received after the end of 
the comment period for this NOA will not be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision of this action.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 29, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-06927 Filed 3-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P