7494 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2016 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 665 

RIN 0648–XD907 

Pacific Island Fisheries; Hawaii 

Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish; 

Revised Essential Fish Habitat and 

Habitat Areas of Particular Concern 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery 

ecosystem plan amendment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) proposes to amend 

the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Fisheries 

of the Hawaiian Archipelago. If 

approved, Amendment 4 would revise 

the descriptions of essential fish habitat 

(EFH) and habitat areas of particular 

concern (HAPC) for 14 species of 

bottomfish and three species of 

seamount groundfish in the Hawaiian 

Archipelago. The proposed action 

considers the best available scientific, 

commercial, and other information 

about the fisheries, and supports the 

long-term sustainability of fishery 

resources. 

DATES: NMFS must receive comments 

on the proposed amendment by April 

12, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by NOAA– 

NMFS–2015–0056, by either of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2015- 

0056, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Send written comments to 

Michael D. Tosatto, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands 

Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp Blvd. Bldg. 

176, Honolulu, HI 96818. 

Instructions: NMFS may not consider 

comments sent by any other method, to 

any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. All comments received are a 

part of the public record, and NMFS 

will generally post them 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 Council prepared Amendment 4 

that provides background information 

on the proposed action. The amendment 

is available from www.regulations.gov or 

the Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 

1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808–522– 

8220, fax 808–522–8226, 

www.wpcouncil.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt 

Dunlap, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 

NMFS PIR, 808–725–5177. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and 

the Council manage Hawaii fisheries 

under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for 

Fisheries of the Hawaiian Archipelago. 

Typically, the Council recommends 

conservation and management measures 

for NMFS to implement under the 

authority of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 

et seq.). The Magnuson-Stevens Act 

contains EFH provisions to identify and 

protect important habitats of federallymanaged fish. EFH are those waters and 

substrates necessary for fish to spawn, 

breed, feed, and grow to maturity. HAPC 

are a subset of EFH, and HAPC criteria 

include the importance of the habitat’s 

ecological function, the extent to which 

the habitat is sensitive to humaninduced environmental degradation, 

what development activities are or will 

be stressing the habitat, and the rarity of 

the habitat type. Federal agencies that 

fund, permit, or undertake activities that 

may adversely affect EFH are required to 

consult with NMFS regarding the 

potential effects of their actions on EFH, 

and to respond to NMFS 

recommendations. 

The Council and NMFS have 

improved their understanding of the life 

histories and specific habitat 

requirements of Hawaii bottomfish and 

seamount groundfish. After considering 

the new information, the Council 

recommended revising the EFH and 

HAPC designations in the FEP. 

NMFS must receive comments on the 

proposed amendment by April 12, 2016 

for consideration in the decision to 

approve, partially approve, or 

disapprove the amendment. 

Current EFH and HAPC for Hawaii 

Bottomfish 

The current designation for overall 

EFH for Hawaii bottomfish is the ‘‘water 

column extending from the shoreline to 

the outer boundary of the 200-mile EEZ 

[Exclusive Economic Zone] to a depth of 

400 m.’’ The current designation for 

HAPC is ‘‘all escarpments and slopes 

between 40–280 m and three known 

areas of juvenile P. [Pristipimoides] 

filamentosus habitat’’ (Table 1). 

Current EFH and HAPC for Hawaii 

Seamount Groundfish 

The overall EFH for Hawaii seamount 

groundfish is currently defined as the 

‘‘water column and bottom habitat from 

0–600 m in the EEZ, bounded by 

latitude 29°–35° N., and longitude 171° 

E.,–179° W.’’ The seamount groundfish 

EFH encompasses the Hancock 

Seamounts, part of the northern extent 

of the Hawaiian Ridge, located 1,500 

miles northwest of Honolulu. Currently, 

there are no HAPC designations for 

Hawaii seamount groundfish (Table 1). 

TABLE 1—CURRENT EFH AND HAPC FOR BOTTOMFISH AND SEAMOUNT GROUNDFISH

Species assemblage EFH 

(eggs) 

EFH 

(larvae) 

EFH 

(juveniles) 

EFH 

(adults) 

HAPC 

(all life stages) 

Bottomfish Shallow 

Complex.

Bottomfish Deep Complex 

Water column extending from the shoreline to 

the outer boundary of the EEZ to a depth of 

400 m. 

Water column and bottom habitat extending 

from shoreline to a depth of 400 m. 

All escarpments and 

slopes between 

40–280 m and 

three known areas 

of juvenile P. 

filamentosus habitat. 


asabaliauskas on DSK9F6TC42PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2016 / Proposed Rules 7495 

TABLE 1—CURRENT EFH AND HAPC FOR BOTTOMFISH AND SEAMOUNT GROUNDFISH—Continued 

Species assemblage EFH 

(eggs) 

EFH 

(larvae) 

EFH 

(juveniles) 

EFH 

(adults) 

HAPC 

(all life stages) 

Seamount Groundfish Epipelagic zone (0 to 200 m depth) of all waters bounded by 29°–35° 

N., and 171° E.–179° W. 

Water column and 

bottom habitat from 

80 m to 600 m, 

bounded by 29°– 

35° N. and 171° 

E.–179° W.

Not identified. 

Proposed Changes to EFH and HAPC of 

Bottomfish and Seamount Groundfish 

of the Hawaiian Archipelago 

Bottomfish 

Under the changes proposed in 

Amendment 4, the overall EFH 

designation for Hawaii bottomfish 

would remain the same, i.e., waters 0– 

400 m deep within the EEZ. The 

Council’s recommendations are a 

refinement with respect to which life 

stages and species assemblages are 

associated with a particular EFH 

designation. The amendment proposes 

to revise descriptions of habitat 

importance for individual species, 

which reflects updated information 

about depth range and life history for 

each life stage of each bottomfish. The 

amendment proposes to designate EFH 

for three bottomfish complexes 

(shallow, intermediate, and deep) 

instead of the current two (shallow and 

deep). The amendment proposes 

replacing the previous life stage terms of 

larvae, juvenile, and adults with the 

terms post-hatch pelagic, postsettlement, and sub-adult/adult, 

respectively. The amendment uses the 

term ‘‘pelagic’’ to refer to the water 

column that excludes bottom habitat, 

‘‘benthopelagic’’ for the water column 

and benthic habitat, and ‘‘benthic’’ for 

the bottom habitat and the immediately 

adjacent waters in which a bottomdwelling fish might live. Revised HAPC 

designations are for seven distinct sites 

in the main Hawaiian Islands (Table 2). 

Seamount Groundfish 

Under the changes proposed in 

Amendment 4, EFH for Hawaii 

seamount groundfish would be an area 

that overlaps the Hancock Seamounts 

Ecosystem Management area, or the 

waters within the EEZ north of 28° N. 

and west of 180° W. The proposed 

revisions to EFH for seamount 

groundfish involve distinctions over 

depth ranges at various life stages. The 

Council is proposing to designate the 

same area described for EFH above as 

HAPC for seamount groundfish (Table 

2). Previously there were no HAPC 

designated for seamount groundfish in 

the Hawaiian archipelago. 

TABLE 2—PROPOSED EFH AND HAPC FOR BOTTOMFISH AND SEAMOUNT GROUNDFISH

Species assemblage EFH 

(eggs) 

EFH 

(post-hatch pelagic) 

EFH 

(post-settlement) 

EFH 

(sub-adult/adult) 

HAPC 

(all life stages) 

Bottomfish Shallow ..... Water column from 0–240 m depth extending Water column from 0–240 m depth extending Kaena Point, Oahu 

Complex. from the shoreline to the outer boundary of from the shoreline to the outer boundary of Kaneohe Bay, 

the EEZ. the EEZ. Oahu Makapuu, 

Bottomfish Inter- Water column from 0–320 m depth extending Water column from 40–320 m depth from the Oahu Penguin 

mediate Complex. from the shoreline to the outer boundary of shoreline to the outer boundary of the EEZ. Bank, Oahu Pailolo 

the EEZ. Channel, Maui 

Bottomfish Deep Com- Water column from 0–400 m depth extending Water column from 80–400 m depth from the North Kahoolawe, 

plex. from the shoreline to the outer boundary of shoreline to the outer boundary of the EEZ. Kahoolawe Hilo, 

the EEZ. Hawaii (see 

Amendment text 

and Appendices 4 

and 5 for specific 

site locations). 

Seamount Groundfish Pelagic waters 0–600 m depth within the EEZ 

north of 29° N., and west of 179° W. 

Benthic or 

benthopelagic 

waters from 120– 

600 m depth within 

the EEZ north of 

29° N., and west of 

179° W.

Benthopelagic waters 

from 120–600 m 

depth within the 

EEZ north of 29° N. 

and west of 179° W.

All waters from 0–600 

m depth within the 

EEZ north of 29° 

N., and west of 

179° W. 


asabaliauskas on DSK9F6TC42PROD with PROPOSALS
7496 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 29 / Friday, February 12, 2016 / Proposed Rules 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: February 8, 2016. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–02843 Filed 2–11–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


asabaliauskas on DSK9F6TC42PROD with PROPOSALS