[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 29 (Friday, February 12, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7494-7496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02843]



[[Page 7494]]

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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.

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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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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 federally-
managed 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 human-induced 
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[deg]-35[deg] N., and longitude 171[deg] E.,-
179[deg] 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
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                                                                                                                                       HAPC (all life
         Species assemblage                EFH (eggs)             EFH (larvae)          EFH (juveniles)          EFH (adults)             stages)
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Bottomfish Shallow Complex.........   Water column extending from the shoreline to
Bottomfish Deep Complex............    the outer boundary of the EEZ to a depth of
                                                          400 m.
                                     Water column and bottom habitat extending from  All escarpments and
                                              shoreline to a depth of 400 m.          slopes between 40-
                                                                                      280 m and three
                                                                                      known areas of
                                                                                      juvenile P.
                                                                                      filamentosus
                                                                                      habitat..
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[[Page 7495]]

 
Seamount Groundfish................   Epipelagic zone (0 to 200 m depth) of all waters bounded by 29[deg]-  Water column and       Not identified.
                                                     35[deg] N., and 171[deg] E.-179[deg] W.                 bottom habitat from
                                                                                                             80 m to 600 m,
                                                                                                             bounded by 29[deg]-
                                                                                                             35[deg] N. and
                                                                                                             171[deg] E.-179[deg]
                                                                                                             W.
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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, post-settlement, 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 bottom-dwelling 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[deg] N. and west of 180[deg] 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
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                                                                 EFH (post-hatch                                                       HAPC (all life
         Species assemblage                EFH (eggs)               pelagic)         EFH (post-settlement)  EFH (sub-adult/adult)         stages)
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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     Benthic or             Benthopelagic waters   All waters from 0-600
                                      north of 29[deg] N., and west of 179[deg] W.    benthopelagic waters   from 120-600 m depth   m depth within the
                                                                                      from 120-600 m depth   within the EEZ north   EEZ north of 29[deg]
                                                                                      within the EEZ north   of 29[deg] N. and      N., and west of
                                                                                      of 29[deg] N., and     west of 179[deg] W.    179[deg] W.
                                                                                      west of 179[deg] W.
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[[Page 7496]]

    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]
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