[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 155 (Monday, August 11, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46580-46581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18404]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 665

RIN 0648-AS71


Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Pelagic Fisheries; Squid Jig 
Fisheries

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

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

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council proposes to amend the Fishery Management Plan for Pelagic 
Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region. If approved by the Secretary 
of Commerce, Amendment 15 would add three species of pelagic squid to 
the management unit, and establish Federal permitting and reporting 
requirements for squid jig fishing vessels over 50 ft in length. These 
vessels would also be required to carry observers if requested by NMFS. 
Combined, these measures are intended to enable the Council and NMFS to 
better monitor and manage the U.S. domestic pelagic squid fisheries.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 15, which includes an environmental 
assessment, must be received by October 10, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the amendment, identified by 0648-AS71, may be 
sent to either of the following addresses:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal 
www.regulations.gov; or
    <bullet> Mail: William L. Robinson, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani Blvd, Suite 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
    Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change. All 
Personal Identifying Information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 
voluntarily by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
Confidential Business Information, or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the 
required fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to 
electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel, 
WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
    Copies of Amendment 15, including an environmental assessment, are 
available from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council), 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-
522-8220, fax 808-522-8226, or www.wpcouncil.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Harman, NMFS PIR, 808-944-2271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Federal Register document is also 
accessible at the Office of the Federal Register Web site: 
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr.
    A small nearshore squid jig fishery operates around the Hawaiian 
islands of Kauai and Hawaii, targeting purple flying squid. An 
international squid jig fishery, comprised of U.S. and foreign vessels, 
operates on the Pacific high seas. The high seas U.S. squid jiggers 
have targeted neon flying squid in the North Pacific, and potentially 
could move into U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone waters in the western 
Pacific. Although no resource concerns have arisen to date, monitoring 
programs and mechanisms to implement management measures (should they 
become necessary) are both necessary. To address these needs, the 
Council recommends in Amendment 15 management measures that would 
improve data compiled on U.S. squid fisheries through new permitting, 
monitoring and reporting requirements, as follows:
    <bullet> Add three pelagic squid species to the pelagic management 
unit (neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii, diamondback squid 
Thysanoteuthis rhombus, and purple flying squid Sthenoteuthis 
oualaniensis); and
    <bullet> Require U.S. vessels greater than 50 ft in length overall 
that fish for pelagic squid in U.S. EEZ of the western Pacific to:
    i. obtain Federal permits;
    ii. carry Federal observers if requested by NMFS; and
    iii. report any Pacific pelagic squid catch and effort either in 
Federal squid logbooks or via existing local reporting systems.
    U.S. squid jig vessels that fish only on the high seas in the 
Pacific would be required to report their catch and effort using the 
Federal squid logbooks. The information collected on squid jig fishing 
would be compiled into a centralized database easily available to 
resource scientists and managers.
    These measures, if implemented, would provide additional data and 
provisions to enable the Council and NMFS to better monitor and manage 
the U.S. domestic pelagic squid fisheries in the future.
    Amendment 15 includes an environmental assessment (EA) that 
describes the existing squid fishery, management, and environment, and 
describes the potential environmental impacts of implementing the 
provisions recommended in Amendment 15. The EA tiers from a 2005 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (70 FR 24038, May 6, 2005), and 
incorporates by reference the previous environmental impact analysis of 
five of the alternatives considered in Amendment 15. New information 
about future fishery management policies became available after the 
Final EIS was completed and the additional alternative considered in 
Amendment 15 is analyzed in the EA.
    Public comments on proposed Amendment 15 must be received by 
October 10, 2008 to be considered by NMFS in the decision to approve, 
partially approve, or disapprove the amendment. A proposed rule to 
implement the amendment has been submitted for Secretarial review and 
approval. NMFS expects to publish and request public comment on the 
proposed regulation in the near future.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.


[[Page 46581]]


    Dated: August 1, 2008.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E8-18404 Filed 8-8-08; 8:45 am]
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