Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Proposed Rules 46209 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622 

Commercial, Fisheries, Fishing, Gulf, 

Permits, Shrimp. 

Dated: September 27, 2017. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 622 is proposed 

to be amended as follows: 

PART 622—FISHERIES OF THE 

CARIBBEAN, GULF, AND SOUTH 

ATLANTIC 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 622 

continues to read as follows: 

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

■ 2. In § 622.50, revise paragraph 

(b)(3)(ii), and add paragraphs (b)(3)(iii) 

and (e) to read as follows: 

§ 622.50 Permits, permit moratorium, and 

endorsements. 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

(3) * * * 

(ii) Except as provided for in 

paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this section, a 

commercial vessel moratorium permit 

for Gulf shrimp that is not renewed will 

be terminated and will not be reissued 

during the moratorium. A permit is 

considered to be not renewed when an 

application for renewal, as required, is 

not received by the RA within 1 year of 

the expiration date of the permit. 

(iii) When NMFS has determined that 

the number of commercial vessel 

moratorium permits for Gulf shrimp has 

reached the threshold number of 

permits as described in the FMP, then 

a commercial vessel moratorium permit 

for Gulf shrimp that is not renewed will 

be converted to a Gulf shrimp reserve 

pool permit and held by NMFS for 

possible reissuance. Gulf shrimp reserve 

pool permits will not be issued until 

eligibility requirements are developed 

and implemented through subsequent 

rulemaking. 

* * * * * 

(e) Gulf shrimp transit provision. A 

vessel that does not have a valid Gulf 

shrimp moratorium permit, as described 

in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, 

may possess Gulf shrimp when in 

transit in the Gulf EEZ provided that the 

shrimp fishing gear is appropriately 

stowed. For the purposes of this 

paragraph, transit means non-stop 

progression through the Gulf EEZ. 

Fishing gear appropriately stowed 

means trawl doors and nets must be out 

of the water and the bag straps must be 

removed from the net. 

■ 3. Amend § 622.55 by: 

■ a. Designating the table in paragraph 

(b) as Table 1 to paragraph (b); 

■ b. Revising paragraph (c)(1); 

■ c. Designating the table after 

paragraph (d)(2) as Table 3 to paragraph 

(d), the table after paragraph (d)(3) as 

Table 4 to paragraph (d), and the table 

after paragraph (d)(4) as Table 5 to 

paragraph (d); 

■ d. In paragraph (e) designating the 

table as Table 6 to paragraph (e). 

The revision to read as follows: 

§ 622.55 Closed area. 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(1) The Tortugas shrimp sanctuary is 

closed to trawling. The Tortugas shrimp 

sanctuary is that part of the EEZ off 

Florida shoreward of rhumb lines 

connecting, in order, the following 

points: 

TABLE 1 TO PARAGRAPH (c)(1) 

Point North lat. West long. 

N 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25°52′54′′ 81°37′56′′ 

F ............................................................................................................................................................................... 24°50′42′′ 81°51′18′′ 

G 2 ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24°40′00′′ 82°26′39′′ 

H 3 ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24°34′44′′ 82°35′27′′ 

P4 ............................................................................................................................................................................ 24°35′00′′ 82°08′00′′ 

1 Coon Key Light. 

2 New Ground Shoals Light. 

3 Rebecca Shoals Light. 

4 Marquesas Keys. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. In § 622.73, add paragraph (c) to 

read as follows: 

§ 622.73 Prohibited species. 

* * * * * 

(c) Wild live rock may not be 

harvested or possessed in or from the 

Gulf EEZ. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21039 Filed 10–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No. 170630616–7875–01] 

RIN 0648–BH00 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 

Commercial Management Measures 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Advanced notice of proposed 

rulemaking; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This advanced notice of 

proposed rulemaking provides 

information on a request by the Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council) 

to announce deliberations of potential 

accumulation limits for Catcher 

Processor Permit use or ownership in 

the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. The 

Council may not count any acquisition 

and usage of Catcher Processor permits 

and/or usage of Catcher Processor 

allocation after the date of June 13, 

2017, in any decision setting 

accumulation limits. NMFS invites 

comments on this document. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received by November 3, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the proposed rule identified by 

‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2017–0109’’ by either 

of the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/ 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
46210 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2017 / Proposed Rules 

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017- 

0109, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Frank Lockhart, NMFS West Coast 

Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point Way 

NE., Seattle, WA 98115. 

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). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Frank Lockhart, NMFS West Coast 

Regional Office, telephone: 206–526– 

6142, or email: frank.lockhart@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

(Council) recommended and the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) implemented the Pacific Coast 

groundfish trawl catch share program 

(Program) off Washington, Oregon and 

California, starting on January 11, 2011. 

The Program changed management of 

harvest in the trawl fishery from a trip 

limit system with cumulative vessel trip 

limits to a quota system in which each 

quota share could generally be 

harvested at any time during an open 

season. The Program has increased 

fishermen’s flexibility in making 

decisions on when and how much quota 

to fish. 

The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires 

that councils undertake reviews within 

5 years after implementation of limited 

access privilege programs such as the 

Pacific Coast groundfish trawl catch 

share program. The Council initiated its 

review in 2016, and expects to 

recommend changes to the Program in 

the coming months. 

One of the issues that the Council is 

considering is accumulation limits for 

the Catcher Processor (CP) sector. In 

establishing the initial Program, the 

Council addressed accumulation limits 

for the ownership or control within the 

shoreside IFQ sector and the mothership 

sector, but not the CP sector. The 

accumulation limits were meant to 

prevent consolidation at levels that 

could result in an excessive share being 

acquired by a single entity. At the June 

2017 Council meeting, the Council 

began considering whether or not 

similar accumulation limits on 

ownership or control should be applied 

to the CP sector as well, and it 

recommended that NMFS announce the 

start of these deliberations in the 

Federal Register. 

In advance of a rulemaking on 

changes to the Program, this document 

announces that the Council may not 

count any activities related to 

acquisition and usage of CP permits 

and/or usage of CP allocation after the 

date of June 13, 2017, when establishing 

accumulation limits for the CP sector. 

This is intended to discourage increased 

acquisition and usage of CP permits 

and/or usage of CP allocation for the 

purpose of economic speculation while 

the Council develops and considers 

changes to the Program. 

This announcement does not commit 

the Council or the NMFS to any 

particular outcome. The Council may or 

may not make use of this date as part 

of any deliberations and decisions on 

acquisition and usage of CP permits 

and/or usage of CP allocation. Fishery 

participants are not guaranteed future 

participation in the program, regardless 

of their entry date or level of 

participation in the fishery before or 

after June 13, 2017. It is important to 

note that continuation of levels of 

accumulation that predate June 13, 2017 

are not guaranteed. The Council also 

may choose to take no further action. 

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

Dated: September 28, 2017. 

Samuel D. Rauch, III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21254 Filed 10–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS