Source: https://regulations.justia.com/regulations/fedreg/2017/12/06/2017-26275.html
Timestamp: 2017-12-14 18:59:01
Document Index: 518456195

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 635', 'art 635', 'art 28', 'art 635', 'art 635', 'ART 635', 'art 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 600', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 600', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', '§ 635', 'art 665', 'art 635', 'art 28']

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Provision, 57543-57551 [2017-26275] :: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration :: Department Of Commerce :: Regulation Tracker :: Justia
Justia Regulation Tracker Department Of Commerce National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Provision, 57543-57551 [2017-26275]
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Provision, 57543-57551 [2017-26275]
Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations Issued in Seattle, Washington, on November 21, 2017. Brian J. Johnson, Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center. [FR Doc. 2017–26202 Filed 12–5–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 635 [Docket No. 170901859–7999–02] RIN 0648–BH19 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Provision National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. AGENCY: This final rule creates a separate permit endorsement provision for the commercial sale of Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) by HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders. Prior to implementation of this final rule, all vessels issued an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit could be categorized as commercial fishing vessels and could be subject to United States Coast Guard (USCG) commercial fishing vessel safety requirements regardless of whether the permit holder engages or intends to engage in commercial fishing. Under this final rule, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders will be prohibited from selling Atlantic tunas, swordfish, or sharks unless they obtain a commercial sale endorsement for their permit. This final rule will clarify which HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels are properly categorized as commercial fishing vessels for purposes of USCG safety requirements. This action is administrative in nature and will not affect fishing practices or result in any significant environmental effects or economic impacts. DATES: Effective January 5, 2018. ADDRESSES: Copies of the supporting documents—including the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments and associated documents—are available from the HMS Management Division Web site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ sfa/hms/ or by contacting Dianne Stephan by phone at 978–281–9260. Written comments regarding the burden-hour estimates or other aspects jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this final rule may be submitted to the HMS Management Division and by email to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov, or fax to (202) 395–7285. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dianne Stephan or Tobey Curtis by phone at 978–281–9260, or Steve Durkee by phone at 202–670–6637. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic HMS are managed under the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS must ensure consistency with 10 National Standards and manage fisheries to maintain optimum yield, rebuild overfished fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary of Commerce is required to promulgate regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to implement measures adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The implementing regulations for Atlantic HMS are at 50 CFR part 635. Background Atlantic HMS regulations at 50 CFR 635.4(b) require that charter/headboat vessels (i.e., vessels taking fee-paying passengers) used to fish for, take, retain, or possess Atlantic HMS must obtain an HMS Charter/Headboat permit. In addition to carrying paying passengers, the permit also allows charter/headboat fishermen to diversify their operations by fishing commercially for Atlantic tunas and swordfish. They may sell sharks if they also have a commercial shark permit in addition to the Charter/ Headboat permit. Relatively few permit holders use the commercial sale provision. From 2012–2016, an annual average of only seven percent of HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders sold any tuna or swordfish. USCG commercial vessel safety requirement therefore may result in an unnecessary ‘‘commercial vessel’’ compliance burden for HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels. Commercial fishing vessel safety provisions contained in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (CGAA) and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 were the subject of a Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB 12–15) issued by the USCG on October 20, 2015. MSIB 12–15 clarified that the law would require mandatory dockside safety exams for a broader population of commercial fishing vessels. As clarified in the PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 57543 notice, that broader community included HMS Charter/Headboat vessels that were authorized by the permit to sell fish commercially (i.e., all Charter/ Headboat vessels). The mandatory safety exam includes a check for required commercial fishing vessel safety equipment such as life rafts, emergency beacons, and survival suits, and other requirements found in 46 CFR part 28. Outfitting a vessel with these items comes at a substantial cost. Mandatory dockside safety exams for vessels operating beyond three nautical miles from shore began October 15, 2015 under this program. These mandatory commercial vessel safety requirements had overly broad application to all Charter/Headboat permit holders, whether they engaged in commercial sales or not, absent a more effective way to identify which HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders engage in commercial fishing. After questions about applicability from NMFS and the regulated community, on July 10, 2017, the USCG issued Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB 008–17) in an attempt to clarify the applicability of commercial fishing vessel safety requirements for vessels with HMS permits, including HMS Charter/ Headboat permits. USCG regulations at 46 CFR 28.50 define a commercial fishing vessel as a vessel that commercially engages in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish, or an activity that can reasonably be expected to result in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish. According to the MSIB 008–17, if an individual has an HMS Charter/Headboat permit (which allows commercial sale) and a state permit to sell catch, the vessel is considered subject to commercial fishing vessel safety regulations. Many HMS Charter/Headboat operators that neither sell, nor intend to sell, their catch but hold a permit to sell have thus found that the USCG policy identifies their operations as a ‘‘commercial fishing vessel,’’ and requires them to adhere to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. For example, even small charter vessels (i.e., less than 20 feet in length) operating in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and with no intent to sell HMS, may be required under the USCG regulations to carry an inflatable life raft that can cost approximately $1,750. In addition to the cost burden, a vessel of this size has minimal space to store such gear. These smaller HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels were previously subject to the USCG safety regulations for uninspected passenger vessels of less than 100 gross E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 57544 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES tons and carrying six or less passengers, which are less extensive and less costly. In late 2016 and early 2017, NMFS and the USCG staff informally discussed how to more effectively categorize HMS charter/headboat vessels under USCG regulations. The HMS Advisory Panel discussed this issue at length at its May and September 2017 meetings. Many HMS Advisory Panel members, including commercial, recreational, and council/state representatives, supported creating a separate regulatory provision for charter/headboat vessels that intend to sell HMS and to thus specify that other such vessels were not engaged in commercial sale and not subject to expensive USCG commercial vessel compliance obligations. Panel members stated that creating a separate sale provision would support more appropriate application and enforcement of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements in the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat fishery, and would better clarify for permit holders the specific USCG regulations that apply to their vessels and fishing operations. On October 6, 2017, the USCG formally reviewed the proposed rule of this action and concurred with the approach to provide clarity on the applicability on their requirements. HMS Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Endorsement This final rule creates a ‘‘commercial sale’’ endorsement that can be placed on the existing HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Under this action, HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders will be prohibited from selling any catch of HMS unless they first obtain a ‘‘commercial sale’’ endorsement on their permit. Only those HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders with the endorsement will be permitted to sell Atlantic tunas, swordfish, or sharks if they also have the additionally required commercial shark permit. This final rule clarifies that any HMS Charter/Headboat vessel issued a Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement will be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel under USCG criteria, and therefore could be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. A vessel issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a ‘‘commercial sale’’ endorsement will not be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel and should not be subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders with the commercial sale endorsement allowing the sale of tunas or swordfish must adhere to the applicable Atlantic Tunas General VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 Category or General Commercial Swordfish permit possession limits and restrictions; any landings will be applied against the appropriate commercial quota. HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders that sell or intend to sell sharks must obtain the commercial sale endorsement on their permit as well as a commercial shark permit. This final rule would only change the permit category under which certain vessels are fishing. It will not affect quotas, gear types, or time/area restrictions, and neither increase or decrease fishing effort or affect fishing timing nor implement other measures that will potentially have any environmental effects. Response to Comments During the public comment period, NMFS held a public hearing via webinar. Two members of the public provided comments during the hearing. Additionally, NMFS received 14 written comments. All written comments can be found at http://www.regulations.gov/. The summarized comments and NMFS’ response to those comments can be found below. Comment 1: NMFS received comments, including from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in support of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit commercial sales endorsement considered in the proposed rule. We also received a comment stating a commercial sale endorsement would not be useful since a lot of charter/headboat fishing occurs in state waters. Another commenter requested clarification on the cost of the commercial sales endorsement. Response: NMFS believes that the commercial sales endorsement will effectively delineate between HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that intend to sell HMS catch and those that do not. This clarification should facilitate USCG’s application of commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Regarding the comment that charter/headboat fishing occurs primarily in state waters, and the apparent concern that USCG requirements therefore would not apply nor be ‘‘useful,’’ we note that as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, permit holders are required to abide by federal HMS regulations regardless of where fishing occurs, including in state waters, unless state regulations are stricter. With respect to Atlantic tunas, NMFS manages the tuna fisheries to the shore even if a vessel holds no Federal permit, except in the States of Maine, Connecticut, and Mississippi. Regarding the cost, the cost of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 with and without the commercial sale endorsement will be the same; there will be no additional cost to obtain the commercial sales endorsement. Comment 2: The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) submitted a comment stating the HMS Charter/Headboat permit commercial sale endorsement could make it more difficult to differentiate between recreational and commercial fishing activities, particularly in the coastal shark fishery. ASMFC also stated that State commercial fishing permits already identify those individuals that are able to sell sharks. Response: NMFS disagrees that the HMS Charter/Headboat permit commercial sale endorsement would make it more difficult to differentiate between recreational and commercial fishing activities. Instead, the commercial sale endorsement will effectively identify HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders that intend to sell HMS catch. HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that do not obtain the commercial sale endorsement will clearly not be engaging in commercial fishing. As detailed in the background information section above, approximately 93 percent of HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders do not sell HMS catch. These permit holders are unlikely to obtain the commercial sale endorsement; thus, the vast majority of HMS charter/headboat activity would be easily categorized as recreational. Furthermore, State commercial fishing permits do not authorize HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders to sell sharks. HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders that intend to sell sharks must obtain a Federal Atlantic commercial shark permit in addition to the commercial sale endorsement created in this action. Furthermore, the action is specifically taken with regard to categorization for USCG regulatory purposes. Comment 3: NMFS received comments expressing concern that defining a charter/headboat as a commercial vessel for the entire year is overly burdensome on the owner and captain. Instead, commenters stated that commercial fishing vessel safety requirements should be enforced on a trip-by-trip basis and that when an HMS Charter/Headboat permit holder intends to sell HMS catch, that trip should be categorized as a commercial trip, subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Commenters stated that if an HMS Charter/Headboat permit holder is on a for-hire trip, that trip should be categorized as a noncommercial trip and not be subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations safety requirements. Commenters included examples of hardships, such as requiring safety drills with clients and requesting customers’ clothing sizes to ensure immersion suits are properly sized. One commenter stated that NMFS should require proof of a USCG commercial fishing vessel safety sticker when applying for the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit commercial sales endorsement and should conduct a review of compliance of HMS Charter/ Headboat vessels with commercial fishing vessel safety exam requirements. Another commenter stated that all commercial vessels should be subject to the same commercial fishing vessel safety requirements regardless of vessel size or where fishing occurs. Response: The purpose of this action is to clarify which HMS Charter/ Headboat permitted vessels are authorized to sell Atlantic HMS and thus are appropriately categorized as commercial fishing vessels for purposes of the USCG commercial safety requirements. Doing so will facilitate USCG’s appropriate application of commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. The mandatory USCG safety requirements arguably may have been overly broad as currently applied because it is difficult to identify which HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders engage in commercial fishing and, therefore, should appropriately be subject to the requirements. This action is not intended to address, nor otherwise consider, the effectiveness of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Regarding the comment that NMFS should require compliance with USCG regulations before issuing an HMS Charter/Headboat permit and should conduct a review of compliance with commercial fishing vessel safety exam requirements, NMFS may consider requiring proof of compliance (e.g., submission of sticker number) as a condition of obtaining the endorsement in the future, after additional consultation with USCG. NMFS will coordinate with USCG Commercial Safety Exam program staff to conduct a review of compliance of HMS permitted vessels with CFVS exam requirements. The proper application of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements based on trip type, vessel size, or fishing location is outside the purview of NMFS. NMFS will share these comments and concerns with USCG Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety program staff. Comment 4: NMFS also received a comment suggesting increased reporting requirements for vessels landing and selling bigeye, albacore, and yellowfin tunas and to prohibit the sale of HMS VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 caught on charter/headboats while engaged in a for-hire trip. Response: This comment is outside the scope of this rulemaking, which focuses on overly burdensome and unnecessary application of USCG commercial vessel requirements to HMS vessels that do not sell or intend to sell their catch. However, NMFS will consider these suggestions regarding increased reporting requirements and whether to propose further regulations modifying HMS charter/headboat commercial sale provisions in the future, as appropriate. Any such new management measures and regulations would be presented in a proposed rule, and the public would have an opportunity to provide comment. Changes From the Proposed Rule The final rule contains no changes from the proposed rule. Classification The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA) has determined that the final rule is consistent with the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its amendments, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, ATCA, and other applicable law. This final rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. For the reasons described in the preamble, this final rule is expected to be deregulatory under Executive Order 13771. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) This final rule contains a collectionof-information requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) that has been approved by OMB under control number 0648–0327. Public reporting burden for Atlantic HMS Permit Family of Forms is estimated to average 34 minutes per respondent for initial permit applicants, and 10 minutes for permit renewals, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding these burden estimates or any other aspect of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) and by email to OIRA_ Submission@omb.eop.gov, or fax to 202–395–7285. Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, and no person shall be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA, unless PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 57545 that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. Regulatory Flexibility Act A final regulatory flexibility analysis (FRFA) was prepared for this rule. The FRFA incorporates the initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) and a summary of the analyses completed to support the action. NMFS did not receive any public comment on the IRFA. The full FRFA is available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). A summary is provided below. Statement of the Need for and Objectives of This Final Rule A description of the action and the legal basis for this action are contained in the Background section of the preamble and in the SUMMARY of this final rule. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which the Final Rule Will Apply Section 604(a)(4) of the RFA requires agencies to provide an estimate of the number of small entities to which the rule will apply. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has established size criteria for all major industry sectors in the United States, including for-hire charter/headboat businesses. For-hire charter/headboat business fit into the ‘‘Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water’’ industry under NAICS code 487210. SBA has established that the small entity size standard for that industry is $7.5 million in average annual receipts. Provision is made under SBA’s regulations for an agency to develop its own industry-specific size standards after consultation with Advocacy and an opportunity for public comment (see 13 CFR 121.903(c)). Under this provision, NMFS may establish size standards that differ from those established by the SBA Office of Size Standards, but only for use by NMFS and only for the purpose of conducting an analysis of economic effects in fulfillment of the agency’s obligations under the RFA. To utilize this provision, NMFS must publish such size standards in the Federal Register (FR), which NMFS did on December 29, 2015 (80 FR 81194, December 29, 2015). In this final rule effective on July 1, 2016, NMFS established a small business size standard of $11 million in annual gross receipts for all businesses in the commercial fishing industry (NAICS 11411) for RFA compliance purposes. NMFS considers all HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders (3,594 as of October 2016) to be small entities because these vessels have reported E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 57546 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations annual gross receipts of less than $11 million for commercial fishing or earn less than $7.5 million from for-hire fishing trips. NMFS has determined that this rule will apply to the small businesses associated with the approximately seven percent of HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that also commercially fish for swordfish and tuna. Based on the most recent number of permit holders, NMFS estimates that this rule will apply to approximately 252 HMS charter/headboat vessel owners. NMFS has determined that this action would not likely directly affect any small organizations or small government jurisdictions defined under the RFA. Description of the Projected Reporting, Record-Keeping, and Other Compliance Requirements of the Final Rule, Including an Estimate of the Classes of Small Entities Which Would Be Subject to the Requirements of the Report or Record jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES Section 604(a)(5) of the RFA requires Agencies to describe any new reporting, record-keeping and other compliance requirements. This rule will create a commercial sale endorsement for the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Under the rule, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders will be prohibited from selling any catch of HMS unless they obtain a commercial sale endorsement on their permit. The commercial sale endorsement could be added to the Charter/Headboat permit at the time of the permit application or renewal, or anytime thereafter. Only Charter/ Headboat permit holders with the endorsement will be allowed to sell HMS although they would not be obligated to sell any HMS. There will be no additional charge for the commercial sale endorsement above the cost of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit; the endorsement will add less than a minute more of labor effort to the normal HMS Charter/Headboat permit process. Those vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement will be categorized as a commercial vessel for the purposes of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 Description of the Steps the Agency Has Taken To Minimize the Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities Consistent With the Stated Objectives of Applicable Statutes, Including a Statement of the Factual, Policy, and Legal Reasons for Selecting the Alternative Adopted in the Final Rule and the Reason That Each One of the Other Significant Alternatives to the Rule Considered by the Agency Which Affect Small Entities Was Rejected One of the requirements of an FRFA is to describe any significant alternatives to the rule which accomplish the stated objectives of applicable statutes and which minimize any significant economic impact of the rule on small entities. The analysis shall discuss significant alternatives such as: (1) Establishment of differing compliance or reporting requirements or timetables that take into account the resources available to small entities; (2) clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance and reporting requirements under the rule for such small entities; (3) use of performance rather than design standards; and (4) exemptions from coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, for small entities. These categories of alternatives are described at 5 U.S.C. 603(c)(1)–(4). NMFS examined each of these categories of alternatives. Regarding the first and fourth categories, NMFS cannot establish differing compliance or reporting requirements for small entities or exempt small entities from coverage of the rule or parts of it because all of the businesses impacted by this rule are considered small entities and thus the requirements are already designed for small entities. NMFS examined alternatives that fall under the second category, which requires agencies to consider whether they can clarify, consolidate, or simplify compliance and reporting requirements under the rule for small entities. NMFS does examine alternatives that fall under the second category described above that clarify which HMS charter/headboat vessels should be considered commercial fishing vessels for USCG safety requirements. The use of a performance standard, the third category, to determine whether the USCG commercial fishing safety gear requirements would apply would be too difficult to effectively monitor for enforcement, so they were not considered by NMFS. Thus, NMFS has considered the significant alternatives to the rule and focused on simplifying compliance and reporting requirements associated with the charter/headboat PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 commercial sale provision and USCG commercial fishing safety gear requirements in order to minimize any significant economic impact of the rule on small entities. NMFS considered four different alternatives to separate the commercial sale provision from the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit, and thus relieve some HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders from the changes in USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Alternative 1, the status quo/no action alternative, would make no changes to current HMS regulations. Alternative 2, the preferred alternative, would create an endorsement for the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish. Alternative 3 would remove the commercial sale provision of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Alternative 4 would create two separate HMS Charter/ Headboat permits; one that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish, and one that does not. Under the ‘‘no action’’ Alternative 1, NMFS would maintain the current regulations regarding the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Under current regulations at 635.4(b), permit holders taking fee-paying passengers to fish for HMS (i.e. charter boats or headboats) must obtain the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Since HMS Charter/Headboat permits allow the commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish, the vessels would now be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, regardless of whether the permit holder intends to sell HMS. However, without a change to the HMS Charter/Headboat permit regulations, USCG will consider all HMS charter/ headboat vessels as commercial fishing vessels that must adhere to the to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels were previously subject to the USCG safety regulations for uninspected passenger vessels of less than 100 gross tons and carrying six or less passengers, which are less extensive and less costly. Under the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, many Atlantic HMS charter/headboats would have to comply with four rule requirements for survival craft, records keeping, examinations and certificates of compliance, and classing of vessels. The survival craft requirement establishes that all fishing industry vessels operating beyond 3 nautical miles must carry survival craft that will meet a new performance standard for primary lifesaving equipment. The use of ‘‘lifeboats or liferafts’’ are required for commercial vessels, whereas strictly for- E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations hire vessels are only required to a have ‘‘a survival craft that ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water.’’ This means that lifefloats and buoyant apparatus will no longer be accepted as survival craft on any commercial fishing vessel operating beyond 3 nautical miles once the most recent USCG guidance in fully enforced. Some HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels would incorrectly be identified as commercial vessels, subject to the more stringent lifeboat/liferaft requirements. USCG estimates that the maximum initial cost of this requirement per vessel would be $1,740 and have a recurring annual cost of $300. The records provision requires the individual in charge of a vessel operating beyond 3 nautical miles to maintain a record of lifesaving and fire equipment maintenance. It would be incumbent upon the master/individual in charge of the vessel to maintain these records onboard. The USCG estimates this record keeping requirement would cost $18 annually per vessel. The examinations and certificates of compliance provision requires a dockside safety examination at least once every 5 years for vessels, such as HMS charter/headboats that engage in commercial fishing, operating beyond 3 nautical miles with the first exam statutorily required by October 15, 2015. A ‘‘certificate of compliance’’ will be issued to a vessel successfully completing the exam. Voluntary exams will continue to be promoted for vessel operating inside 3 nautical miles. USCG estimates that the maximum initial cost of this requirement per vessel will be $600 and have a recurring cost of $600. The classing of vessels provision requires the survey and classification of a fishing vessel that is at least 50 feet overall in length, was built after July 1, 2013, and operates beyond 3 nautical miles. It is unlikely that this requirement will impact many Atlantic HMS charter/headboat vessels because the vessels are typically less than 50 feet overall in length. In sum, all 3,594 Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would face an initial per vessel cost of $2,358. The annual cost savings per vessel in subsequent years would be approximately $300 for the survival craft, $18 for record keeping, and $120 ($600/5 yrs) for examinations and certificates of completion. The total annual recurring cost saving per vessel would be $438 for these three requirements. These costs could be higher for some individual vessels that are too small or have too little storage space for the survival craft requirement because those vessels might require VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 extensive modifications to accommodate the storage space for the gear. Under Alternative 2, the preferred alternative, NMFS would modify the regulations so that the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit alone does not allow commercial sale and also create an endorsement for the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish. Currently, charter/headboat vessels are able, though not obligated, to sell swordfish and tunas with an HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Consequently, vessels that hold an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit are categorized as commercial fishing vessels subject to USCG commercial vessel fishing safety requirements if they also possess a state commercial sale permit, regardless of whether the permit holder sells or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 2, NMFS would create a ‘‘commercial sale’’ endorsement for the HMS Charter/ Headboat permit. Under this action, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would be prohibited from selling any catch of HMS unless they apply for a commercial sale endorsement to be added to their permit. The commercial sale endorsement could be added to the Charter/Headboat permit at the time of the permit application or renewal. Only charter/headboat vessels with the endorsement would be permitted to sell HMS although they would not be obligated to sell any HMS. Those vessels holding an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a commercial sale endorsement would not be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel and would not be subject to the USCG commercial safety gear requirements. Those vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a ‘‘commercial sale’’ endorsement would be categorized as commercial vessels for the purposes of USCG commercial fishing safety requirements. The cost savings associated with implementing a commercial endorsement option for Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permits would be that approximately 93 percent of the permit holders would not have to comply with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, because Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be considered commercial fishing vessels unless they were issued the commercial endorsement. These vessels would have no costs associated with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. This would result in a reduction in costs per vessel initially of approximately $1,740 for the survival craft, $18 for record keeping, and $600 for examinations and PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 57547 certificates of completion. The total initial costs saved per vessel would be $2,358. The annual cost savings per vessel in subsequent years would be approximately $300 for the survival craft, $18 for record keeping, and $120 ($600/5 yrs) for examinations and certificates of completion. The total annual recurring cost savings per vessel would be $438 for these three requirements. In addition to the reduced costs associated with complying with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements for those HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that do not intend to obtain the endorsement to fish commercially, most Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would have to do nothing different when obtaining their permits unless they want to commercially sell tunas or swordfish. The approximately 7 percent of Atlantic Charter/Headboat permit holders that want to continue selling tunas and swordfish in addition to complying with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, would need to obtain an endorsement for the commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish. This would likely add less than a minute to the time it takes to obtain the Atlantic HMS Charter/ Headboat permit and it would not add to the cost of obtaining the permit. HMS charter/headboat permit holders who sell sharks must obtain a commercial shark permit in addition to an endorsement on an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit. NMFS would incur some costs associated with altering the online permit application to accommodate the endorsement, along with some customer service changes. Under Alternative 3, NMFS would remove the commercial sale provision of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Currently, charter/headboat vessels are able, though not obligated, to sell swordfish and tunas as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, and may sell sharks if they also have a commercial shark permit. Consequently, vessels that hold an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit are currently being categorized by USCG as commercial fishing vessels and subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements if they also hold a state commercial sale permit, regardless of whether the permit holder sells or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 3, NMFS would remove the provision that allows commercial sales under the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Thus, holding an HMS Charter/Headboat permit would no longer categorize a vessel as a commercial fishing vessel for the purposes of USCG regulations. Charter/headboat vessel owners or E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES 57548 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations operators that wish to engage in commercial sale of tunas and swordfish would instead need to obtain an Atlantic tunas General category and/or Swordfish General Commercial permit. The Atlantic Tunas General category and Swordfish General Commercial permits could be held in conjunction with the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Those vessels with an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit that do not intend to sell HMS and do not possess an Atlantic Tunas General category, Swordfish General Commercial, or commercial shark permit (which permit commercial sale) would not be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. The benefits of Alternative 3 versus the No Action alternative would be identical to those of Alternative 2. Approximately 93 percent of the permit holders would not have to face the costs associated with the USCG commercial fishing safety requirements, because Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be considered to commercially fish. The costs for the fleet would be approximately $594,216 initially, and then $231,336 annually thereafter, which are significantly lower than the costs for the fleet under No Action. The 7 percent that wish to engage in commercial sale of tunas and swordfish would instead need to obtain an Atlantic tunas General category and/ or Swordfish General Commercial permit. This would cost them $20 to obtain either the Atlantic Tunas General category permit or the Swordfish General Commercial permit. For the approximately 252 vessel owners that might obtain these $20 permits, the total cost would be $5,040 to $10,080 annually depending on whether they obtain one or both permits. In addition, vessel owners may need to expend a bit more time to complete the application for these additional permits. NMFS would incur costs associated with the substantial permits site and customer service changes that would be required for this change. NMFS prefers Alternative 2 over Alternative 3 because a commercial sale endorsement requirement more closely matches current fishing practices and would minimize disruptions. Currently, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders can sell some HMS and Alternative 2 would allow them to continue by simply obtaining an endorsement on their Charter/Headboat permit. Alternative 3 would be more disruptive since it would require fishermen to obtain additional permits. NMFS would need to develop new regulatory text to describe these new requirements and VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 fishery participants would have to learn and adapt to these changes. Under Alternative 4, NMFS would create two separate Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permits; one that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish, and one that does not. Currently, charter/headboat vessels are able, though not obligated, to sell swordfish and tunas as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Consequently, vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit could be categorized as commercial fishing vessels and subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, regardless of whether the permit holder sells or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 4, NMFS would create two separate HMS Charter/Headboat permits; one that would allow commercial sale of HMS, and one that would not. Those vessels holding an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that does not allow commercial sale would not be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel and would not be subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Those vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that allows commercial sale would be categorized as commercial vessels for the purposes of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. The benefits of Alternative 4 versus the No Action alternative would be identical to those of Alternative 2. Approximately 93 percent of the permit holders would not have to face the costs associated with the USCG commercial fishing safety requirements, since Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be considered commercial fishing. The costs for the fleet would be approximately $594,216 initially, and then $231,336 annually thereafter, which is significantly lower than the costs for the fleet under No Action. Under this alternative, each of the 3,594 Atlantic HMS Charter/ Headboat permit holders would have to determine which type of Charter/ Headboat permit they wish to obtain for the year, and all of charter/headboat vessel owners would have to learn the new permit process. Unlike Alternative 3, there would be no additional costs associated with obtaining a commercial permit, because under this alternative, each would pick either the no-sale HMS Charter/Headboat permit or the commercial sale Charter/Headboat permit. NMFS would incur costs associated with the substantial permits site and customer service changes that would be required for this change. NMFS would need to develop new regulatory text to describe these two new permits and fishery participants PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 would have to learn of and adapt to these changes. List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 635 Fisheries, Fishing, Fishing vessels, Foreign relations, Imports, Penalties, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Treaties. Dated: December 1, 2017. Alan D. Risenhoover, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service. For reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 635 is amended as follows: PART 635—ATLANTIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY SPECIES 1. The authority citation for part 635 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 2. In § 635.2, add a new definition for ‘‘Charter/headboat commercial sale endorsement’’ in alphabetical order to read as follows: ■ § 635.2 Definitions. * * * * * Charter/headboat commercial sale endorsement means an authorization added to an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that is required for vessels that sell or intend to sell Atlantic tunas, sharks, and swordfish, provided that all other requirements in this part are also met. * * * * * ■ 3. In § 635.4: ■ a. Revise paragraph (a)(5); ■ b. Add paragraph (b)(3); ■ c. Revise paragraphs (d)(1) and (2); ■ d. Remove the introductory text of paragraph (f); and ■ e. Revise paragraphs (f)(1), (f)(2), and (m)(2). The addition and revisions read as follows: § 635.4 Permits and fees. * * * * * (a) * * * (5) Display upon offloading. Upon offloading of Atlantic HMS for sale, the owner or operator of the harvesting vessel must present for inspection the vessel’s HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement; Atlantic tunas, shark, or swordfish permit; Incidental HMS squid trawl; HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit; and/or the shark research permit to the first receiver. The permit(s) must be presented prior to completing any applicable landing report specified at § 635.5(a)(1), (a)(2), and (b)(2)(i). * * * * * E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations (b) * * * (3) The owner of a charter boat or headboat that intends to sell Atlantic tunas or swordfish must obtain a commercial sale endorsement for the vessel’s HMS Charter/Headboat permit. The owner of a charter boat or headboat that intends to sell Atlantic sharks must obtain a commercial sale endorsement for the vessel’s HMS Charter/Headboat permit at the time of permit renewal or when the permit is obtained and must also obtain any applicable Atlantic commercial shark permits. A vessel owner that has obtained an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a commercial sale endorsement is prohibited from selling any Atlantic HMS. * * * * * (d) * * * (1) The owner of each vessel used to fish for or take Atlantic tunas commercially or on which Atlantic tunas are retained or possessed with the intention of sale must obtain an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this section, an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under paragraph (o) of this section, or an Atlantic tunas permit in one, and only one, of the following categories: General, Harpoon, Longline, Purse Seine, or Trap. (2) Persons aboard a vessel with a valid Atlantic Tunas, HMS Angling, HMS Charter/Headboat, or an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit may fish for, take, retain, or possess Atlantic tunas, but only in compliance with the quotas, catch limits, size classes, and gear applicable to the permit or permit category of the vessel from which he or she is fishing. Persons may sell Atlantic tunas only if the harvesting vessel has a valid permit in the General, Harpoon, Longline, Purse Seine, or Trap category of the Atlantic Tunas permit, a valid HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement, or an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit. * * * * * (f) Swordfish vessel permits. (1) Except as specified in paragraphs (n) and (o) of this section, the owner of a vessel of the United States used to fish for or take swordfish commercially from the management unit, or on which swordfish from the management unit are retained or possessed with an intention to sell, or from which swordfish are sold, must obtain an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this section, or one of the following VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 swordfish permits: A swordfish directed limited access permit, swordfish incidental limited access permit, swordfish handgear limited access permit, or a Swordfish General Commercial permit. These permits cannot be held in combination with each other on the same vessel, except that an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement may be held in combination with a swordfish handgear limited access permit on the same vessel. It is a rebuttable presumption that the owner or operator of a vessel on which swordfish are possessed in excess of the recreational retention limits intends to sell the swordfish. (2) The only valid commercial Federal vessel permits for swordfish are the HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this section (and only when on a non for-hire trip), the Swordfish General Commercial permit issued under paragraph (f) of this section, a swordfish limited access permit issued consistent with paragraphs (l) and (m) of this section, or permits issued under paragraphs (n) and (o) of this section. * * * * * (m) * * * (2) Shark and swordfish permits. A vessel owner must obtain the applicable limited access permit(s) issued pursuant to the requirements in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section and/or a Federal commercial smoothhound permit issued under paragraph (e) of this section; or an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under paragraph (o) of this section, if: The vessel is used to fish for or take sharks commercially from the management unit; sharks from the management unit are retained or possessed on the vessel with an intention to sell; or sharks from the management unit are sold from the vessel. A vessel owner must obtain the applicable limited access permit(s) issued pursuant to the requirements in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section, a Swordfish General Commercial permit issued under paragraph (f) of this section, an Incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit issued under paragraph (n) of this section, an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under paragraph (o) of this section, or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this section, which authorizes a Charter/Headboat to fish commercially for swordfish on a non for-hire trip subject to the retention limits at § 635.24(b)(4) if: The vessel is used to fish for or take swordfish PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 57549 commercially from the management unit; swordfish from the management unit are retained or possessed on the vessel with an intention to sell; or swordfish from the management unit are sold from the vessel. The commercial retention and sale of swordfish from vessels issued an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement is permissible only when the vessel is on a non for-hire trip. Only persons holding non-expired shark and swordfish limited access permit(s) in the preceding year are eligible to renew those limited access permit(s). Transferors may not renew limited access permits that have been transferred according to the procedures in paragraph (l) of this section. * * * * * ■ 4. In § 635.19, revise paragraph (d)(4) to read as follows: § 635.19 Authorized gears. * * * * * (d) * * * (4) Persons on a vessel issued a permit with a shark endorsement under § 635.4 may possess a shark only if the shark was taken by rod and reel or handline, except that persons on a vessel issued both an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (with or without a shark endorsement) and a Federal Atlantic commercial shark permit may possess sharks taken by rod and reel, handline, bandit gear, longline, or gillnet if the vessel is engaged in a non for-hire fishing trip and the commercial shark fishery is open pursuant to § 635.28(b). * * * * * ■ 5. In § 635.22, revise the introductory text of paragraph (f), and paragraphs (f)(1) and (2) to read as follows: § 635.22 Recreational retention limits. * * * * * (f) North Atlantic swordfish. The recreational retention limits for North Atlantic swordfish apply to persons who fish in any manner, except to persons aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement under § 635.4(b) and only when on a non for-hire trip; a directed, incidental or handgear limited access swordfish permit under § 635.4(e) and (f); a Swordfish General Commercial permit under § 635.4(f); an Incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit under § 635.4(n); or an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small boat permit under § 635.4(o). (1) When on a for-hire trip as defined at § 635.2, vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit under § 635.4(b), that are charter boats as E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 57550 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations defined under § 600.10 of this chapter, may retain, possess, or land no more than one North Atlantic swordfish per paying passenger and up to six North Atlantic swordfish per vessel per trip. When such vessels have been issued a commercial sale endorsement and are on a non for-hire trip, they must comply with the commercial retention limits for swordfish specified at § 635.24(b)(4). (2) When on a for-hire trip as defined at § 635.2, vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit under § 635.4(b), that are headboats as defined under § 600.10 of this chapter, may retain, possess, or land no more than one North Atlantic swordfish per paying passenger and up to 15 North Atlantic swordfish per vessel per trip. When such vessels have been issued a commercial sale endorsement and are on a non for-hire trip, they may land no more than the commercial retention limits for swordfish specified at § 635.24(b)(4). * * * * * ■ 6. In § 635.23, revise paragraph (c)(3) to read as follows: § 635.23 Retention limits for bluefin tuna. * * * * (c) * * * (3) When fishing other than in the Gulf of Mexico and when the fishery under the General category has not been closed under § 635.28, a person aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement may fish under either the retention limits applicable to the General category specified in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of this section or the retention limits applicable to the Angling category specified in paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section. The size category of the first BFT retained will determine the fishing category applicable to the vessel that day. A person aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/ Headboat without a commercial sale endorsement permit may fish only under the retention limits applicable to the Angling category. * * * * * ■ 7. In § 635.24, add introductory text to paragraph (b)(4), and revise paragraph (b)(4)(ii) to read as follows: jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES * § 635.24 Commercial retention limits for sharks, swordfish, and BAYS tunas. * * * * * (b) * * * (4) Persons aboard a vessel that has been issued a Swordfish General Commercial permit or an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (and only when on a non VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 for-hire trip) are subject to the regional swordfish retention limits specified at paragraph (b)(4)(iii) of this section, which may be adjusted during the fishing year based upon the inseason regional retention limit adjustment criteria identified in paragraph (b)(4)(iv) of this section. * * * * * (ii) Vessels that have been issued a Swordfish General Commercial permit or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (and only when on a non for-hire trip), as a condition of these permits, may not possess, retain, or land any more swordfish than is specified for the region in which the vessel is located. * * * * * ■ 8. In § 635.27, revise paragraph (a)(1)(i) introductory text, and paragraphs (c)(1)(i)(A) and (B) to read as follows: § 635.27 Quotas. (a) * * * (1) * * * (i) Catches from vessels for which General category Atlantic Tunas permits have been issued and certain catches from vessels for which an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement has been issued are counted against the General category quota in accordance with § 635.23(c)(3). Pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the amount of large medium and giant bluefin tuna that may be caught, retained, possessed, landed, or sold under the General category quota is 466.7 mt, and is apportioned as follows, unless modified as described under paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section: * * * * * (c) * * * (1) * * * (i) * * * (A) A swordfish from the North Atlantic stock caught prior to the directed fishery closure by a vessel for which a directed swordfish limited access permit, a swordfish handgear limited access permit, a HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit, a Swordfish General Commercial open access permit, or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (and only when on a non for-hire trip) has been issued or is required to have been issued is counted against the directed fishery quota. The total baseline annual fishery quota, before any adjustments, is 2,937.6 mt dw for each fishing year. Consistent with applicable ICCAT recommendations, a portion of the total baseline annual fishery quota may be used for transfers to another ICCAT PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 contracting party. The annual directed category quota is calculated by adjusting for over- or under harvests, dead discards, any applicable transfers, the incidental category quota, the reserve quota and other adjustments as needed, and is subdivided into two equal semiannual periods: One for January 1 through June 30, and the other for July 1 through December 31. (B) A swordfish from the North Atlantic swordfish stock landed by a vessel for which an incidental swordfish limited access permit, an incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit, an HMS Angling permit, or an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit (and only when on a for-hire trip) has been issued, or a swordfish from the North Atlantic stock caught after the effective date of a closure of the directed fishery from a vessel for which a swordfish directed limited access permit, a swordfish handgear limited access permit, a HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit, a Swordfish General Commercial open access permit, or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (when on a non for-hire trip) has been issued, is counted against the incidental category quota. The annual incidental category quota is 300 mt dw for each fishing year. * * * * * 9. In § 635.31, revise paragraphs (a)(1) and (c)(6) to read as follows: ■ § 635.31 Restrictions on sale and purchase. (a) * * * (1) A person that owns or operates a vessel from which an Atlantic tuna is landed or offloaded may sell such Atlantic tuna only if that vessel has a valid HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement; a valid General, Harpoon, Longline, Purse Seine, or Trap category permit for Atlantic tunas; or a valid HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under this part, and the appropriate category has not been closed, as specified at § 635.28(a). However, no person may sell a bluefin tuna smaller than the large medium size class. Also, no large medium or giant bluefin tuna taken by a person aboard a vessel with an Atlantic HMS Charter/ Headboat permit fishing in the Gulf of Mexico at any time, or fishing outside the Gulf of Mexico when the fishery under the General category has been closed, may be sold (see § 635.23(c)). A person may sell Atlantic bluefin tuna only to a dealer that has a valid permit for purchasing Atlantic bluefin tuna issued under this part. A person may E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 6, 2017 / Rules and Regulations not sell or purchase Atlantic tunas harvested with speargun fishing gear. * * * * * (c) * * * (6) A dealer issued a permit under this part may not first receive silky sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks or scalloped, smooth, or great hammerhead sharks from an owner or operator of a fishing vessel with pelagic longline gear on board, or from the owner of a fishing vessel issued both a HMS Charter/ Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement and a commercial shark permit when tuna, swordfish or billfish are on board the vessel, offloaded from the vessel, or being offloaded from the vessel. * * * * * 10. In § 635.71, revise paragraph (a)(2) and add paragraph (a)(62) to read as follows: ■ § 635.71 Prohibitions. * * * * * (a) * * * (2) Fish for, catch, possess, retain, land, or sell Atlantic HMS without the appropriate valid vessel permit with the appropriate endorsements, LAP, EFP, scientific research permit, display permit, chartering permit, or shark research permit on board the vessel, as specified in §§ 635.4 and 635.32. * * * * * (62) A vessel owner or operator that has an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a commercial sale endorsement is prohibited from selling any Atlantic HMS. * * * * * [FR Doc. 2017–26275 Filed 12–5–17; 8:45 am] jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 12:51 Dec 05, 2017 Jkt 244001 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 665 RIN 0648–XF156 Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; 2017 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits for the Territory of American Samoa National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Announcement of a valid specified fishing agreement. AGENCY: NMFS announces a valid specified fishing agreement that allocates up to 1,000 metric tons (t) of the 2017 bigeye tuna limit for the Territory of American Samoa to identified U.S. longline fishing vessels. The agreement supports the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and fisheries development in the CNMI. DATES: The specified fishing agreement is valid on December 1, 2017. ADDRESSES: NMFS prepared environmental analyses that describe the potential impacts on the human environment that would result from the action. Copies of those analyses, identified by NOAA–NMFS–2017–0004, are available from www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20170004, or from Michael D. Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818. Copies of the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (Pelagic FEP) 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: Jarad Makaiau, NMFS PIRO Sustainable Fisheries, 808–725–5176. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 9990 57551 In a final rule published on October 13, 2017, NMFS specified a 2017 limit of 2,000 t of longline-caught bigeye tuna for the U.S. Pacific Island territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) (82 FR 47642). Of the 2,000 t limit, NMFS allows each territory to allocate up to 1,000 t to U.S. longline fishing vessels identified in a valid specified fishing agreement. On November 17, 2017, NMFS received from the Council a specified fishing agreement between the Government of American Samoa and Quota Management, Inc. In the transmittal memorandum, the Council’s Executive Director advised that the specified fishing agreement was consistent with the criteria set forth in 50 CFR 665.819(c)(1). NMFS reviewed the agreement and determined that it is consistent with the Pelagic FEP, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, implementing regulations, and other applicable laws. In accordance with 50 CFR 300.224(d) and 50 CFR 665.819(c)(9), vessels identified in the agreement may retain and land bigeye tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean under the American Samoa limit. NMFS will begin attributing bigeye tuna caught by vessels identified in the agreement with American Samoa starting on November 30, 2017. This date is seven days before December 6, 2017, which is the date NMFS forecasted the fishery would reach the CNMI bigeye tuna allocation. If NMFS determines that the fishery will reach American Samoa 1,000-mt allocation limit, we would restrict the retention of bigeye tuna caught by vessels identified in the agreement, and publish a notice to that effect in the Federal Register. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: November 30, 2017. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2017–26227 Filed 12–1–17; 4:15 pm] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P E:\FR\FM\06DER1.SGM 06DER1
[Pages 57543-57551]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26275]
[Docket No. 170901859-7999-02]
RIN 0648-BH19
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Charter/Headboat Permit
Commercial Sale Provision
SUMMARY: This final rule creates a separate permit endorsement
provision for the commercial sale of Atlantic highly migratory species
(HMS) by HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders. Prior to implementation
of this final rule, all vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit
could be categorized as commercial fishing vessels and could be subject
to United States Coast Guard (USCG) commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements regardless of whether the permit holder engages or intends
to engage in commercial fishing. Under this final rule, HMS Charter/
Headboat permit holders will be prohibited from selling Atlantic tunas,
swordfish, or sharks unless they obtain a commercial sale endorsement
for their permit. This final rule will clarify which HMS Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels are properly categorized as commercial
fishing vessels for purposes of USCG safety requirements. This action
is administrative in nature and will not affect fishing practices or
result in any significant environmental effects or economic impacts.
DATES: Effective January 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the supporting documents--including the 2006
Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments and
associated documents--are available from the HMS Management Division
Web site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/ or by contacting Dianne
Stephan by phone at 978-281-9260. Written comments regarding the
requirements contained in this final rule may be submitted to the HMS
Management Division and by email to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov, or fax
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dianne Stephan or Tobey Curtis by
phone at 978-281-9260, or Steve Durkee by phone at 202-670-6637.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic HMS are managed under the dual
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act
(ATCA). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS must ensure consistency
with 10 National Standards and manage fisheries to maintain optimum
yield, rebuild overfished fisheries, and prevent overfishing. Under
ATCA, the Secretary of Commerce is required to promulgate regulations,
as necessary and appropriate, to implement measures adopted by the
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The
implementing regulations for Atlantic HMS are at 50 CFR part 635.
Atlantic HMS regulations at 50 CFR 635.4(b) require that charter/
headboat vessels (i.e., vessels taking fee-paying passengers) used to
fish for, take, retain, or possess Atlantic HMS must obtain an HMS
Charter/Headboat permit. In addition to carrying paying passengers, the
permit also allows charter/headboat fishermen to diversify their
operations by fishing commercially for Atlantic tunas and swordfish.
They may sell sharks if they also have a commercial shark permit in
addition to the Charter/Headboat permit. Relatively few permit holders
use the commercial sale provision. From 2012-2016, an annual average of
only seven percent of HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders sold any tuna
or swordfish. USCG commercial vessel safety requirement therefore may
result in an unnecessary ``commercial vessel'' compliance burden for
HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels.
Commercial fishing vessel safety provisions contained in the Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (CGAA) and the Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation Act of 2012 were the subject of a Marine Safety
Information Bulletin (MSIB 12-15) issued by the USCG on October 20,
2015. MSIB 12-15 clarified that the law would require mandatory
dockside safety exams for a broader population of commercial fishing
vessels. As clarified in the notice, that broader community included
HMS Charter/Headboat vessels that were authorized by the permit to sell
fish commercially (i.e., all Charter/Headboat vessels). The mandatory
safety exam includes a check for required commercial fishing vessel
safety equipment such as life rafts, emergency beacons, and survival
suits, and other requirements found in 46 CFR part 28. Outfitting a
vessel with these items comes at a substantial cost. Mandatory dockside
safety exams for vessels operating beyond three nautical miles from
shore began October 15, 2015 under this program.
These mandatory commercial vessel safety requirements had overly
broad application to all Charter/Headboat permit holders, whether they
engaged in commercial sales or not, absent a more effective way to
identify which HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders engage in commercial
fishing. After questions about applicability from NMFS and the
regulated community, on July 10, 2017, the USCG issued Marine Safety
Information Bulletin (MSIB 008-17) in an attempt to clarify the
applicability of commercial fishing vessel safety requirements for
vessels with HMS permits, including HMS Charter/Headboat permits. USCG
regulations at 46 CFR 28.50 define a commercial fishing vessel as a
vessel that commercially engages in the catching, taking, or harvesting
of fish, or an activity that can reasonably be expected to result in
the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish. According to the MSIB 008-
17, if an individual has an HMS Charter/Headboat permit (which allows
commercial sale) and a state permit to sell catch, the vessel is
considered subject to commercial fishing vessel safety regulations.
Many HMS Charter/Headboat operators that neither sell, nor intend
to sell, their catch but hold a permit to sell have thus found that the
USCG policy identifies their operations as a ``commercial fishing
vessel,'' and requires them to adhere to USCG commercial fishing vessel
safety requirements. For example, even small charter vessels (i.e.,
less than 20 feet in length) operating in the warm waters of the Gulf
of Mexico and with no intent to sell HMS, may be required under the
USCG regulations to carry an inflatable life raft that can cost
approximately $1,750. In addition to the cost burden, a vessel of this
size has minimal space to store such gear. These smaller HMS Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels were previously subject to the USCG safety
regulations for uninspected passenger vessels of less than 100 gross
[[Page 57544]]
tons and carrying six or less passengers, which are less extensive and
In late 2016 and early 2017, NMFS and the USCG staff informally
discussed how to more effectively categorize HMS charter/headboat
vessels under USCG regulations. The HMS Advisory Panel discussed this
issue at length at its May and September 2017 meetings. Many HMS
Advisory Panel members, including commercial, recreational, and
council/state representatives, supported creating a separate regulatory
provision for charter/headboat vessels that intend to sell HMS and to
thus specify that other such vessels were not engaged in commercial
sale and not subject to expensive USCG commercial vessel compliance
obligations. Panel members stated that creating a separate sale
provision would support more appropriate application and enforcement of
USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements in the Atlantic HMS
Charter/Headboat fishery, and would better clarify for permit holders
the specific USCG regulations that apply to their vessels and fishing
operations. On October 6, 2017, the USCG formally reviewed the proposed
rule of this action and concurred with the approach to provide clarity
on the applicability on their requirements.
HMS Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Endorsement
This final rule creates a ``commercial sale'' endorsement that can
be placed on the existing HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Under this
action, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders will be prohibited from
selling any catch of HMS unless they first obtain a ``commercial sale''
endorsement on their permit. Only those HMS Charter/Headboat permit
holders with the endorsement will be permitted to sell Atlantic tunas,
swordfish, or sharks if they also have the additionally required
commercial shark permit.
This final rule clarifies that any HMS Charter/Headboat vessel
issued a Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement
will be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel under USCG criteria,
and therefore could be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements. A vessel issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a
``commercial sale'' endorsement will not be categorized as a commercial
fishing vessel and should not be subject to the USCG commercial fishing
vessel safety requirements. HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders with
the commercial sale endorsement allowing the sale of tunas or swordfish
must adhere to the applicable Atlantic Tunas General Category or
General Commercial Swordfish permit possession limits and restrictions;
any landings will be applied against the appropriate commercial quota.
HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that sell or intend to sell sharks
must obtain the commercial sale endorsement on their permit as well as
a commercial shark permit. This final rule would only change the permit
category under which certain vessels are fishing. It will not affect
quotas, gear types, or time/area restrictions, and neither increase or
decrease fishing effort or affect fishing timing nor implement other
measures that will potentially have any environmental effects.
During the public comment period, NMFS held a public hearing via
webinar. Two members of the public provided comments during the
hearing. Additionally, NMFS received 14 written comments. All written
comments can be found at http://www.regulations.gov/. The summarized
comments and NMFS' response to those comments can be found below.
Comment 1: NMFS received comments, including from the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in support of the HMS Charter/
Headboat permit commercial sales endorsement considered in the proposed
rule. We also received a comment stating a commercial sale endorsement
would not be useful since a lot of charter/headboat fishing occurs in
state waters. Another commenter requested clarification on the cost of
the commercial sales endorsement.
Response: NMFS believes that the commercial sales endorsement will
effectively delineate between HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that
intend to sell HMS catch and those that do not. This clarification
should facilitate USCG's application of commercial fishing vessel
safety requirements. Regarding the comment that charter/headboat
fishing occurs primarily in state waters, and the apparent concern that
USCG requirements therefore would not apply nor be ``useful,'' we note
that as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, permit holders
are required to abide by federal HMS regulations regardless of where
fishing occurs, including in state waters, unless state regulations are
stricter. With respect to Atlantic tunas, NMFS manages the tuna
fisheries to the shore even if a vessel holds no Federal permit, except
in the States of Maine, Connecticut, and Mississippi. Regarding the
cost, the cost of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit with and without the
commercial sale endorsement will be the same; there will be no
additional cost to obtain the commercial sales endorsement.
Comment 2: The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
submitted a comment stating the HMS Charter/Headboat permit commercial
sale endorsement could make it more difficult to differentiate between
recreational and commercial fishing activities, particularly in the
coastal shark fishery. ASMFC also stated that State commercial fishing
permits already identify those individuals that are able to sell
Response: NMFS disagrees that the HMS Charter/Headboat permit
commercial sale endorsement would make it more difficult to
differentiate between recreational and commercial fishing activities.
Instead, the commercial sale endorsement will effectively identify HMS
Charter/Headboat permit holders that intend to sell HMS catch. HMS
Charter/Headboat permit holders that do not obtain the commercial sale
endorsement will clearly not be engaging in commercial fishing. As
detailed in the background information section above, approximately 93
percent of HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders do not sell HMS catch.
These permit holders are unlikely to obtain the commercial sale
endorsement; thus, the vast majority of HMS charter/headboat activity
would be easily categorized as recreational. Furthermore, State
commercial fishing permits do not authorize HMS Charter/Headboat permit
holders to sell sharks. HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders that intend
to sell sharks must obtain a Federal Atlantic commercial shark permit
in addition to the commercial sale endorsement created in this action.
Furthermore, the action is specifically taken with regard to
categorization for USCG regulatory purposes.
Comment 3: NMFS received comments expressing concern that defining
a charter/headboat as a commercial vessel for the entire year is overly
burdensome on the owner and captain. Instead, commenters stated that
commercial fishing vessel safety requirements should be enforced on a
trip-by-trip basis and that when an HMS Charter/Headboat permit holder
intends to sell HMS catch, that trip should be categorized as a
commercial trip, subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements. Commenters stated that if an HMS Charter/Headboat permit
holder is on a for-hire trip, that trip should be categorized as a non-
commercial trip and not be subject to the USCG commercial fishing
[[Page 57545]]
safety requirements. Commenters included examples of hardships, such as
requiring safety drills with clients and requesting customers' clothing
sizes to ensure immersion suits are properly sized. One commenter
stated that NMFS should require proof of a USCG commercial fishing
vessel safety sticker when applying for the HMS Charter/Headboat permit
commercial sales endorsement and should conduct a review of compliance
of HMS Charter/Headboat vessels with commercial fishing vessel safety
exam requirements. Another commenter stated that all commercial vessels
should be subject to the same commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements regardless of vessel size or where fishing occurs.
Response: The purpose of this action is to clarify which HMS
Charter/Headboat permitted vessels are authorized to sell Atlantic HMS
and thus are appropriately categorized as commercial fishing vessels
for purposes of the USCG commercial safety requirements. Doing so will
facilitate USCG's appropriate application of commercial fishing vessel
safety requirements. The mandatory USCG safety requirements arguably
may have been overly broad as currently applied because it is difficult
to identify which HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders engage in
commercial fishing and, therefore, should appropriately be subject to
the requirements. This action is not intended to address, nor otherwise
consider, the effectiveness of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements. Regarding the comment that NMFS should require compliance
with USCG regulations before issuing an HMS Charter/Headboat permit and
should conduct a review of compliance with commercial fishing vessel
safety exam requirements, NMFS may consider requiring proof of
compliance (e.g., submission of sticker number) as a condition of
obtaining the endorsement in the future, after additional consultation
with USCG. NMFS will coordinate with USCG Commercial Safety Exam
program staff to conduct a review of compliance of HMS permitted
vessels with CFVS exam requirements. The proper application of USCG
commercial fishing vessel safety requirements based on trip type,
vessel size, or fishing location is outside the purview of NMFS. NMFS
will share these comments and concerns with USCG Commercial Fishing
Vessel Safety program staff.
Comment 4: NMFS also received a comment suggesting increased
reporting requirements for vessels landing and selling bigeye,
albacore, and yellowfin tunas and to prohibit the sale of HMS caught on
charter/headboats while engaged in a for-hire trip.
Response: This comment is outside the scope of this rulemaking,
which focuses on overly burdensome and unnecessary application of USCG
commercial vessel requirements to HMS vessels that do not sell or
intend to sell their catch. However, NMFS will consider these
suggestions regarding increased reporting requirements and whether to
propose further regulations modifying HMS charter/headboat commercial
sale provisions in the future, as appropriate. Any such new management
measures and regulations would be presented in a proposed rule, and the
public would have an opportunity to provide comment.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA) has determined that
the final rule is consistent with the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its
amendments, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, ATCA, and
For the reasons described in the preamble, this final rule is
expected to be deregulatory under Executive Order 13771.
OMB under control number 0648-0327. Public reporting burden for
Atlantic HMS Permit Family of Forms is estimated to average 34 minutes
per respondent for initial permit applicants, and 10 minutes for permit
renewals, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching
ADDRESSES) and by email to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov, or fax to 202-
analysis (IRFA) and a summary of the analyses completed to support the
action. NMFS did not receive any public comment on the IRFA. The full
FRFA is available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). A summary is provided
Statement of the Need for and Objectives of This Final Rule
A description of the action and the legal basis for this action are
contained in the Background section of the preamble and in the SUMMARY
Final Rule Will Apply
Section 604(a)(4) of the RFA requires agencies to provide an
estimate of the number of small entities to which the rule will apply.
for all major industry sectors in the United States, including for-hire
charter/headboat businesses. For-hire charter/headboat business fit
into the ``Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water'' industry
under NAICS code 487210. SBA has established that the small entity size
standard for that industry is $7.5 million in average annual receipts.
Provision is made under SBA's regulations for an agency to develop
its own industry-specific size standards after consultation with
Advocacy and an opportunity for public comment (see 13 CFR 121.903(c)).
Under this provision, NMFS may establish size standards that differ
from those established by the SBA Office of Size Standards, but only
for use by NMFS and only for the purpose of conducting an analysis of
economic effects in fulfillment of the agency's obligations under the
RFA. To utilize this provision, NMFS must publish such size standards
in the Federal Register (FR), which NMFS did on December 29, 2015 (80
FR 81194, December 29, 2015). In this final rule effective on July 1,
2016, NMFS established a small business size standard of $11 million in
annual gross receipts for all businesses in the commercial fishing
industry (NAICS 11411) for RFA compliance purposes.
NMFS considers all HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders (3,594 as of
October 2016) to be small entities because these vessels have reported
[[Page 57546]]
annual gross receipts of less than $11 million for commercial fishing
or earn less than $7.5 million from for-hire fishing trips.
NMFS has determined that this rule will apply to the small
businesses associated with the approximately seven percent of HMS
Charter/Headboat permit holders that also commercially fish for
swordfish and tuna. Based on the most recent number of permit holders,
NMFS estimates that this rule will apply to approximately 252 HMS
charter/headboat vessel owners. NMFS has determined that this action
would not likely directly affect any small organizations or small
government jurisdictions defined under the RFA.
the Report or Record
Section 604(a)(5) of the RFA requires Agencies to describe any new
reporting, record-keeping and other compliance requirements. This rule
will create a commercial sale endorsement for the HMS Charter/Headboat
permit. Under the rule, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders will be
prohibited from selling any catch of HMS unless they obtain a
commercial sale endorsement on their permit. The commercial sale
endorsement could be added to the Charter/Headboat permit at the time
of the permit application or renewal, or anytime thereafter. Only
Charter/Headboat permit holders with the endorsement will be allowed to
sell HMS although they would not be obligated to sell any HMS. There
will be no additional charge for the commercial sale endorsement above
the cost of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit; the endorsement will add
less than a minute more of labor effort to the normal HMS Charter/
Headboat permit process. Those vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat
permit with a commercial sale endorsement will be categorized as a
commercial vessel for the purposes of USCG commercial fishing vessel
Adopted in the Final Rule and the Reason That Each One of the Other
Affect Small Entities Was Rejected
One of the requirements of an FRFA is to describe any significant
alternatives to the rule which accomplish the stated objectives of
applicable statutes and which minimize any significant economic impact
of the rule on small entities. The analysis shall discuss significant
alternatives such as: (1) Establishment of differing compliance or
These categories of alternatives are described at 5 U.S.C.
603(c)(1)-(4). NMFS examined each of these categories of alternatives.
Regarding the first and fourth categories, NMFS cannot establish
differing compliance or reporting requirements for small entities or
exempt small entities from coverage of the rule or parts of it because
all of the businesses impacted by this rule are considered small
entities and thus the requirements are already designed for small
entities. NMFS examined alternatives that fall under the second
category, which requires agencies to consider whether they can clarify,
consolidate, or simplify compliance and reporting requirements under
the rule for small entities. NMFS does examine alternatives that fall
under the second category described above that clarify which HMS
charter/headboat vessels should be considered commercial fishing
vessels for USCG safety requirements. The use of a performance
standard, the third category, to determine whether the USCG commercial
fishing safety gear requirements would apply would be too difficult to
effectively monitor for enforcement, so they were not considered by
NMFS. Thus, NMFS has considered the significant alternatives to the
rule and focused on simplifying compliance and reporting requirements
associated with the charter/headboat commercial sale provision and USCG
commercial fishing safety gear requirements in order to minimize any
significant economic impact of the rule on small entities.
NMFS considered four different alternatives to separate the
commercial sale provision from the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, and
thus relieve some HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders from the changes
in USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. Alternative 1,
the status quo/no action alternative, would make no changes to current
HMS regulations. Alternative 2, the preferred alternative, would create
an endorsement for the HMS Charter/Headboat permit that allows
commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish. Alternative 3 would
remove the commercial sale provision of the HMS Charter/Headboat
permit. Alternative 4 would create two separate HMS Charter/Headboat
permits; one that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and
swordfish, and one that does not.
Under the ``no action'' Alternative 1, NMFS would maintain the
current regulations regarding the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit.
Under current regulations at 635.4(b), permit holders taking fee-paying
passengers to fish for HMS (i.e. charter boats or headboats) must
obtain the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Since HMS Charter/Headboat
permits allow the commercial sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish, the
vessels would now be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements, regardless of whether the permit holder intends to sell
HMS. However, without a change to the HMS Charter/Headboat permit
regulations, USCG will consider all HMS charter/headboat vessels as
commercial fishing vessels that must adhere to the to USCG commercial
fishing vessel safety requirements. HMS Charter/Headboat permitted
vessels were previously subject to the USCG safety regulations for
uninspected passenger vessels of less than 100 gross tons and carrying
six or less passengers, which are less extensive and less costly.
Under the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements, many
Atlantic HMS charter/headboats would have to comply with four rule
requirements for survival craft, records keeping, examinations and
certificates of compliance, and classing of vessels.
The survival craft requirement establishes that all fishing
industry vessels operating beyond 3 nautical miles must carry survival
craft that will meet a new performance standard for primary lifesaving
equipment. The use of ``lifeboats or liferafts'' are required for
commercial vessels, whereas strictly for-
[[Page 57547]]
hire vessels are only required to a have ``a survival craft that
ensures that no part of an individual is immersed in water.'' This
means that lifefloats and buoyant apparatus will no longer be accepted
as survival craft on any commercial fishing vessel operating beyond 3
nautical miles once the most recent USCG guidance in fully enforced.
Some HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels would incorrectly be
identified as commercial vessels, subject to the more stringent
lifeboat/liferaft requirements. USCG estimates that the maximum initial
cost of this requirement per vessel would be $1,740 and have a
recurring annual cost of $300. The records provision requires the
individual in charge of a vessel operating beyond 3 nautical miles to
maintain a record of lifesaving and fire equipment maintenance. It
would be incumbent upon the master/individual in charge of the vessel
to maintain these records onboard. The USCG estimates this record
keeping requirement would cost $18 annually per vessel.
The examinations and certificates of compliance provision requires
a dockside safety examination at least once every 5 years for vessels,
such as HMS charter/headboats that engage in commercial fishing,
operating beyond 3 nautical miles with the first exam statutorily
required by October 15, 2015. A ``certificate of compliance'' will be
issued to a vessel successfully completing the exam. Voluntary exams
will continue to be promoted for vessel operating inside 3 nautical
miles. USCG estimates that the maximum initial cost of this requirement
per vessel will be $600 and have a recurring cost of $600.
The classing of vessels provision requires the survey and
classification of a fishing vessel that is at least 50 feet overall in
length, was built after July 1, 2013, and operates beyond 3 nautical
miles. It is unlikely that this requirement will impact many Atlantic
HMS charter/headboat vessels because the vessels are typically less
than 50 feet overall in length.
In sum, all 3,594 Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders
would face an initial per vessel cost of $2,358. The annual cost
savings per vessel in subsequent years would be approximately $300 for
the survival craft, $18 for record keeping, and $120 ($600/5 yrs) for
examinations and certificates of completion. The total annual recurring
cost saving per vessel would be $438 for these three requirements.
These costs could be higher for some individual vessels that are too
small or have too little storage space for the survival craft
requirement because those vessels might require extensive modifications
to accommodate the storage space for the gear.
Under Alternative 2, the preferred alternative, NMFS would modify
the regulations so that the HMS Charter/Headboat permit alone does not
allow commercial sale and also create an endorsement for the HMS
Charter/Headboat permit that allows commercial sale of Atlantic tunas
and swordfish. Currently, charter/headboat vessels are able, though not
obligated, to sell swordfish and tunas with an HMS Charter/Headboat
permit. Consequently, vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit
are categorized as commercial fishing vessels subject to USCG
commercial vessel fishing safety requirements if they also possess a
state commercial sale permit, regardless of whether the permit holder
sells or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 2, NMFS would create a
``commercial sale'' endorsement for the HMS Charter/Headboat permit.
Under this action, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would be
prohibited from selling any catch of HMS unless they apply for a
commercial sale endorsement to be added to their permit. The commercial
sale endorsement could be added to the Charter/Headboat permit at the
time of the permit application or renewal. Only charter/headboat
vessels with the endorsement would be permitted to sell HMS although
they would not be obligated to sell any HMS. Those vessels holding an
HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a commercial sale endorsement would
not be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel and would not be
subject to the USCG commercial safety gear requirements. Those vessels
that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a ``commercial sale''
endorsement would be categorized as commercial vessels for the purposes
of USCG commercial fishing safety requirements.
The cost savings associated with implementing a commercial
endorsement option for Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permits would be
that approximately 93 percent of the permit holders would not have to
comply with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements,
because Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be
considered commercial fishing vessels unless they were issued the
commercial endorsement. These vessels would have no costs associated
with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements. This would
result in a reduction in costs per vessel initially of approximately
$1,740 for the survival craft, $18 for record keeping, and $600 for
examinations and certificates of completion. The total initial costs
saved per vessel would be $2,358. The annual cost savings per vessel in
subsequent years would be approximately $300 for the survival craft,
$18 for record keeping, and $120 ($600/5 yrs) for examinations and
certificates of completion. The total annual recurring cost savings per
vessel would be $438 for these three requirements. In addition to the
reduced costs associated with complying with the USCG commercial
fishing vessel safety requirements for those HMS Charter/Headboat
permit holders that do not intend to obtain the endorsement to fish
commercially, most Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders would
have to do nothing different when obtaining their permits unless they
want to commercially sell tunas or swordfish.
The approximately 7 percent of Atlantic Charter/Headboat permit
holders that want to continue selling tunas and swordfish in addition
to complying with the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
requirements, would need to obtain an endorsement for the commercial
sale of Atlantic tunas and swordfish. This would likely add less than a
minute to the time it takes to obtain the Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat
permit and it would not add to the cost of obtaining the permit. HMS
charter/headboat permit holders who sell sharks must obtain a
commercial shark permit in addition to an endorsement on an HMS
Charter/Headboat permit. NMFS would incur some costs associated with
altering the online permit application to accommodate the endorsement,
along with some customer service changes.
Under Alternative 3, NMFS would remove the commercial sale
provision of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Currently, charter/
headboat vessels are able, though not obligated, to sell swordfish and
tunas as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, and may sell
sharks if they also have a commercial shark permit. Consequently,
vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit are currently being
categorized by USCG as commercial fishing vessels and subject to USCG
commercial fishing vessel safety requirements if they also hold a state
commercial sale permit, regardless of whether the permit holder sells
or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 3, NMFS would remove the
provision that allows commercial sales under the HMS Charter/Headboat
permit. Thus, holding an HMS Charter/Headboat permit would no longer
categorize a vessel as a commercial fishing vessel for the purposes of
USCG regulations. Charter/headboat vessel owners or
[[Page 57548]]
operators that wish to engage in commercial sale of tunas and swordfish
would instead need to obtain an Atlantic tunas General category and/or
Swordfish General Commercial permit. The Atlantic Tunas General
category and Swordfish General Commercial permits could be held in
conjunction with the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Those vessels with an
HMS Charter/Headboat permit that do not intend to sell HMS and do not
possess an Atlantic Tunas General category, Swordfish General
Commercial, or commercial shark permit (which permit commercial sale)
would not be subject to USCG commercial fishing vessel safety
The benefits of Alternative 3 versus the No Action alternative
would be identical to those of Alternative 2. Approximately 93 percent
of the permit holders would not have to face the costs associated with
the USCG commercial fishing safety requirements, because Atlantic HMS
Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be considered to commercially
fish. The costs for the fleet would be approximately $594,216
initially, and then $231,336 annually thereafter, which are
significantly lower than the costs for the fleet under No Action. The 7
percent that wish to engage in commercial sale of tunas and swordfish
Swordfish General Commercial permit. This would cost them $20 to obtain
either the Atlantic Tunas General category permit or the Swordfish
General Commercial permit. For the approximately 252 vessel owners that
might obtain these $20 permits, the total cost would be $5,040 to
$10,080 annually depending on whether they obtain one or both permits.
In addition, vessel owners may need to expend a bit more time to
complete the application for these additional permits. NMFS would incur
costs associated with the substantial permits site and customer service
changes that would be required for this change. NMFS prefers
Alternative 2 over Alternative 3 because a commercial sale endorsement
requirement more closely matches current fishing practices and would
minimize disruptions. Currently, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders
can sell some HMS and Alternative 2 would allow them to continue by
simply obtaining an endorsement on their Charter/Headboat permit.
Alternative 3 would be more disruptive since it would require fishermen
to obtain additional permits. NMFS would need to develop new regulatory
text to describe these new requirements and fishery participants would
have to learn and adapt to these changes.
Under Alternative 4, NMFS would create two separate Atlantic HMS
Charter/Headboat permits; one that allows commercial sale of Atlantic
tunas and swordfish, and one that does not. Currently, charter/headboat
vessels are able, though not obligated, to sell swordfish and tunas as
a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Consequently, vessels
that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit could be categorized as
commercial fishing vessels and subject to USCG commercial fishing
vessel safety requirements, regardless of whether the permit holder
sells or intends to sell HMS. Under Alternative 4, NMFS would create
two separate HMS Charter/Headboat permits; one that would allow
commercial sale of HMS, and one that would not. Those vessels holding
an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that does not allow commercial sale
would not be categorized as a commercial fishing vessel and would not
be subject to the USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements.
Those vessels that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that allows
commercial sale would be categorized as commercial vessels for the
purposes of USCG commercial fishing vessel safety requirements.
The benefits of Alternative 4 versus the No Action alternative
the USCG commercial fishing safety requirements, since Atlantic HMS
Charter/Headboat permit holders would not be considered commercial
fishing. The costs for the fleet would be approximately $594,216
initially, and then $231,336 annually thereafter, which is
significantly lower than the costs for the fleet under No Action. Under
this alternative, each of the 3,594 Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat
permit holders would have to determine which type of Charter/Headboat
permit they wish to obtain for the year, and all of charter/headboat
vessel owners would have to learn the new permit process. Unlike
Alternative 3, there would be no additional costs associated with
obtaining a commercial permit, because under this alternative, each
would pick either the no-sale HMS Charter/Headboat permit or the
commercial sale Charter/Headboat permit. NMFS would incur costs
associated with the substantial permits site and customer service
changes that would be required for this change. NMFS would need to
develop new regulatory text to describe these two new permits and
fishery participants would have to learn of and adapt to these changes.
2. In Sec.  635.2, add a new definition for ``Charter/headboat
commercial sale endorsement'' in alphabetical order to read as follows:
Sec.  635.2   Definitions.
Charter/headboat commercial sale endorsement means an authorization
added to an HMS Charter/Headboat permit that is required for vessels
that sell or intend to sell Atlantic tunas, sharks, and swordfish,
provided that all other requirements in this part are also met.
3. In Sec.  635.4:
b. Add paragraph (b)(3);
c. Revise paragraphs (d)(1) and (2);
d. Remove the introductory text of paragraph (f); and
e. Revise paragraphs (f)(1), (f)(2), and (m)(2).
Sec.  635.4   Permits and fees.
(5) Display upon offloading. Upon offloading of Atlantic HMS for
sale, the owner or operator of the harvesting vessel must present for
inspection the vessel's HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial
sale endorsement; Atlantic tunas, shark, or swordfish permit;
Incidental HMS squid trawl; HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit;
and/or the shark research permit to the first receiver. The permit(s)
must be presented prior to completing any applicable landing report
specified at Sec.  635.5(a)(1), (a)(2), and (b)(2)(i).
[[Page 57549]]
(3) The owner of a charter boat or headboat that intends to sell
Atlantic tunas or swordfish must obtain a commercial sale endorsement
for the vessel's HMS Charter/Headboat permit. The owner of a charter
boat or headboat that intends to sell Atlantic sharks must obtain a
commercial sale endorsement for the vessel's HMS Charter/Headboat
permit at the time of permit renewal or when the permit is obtained and
must also obtain any applicable Atlantic commercial shark permits. A
vessel owner that has obtained an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a
commercial sale endorsement is prohibited from selling any Atlantic
(1) The owner of each vessel used to fish for or take Atlantic
tunas commercially or on which Atlantic tunas are retained or possessed
with the intention of sale must obtain an HMS Charter/Headboat permit
with a commercial sale endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this
section, an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under
paragraph (o) of this section, or an Atlantic tunas permit in one, and
only one, of the following categories: General, Harpoon, Longline,
Purse Seine, or Trap.
Angling, HMS Charter/Headboat, or an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small
Boat permit may fish for, take, retain, or possess Atlantic tunas, but
only in compliance with the quotas, catch limits, size classes, and
gear applicable to the permit or permit category of the vessel from
which he or she is fishing. Persons may sell Atlantic tunas only if the
harvesting vessel has a valid permit in the General, Harpoon, Longline,
Purse Seine, or Trap category of the Atlantic Tunas permit, a valid HMS
Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement, or an HMS
(f) Swordfish vessel permits. (1) Except as specified in paragraphs
(n) and (o) of this section, the owner of a vessel of the United States
used to fish for or take swordfish commercially from the management
unit, or on which swordfish from the management unit are retained or
possessed with an intention to sell, or from which swordfish are sold,
must obtain an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale
endorsement issued under paragraph (b) of this section, or one of the
following swordfish permits: A swordfish directed limited access
permit, swordfish incidental limited access permit, swordfish handgear
limited access permit, or a Swordfish General Commercial permit. These
permits cannot be held in combination with each other on the same
vessel, except that an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial
sale endorsement may be held in combination with a swordfish handgear
limited access permit on the same vessel. It is a rebuttable
presumption that the owner or operator of a vessel on which swordfish
are possessed in excess of the recreational retention limits intends to
sell the swordfish.
(2) The only valid commercial Federal vessel permits for swordfish
are the HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement
issued under paragraph (b) of this section (and only when on a non for-
hire trip), the Swordfish General Commercial permit issued under
paragraph (f) of this section, a swordfish limited access permit issued
consistent with paragraphs (l) and (m) of this section, or permits
issued under paragraphs (n) and (o) of this section.
(2) Shark and swordfish permits. A vessel owner must obtain the
applicable limited access permit(s) issued pursuant to the requirements
in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section and/or a Federal commercial
smoothhound permit issued under paragraph (e) of this section; or an
HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit issued under paragraph (o)
of this section, if: The vessel is used to fish for or take sharks
commercially from the management unit; sharks from the management unit
are retained or possessed on the vessel with an intention to sell; or
sharks from the management unit are sold from the vessel. A vessel
owner must obtain the applicable limited access permit(s) issued
pursuant to the requirements in paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section,
a Swordfish General Commercial permit issued under paragraph (f) of
this section, an Incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit issued under
paragraph (n) of this section, an HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat
permit issued under paragraph (o) of this section, or an HMS Charter/
Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement issued under
paragraph (b) of this section, which authorizes a Charter/Headboat to
fish commercially for swordfish on a non for-hire trip subject to the
retention limits at Sec.  635.24(b)(4) if: The vessel is used to fish
for or take swordfish commercially from the management unit; swordfish
from the management unit are retained or possessed on the vessel with
an intention to sell; or swordfish from the management unit are sold
from the vessel. The commercial retention and sale of swordfish from
vessels issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale
endorsement is permissible only when the vessel is on a non for-hire
trip. Only persons holding non-expired shark and swordfish limited
access permit(s) in the preceding year are eligible to renew those
limited access permit(s). Transferors may not renew limited access
permits that have been transferred according to the procedures in
paragraph (l) of this section.
4. In Sec.  635.19, revise paragraph (d)(4) to read as follows:
Sec.  635.19   Authorized gears.
(4) Persons on a vessel issued a permit with a shark endorsement
under Sec.  635.4 may possess a shark only if the shark was taken by
rod and reel or handline, except that persons on a vessel issued both
an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (with
or without a shark endorsement) and a Federal Atlantic commercial shark
permit may possess sharks taken by rod and reel, handline, bandit gear,
longline, or gillnet if the vessel is engaged in a non for-hire fishing
trip and the commercial shark fishery is open pursuant to Sec.
635.28(b).
5. In Sec.  635.22, revise the introductory text of paragraph (f), and
paragraphs (f)(1) and (2) to read as follows:
Sec.  635.22   Recreational retention limits.
(f) North Atlantic swordfish. The recreational retention limits for
North Atlantic swordfish apply to persons who fish in any manner,
except to persons aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/
Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement under Sec.  635.4(b)
and only when on a non for-hire trip; a directed, incidental or
handgear limited access swordfish permit under Sec.  635.4(e) and (f);
a Swordfish General Commercial permit under Sec.  635.4(f); an
Incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit under Sec.  635.4(n); or an HMS
Commercial Caribbean Small boat permit under Sec.  635.4(o).
(1) When on a for-hire trip as defined at Sec.  635.2, vessels
issued an HMS Charter/Headboat permit under Sec.  635.4(b), that are
charter boats as
[[Page 57550]]
defined under Sec.  600.10 of this chapter, may retain, possess, or
land no more than one North Atlantic swordfish per paying passenger and
up to six North Atlantic swordfish per vessel per trip. When such
vessels have been issued a commercial sale endorsement and are on a non
for-hire trip, they must comply with the commercial retention limits
for swordfish specified at Sec.  635.24(b)(4).
(2) When on a for-hire trip as defined at Sec.  635.2, vessels
headboats as defined under Sec.  600.10 of this chapter, may retain,
possess, or land no more than one North Atlantic swordfish per paying
passenger and up to 15 North Atlantic swordfish per vessel per trip.
When such vessels have been issued a commercial sale endorsement and
are on a non for-hire trip, they may land no more than the commercial
retention limits for swordfish specified at Sec.  635.24(b)(4).
6. In Sec.  635.23, revise paragraph (c)(3) to read as follows:
Sec.  635.23   Retention limits for bluefin tuna.
(3) When fishing other than in the Gulf of Mexico and when the
fishery under the General category has not been closed under Sec.
635.28, a person aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/
Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement may fish under
either the retention limits applicable to the General category
specified in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of this section or the retention
limits applicable to the Angling category specified in paragraphs
(b)(2) and (3) of this section. The size category of the first BFT
retained will determine the fishing category applicable to the vessel
that day. A person aboard a vessel that has been issued an HMS Charter/
Headboat without a commercial sale endorsement permit may fish only
under the retention limits applicable to the Angling category.
7. In Sec.  635.24, add introductory text to paragraph (b)(4), and
revise paragraph (b)(4)(ii) to read as follows:
Sec.  635.24   Commercial retention limits for sharks, swordfish, and
BAYS tunas.
(4) Persons aboard a vessel that has been issued a Swordfish
General Commercial permit or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a
commercial sale endorsement (and only when on a non for-hire trip) are
subject to the regional swordfish retention limits specified at
paragraph (b)(4)(iii) of this section, which may be adjusted during the
fishing year based upon the inseason regional retention limit
adjustment criteria identified in paragraph (b)(4)(iv) of this section.
(ii) Vessels that have been issued a Swordfish General Commercial
permit or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale
endorsement (and only when on a non for-hire trip), as a condition of
these permits, may not possess, retain, or land any more swordfish than
is specified for the region in which the vessel is located.
8. In Sec.  635.27, revise paragraph (a)(1)(i) introductory text, and
paragraphs (c)(1)(i)(A) and (B) to read as follows:
Sec.  635.27   Quotas.
HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement has been
issued are counted against the General category quota in accordance
with Sec.  635.23(c)(3). Pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the
amount of large medium and giant bluefin tuna that may be caught,
retained, possessed, landed, or sold under the General category quota
is 466.7 mt, and is apportioned as follows, unless modified as
described under paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section:
(A) A swordfish from the North Atlantic stock caught prior to the
directed fishery closure by a vessel for which a directed swordfish
limited access permit, a swordfish handgear limited access permit, a
HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit, a Swordfish General
Commercial open access permit, or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a
commercial sale endorsement (and only when on a non for-hire trip) has
been issued or is required to have been issued is counted against the
directed fishery quota. The total baseline annual fishery quota, before
any adjustments, is 2,937.6 mt dw for each fishing year. Consistent
with applicable ICCAT recommendations, a portion of the total baseline
annual fishery quota may be used for transfers to another ICCAT
contracting party. The annual directed category quota is calculated by
adjusting for over- or under harvests, dead discards, any applicable
transfers, the incidental category quota, the reserve quota and other
adjustments as needed, and is subdivided into two equal semi-annual
periods: One for January 1 through June 30, and the other for July 1
vessel for which an incidental swordfish limited access permit, an
incidental HMS Squid Trawl permit, an HMS Angling permit, or an HMS
Charter/Headboat permit (and only when on a for-hire trip) has been
issued, or a swordfish from the North Atlantic stock caught after the
which a swordfish directed limited access permit, a swordfish handgear
limited access permit, a HMS Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permit, a
Swordfish General Commercial open access permit, or an HMS Charter/
Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement (when on a non for-
hire trip) has been issued, is counted against the incidental category
quota. The annual incidental category quota is 300 mt dw for each
9. In Sec.  635.31, revise paragraphs (a)(1) and (c)(6) to read as
Sec.  635.31   Restrictions on sale and purchase.
(1) A person that owns or operates a vessel from which an Atlantic
tuna is landed or offloaded may sell such Atlantic tuna only if that
vessel has a valid HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale
endorsement; a valid General, Harpoon, Longline, Purse Seine, or Trap
category permit for Atlantic tunas; or a valid HMS Commercial Caribbean
Small Boat permit issued under this part, and the appropriate category
has not been closed, as specified at Sec.  635.28(a). However, no
person may sell a bluefin tuna smaller than the large medium size
class. Also, no large medium or giant bluefin tuna taken by a person
aboard a vessel with an Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permit fishing in
the Gulf of Mexico at any time, or fishing outside the Gulf of Mexico
when the fishery under the General category has been closed, may be
sold (see Sec.  635.23(c)). A person may sell Atlantic bluefin tuna
only to a dealer that has a valid permit for purchasing Atlantic
bluefin tuna issued under this part. A person may
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not sell or purchase Atlantic tunas harvested with speargun fishing
(6) A dealer issued a permit under this part may not first receive
silky sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks or scalloped, smooth, or great
hammerhead sharks from an owner or operator of a fishing vessel with
pelagic longline gear on board, or from the owner of a fishing vessel
issued both a HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale
endorsement and a commercial shark permit when tuna, swordfish or
billfish are on board the vessel, offloaded from the vessel, or being
offloaded from the vessel.
10. In Sec.  635.71, revise paragraph (a)(2) and add paragraph (a)(62)
Sec.  635.71   Prohibitions.
(2) Fish for, catch, possess, retain, land, or sell Atlantic HMS
without the appropriate valid vessel permit with the appropriate
endorsements, LAP, EFP, scientific research permit, display permit,
chartering permit, or shark research permit on board the vessel, as
specified in Sec. Sec.  635.4 and 635.32.
(62) A vessel owner or operator that has an HMS Charter/Headboat
permit without a commercial sale endorsement is prohibited from selling
any Atlantic HMS.
[FR Doc. 2017-26275 Filed 12-5-17; 8:45 am]