Articles tagged: commerce-department

Open for Comment: Pacific Island Fisheries; Catch and Retention Limits for Striped Marlin in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean North of the Equator

Commerce Department — NMFS proposes a framework to determine catch limits for all U.S. fisheries and retention limits by U.S. longline fisheries under a Hawaii longline limited entry permit for Western and Central North Pacific Ocean (WCNPO) striped marlin (Kajikia audax), consistent with Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) 2024-06. If the retention limit is reached, NMFS proposes to prohibit longline retention of WCNPO striped marlin by longline fishing vessels until the end of the year to prevent the U.S. catch limit from being exceeded. Because the U.S. limit under the framework can change each year, NMFS proposes to specify the updated catch and longline retention limits by notice in the Federal Register early each calendar year. For fishing year 2026, NMFS proposes to specify a U.S. WCNPO striped marlin limit of 393.4 metric tons (mt) (867,300 pounds (lb)) and a U.S. longline retention limit of 381.6 mt (841,300 lb) using the framework. (27 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Greater Atlantic Region Catch Share Cost Recovery Program Updates

Commerce Department — NMFS proposes regulatory and administrative changes to implement improvements to the Greater Atlantic Region's Catch Share Cost Recovery Programs. These updates are intended to simplify regulations and reduce costs for the Scallop Individual Fishing Quota, Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota, and Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Individual Transferable Quota fisheries. This action would result in improved administration and management of the scallop, tilefish, and surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries. (30 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Pacific Island Fisheries; Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures for Guam Bottomfish Management Unit Species

Commerce Department — NMFS proposes to modify the annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measures (AM) for Mariana bottomfish management unit species (MUS) in Guam. The proposed rule would increase the ACL from 31,000 pounds (lb) (14,061 kilograms (kg)) to 34,500 lb (15,649 kg), replace the in-season AM with a post-season overage adjustment if average catch from the most recent 3 years exceeds the ACL, and remove the higher performance standard that closes the fishery in Federal waters for any overage. The proposed rule considers the best available scientific, commercial, and other information about the fishery, and supports rebuilding of the fishery. (33 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Monkfish; Framework Adjustment 17

Commerce Department — NMFS is proposing regulations to implement specifications and management measures in Framework Adjustment 17 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action would set monkfish specifications for fishing year 2026, project specifications for fishing years 2027 and 2028, streamline the Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Overage Accountability Measure (AM) trigger, and add default specifications for the monkfish fishery. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and achieve the goals and objectives of the FMP. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available. (33 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of America, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; Regulatory Amendment 36

Commerce Department — NMFS seeks public comment on proposed regulations to implement Regulatory Amendment 36 under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic (Snapper-Grouper FMP). This proposed rule would revise the recreational vessel limits for gag and black grouper. Additionally, this proposed rule would revise the transit storage requirements for commercial on-demand, also known as ropeless, black sea bass pots. The purpose of these regulatory changes is to increase biological benefits to the gag and black grouper stocks, and to allow more practical transit of vessels through certain gear restricted areas with on-demand black sea bass pots on board consistent with mandates in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). (33 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan; Amendment 36; Limited Entry Fixed Gear Follow-On Actions

Commerce Department — NMFS issues these proposed regulations to implement amendment 36 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP). The proposed regulations include management measures that would apply to vessels registered to limited entry fixed gear (LEFG) endorsed permits and LEFG permit owners in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. Specifically, NMFS proposes to add flexibility to the LEFG permits' gear endorsements, remove the base permit designation of LEFG permits, remove the start and end times (i.e., hours of the day) for the open dates of the primary sablefish season, and develop a cost recovery program for the LEFG primary sablefish fishery. The purpose of this action is to provide increased flexibility to LEFG participants while reducing administrative burdens and to develop a cost recovery program to meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). (31 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Pelagic and Demersal Indicator Species Regulations

Commerce Department — NMFS is proposing changes to regulations regarding pelagic and demersal indicator species in the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) pelagic and bottom longline fisheries. Specifically, NMFS is proposing to remove the regulations regarding pelagic and demersal indicator species and the list of pelagic and demersal indicator species from the HMS regulations. These proposed changes would directly impact pelagic and bottom longline fishermen who hold Atlantic HMS fishing permits. The purpose of this action is to increase fishing flexibilities, remove regulatory inefficiencies, and optimize the ability of pelagic and bottom longline fisheries to harvest available quotas to the extent practicable while still achieving fishery management and conservation goals. (38 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Cook Inlet; Proposed 2026 Harvest Specifications for Salmon

Commerce Department — NMFS proposes 2026 harvest specifications for the salmon fishery of the Cook Inlet exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Area. This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for salmon during the 2026 fishing year and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Salmon Fisheries in the EEZ off Alaska (Salmon FMP). The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the salmon resources in Cook Inlet EEZ Area in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act). (13 days remaining)

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Open for Comment: Endangered and Threatened Species; Notice of 12-Month Findings on a Petition To List the Tope Shark as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act and Proposed Listing of Two Distinct Population Segments of Tope Shark as Threatened

Commerce Department — We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive status review of the tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) in response to a petition to list the species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. After reviewing the best scientific and commercial data available, we have determined that this species is comprised of six distinct population segments (DPSs) and that two, the Southern (So.) Africa and Southwest (SW) Atlantic DPSs, are likely to become in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges in the foreseeable future. Therefore, we propose to list the So. Africa and SW Atlantic DPSs as threatened species under the ESA. We have also determined that the remaining four DPSs--the Northeast (NE) Atlantic, NE Pacific, SW Pacific, and Southeast (SE) Pacific DPSs--do not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species under section 4(a) of the ESA and therefore do not warrant listing under the ESA. We solicit information to inform the final listing determinations. (61 days remaining)

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