Rules and Regulations. Notice of availability of proposed fishery management plan amendment; request for comments

Agency: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce
Action: Notice of availability of proposed fishery management plan amendment; request for comments
Citation: FR Doc. 2022-06927 · RTID 0648-XB846 · 50 CFR 648

Summary

The New England Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan to NMFS for review and approval. Amendment 8 would update the objectives of the skate fishery management plan, which have been unchanged since the original plan was adopted in 2003. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that the skate management continues to reflect and address the current needs and condition of the skate fishery. These revisions were initially included in Amendment 5 and subsequently Framework Adjustment 9 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan before those prior actions were discontinued by the Council. This notice is intended to alert the public to this action and provide an opportunity for comment.

Dates

Comments must be received on or before May 31, 2022.

Supplementary Information

Background The New England Fishery Management Council manages a complex of seven skate species (barndoor, clearnose, little, rosette, smooth, thorny, and winter skate) off the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts under the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This FMP was originally adopted in 2003, and the FMP management goal and objectives have been unchanged since that time. Over the course of several meetings throughout 2021, the Council determined that some aspects within the existing FMP objectives are out of date and need to be updated. These recommended revisions were originally included in Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate FMP (85 FR 84304), and subsequently Framework Adjustment 9 to the FMP (86 FR 64186), before both actions were discontinued. On February 1, 2022, the Council voted to submit revisions to the FMP management objectives as Amendment 8. The purpose of this amendment is to update two of the seven Northeast Skate FMP management objectives that guide and inform regulatory decisions to ensure that skate management continues to reflect and address the current needs and condition of the fishery. This action would update Objectives 2 and 5 to read as follows: • Objective 2: Implement measures to: Protect any overfished species of skates and increase their biomass to target levels and prevent overfishing of the species in the Northeast skate complex—this may be accomplished through management measures in other FMPs (groundfish, monkfish, scallops), skate-specific management measures, or a combination, as necessary. • Objective 5: Promote and encourage skate research for critical biological, ecological, and fishery information based on the research needs identified and updated by the Council. Although these objectives guide management decisions for the skate fishery, they are not formally codified within the regulatory text. Therefore, this action is administrative in nature with no immediate or direct impact on the fishery and/or the skate regulations. Additional information on these proposed changes can be found in the Council document and CE for this amendment (See ADDRESSES ). Public Comment Instructions The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) allows NMFS as the implementing agency to approve, partially approve, or disapprove any amendment submitted by the Council based on whether the measures/changes are consistent with the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act and its National Standards, and other applicable law. As such, NMFS is soliciting public comments on whether the Amendment 8 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP and its supporting documents are consistent with the Skate FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. Public comments on this amendment may be submitted through the end of the comment period specified in the DATES section of this notice of availability (NOA). This is an administrative amendment that contains no changes to the regulatory text or specific management measures of the Northeast skate fishery. However, NMFS will still decide whether to approve these recommended changes to the central objectives of the FMP that guide and inform management decisions. All comments received by the end of the comment period on this NOA will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on Amendment 8. Comments received after the end of the comment period for this NOA will not be considered in the approval/disapproval decision of this action. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: March 29, 2022. Ngagne Jafnar Gueye, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2022-06927 Filed 3-31-22; 8:45 am]