Cameron, P.J. There are two primary species of salmon that are caught as bycatch in the Pacific Groundfish fishery, Chinook and coho salmon. Age structure of spawning salmon represents an example of portfolio effects such that the risks of experiencing unfavorable conditions are spread across time. There are two distinct population segments (DPS) for green sturgeon on the West Coast: Southern DPS and Northern DPS. Bottlenose dolphin, Barataria Bay estuarine system. NMFS has integrated the MMPA registration process, implemented through the Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP), with existing state and Federal fishery license, registration, or permit systems for Category I and II fisheries on the LOF. Bradford, A.L., E.M. Oleson, R.W. AOLA recommends NMFS take a more equitable approach when assessing entanglement risk across fisheries, countries, and non-fishery sources, and also notes this would assist in assuring fishermen are treated fairly. NMFS addressed FWS' concern by deciding that when an ESU contained both steelhead and rainbow trout, NMFS would list only the steelhead population within that ESU as threatened or endangered. Western Pacific Pelagic (HI Shallow-set component)*^. Our scientists conduct biological, ecological and oceanographic research, observations, and monitoring of the regions living marine resources and their environments. NMFS uses the best available scientific information to prepare the annual LOF. The West Coast Region works within the coasts and watersheds of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. on NARA's archives.gov. 1362 (20)) defines the PBR level as the maximum number of animals, not including natural mortalities, that may be removed from a marine mammal stock while allowing that stock to reach or maintain its optimum sustainable population (OSP). Comments were received from members of the public, Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association (AOLA), Freezer Longline Coalition (FLC), Hawaii Longline Association (HLA), Maine Lobstermen's Association (MLA), Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF), Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) and Whale Safe USA. The Commission also notes that the case for reclassifying the troll fisheries as Category II fisheries has strengthened since serious injuries due to hooking or entanglement in fishing line have been documented, and reliable estimates of rates of troll vessels fishing in and through spotted dolphin groups have been published (Baird and Webster, 2020). They are in place for a two-year period, except as changed through in-season adjustments to management measures. Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico golden crab trap/pot, Gulf of Maine herring and Atlantic mackerel stop seine/weir. The report evaluates catch and bycatch of all species. With this request, the commenter is also not taking into consideration the high percentage of unidentified entanglements that are both first sighted in the U.S. and in Canada. NOAA Fisheries - Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA . List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used in Table 2: DEDelaware; FLFlorida; GAGeorgia; GME/BFGulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy; GMXGulf of Mexico; MAMassachusetts; NCNorth Carolina; NYNew York; RIRhode Island; SCSouth Carolina; VAVirginia; WNAWestern North Atlantic; *Fishery has an associated high seas component listed in Table 3. NMFS-PIFSC-75. NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Eulachon Listing and Resources AboutEulachon Eulachon (pronouncedyoula . The LOF includes a list of marine mammal species and/or stocks incidentally killed or injured in each commercial fishery. For these fisheries, NMFS will review the other sources of information listed above and use its discretion to decide when it is appropriate to remove a species or stock. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C. This prototype edition of the *Only applicable to the portion of the fishery operating in U.S. waters; and. Stocks driving a fishery's classification are denoted with a superscript 1 in Tables 1 and 2. on HI deep-set longline fishery from 145 to 143 vessels/persons; HI shallow-set longline fishery from 18 to 11 vessels/persons; American Samoa longline fishery from 15 to 13 vessels/persons; and. Affected Species and NMFS' Determinations: ESA-Listed Species Status . The MMPA established this SRG, along with two others, to review the science that informs the SARs, and to advise NMFS on marine mammal population status, trends, and stock structure, uncertainties in the science, research needs, and other issues. to provide more detail on composition of effort within these fisheries. Fish and Wildlife Service, NMFS adds the Antillean subspecies (Puerto Rico stock) of West Indian manatee to the list of species/stocks incidentally killed or injured in Category III Caribbean haul/beach seine fishery. To determine which species or stocks are included as incidentally killed or injured in a fishery, NMFS annually reviews the information presented in the current SARs and injury determination reports. The SARs are based upon the best available scientific information and provide the most current and inclusive information on each stock's PBR level and level of interaction with commercial fishing operations. As noted previously in this LOF, the number of HSFCA permits listed in Table 3 for the high seas components of fisheries that also operate within U.S. waters does not necessarily represent additional effort that is not accounted for in Tables 1 and 2. Should Maine fisheries make significant changes to their gear configurations that differentiate these fisheries from other state and Federal lobster trap/pot fisheries, such as eliminating vertical lines, NMFS will reconsider this decision.Start Printed Page 3037. On March 18, 2022, NMFS West Coast Region received a permit renewal request (Permit 16608-3R) from Reclamation to conduct species enhancement activities for CCV steelhead and the sDPS of North American green sturgeon in the SJRRP Restoration Area. The actions and activities of these efforts fall under the purview, authority, or regulation of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) via the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Federal Power. In January 2019, there was an observed mortality of a false killer whale incidental to the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery that occurred within the Start Printed Page 3034range of the NWHI stock. NMFS designates those fisheries in Tables 1, 2, and 3 with an asterisk (*) after the fishery's name. For high seas fisheries, Table 3 lists the number of valid HSFCA permits currently held. Together with decision-makers at NOAA, other federal agencies, states, and others, we apply this scientific knowledge to make our environment healthier and improve peoples lives and livelihoods. Ghrist. Observer requirements are found in 50 CFR 229.7. In the West Coast groundfish fishery, the position data is primarily used to monitor fishing activity relative to closed areas. Bottlenose dolphin, Charleston estuarine system. Bottlenose dolphin, Northern NC estuarine system. NMFS updates the estimated number of HSFCA permits for high seas fisheries (Table 3) as follows: The following tables set forth the list of U.S. commercial fisheries according to their classification under section 118 of the MMPA. For questions related to West Coast groundfish regulations, contact the West Coast Regions Groundfish Branch at (206) 526-6140. Bryde's Whale Steller Sea Lion Spinner Dolphin Bowhead Whale Endangered & Threatened Species NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over 163 endangered and threatened marine species, including 65 foreign species. Observers collect information on what is caught, whether it is landed or discarded at sea, to estimate bycatch. For example, in case E25-10/RW 3911, the gear analysis found wire mesh is likely the remains of wire traps that parted off from themselves. Comment 9: The Commission recommends that NMFS reclassify the Category III Hawaii troll fishery as a Category II fishery. Comment 5: The Commission restates a previous comment and recommends NMFS reclassify both the Category II SE Alaska salmon drift gillnet and Yakutat salmon set gillnet fisheries as Category I fisheries. Is Action Following consultation with the U.S. Fishermen from Washington, Oregon, and California catch them year-round using a variety of gear types. Groundfish refers to more than 90 different types of roundfish, flatfish, rockfish, sharks, and skates off the West Coast. Send comments regarding these reporting burden estimates or any other aspect of the COI, including suggestions for reducing burden, to NMFS (see ADDRESSES). Sharper Picture of Salmon in the Ocean Resets Threshold for Fishing Limits, Coordinated Response Protected Southern Residents From Sunken Ship Leaking Oil, Incidental Take Authorization: NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries and Ecosystem Research Activities in the Pacific Ocean (2023-2028), Incidental Take Authorization: San Mateo County Harbor District's Pillar Point Harbor Johnson Pier Expansion and Dock Replacement Project in Princeton, California, Incidental Take Authorization: City of Santa Cruz Murray St. Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project in Santa Cruz, California, 90-Day Finding on the Petition to List Olympic Peninsula Steelhead as a Threatened or Endangered Distinct Population Segment, Regulations to Authorize Deep-set Buoy Gear under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP), Final EIS Available for Public Review: Proposed Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan for West Coast Highly Migratory Species Fisheries: Authorization of Deep-set Buoy Gear, Correcting Amendment for West Coast Groundfish 2023-2024 Harvest Specifications and Management Measures, Advance Notice of Electronic Monitoring Regulatory Program, Proposed Regulations to Implement Proposed Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan for West Coast Highly Migratory Species Fisheries to Authorize Deep-set Buoy Gear, Notice of Opportunities to Submit Public Comments on 2023 Ocean Salmon Fisheries, Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Funding. Additionally, species identified by logbook entries, stranding data, or fishermen self-reports (i.e., MMAP reports) may not be verified. Fisheries off West Coast States; Highly Migratory Fisheries; Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan for West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species; Authorization of Deep-Set Buoy Gear A Proposed Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 02/06/2023 Harbor seal, WNA. These seabirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and some are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We also provide technical assistance and funding to support. on Injury determinations for humpback whales and other cetaceans reported to the Hawaiian Islands Disentanglement and Pacific Islands Marine Mammal Response Networks during 2013-2016. biennium). Humpback whale, Central North Pacific (Southeast AK). It is the responsibility of fishery participants to comply with applicable take reduction regulations. On the West Coast and in the watersheds of Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, we manage commercial and recreational fisheries for more than 100 species of salmon, groundfish, coastal pelagics such as anchovy and sardine, and highly migratory species such as billfish, sharks, and tunas. NMFS adds the U.S. stock of California sea lion to the list of species/stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category III WA/OR/CA shrimp trawl fishery. Back . One killer whale (Gulf of Alaska, BSAI transient stock) M/SI was driving the Category II classification of the BSAI Pacific cod longline fishery. Committed to conserving and protecting our trust resources, the West Coast Region provides science-based conservation and management for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine mammals, sea turtles, and endangered species, and their habitats. Below we provide further detail as to why the information presented by the MLA is insufficient for the requested changes. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its final List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2021, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Category II: Annual mortality and serious injury of a stock in a given fishery is greater than 1 percent and less than 50 percent of the PBR level (i.e., occasional incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals). Sharks and skates: The six species are leopard shark, soupfin shark, spiny dogfish, big skate, California skate, and longnose skate. Limited Entry Trawl South of 4010' N Lat. We collaborate extensively with the Pacific Fishery Management Council, Native American Indian tribes, and the four states within the region in our management of highly migratory species (e.g., tunas, sharks), coastal pelagic species (e.g., sardine and anchovy), groundfish, and salmon, as well as the habitats upon which they rely. headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents. Additionally, NMFS is proposing a schedule of RFDs for every Tuesday and Friday from December 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024. Open for Comment, Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions, Economic Sanctions & Foreign Assets Control, Fisheries of the Northeastern United States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. NMFS has designated those fisheries in each table with an asterisk (*) after the fishery's name.Start Printed Page 3041, Table 1List of FisheriesCommercial Fisheries in the Pacific Ocean, Table 2List of FisheriesCommercial Fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean, Table 3List of FisheriesCommercial Fisheries on the High Seas, Table 4Fisheries Affected by Take Reduction Teams and Plans. The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable We also manage and conserve marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and coordinate and support the marine mammal stranding networks. The commenter alleges There are zero instances of Maine lobster gear associated with a right whale serious injury or mortality in any data set, and only one known entanglement where Maine lobster was the primary entangling gear in 2002 resulting in non-serious injury determination. We recognize that there has only been one confirmed mortality (in 2012) in identified U.S. trap/pot gear in the past decade. However, large whale fishery interaction assessments are dependent on direct counts of entangled whales, not the fishery per se. Dahle, M.E. This variability is due to multiple permitting agencies, differences in fishery management, and artifacts with available data sets. None documented in the most recent 5 years of data. Bottlenose dolphin, Southern Migratory coastal. Collaboration Offers the Best Hope for Lasting Puget Sound Salmon Solution, International Collaboration To Monitor And Respond To Tagged Gray Whale, Blob Research Reveals Environmental Effects That Shut Down Fishing and Hiked Whale Entanglements, California Ecosystem Surveys Give Insight on Ocean Changes to Come, "There is No Typical": Life as a West Coast Groundfish Observer, Woody Venard holds a skilfish on the deck of a fishing vessel. NOAA-NMFS-PIFSC-47, 29 p. Hayes, S.A., Josephson, E., Maze-Foley, K., Rosel, P.E., 2020. There are no current data on interactions with pantropical dolphins (or other dolphin species) in any other Pacific Ocean commercial troll fisheries. Credit: Mary Campbell, Feiro Marine Life Center, Volunteer Group Responds to Strandings on Washingtons Olympic Peninsula, West Coast Species on the Move as Climate Change Drives Ecological Shifts, Analysis Shows, NOAA Fisheries Releases Draft National Seafood Strategy, Requests Public Input. CA yellowtail, barracuda, and white seabass drift gillnet (mesh size 3.5 in and <14 in). Annual bycatch estimates are prorated using a process outlined in detail in the SARs, which account for M/SI that occur within the MHI-pelagic or NWHI-pelagic overlap zones. Comment 8: HLA recommends NMFS remove the Central North Pacific humpback whale stock from the list of species and/or stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category II HI shallow-set longline fishery. Importantly, the state of Maine does not use unique gear configurations from other states and gear configurations within Maine's waters are not uniform or divided across the geographic boundaries (i.e., exemption lines) that MLA has identified. Observed entanglements in the groundfish gear are rare but have been seen in the Limited Entry sablefish pot fishery and the Open Access Fixed Gear pot fishery. NMFS works in partnership with industry, universities, and state, local, and tribal agencies to collect data about commercial species. Fish and Wildlife Service share jurisdiction of some listed entities; this service only contains spatial data for NMFS critical habitat in the West Coast Region. This rule contains existing collection-of-information (COI) requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act and would not impose additional or new COI requirements. NMFS adds the Cook Inlet stock of harbor seal to the list of species/stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category III AK Gulf of Alaska halibut longline fishery. the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for Comment 10: MLA states that NMFS has the flexibility to consider a variety of criteria, such as differences in gear and fishing techniques, and the distribution of endangered stocks relative to individual fisheries when classifying fisheries on the LOF. Our work covers a vast geography, including the inland and coastal waters of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. PDF | We delineated and scored Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) in the Arctic region. Given NMFS's assessment in 2012 proposed LOF that interactions were likely `occasional', combined with more recent information, the Commission recommends that NMFS reclassify the Category III Hawaii troll fishery as a Category II fishery. documents in the last year, 853 Response: NMFS appreciates the actions the state of Massachusetts has taken, and continues to take, to help conserve and protect North Atlantic right whales. The number of permits listed in Table 3 represents only the number of permits for the high seas component of the fishery; **These gear types are not authorized under the Pacific HMS FMP (2004), the Atlantic HMS FMP (2006), or without a South Pacific Tuna Treaty license (in the case of the South Pacific Tuna fisheries). They experience more pronounced boom and bust population dynamics. documents in the last year, 1411 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. on NMFS West Coast Region's 2018 Guidance on Assessing the Effects of Existing Structures in ESA Section 7 Consultations In 2018, the NMFS West Coast Region (WCR) issued internal guidance (2018 Guidance) on ESA Section 7 consultations for work on existing structures. In addition, of the four pantropical spotted dolphin stocks, only the Hawaii pelagic stock has a minimum population estimate and resulting PBR. NMFS removes the Alaska stock of ringed seal from the list of species/stocks incidentally killed or injured in the Category II AK Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands Pacific cod longline fishery. Bottlenose dolphin, Puerto Rico and United States Virgin Islands. informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Caribbean haul/beach seine fishery from 15 to 38 vessels/person. Leanne Marten . This information suggests hookings and/or entanglements may occur, and the fishing technique of trolling through groups and repositioning presents a heightened risk of hooking or entanglement to pantropical spotted dolphins. The LOF fishery fact sheet for the BSAI Pacific cod longline fishery Start Printed Page 3033has an incorrect description for the observer coverage in both the catcher processor and catcher vessel longline sectors. This catch data is used along with captain-reported logbooks in place of observer data to debit vessel accounts. Beginning with the 2009 LOF, NMFS includes high seas fisheries in Table 3 of the LOF, along with the number of valid High Seas Fishing Compliance Act (HSFCA) permits in each fishery. 1202 Seattle, Washington 98134-2388 The number of HSFCA permits listed in Table 3 for the high seas components of these fisheries operating in U.S. waters does not necessarily represent additional effort that is not accounted for in Tables 1 and 2. Ream, E.L. Richmond, K.E.W. Therefore, NMFS has classified certain fisheries by analogy to other fisheries that use similar fishing techniques or gear that are known to cause mortality or serious injury of marine mammals, or according to factors discussed in the final LOF for 1996 (60 FR 67063; December 28, 1995) and listed in the regulatory definition of a Category II fishery. Participants in these fisheries are automatically registered under the MMAP and are not required to submit registration or renewal materials. The Sustainable Fisheries Division is responsible for conservation of fishery resources, eliminating overfishing, rebuilding overfished populations, maintaining healthy commercial and recreational fisheries, creating long-term economic and social benefits to the nation from living marine resources, and ensuring that harvest and hatchery decisions are consistent with the Federal governments Indian trust responsibilities and treaty obligations. West Coast Region . *, Southeastern, U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico stone crab trap/pot. These can be useful Habitat protection and restoration are critical components of species recovery and conservation. We, NMFS, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Oregon Coast (OC) and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coastal (SONCC) Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or, alternatively, list only the spring-run Chinook salmon