Title 50 published on 2012-10-01
The following are only the Rules published in the Federal Register after the published date of Title 50.
For a complete list of all Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices view the Rulemaking tab.
2012-11-29; vol. 77 # 230 - Thursday, November 29, 2012 77 FR 71260 - Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Commercial Fishing Operations; False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Final rule. This rule is effective December 31, 2012, except for the addition of §§ 229.3(v) and 229.37(c), which are effective February 27, 2013. 50 CFR Parts 229 and 665 Summary We, NMFS, issue the final False Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan (FKWTRP), and regulatory measures and non-regulatory measures and recommendations to reduce mortalities and serious injuries of false killer whales in Hawaii-based longline fisheries. Regulatory measures include gear requirements, longline prohibited areas, training and certification in marine mammal handling and release, captains' supervision of marine mammal handling and release, and posting of NMFS-approved placards on longline vessels. In this rule, NMFS also recommends research and data collection programs. This final rule also revises the boundaries of the longline prohibited area around the main Hawaiian Islands to be consistent with the prohibited area established under the FKWTRP regulations. The FKWTRP is based on consensus recommendations submitted to NMFS by the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Team (Team), with certain modifications described herein that were determined to be necessary to meet the requirements of the MMPA. This final rule is necessary because current mortality and serious injury levels of the Hawaii Pelagic and Hawaii Insular stocks of false killer whales incidental to the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fisheries are above the stocks' potential biological removal (PBR) levels, and are therefore inconsistent with the short- and long-term goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The FKWTRP is intended to meet the requirements of the MMPA.
2012-10-03; vol. 77 # 192 - Wednesday, October 3, 2012 77 FR 60319 - Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan; Coastal Gulf of Maine Closure Area Established With a Temporary Shift of Its Effective Date
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Establishment of the Coastal Gulf of Maine Closure Area; temporary shift of its effective date. Year 1 effective February 1, 2013; Year 2 and beyond effective October 1, 2013. 50 CFR Part 229 Summary Through this notice, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the establishment of the Coastal Gulf of Maine Closure Area under the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan (Plan), and temporarily shifts the effective date of year 1 of its implementation from October 1, 2012, to February 1, 2013. Recent information suggests that harbor porpoise bycatch is higher in February and March than in October and November since the implementation of sectors in May 2010, warranting a temporary shift of the closure in year 1 to a time period that would provide greater conservation benefit to harbor porpoises and allow time for more complete consideration of updated information on harbor porpoise bycatch, harbor porpoise abundance, and fishing effort by the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Team (Team). As such, this area will be closed to gillnet fishing in February and March of 2013 rather than October and November of 2012.
