50 CFR - Wildlife and Fisheries

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2018 Pacific cod total allowable catch apportioned to vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 116 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP). If approved, Amendment 116 would limit access to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Trawl Limited Access Sector (TLAS) yellowfin sole directed fishery by vessels that deliver their catch of yellowfin sole to motherships for processing. This proposed rule would establish eligibility criteria based on historical participation in the BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole directed fishery, issue an endorsement to those groundfish License Limitation Program (LLP) licenses that meet the eligibility criteria, and authorize delivery of BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole to motherships by only those vessels designated on a groundfish LLP license that is endorsed for the BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole directed fishery. This proposed action is necessary to prevent increased catcher vessel participation from reducing the benefits the fishery provides to historic and recent participants, mitigate the risk that a “race for fish” could develop, and help to maintain the consistently low rates of halibut bycatch in the BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole directed fishery. This proposed rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Amendment 116, the BSAI FMP, and other applicable laws.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are removing the plant Trichostema austromontanum ssp. compactum (Hidden Lake bluecurls) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants on the basis of recovery. This action is based on a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, which indicates that the threats to T. a. ssp. compactum have been eliminated or reduced to the point where it no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. This rule also announces the availability of a post-delisting monitoring plan for T. a. ssp. compactum.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to open 3 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) to hunting, open 1 NWR to sport fishing, increase the hunting activities available at 26 NWRs, increase sport fishing activities at 4 NWRs, and add pertinent refuge-specific regulations for other NWRs that pertain to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing for the 2018-2019 season. Through these openings and expansions, we are proposing to open or expand an additional 248,000 acres to hunting and sport fishing within the Refuge System resulting in an estimated increase of 17,575 user days yielding approximately $711,000 in recreation-related expenditures. By having ripple effects throughout the economy, these direct expenditures yield a total economic impact of approximately $1.6 million. We also request public comments on the changes we made in our 2017-2018 season final rule concerning adding regulations for upland and big game hunting for Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge in Illinois.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), inform the public that we are no longer considering preparation of a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a proposed rule to authorize incidental take of migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council submitted Amendment 116 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review. If approved, Amendment 116 would limit access to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Trawl Limited Access Sector (TLAS) yellowfin sole directed fishery by vessels delivering to motherships. Amendment 116 would establish eligibility criteria based on historical participation in the fishery, issue endorsements to groundfish License Limitation Program (LLP) licenses that meet eligibility criteria, and authorize delivery of BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole to motherships by only those vessels with an assigned groundfish LLP license with a BSAI catcher vessel TLAS yellowfin sole directed fishery endorsement. This action is necessary to provide benefits to historic participants, mitigate the risk that a “race for fish” could develop, and help to maintain the consistently low rates of halibut bycatch in the BSAI TLAS yellowfin sole directed fishery. Amendment 116 is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the BSAI FMP, and other applicable law.

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in Amendment 43 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this proposed rule would allow for the harvest of red snapper in South Atlantic Federal waters. This proposed rule would revise red snapper commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACL). The purpose of this proposed rule is to minimize adverse socio-economic effects to fishermen and fishing communities that utilize red snapper as part of the snapper-grouper fishery, while preventing overfishing from occurring and continuing to rebuild the red snapper stock.

NMFS hereby issues regulations to implement management measures described in Amendment 47 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) (Amendment 47). This final rule revises the stock annual catch limit (ACL) for vermilion snapper. Additionally, Amendment 47 establishes a proxy for the estimate of the stock maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The purpose of this final rule is to revise the stock ACL for vermilion snapper in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) consistent with the most recent stock assessment.

In response to a petition by Animal Welfare Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and WildEarth Guardians, we, NMFS, are issuing a final rule to list the Taiwanese humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis taiwanensis ) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have reviewed the status of the Taiwanese humpback dolphin, including efforts being made to protect the subspecies, and considered public comments submitted on the proposed listing rule as well as new information received since publication of the proposed rule. Based on all of this information, we have determined that the Taiwanese humpback dolphin warrants listing as an endangered subspecies. We will not designate critical habitat for this subspecies, because the geographical areas occupied by these dolphins are entirely outside U.S. jurisdiction, and we have not identified any unoccupied areas within U.S. jurisdiction that are currently essential to the conservation of the subspecies.

Based on recommendations from the Pacific Fishery Mangement Council (Council), NMFS is issuing regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to implement Amendment 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP). The intent of Amendment 4 is to bring descriptions of the management context for HMS fisheries up to date, to better describe the Council's role in the process of making stock status determinations for highly migratory species (HMS), including the Council's evaluations of the best scientific information available (BSIA), and to change the schedule of the Council's three-meeting biennial management cycle for HMS stocks. This rule updates and amends the descriptions of biennial management cycle activities in the regulations for the HMS FMP to allow the Council to shift the schedule of Council meetings for the consideration of HMS stock status updates and management recommendations in response to instances in which a stock or stocks is determined to be subject to overfishing, overfished, or both. The changes to the Council's biennial management cycle activities and the schedule are intended to better streamline international and domestic management processes for HMS. This rule is administrative in nature and is not expected to affect activities authorized under the FMP or harvest levels of HMS.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are removing the textual descriptions of critical habitat boundaries from those designations for mammals, birds, amphibians, fishes, clams, snails, arachnids, crustaceans, and insects for which the maps have been determined to be sufficient to stand as the official delineation of critical habitat. For these entries, the boundaries of critical habitat as mapped or otherwise described will be the official delineation of the designation. The coordinates and/or plot points that we are removing from the Code of Federal Regulations will be available to the public at the lead field office of the Service responsible for the designation and online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal. This action does not increase, decrease, or otherwise change the boundaries of any critical habitat designation. We are taking this action in accordance with our May 1, 2012, revision of the regulations related to publishing textual descriptions of critical habitat boundaries in the Code of Federal Regulations and as part of our response to Executive Order 13563 (January 18, 2011) directing Federal agencies to review their existing regulations and then to modify or streamline them in accordance with what they learned.