[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8212]
[[Page 19028]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 665
RIN 0648-AW66
Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Purse Seine Prohibited Areas
Around American Samoa
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery ecosystem plan amendment;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for
Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FEP). If approved by
the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 3 would prohibit purse seine
fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within 75 nautical
miles (nm) of shore around American Samoa. The proposed action is
intended to reduce catch competition between purse seine vessels and
local trolling and longline fleets due to possible localized stock
depletion by purse seine fishing, and to minimize gear conflicts
between the local longline fleet and domestic purse seine vessels.
DATES: Comments on Amendment 3, including an environmental assessment,
must be received by June 6, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Copies of Amendment 3, including an environmental
assessment, are available from http://www.regulations.gov, or the
Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813, tel 808-522-
8220, fax 808-522-8226, http://www.wpcouncil.org. Comments on the
amendment, including the environmental assessment, identified by 0648-
AW66, may be sent to either of the following addresses:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov; or
Mail: Mail written comments to Michael D. Tosatto,
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
Instructions: Comments must be submitted to one of the above two
addresses to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and
considered by NMFS. Comments sent to any other address or individual,
or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered.
All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted
voluntarily by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the
required name and organization fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word
or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Bailey, NMFS PIR Sustainable
Fisheries Division, 808-944-2248.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pelagic fisheries in the U.S. western
Pacific are managed under the FEP, developed by the Council, and
approved and implemented by NMFS. The Council submitted Amendment 3 to
NMFS for review under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Council prepared Amendment 3
to address pelagic fishing concerns in American Samoa. Local, pelagic
trolling vessels target skipjack and yellowfin tuna in the EEZ around
American Samoa. These vessels are usually small and incapable of safely
traveling long distances from shore or holding large quantities of fish
and are, therefore, limited to day trips in nearshore areas (less than
50 nm (93 km)) from shore.
Local pelagic longline vessels target albacore tuna and retain non-
target skipjack. Small longline vessels (less than 50 ft) are limited
to fishing within 50 nm (93 km) of shore and large longline vessels (50
ft and longer) can travel throughout the EEZ around American Samoa, and
beyond, to fish. Longline gear is deployed in the morning, left to
fish, and brought back on board starting in the late afternoon
extending into the early morning of the next day. The length of
mainline averages 40 nm (74 km), is deployed horizontally with floats
at the surface, and drifts with the current. Individual vessels usually
set one line per day.
Purse seine vessels also target skipjack tuna, but are much larger,
and more sophisticated and efficient. Fish aggregating devices (FADs),
either natural or man-made, are deployed to drift around the ocean,
until sufficient quantities of fish are accumulated to them. Purse
seines are then deployed near or around FADs. Conditions for purse
seine fishing in the EEZ around American Samoa are less favorable than
other areas, and most domestic purse seine fishing is conducted outside
the EEZ, to the north and northwest. There are 11 vessels in the U.S.
purse seine fleet with an endorsement to fish within the U.S. EEZ. The
average skipjack tuna catch per set is approximately 2.4 mt (5,308 lb).
The Council is concerned about possible impacts on other pelagic
fisheries if U.S. purse seine vessels were to increase activity in the
EEZ around American Samoa near areas fished by troll and pelagic
longline vessels. Localized fish depletion can occur when a stock in a
small area is reduced by the removal of large amounts of fish, thereby
temporarily depleting the availability of the stock to fishing activity
or other predators in that area. Research suggests localized depletion
may occur when large scale fishing operations, such as purse seine,
competes with small-scale fishing operations, triggering catch
competition for a single resource in a limited area. Reductions in fish
density and catch rate could cause small vessels to travel farther to
maintain catch rates, resulting in lost revenue due to increased
expenses and possible safety-at-sea issues if vessels fish farther from
port and for longer durations. Amendment 3 could also reduce gear
conflicts by separating purse seine operations from trolling longline
activity closer to shore. All other measures currently applicable to
the purse seine fishery, including large vessel prohibited areas of 50
nm, would remain unchanged.
Comments on Amendment 3 must be received by June 6, 2011 to be
considered by NMFS in the decision to approve, partially approve, or
disapprove the amendment. NMFS soon expects to publish and request
public comment on a proposed rule that would implement the measures
recommended in Amendment 3.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: April 1, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-8212 Filed 4-5-11; 8:45 am]
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