Possum

WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

Northwest NOAA Fisheries Service Issues Far-Reaching Plans for Protecting Northwest Salmon

National NOAA Fisheries Service Proposes Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures

Northeast New Conservation and Management Measures Announced for Monkfish

Northeast Comments on Atlantic Herring Sought for Proposed Conservation and Management Measures

Northwest Final Rule Revising Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing and Community Development Quotas Announced

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOAA Fisheries Actions

Calendar


WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

NOAA Fisheries Service Issues Far-Reaching Plans for Protecting Northwest Salmon

NOAA Fisheries has announced new measures to provide comprehensive, far-reaching plans for the protected salmon species. These improvements are detailed in three new biological opinions and will be in effect for at least 10 years. Two of the plans govern federal agencies’ operations of eight hydropower dams in the Columbia River basin and almost two dozen other Northwest dam-related irrigation projects on the Upper Snake River in Idaho. The third sets forth a plan for managing salmon harvests for Indian tribes in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and for those states themselves. Thirteen populations of salmon, including steelhead, are affected by some or all of the dams and are listed for protection under the ESA. NOAA has made important changes to make the hydropower biological opinion more robust since its public release as a draft document last October. The new document includes a strengthened climate change section, which takes climate shifts and their likely effect on salmon into consideration. The document also factors in the effects of hydro operations on killer whales and green sturgeon to make sure that those important species are not adversely affected as steps are taken to protect salmon. Throughout the plan, NOAA Fisheries’ approach has been to assure an extra measure of protection for salmon, especially when it comes to anticipating future conditions.

For additional information, please contact Brian Gorman, telephone: (206) 526-6613.

NOAA Fisheries Service Proposes Revised National Environmental Policy Act Procedures

NOAA Fisheries Service has announced a proposed rule to revise and update agency procedures for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed changes would revise existing procedures made pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSA). The procedures are designed to conform to the timelines for review and approval of fishery management plans and plan amendments developed pursuant to the MSA. Further, these procedures are intended to integrate applicable environmental analytical procedures, including the timeframes for public input, with the procedure for the preparation and dissemination of fishery management plans, plan amendments, and other actions taken or approved pursuant to the MSA in order to provide for timely, clear, and concise analysis that is useful to decision makers and the public, reduce extraneous paperwork, and effectively involve the public.

Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by 5 p.m., EST, on August 12, 2008 and may be submitted, identified by 0648-AV53, by email, via the federal rulemaking portal, by FAX to (301) 713-0596 or by mail to Alan Risenhoover, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, SSMC 3, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

For additional information, please contact Marian Macpherson at 251-751-0650.

New Conservation and Management Measures Announced for Monkfish

NOAA Fisheries Service has approved new management measures for monkfish to improve the overall conservation and management of the fishery. New measures include a reduction in carryover days at sea, a reduction in bycatch or incidental catch limits and a revision in the biological reference points used to determine whether or not overfishing was occurring in the fishery. The new rule became effective May 1, 2008. Copies of the new rule are available online, or by writing to Paul Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Newburyport, MA, 01950.

For additional information, please contact Tobey Curtis, Fishery Policy Analyst, telephone: (978) 281-9273.

Comments on Atlantic Herring Sought for Proposed Conservation and Management Measures

The New England Fishery Management Council has announced a proposal to amend the Atlantic Herring Fisheries Management Plan and is seeking public comments to inform new management initiatives. The goals of the amendment are to improve monitoring of catch in the Atlantic herring fishery and to manage the fishery at long-term sustainable levels, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). To do this, the Council is initiating a public process to determine the scope of alternatives to be addressed in the amendment and Environmental Impact Statement. NOAA Fisheries Service is alerting the interested public of the commencement of the scoping process and providing for public participation in compliance with environmental documentation requirements. Written and electronic scoping comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., local time, June 30, 2008 and may be sent via email to HerringAmendment4@noaa.gov, by fax to Patricia A. Kurkul, 978-281-9135, or by mail to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries Service, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Scoping Comments on Herring Amendment 4”.

For additional information please contact Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, telephone: (978) 465-0492.

Final Rule Revising Halibut and Sablefish Individual Fishing and Community Development Quotas Announced

NOAA Fisheries Service has issued a final rule that revised the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program for the fixed-gear commercial Pacific halibut and sablefish fisheries. This action allows the use of longline pot fishing gear in the Bering Sea sablefish IFQ and sablefish CDQ fisheries in the month of June. The revised rule adds regulatory provisions to allow members of the National Guard and military reserves who are mobilized to active duty to temporarily transfer their annual halibut and sablefish IFQ to other eligible IFQ recipients. This final rule is necessary to increase the efficiency of fishermen operating longline pot vessels in the Bering Sea sablefish fishery and to allow guardsmen and reservists to accrue some economic benefit from their annual IFQ if unable to harvest it due to military service. This action is intended to promote the conservation and management provisions in the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) and the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act). The revised rule is effective June 18, 2008, except the amendment to Sec. 679.24(c)(4), which is effective May 19, 2008.

For additional information please contact Obren Davis, telephone: (907) 586-7228.

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

New England Fishery Management Council Groundfish Advisory Meeting May 27, 2008

The New England Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Advisory Panel will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, Peabody, MA 01960 , telephone: (978) 535-4600. The meeting will focus on the review the draft Amendment 16 management measures and the development of recommendations for the consideration of the Groundfish Oversight Committee and the Council.

For additional information please contact Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, telephone (978) 465-0492.

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Socioeconomic Panel Meeting May 14, 2008

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is preparing an amendment which will require a permit to people who wish to construct an aquaculture facility in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico. Each application for a permit would have to comply with conditions related to record keeping and operation of the facility. These permit conditions will assure the facility has a minimal affect on the environment and on other fishery resources. Compliance with the conditions will be evaluated annually for the duration of the permit as the basis for renewal of the permit for the next year. Copies of the proposed Amendment can be obtained by calling the Council office at (813) 348-1630. The hearing will convene at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 and conclude no later than 9 p.m. and will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 3820 N. Roosevelt Blvd. Key West, FL 33040 .

For additional information please contact Wayne Swingle, Executive Director Gulf Fishery Management Council, telephone: (813) 348-1630.

General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Meeting June 2, 2008

NOAA Fisheries Service has announced a meeting of the General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). The meeting will be held on June 2, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Large Conference Room at NOAA Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California, 92037-1508 . Topics of discussion include status of the stocks and status of the fishery in 2007, upcoming meetings of the IATTC and its working groups, conservation and management measures for yellowfin and bigeye tuna for 2008 and beyond, and measures to address bycatch.

For more information, please contact Allison Routt, telephone (562) 980-4030, or prior to May 19, 2008, if you plan to attend.

North Pacific Fishery Management Council and its Advisory Committees Meetings June 2-10, 2008

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory committees will hold public meetings, June 4-10, 2008, in Kodiak, AK. The Council will begin its plenary session at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4 continuing through Tuesday June 10, 2008. The Advisory Panel will begin at 8 a.m., Monday, June 2 and continue through Saturday June 7. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 2 and continue through Wednesday June 4, 2008. The Enforcement Committee will meet Tuesday, June 3, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Harbor Room. All meetings are open to the public, except executive sessions. The meetings will be held at the Best Western Kodiak Inn, 236 Rezanof Drive, Kodiak, AK . A large number of items will be discussed including subsistence halibut fishing, salmon bycatch, Bering Sea and Aleutian Island (BSAI) crab issues, and many others.

For additional information please contact David Witherell, Council staff, telephone: (907) 271-2809.

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting June 2-5, 2008

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene public meetings June 2-5, 2008 at the Hilton Hobby Hotel, 8181 Airport Drive, Houston, TX 77061 . The Reef Fish Management Committee will discuss amendments 30B and 29, including IFQ Referendum Language, and recreational red snapper management and bycatch reduction among other items. The Administrative Policy Committee will meet to discuss the Report on Lenfest Annual Catch Limits (ACL’s) and the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum Management Committee will meet to discuss the Generic Aquaculture Amendment. Other committee discussions are planned as well.

For additional information please contact Wayne Swingle, Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

Southeastern Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Steering Committee Meeting June 10, 2008

The Southeastern Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Steering Committee will meet via conference call to discuss assessment updates to be completed during 2009. The conference call will take place on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Listening stations are available at the following locations:

1. South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive 201, North Charleston, SC 29405 ;
2. Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607 ; and
3. Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 268 Munoz Rivera Ave., Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918. ;

The South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils; in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries Service, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission; implemented the SEDAR process for determining the status of fish stocks. The SEDAR Steering Committee provides oversight of the SEDAR process, establishes assessment priorities, and provides coordination of assessment and management activities. During this conference call the Steering Committee will follow-up on activities from its May 5, 2008 meeting to finalize assessment update priorities for 2009. For additional information please contact John Carmichael, Science and Statistics Program Manager, telephone: (843) 571-4366.

FEDERAL REGISTER ACTIONS

For a list of only those actions open for public comment, try going to redirect and scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal register online at: Federal Register: Main Page.

NOAA FISHERIES ACTIONS

For more information, contact Editor.Fishnews@noaa.gov .
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or search the FishNews archives using a keyword, go to NOAA Fisheries - National Marine Fisheries Service and click on the FishNews icon.

__________________