View Rule

View EO 12866 Meetings Printer-Friendly Version     Download RIN Data in XML
DOC/NOAA RIN: 0648-BG09 Publication ID: Fall 2016 
Title: ●Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Individual Bluefin Quota Program; Inseason Transfers 
Abstract: This action would consider adjustment of the Atlantic highly migratory species regulations to provide additional flexibility in how the National Marine Fisheries Service may allocate future inseason Atlantic bluefin tuna quota transfers to the Longline category. The National Marine Fisheries Service currently has the regulatory authority to transfer bluefin tuna quota from the Reserve category to the Longline category, in accordance with specific regulatory determination criteria and consistent with the Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota regulations and the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, as amended by Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (Amendment 7). Since Amendment 7 was implemented, a number of permitted Atlantic Tunas Longline vessels appear to have left the fishery, and the National Marine Fisheries Service has received requests to allocate quota inseason only to those vessels that are currently fishing, in furtherance of the Amendment objective to optimize the ability of all permit categories to harvest quota allocations. Specifically, this action could provide the National Marine Fisheries Service the flexibility to allocate quota inseason to all permitted Atlantic Tunas Longline vessels that received Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota shares, or only to those permitted Atlantic Tunas Longline vessels with recent fishing activity. This action is intended to further enable accounting for bluefin tuna bycatch by Longline category vessels. Through the proposed rule, the National Marine Fisheries Service will consider the potential impacts of this approach on the Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota program. 
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)  Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant 
RIN Status: First time published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 635   
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM  11/00/2016 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Small Entities Affected: No  Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No 
Agency Contact:
Alan Risenhoover
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries
Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13362,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone:301 713-2334
Fax:301 713-0596
Email: alan.risenhoover@noaa.gov