View Rule

Under a provision of the Endangered Species Act, which requires observers for certain U.S. fisheries that interact with sea turtles, NMFS must annually identify those fisheries operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that may be required to take observers. This proposed action implements that requirement, which is known as an "Annual Determination." NMFS pays the cost of observer coverage -- observer coverage provides information on sea turtle interactions in a given fishery, as well as enabling evaluation of the efficacy of existing measures or need for new measures to prevent or reduce prohibited take. Any fisheries identified in an Annual Determination will remain for a five-year period. Given recent new information on sea turtle presence and changes in management needs, NMFS has determined the need to propose two additional fisheries for the 2018 Annual Determination and thus publish the Determination as a rule rather than a notice.