Federal Register Notices
Federal Register Notice: NMFS to Discontinue Rebuilding plan for American Samoa Bottomfish and Implement ACL and AMs for Fishing Years 2024-2026
NMFS announces that the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) proposes to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the American Samoa Archipelago (FEP). If approved, the FEP would be amended to discontinue the rebuilding plan for American Samoa bottomfish...
Public Hearings for NMFS Proposed Rule on Oceanic Whitetip Shark Take Prohibitions
NMFS will hold two public hearings on the proposed protective regulations for the oceanic whitetip shark. NMFS has scheduled the hearings in response to a request to allow fishing communities in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern...
Final Rules and Federal Register Notices for Western Pacific Fisheries
The following Federal Register Notices have been published notifying the public of rule changes to fisheries in the Western Pacific: NWHI Lobster Harvest Guidelines FR Notice: NMFS manages the NWHI commercial lobster fishery under the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the...
Notice of Availability for American Samoa Longline Permits
NMFS announces that 34 American Samoa pelagic longline limited entry permits in two permit size classes are available for 2024. NMFS is accepting applications for these available permits. Federal regulations at 50 CFR 665.816 allow NMFS to re-issue permits for the...
Gold Coral Moratorium in effect until June 30, 2028
Precious corals (also called deep-sea corals) include black, pink, red, bamboo, and gold corals, and are harvested for use in high quality jewelry. NMFS and the Council manage the fishery for precious corals in the U.S. Pacific Islands under FEPs for American Samoa,...
Proposed Changes to Seabird Measures for Hawaiʻi Deep-Set Longline Fishery (Comments due by November 16, 2023)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to modify seabird interaction mitigation measures to require federally permitted...
Green Sea Turtle Critical Habitat Proposed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and CNMI; Public Comment Period through October 17, 2023
On July 18, 2023, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published proposed rules to designate critical habitat for populations of green sea turtles listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). USFWS and NMFS will...
Request for Information: National Strategy for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Due August 28, 2023)
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI). SUMMARY: The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), on behalf of the interagency Ocean Policy Committee...
FR Notice: Marine Conservation Plan for the Pacific Insular Area for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (June 20, 2023)
AGENCY:National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION:Notice of agency decision. SUMMARY:NMFS announces approval of a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana...
FR Notice: 2023 U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits (June 15, 2023)
AGENCY:National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION:Final specifications. SUMMARY:NMFS specifies a 2023 limit of 2,000 metric tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory...