Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This interim final rule establishes a catch limit of 3,763 metric tons (mt) of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) for vessels in the U.S. pelagic longline fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) for calendar year 2012. The limit does not apply to vessels in the longline fisheries of American Samoa, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Once the limit of 3,763 mt is reached in 2012, retaining, transshipping, or landing bigeye tuna caught in the WCPO will be prohibited for the remainder of 2012, with certain exceptions. This action is necessary for the United States to satisfy its international obligations under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention), to which it is a Contracting Party.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 300 [Docket No. 120418015-2015-01] RIN 0648-BC14 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: This interim final rule establishes a catch limit of 3,763 metric tons (mt) of bigeye tuna ( Thunnus obesus ) for vessels in the U.S. pelagic longline fisheries in the western and ( printed page 51710) central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) for calendar year 2012. The limit does not apply to vessels in the longline fisheries of American Samoa, Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Once the limit of 3,763 mt is reached in 2012, retaining, transshipping, or landing bigeye tuna caught in the WCPO will be prohibited for the remainder of 2012, with certain exceptions. This action is necessary for the United States to satisfy its international obligations under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (Convention), to which it is a Contracting Party. DATES: Effective on September 26, 2012; comments must be submitted in writing by September 26, 2012. ADDRESSES: Comments on this interim final rule, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2012-0145, and the supporting analytical documents may be sent to either of the two addresses below. The supporting documents include the 2012 supplemental environme…
Citation: 77 FR 51709
