Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS is issuing and modifying regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) of 1950, as amended, to implement two Resolutions adopted at the 101st Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in August 2023. These Resolutions include Resolution C-23-03 (Amendment to Resolution C-99-07 on Fish Aggregating Devices) and Resolution C-23-04 (On the Design and Biodegradability of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs) in the IATTC Area of Competence). This final rule modifies regulations for the design of fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) to require that they be designed with non-entangling and biodegradable materials. The rule also requires that vessel owners and operators collect data related to the recovery, disposal, or recycling of FADs and submit these data to the IATTC, unless the information is already collected and submitted to the IATTC by an observer.
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. 241129-0306] RIN 0648-BM70 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: NMFS is issuing and modifying regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) of 1950, as amended, to implement two Resolutions adopted at the 101st Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in August 2023. These Resolutions include Resolution C-23-03 (Amendment to Resolution C-99-07 on Fish Aggregating Devices) and Resolution C-23-04 (On the Design and ( printed page 96907) Biodegradability of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs) in the IATTC Area of Competence). This final rule modifies regulations for the design of fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) to require that they be designed with non-entangling and biodegradable materials. The rule also requires that vessel owners and operators collect data related to the recovery, disposal, or recycling of FADs and submit these data to the IATTC, unless the information is already collected and submitted to the IATTC by an observer. DATES: This rule is effective January 6, 2025. ADDRESSES: A plain language summary of this rule is available at https://www.regulations.gov/​docket/​NOAA-NMFS-2023-0147 . Copies of supporting documents that were prepared for this rule, including the regulatory impact r…
Citation: 89 FR 96906
