NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes to the Current Seasonal Prohibition on Fishing with Black Sea Bass Pots and Gear Marking
December 29, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:
The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 16 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 16) will publish in the Federal Register on December 29, 2016. Regulations for the reduced size of the prohibited area for fishing for black sea bass with pots are effective December 29, 2016. Regulations for the enhanced gear markings are effective January 30, 2017.
Currently, fishermen may not fish with black sea bass pots from November 1 through April 30, each year, in the entire management area for black sea bass in the South Atlantic. The seasonal prohibition was established in 2013 as a precautionary measure to prevent interactions between black sea bass pot gear and whales during periods of large whale migrations, and during the right whale calving season off the U.S. southeastern coast. Regulatory Amendment 16 would retain a November 1 through April 30 seasonal prohibition but would reduce the size of the prohibited area. The goal is to reduce the adverse socioeconomic impacts to fishermen resulting from the current seasonal prohibition while continuing to provide the necessary protection to large whales in the South Atlantic region.
The new seasonal prohibitions are below. The prohibition shown in Figure 1 will apply annually during November and April. The prohibition shown in Figure 2 will apply annually from December 1 through March 31. The coordinates for the new area seasonal prohibitions can be found here.
Regulatory Amendment 16 will also require an additional 12-inch wide purple band in three locations on black sea bass pot lines. The goal is to enhance current gear marking requirements for black sea bass pots to distinguish black sea bass pot lines from other fishing lines. Currently, three 12-inch color marks at the top, midway, and bottom sections of the buoy line are required. Effective January 30, 2017, an additional 12-inch wide purple band must be added at the end of each 12-inch colored mark, making each of the three marks a total of 24 inches in length. The new gear marking requirements are required in the following areas and during the following dates: from September 1 through May 31 in the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) Offshore Trap/Pot Waters Area and Southern Nearshore Trap/Pot Waters Area, and from November 15 through May 31 in the ALWTRP Southeast U.S. Restricted Area North. The areas and current gear marking requirements may be found here.
States Seek Input on 2017 Recreational Summer Flounder Fishery Management
December 22, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board announces the availability of Draft Addendum XXVIII for public comment. The document, which was approved by the Board in early December, presents a suite of management approaches, including regional options, to achieve the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). The Atlantic coastal states of Massachusetts through North Carolina have scheduled public hearings to gather public comment. The details of those scheduled hearings follow:
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
January 11, 2017 at 6 PM
Bourne Community Center, Room # 1
239 Main Street
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
January 12, 2017; 6:00 PM
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corliss Auditorium South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext. 4420
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
January 10, 2017 at 7 PM
CT DEEP Boating Education Center
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
January 9, 2017 at 6:30 PM
Bureau of Marine Resources
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0435
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
January 5, 2017 at 6:30 PM
Galloway Township Branch Library
306 East Jimmie Leeds Rd
Galloway, New Jersey
Contact: Tom Baum at 609.748.2020
–
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
January 17, 2017 at 6 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
January 3, 2017 at 6 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Berlin, Maryland
Contact: Steve Doctor at 410.213.1531
–
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
January 12, 2017 at 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Robert O’Reilly at 757.247.2247
–
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
January, 9, 2017 at 6 PM
NC Marine Fisheries, Central District Office
5285 US Highway 70 West
Morehead City, North Carolina
Contact: Chris Batsavage at 252 808-8009
–
Draft Addendum XXVIII was initiated to consider alternative management approaches for the 2017 recreational summer flounder fisheries, while also seeking to address needed reductions due to a decrease in the coastwide RHL in 2017. In August, the Board and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved a 30% reduction in the 2017 coastwide RHL relative to 2016. This action was taken in response to the 2016 Stock Assessment Update which found fishing mortality was higher in recent years and population estimates were lower than previously projected.
Changes in summer flounder distribution, abundance and availability have created problems under the static state-by-state allocations, with overages often occurring. In response, states would implement regulations to reduce harvest, resulting in differing regulations between neighboring states. In 2014, the Board shifted away from traditional state-by-state allocations to a regional approach for managing summer flounder recreational fisheries. A benefit of the regional approach is it provides the states the flexibility to share allocations. The intent is to set regulations that account for shifting distribution, abundance and availability while providing stability and greater regulatory consistency among neighboring states, and enabling the states to meet but not exceed the coastwide RHL.
Anglers and interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum XXVIII either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum can be obtained by clicking here or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 19, 2017 and should be forwarded to Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (Subject line: Summer Flounder Draft Addendum XXVIII).
The Board will review submitted public comment and consider final action on the Draft Addendum at the Commission’s Winter Meeting in February 2017. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy atkrootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
Mid-Atlantic Council Initiates Action in Response to Overage of Black Sea Bass Catch Limit
December 21st, 2016 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
On December 15, 2016, at their meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council initiated a framework action to review and modify accountability measures (AMs) for the commercial black sea bass fishery. The Council initiated this action in response to new information from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) indicating that commercial catch in 2015 exceeded the annual catch limit due to higher than anticipated discards. On December 21, NMFS announced a rule which reduced the 2017 commercial quota by 34% in response to this overage, as required by the Council’s AMs.
AMs are measures that are implemented if annual catch targets are exceeded and are intended to mitigate the negative biological impacts of such overages. Commercial AMs for black sea bass currently require pound for pound paybacks through quota deductions in following years, regardless of the circumstances of the overages. The Council initiated a framework action to consider adding flexibility in the commercial AMs based on stock status. The Council intends to develop and implement this framework by mid-2017.
Black sea bass management measures for 2017 may also be modified as a result of a new benchmark stock assessment, which was peer-reviewed this month. According to this assessment, black sea bass are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet in January 2017 to review the assessment and determine if it can be used to inform the Council’s management decisions. If so, the SSC will recommend acceptable biological catch limits for black sea bass for 2017-2019. At their February 2017 meeting in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Council plans to recommend commercial and recreational black sea bass catch and landings limits for 2017-2019 based on this new information. These recommendations are expected to result in a revised 2017 commercial quota that could reduce the magnitude of the reduction needed to address the overage of the 2015 annual catch target.
Fisheries council sets up 2017 priorities
December 20th, 2016 — The New England Fishery Management Council has set its management priorities for 2017, including potential revisions to the management of Atlantic halibut and an examination of the implications of groundfish catches in non-groundfish fisheries.
The list of priorities, which largely charts the council’s expected — perhaps more accurately, hopeful — course in the upcoming year, was approved by the full council after about three hours of discussion at its November meeting.
The prioritization of issues, according to NEFMC Executive Director Tom Nies, is a valuable tool for providing the council with the structure to address pressing issues while also retaining the flexibility to delve into other issues as they present themselves to the council.
“The process is very helpful in focusing the efforts of the council on major tasks and still give it the flexibility through the rest of the year to change course as we have to,” Nies said.
The list of priorities would see the council:
Consider of possible regulatory changes to the northern Gulf of Maine scallop management area;
Improve the Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational management process;
Initiate actions to resume landings of the rebuilt barndoor skate stock;
Coordinate long-term wind power issues with other regulatory agencies, and;
Conduct a comprehensive review of council operations.
November/December issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus
December 20th, 2016 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The November/December issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at
http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//585955e0FishFocusNovDec2016.pdf.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Upcoming Meetings
page 2
From the Executive Director’s Desk
The Future of Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Lies in Partnerships
page 3
Species Profile
Atlantic Striped Bass
page 4
Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda
page 6
Bick and Long Receive Melissa Laser Fish Habitat Conservation Award
page 8
Proposed Management Actions
Cobia
Atlantic Menhaden
Jonah Crab
Summer Flounder
page 9
Fishery Management Actions & 2017 Specifications
Northern Shrimp
Atlantic Menhaden
Spiny Dogfish
Horseshoe Crab
page 13
On the Legislative Front
page 14
ACCSP Presents the State of Electronic Reporting Science Highlight
page 15
Science Highlight
Maine’s Snap-a-Striper Program
page 17
Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus.
———-
Tina Berger
Director of Communications
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N
Arlington, VA 22201
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Sends Letters to Obama on Impacts of Marine National Monuments
December 19, 2016 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
HONOLULU — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is hopeful that when President Obama arrives in Honolulu tomorrow, he will acknowledge the $100 million commercial fishing industry in Hawai‘i and the impacts on that fishery by his expansions of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (MNM) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and the Pacific Remote Islands MNM, which includes nearby Johnston Atoll. The value of the Hawaii longline fishery is excess of $300 million when factoring in retail markets and support industries and their employees.
The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has reported that the expanded Papahanuamokueakea MNM may account for a potential loss of about 2.5 million pounds per year of tuna and other pelagic species worth on average $8 million, more than $9 million in fishery support businesses (e.g., fuel, gear, ice, etc.), $4.2 million in household income and $0.5 million in tax revenue and affect more than 100 jobs. The impact will be much greater on fishermen who historically utilized the US waters around the NWHI as their primary fishing grounds as well as smaller boats that are restricted in their range. Given these economic impacts, the Council believes that prohibiting commercial fishing in this area should be phased in.
On Dec. 1, 2016, the Council sent its fifth letter to Obama about its concerns with the NWHI MNM expansion and a sixth letter about the impacts of the three other marine national monuments that have been proclaimed in the US Pacific Islands. The Rose Atoll, Pacific Remote Islands and Marianas Trench MNMs impact the fisheries of not only Hawai‘i but also American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) as well as local and US mainland seafood consumers. The Obama administration has not responded to any of the Council’s previous four letters, which were sent over the past nine months.
Presidential proclamations through the Antiquities Act have banned commercial fishing in 61 percent of US waters around the Hawaiian Islands and have placed 51 percent of US waters around the US Pacific Islands under MNM designation. The Antiquities Act requires that monuments be proclaimed for the smallest size needed for conservation of resources of scientific and cultural interest. Obama has invoked future climate change impacts on biodiversity as one of the primary reasons for the presidential action in his proclamations expanding the NWHI and Pacific Remote Islands MNMs.
Climate change impacts occur over much larger areas than contained in any marine monument. The Council believes climate change impacts will not be mitigated by prohibiting the commercial catch of a well-managed and enforced US fishery in discrete areas of US waters. Furthermore, the Council has repeatedly questioned the use of the Antiquities Act for marine conservation of tuna, billfish and other highly migratory species, which move well beyond the monument boundaries.
“The Antiquities Act process circumvents the National Environmental Policy Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, both of which require environmental, social and economic analysis and public input,” notes Council Executive Director Kitty M. Simonds.
Prior to the expansion of the NWHI monument, which spans an area four times the size of Texas, about 10 percent of the fishing effort of the Hawai‘i longline fleet were in these monument waters. Another 10 percent were in the US waters around nearby Johnston Atoll, which Obama closed to fishing when he expanded the Pacific Remote Islands MNM in 2014.
“The push for the monuments was driven not by popular demand but by a Washington, DC-based environmental organization, the Pew Environment Group, which has had the ear of successive presidents,” explains Council Chair Edwin Ebisui Jr. “A Pew funded study estimated that the Marianas Trench MNM would result in $10 million per year in direct spending, $5million per year in tax and the creation of 400 jobs. Needless to say, neither Guam nor the CNMI has seen any economic benefits from the monument. After seven years a monument management plan has not been completed by NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Now there is talk about overlaying the monument status with a National Marine Sanctuary designation.”
While the local governments have received no economic benefit from the monuments, NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have been receiving $3 million per year for “monument management,” notes the Council’s letter about the Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands and Rose Atoll MNMs. At the same time, the US Coast Guard and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement have not received additional funds or assets to increase patrols of the monument waters..
The Council was established by Congress in 1976 and has authority over fisheries seaward of state/territory waters in the US Pacific Islands pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. For more information and to download the letters, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220.
Letter to Obama on Papahanaumokuakea
Letter to Obama on Rose Atoll, Marianas Trench and Pacific Remote Islands MNM
New England Fishery Managment Council Approves 2017 Management Priorities
December 16, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council recently approved its 2017 management priorities, which will guide the Council’s committees and working groups in the year ahead. The Council annually takes this step for two reasons: to focus its time on mutually agreed-upon issues of importance; and to give the public a snapshot of what to expect in the foreseeable future.
“Our priority-setting exercise helps us determine how to best allocate available resources,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “We always have more proposals on the table than we’re able to handle each year, so by collectively deciding upfront which actions rank the highest, we’re able to work much more efficiently on the Council’s most pressing issues without getting sidetracked.”
Setting annual catch limits and other fishery specifications – a requirement under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act – remains the Council’s highest cross-cutting priority.
But for 2017, the Council also supported many high-priority items that fishermen and other stakeholders said were especially important. Here are a few of the highlights that were approved during the Council’s mid-November meeting in Newport, Rhode Island:
- Sea scallops: Consider regulatory changes to the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area;
- Groundfish: Revise Atlantic halibut management measures;
- Groundfish: Review groundfish catches in “other” non-groundfish fisheries and assess implications;
- Recreational fishing: Improve Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational management process;
- Barndoor skates: Initiate action to allow landings of this rebuilt species;
- Habitat: Coordinate wind power issues with other agencies over the long term, not just 2017; and
- Council: Conduct a programmatic review of Council operations.
- Atlantic herring – Continue work on Amendment 8 to address localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery and develop a new acceptable biological catch control rule using a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process;
- Habitat – Complete the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment and a separate framework adjustment to address surf clam fishery access to pending Habitat Management Areas;
- Whiting – Move forward with Amendment 22 to consider limited access for the Small-Mesh Multispecies Complex and consider changes to possession limits;
- Skates – Prepare an amendment to consider limited access for both the skate bait and skate wing fisheries with provisions that may consider catch share alternatives; and
- Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management – Continue work on the development of operating models and a draft example Georges Bank Fishery Ecosystem Plan and develop a MSE process to engage fishermen and other stakeholders while conducting testing and validation.
A table identifying all of the Council’s 2017 management priorities is available at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/161201_Approved_Priorities.pdf
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Modification of King Mackerel Management Measures for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region
December 16, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:
NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on Amendment 26 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region (Amendment 26).
Amendment 26 contains actions related to the king mackerel portion of the coastal migratory pelagics fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region. These actions were proposed by the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Council Fishery Management Councils following review of the most recent stock assessment, Southeast Data Assessment and Review 38 (SEDAR 38).
Actions in Amendment 26 would:
Modify the management boundary for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel to create a year-round boundary at the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council would be responsible for management measures in the mixing zone, which includes the exclusive economic zone off the Florida Keys.
Revise reference points, update the acceptable biological catch and annual catch limits, and revise commercial quotas and recreational annual catch targets for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel. These proposed revisions are based on the results of the most recent stock assessment, SEDAR 38, and are included below in Table 1.1.
Create a limited incidental catch allowance for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel caught as bycatch in the shark gillnet fishery. This amendment would allow for the harvest and sale of two king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Northern Zone and three king mackerel per crew member per trip from the Southern Zone.
Establish a commercial split season for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone. This split season would allocate 60% of the quota to season 1 (March 1-September 30) and 40% to season 2 (October 1 – the end of February).
Establish a commercial trip limit system for Atlantic migratory group king mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone.The commercial trip limit of 3,500 pounds would remain in the area north of the Flagler/Volusia county line and remain in effect year-round as long as the fishery remains open. South of the Flagler/Volusia county line the trip limit would be 50 fish from March 1- March 31. After March 31, the trip limit would increase to 75 fish for the remainder of Season 1. For Season 2, the trip limit would be 50 fish, except that beginning on February 1, if less than 70 % of the Season 2 quota has been landed, the trip limit would be 75 fish.
Increase the recreational bag limit for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel to 3 fish per person per day.
Revise the annual catch limits and commercial zone quotas for Gulf of Mexico migratory group king mackerel. These proposed revisions are included below in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1 2016/2017 Proposed Quotas for King Mackerel (pounds) under
Amendment 26 |
Commercial | |
Gulf of Mexico Migratory Group | |
Western Zone | 1,231,360 |
Northern Zone | 554,112 |
Southern Zone (hook-and-line) | 646,464 |
Southern Zone (gillnet) | 646,464 |
Atlantic Migratory Group | |
Northern Zone (includes gillnets north of
Cape Lookout, NC) |
1,497,600 |
Southern Zone (Total) | 5,002,400 |
Southern Zone (season 1) | 3,001,440 |
Southern Zone (season 2) | 2,000,960 |
Recreational | |
Gulf of Mexico Migratory Group | 6,260,000 |
Atlantic Migratory Group | 10,900,000 |
Request for Comments
The comment period on Amendment 26 ends on February 13, 2017. You may obtain electronic copies of Amendment 26 from the NOAA Fisheries Web site or the e-Rulemaking Portal (see Addresses section).
Addresses
You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2016-0120, by either of the following methods:
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
1. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2016-0120.
2. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
3. Enter or attach your comments.
MAIL: Submit written comments to Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
INSTRUCTIONS: Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Seeks Public Comment for Proposed Rule to Require Turtle Excluder Device Use for Skimmer Trawls, Pusher-Head Trawls, and Wing Nets (Butterfly Trawls)
December 16, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:
In an effort to strengthen sea turtle conservation efforts, NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on a newly proposed rule. The rule, if implemented, would require all skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls) to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in their nets. A TED is a device that allows sea turtles to escape from trawl nets. The purpose of the proposed rule is to aid in the protection and recovery of listed sea turtle populations by reducing incidental bycatch and mortality of sea turtles in the southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries.
Vessels participating in the Biscayne Bay wing net fishery in Miami-Dade County, Florida would be exempt from this rule because they operate by sight fishing and the agency does not currently believe this fishery presents a threat to sea turtles.
To further support the proposed rule, NOAA Fisheries also prepared a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), which includes:
- a description of the purpose and need for evaluating the proposed action and other potential management alternatives;
- the science and data used in the analyses, background information on the physical, biological, human, and administrative environments; and
- a description of the effects of the proposed action and other potential management alternatives.
Request for Comments
The proposed rule and a notice of availability on the DEIS were published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2016. Written comments on the DEIS and proposed rule must be received no later than January 30 and February 14, 2017, respectively, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service. All comments received by NOAA Fisheries Service will be addressed in the final rule and final environmental impact statement. Electronic copies of the proposed rule or the DEIS may be obtained from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and the NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office’s website http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pr.htm.
Public Hearings
We have scheduled six public hearings in January 2017 to solicit public comment on the proposed rule. The dates, times, and locations of the hearings are as follows:
- Larose, LA – January 9, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Larose Regional Park and Civic Center, 307 East 5th Street, Larose, LA 70373.
- Gretna, LA – January 10, 2017, 12pm-2pm, Coastal Communities Consulting, Inc., 925 Behrman Highway, Suite 15, Gretna, LA 70056.
- Belle Chasse, LA – January 10, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Belle Chasse Community Center, 8398 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037.
- Biloxi, MS – January 11, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Biloxi Visitor’s Center, 1050 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi MS 39530.
- Bayou La Batre, AL – January 12, 2017, 10am-12pm, Bayou La Batre Community Center, 12745 Padgett Switch Road, Bayou La Batre, AL 36509.
- Morehead City, NC – January 18, 2017, 12pm-2pm, Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.
How to Submit Comments
You may submit comments by either of the following methods. Comments received through other means may not be considered.
Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
- Enter the following docket number into the “Search” box: NOAA-NMFS-2016-0151.
- Select the appropriate title, and click “Submit a Comment.” This will display the comment webform.
- Attachments to electronic comments (up to 10 MB) will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
Mail: Michael C. Barnette, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505.
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