Amendment 17 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP) is intended to facilitate more effective operations of state-operated groundfish fishing permit banks in New England. State-controlled permit banks, at least for now, have been established in ME, NH, MA and RI and are funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA). They will be used by the states to preserve fishing opportunities for small, owner-operated fishing vessels in New England, particularly those located in fishing communities that might otherwise struggle with the transition to the groundfish sector catch-share program.
If approved by NOAA Fisheries, acting on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, the action will enhance the Council’s partnership with the states by exempting their permit banks from many of the rules that “sector-operated” or privately held permit banks must comply with, while still requiring some level of oversight and coordination with federal fisheries policymakers.
Comments may be submitted in the following ways:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the ‘‘submit a comment’’ icon, then enter 0648–BB34 in the keyword search. Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and click on the ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ icon on the right of that line.
Mail: Submit written comments to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope, ‘‘Comments on NE Multispecies Amendment 17.’’
Fax: (978) 281–9135, Attn: William Whitmore.