NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on a Control Date for the American Lobster Fishery
NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on a control date (a date that may be used to establish eligibility) of April 29, 2019 for the American lobster fishery, as we consider ways to reduce threats of entanglement by fixed-gear fisheries to North Atlantic right whales.
In April 2019, NOAA Fisheries convened the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team (TRT) to discuss management measures to reduce the risk of serious injury and entanglement of endangered whales in fishing gear. At the meeting, the New England states and the offshore lobster industry committed to reducing the risk of serious injury and mortality from lobster gear to the North Atlantic right whale by 60 percent in all lobster management areas. The specific measures to achieve this goal are not yet finalized, but will focus on reducing the number, and lowering the breaking strength of, vertical lines used in the lobster trap fishery.
Following the TRT meeting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Lobster Management Board established a control date of April 29, 2019, and recommended that NOAA Fisheries do the same for federal waters.
This notice is not a proposed rule. We are notifying the public that we may develop a future rulemaking to complement any actions taken by the Commission, and that future participation in the fishery may be based on participation as of April 29, 2019.
All other changes would be completed through a separate, future rulemaking.
How to Comment
Read the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as filed in the Federal Register. You may provide comments on the use of April 29, 2019 as a control date for the federal lobster fishery through the online e-Rulemaking portal, or send comments by mail to Mike Pentony, Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Please mark the outside of the envelope: "Comments on Lobster Control Date."
The comment period is open through September 23, 2019.
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