<RULE>
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
<SUBAGY>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</SUBAGY>
<CFR>50 CFR Part 665</CFR>
<DEPDOC>[RTID 0648-XD180]</DEPDOC>
<SUBJECT>Pacific Island Fisheries; Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodologies</SUBJECT>
<HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD>
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
<HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD>
Notice of Agency decision.
<SUM>
<HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD>
NMFS announces the approval of Amendments to the five fishery ecosystem plans (FEP) for fisheries in the Pacific Islands Region. The FEPs are amended to update data collection mechanisms identified as standardized bycatch reporting methodologies (SBRM) and to revise descriptions of SBRM for consistency with current NMFS regulations. These Amendments ensure conformance with national guidance for compliance with the SBRM requirement in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
</SUM>
<EFFDATE>
<HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD>
The Amendments were approved on May 2, 2024.
</EFFDATE>
<HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD>
Electronic copies of the Amendments may be obtained via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
<E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E>
and type NOAA-NMFS-2023-0151 in the Search box (
<E T="03">Note:</E>
copying and pasting this Docket Number directly from this document may not yield search results). Documents can be found on the Council's website at
<E T="03">https://www.wpcouncil.org.</E>
<FURINF>
<HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD>
Brett Schumacher, Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 808-725-5176.
</FURINF>
<SUPLINF>
<HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD>
<HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD>
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each regional fishery management council submit any fishery management plan (FMP) amendment it p
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