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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 149 / Friday, August 6, 2021 / Proposed Rules
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TABLE 12022 PROPOSED QUOTAS AND OPENING DATE FOR THE ATLANTIC SHARK MANAGEMENT GROUPSContinued Region or sub-region
Management group
Pelagic Sharks Other Than Porbeagle or Blue.

2021
Annual quota
Preliminary 2021
landings 1

Adjustments 2

2022
Base annual quota
2022
Proposed annual quota
A

B

C

D

D + C

488.0 mt 1,075,856 lb.

25.2 mt 55,566
lb.

488.0 mt 1,075,856 lb.

Season opening dates
488.0 mt 1,075,856 lb.

1 Landings
are from January 1, 2021, through July 9, 2021, and are subject to change.
adjustments can only be applied to stocks or management groups that are not overfished and have no overfishing occurring. Also, the underharvest adjustments cannot exceed 50 percent of the base quota.
3 This adjustment accounts for underharvest in 2021. This proposed rule would increase the overall Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark quota by 128.3 mt 282,850 lb.
Since any underharvest would be divided based on the sub-regional quota percentage split, the western Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark quota would be increased by 115.7 mt, while the eastern Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark quota would be increased by 12.6 mt.
2 Underharvest
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1. Proposed 2022 Quotas for Shark Management Groups Where Underharvests Can Be Carried Over The Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark management group which is divided between the two sub-regions and smoothhound shark management groups in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic regions are not overfished, and overfishing is not occurring. Pursuant to 635.27b2ii, available underharvest up to 50 percent of the base annual quota from the 2021 fishing year for these management groups may be added to the respective 2022 base quotas.
The 2022 proposed commercial quota for blacktip sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region is 347.2 mt dw 765,392 lb dw and the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region is 37.7 mt dw 83,158
lb dw. As of July 9, 2021, preliminary reported landings for blacktip sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region were at 60.7 percent 210.7 mt dw of their 2021 quota levels 347.2 mt dw, and blacktip sharks in the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region were at 22.7
percent 8.6 mt dw of the sub-regional 2021 quota levels 37.7 mt dw.
Reported landings in both sub-regions have not exceeded the 2021 quota to date. Pursuant to 635.27b1iiC, any underharvest would be divided between the two sub-regions, based on the percentages that are allocated to each sub-region. To date, the overall Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark management group is underharvested by 165.6 mt dw 365,138 lb dw. NMFS
proposes to increase the western Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark quota by 115.7 mt dw which is 90.2 percent of the quota adjustment, while the eastern Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark sub-regional quota would increase by 12.6 mt dw, which is 9.8 percent of the quota adjustment Table 1. Thus, the proposed western sub-regional Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark commercial quota is 347.2 mt dw 765,392 lb dw, and the proposed eastern sub-regional Gulf of
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Mexico blacktip shark commercial quota is 37.7 mt dw 83,158 lb dw.
The 2022 proposed commercial quota for smoothhound sharks in the Gulf of Mexico region is 504.6 mt dw 1,112,441
lb dw and in the Atlantic region is 1,802.6 mt dw 3,973,902 lb dw. As of July 9, 2021, there have been no smoothhound shark landings in the Gulf of Mexico region and 10.7 percent 192.8 mt dw of their 2021 quota 1802.6 mt dw in the Atlantic region.
NMFS proposes to adjust the 2022 Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic smoothhound shark quotas for anticipated underharvests in 2021 to the full extent allowed. The proposed 2022 adjusted base annual quota for Gulf of Mexico smoothhound sharks is 504.6 mt dw 336.4 mt dw annual base quota + 168.2
mt dw 2021 underharvest = 504.6 mt dw 2022 adjusted annual quota and the proposed 2022 adjusted base annual quota for Atlantic smoothhound sharks is 1,802.6 mt dw 1,201.7 mt dw annual base quota + 600.9 mt dw 2021
underharvest = 1,802.6 mt dw 2022
adjusted annual quota.
2. Proposed 2022 Quotas for Shark Management Groups Where Underharvests Cannot Be Carried Over Consistent with the current regulations at 635.27b2ii, 2021
underharvests cannot be carried over to the 2022 fishing year for the following stocks or management groups because they are overfished, are experiencing overfishing, or have an unknown status:
Sandbar shark, aggregated large coastal shark LCS, hammerhead shark, nonblacknose small coastal shark SCS, blacknose shark, blue shark, porbeagle shark, and pelagic shark other than porbeagle or blue sharks management groups.
The 2022 proposed commercial quota for aggregated LCS in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region is 72.0 mt dw 158,724 lb dw, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region is 85.5 mt dw 188,593 lb dw. The 2022 proposed
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commercial quota for aggregated LCS in the Atlantic region is 168.9 mt dw 372,552 lb dw. For these stocks, the 2022 proposed commercial quotas reflect the codified annual base quotas, without adjustment for underharvest. At this time, no overharvests have occurred, which would require adjustment downward. As of July 9, 2021, preliminary reported landings for aggregated LCS in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region were 92.5 percent 66.6 mt dw of the 2021 quota 72.0 mt dw, the aggregated LCS in the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region were 44.6
percent 38.1 mt dw of the 2021 quota 85.5 mt dw, and the aggregated LCS
fishery in the Atlantic were 22.9 percent 38.7 mt dw of the 2021 quota.
Reported landings from both Gulf of Mexico sub-regions and the Atlantic region have not exceeded the 2021
overall aggregated LCS quota to date.
Given the unknown status of some species in the aggregated LCS complex, the aggregated LCS quota cannot be adjusted for any underharvests. Based on both preliminary estimates and catch rates from previous years, NMFS
proposes that the 2022 quotas for aggregated LCS in the western and eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-regions, and the Atlantic region be equal to their annual base quotas without adjustment.
The 2022 proposed commercial quotas for hammerhead sharks in the eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region and western Gulf of Mexico sub-region are 11.9 mt dw 26,301 lb dw and 13.4 mt dw 29,421 lb dw, respectively. For these stocks, the 2022 proposed commercial quotas reflect the codified annual base quotas, without adjustment for underharvest. At this time, no overharvests have occurred, which would require adjustment downward.
The 2022 proposed commercial quota for hammerhead sharks in the Atlantic region is 27.1 mt dw 59,736 lb dw. As of July 9, 2021, preliminary reported landings of hammerhead sharks in the western Gulf of Mexico sub-region were
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