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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Proposed Rules
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 660
RTID 0648XA603

Fisheries Off West Coast States; West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Amendment 20 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan National Marine Fisheries Service NMFS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of availability of fishery management plan amendment;
request for comments.
AGENCY:

NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council Council has submitted Amendment 20
to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan FMP for review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, Amendment 20 would modify the preseason schedule for implementing annual management measures and would move the southern boundary of the Klamath Management Zone KMZ 5
nautical miles nmi 9.3 km north of its current location. In addition, Amendment 20 would update out-ofdate language in the FMP. NMFS will consider public comments in deciding whether to approve, disapprove, or partially approve Amendment 20.
NMFS also announces the availability for public review and comment of a draft environmental assessment EA
analyzing the environmental impacts of implementing the actions under Amendment 20.
DATES: Comments on Amendment 20
must be received by April 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA
NMFS20200161, by any of the following method:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/
!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20200161, click the Comment Now! icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments must be submitted by the above method to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and considered by NMFS.
Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the
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public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change.
All personal identifying information e.g., name, address, etc. submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments enter N/A in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous.
The draft FMP as amended through Amendment 20, with notations showing how Amendment 20 would change the FMP, if approved, is available on the NMFS website at https
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
amendment-20-pacific-coast-salmonfishery-management-plan-changespreseason-schedule-and.
The Council and NMFS prepared a draft EA. An electronic copy of this document may be obtained from the West Coast Regional Office website at https www.fisheries.noaa.gov/westcoast/laws-and-policies/west-coastregion-national-environmental-policyact-documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peggy Mundy at 2065264323.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background The ocean salmon fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 3200 nmi 5.6370.4 km off Washington, Oregon, and California are managed under the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan FMP. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act MSA requires that each regional fishery management council submit any FMP or plan amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval by the Secretary of Commerce Secretary. The MSA also requires that NMFS, upon receiving an FMP or amendment, immediately publish a notice that the FMP or amendment is available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received during the comment period described above in determining whether to approve, partially approve, or disapprove Amendment 20 to the FMP.
Amendment 20 was developed by the Council to address two primary issues:
The preseason schedule for setting annual management measures and the southern boundary of the KMZ in California. Under Amendment 20, the Council also recommended updating outdated language, typographical errors, and references.

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Preseason Schedule Chapter 9 of the FMP contains the schedule and procedures for preseason modification of regulations preseason schedule. The annual preseason schedule extends from March to May.
The schedule in the FMP includes the timing of announcement of meeting dates and locations for Council meetings and public hearings, the timing of Council meetings at which the Council develops its recommended management measures, and the availability of the Salmon Technical Teams STT
analytical documents the annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation SAFE document and the STTs Preseason Reports. Under the preseason schedule currently in the FMP, the Council, at its regularly scheduled meeting in early to mid-April, adopts and recommends annual management measures to NMFS for approval. If NMFS determines the management measures are consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act MSA and other applicable law, NMFS then publishes the annual management measures in the Federal Register during the first week of May, which corresponds with the traditional May 1 start date for many ocean salmon fisheries. However, it has become increasingly challenging for the Council and NMFS to complete the necessary environmental and economic analyses and regulatory documentation following the April Council meeting in time for the Secretary of Commerce to approve and implement the Councils annual recommendation by May 1.
At its September 2020 meeting, the Council adopted, as part of Amendment 20, a change in the schedule such that NMFS would publish the annual management measures in the Federal Register in the second or third week of May with an anticipated effective date of May 16. The annual management measures will include expected salmon fisheries for the following March through early May, pending modification through inseason action as needed in response to updated stock abundance forecasts. This has been the practice for March and April salmon fisheries since at least 1994.
Klamath Management Zone KMZ
Southern Boundary The Council uses management boundaries and zones to manage the ocean salmon harvest consistent with the objectives in the FMP. These boundaries or zones are specified in the annual management measures and may change from year to year. Some management boundaries remain relatively constant and, as described in
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