Amendment 14 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan: Shark Quota Management
Summary
NOAA Fisheries is exploring options for implementing management measures to be consistent with the current National Standard 1 policy guidelines for Atlantic sharks in Draft Amendment 14 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan.
What is Draft Amendment 14?
Draft Amendment 14 will establish a new framework action for the establishment of acceptable biological catch (ABCs) and annual catch limits (ACLs) for Atlantic shark fisheries. The Preferred management options are below.
| Topic | Preferred Options |
|---|---|
| ABC control rule |
Management Option A3 Create a tiered ABC control rule. |
| Phase-in ABC control rule |
Management Option B2 Allow consideration of phase-in ABC control rules for any modifications in ABC. |
| ACL development |
Management Option C2 Actively manage all sector ACLs (commercial and recreational). |
|
Management Option C5 Establish an ACL for each Atlantic shark management group, without commercial ACL quota linkages. |
|
| Carry-over |
Management Option D6 Allow carry-over, and only for underharvest of the commercial quotas (landings only) under certain conditions. |
| Multi-year overfishing status determination criteria |
Management Option E3 Compare a three-year average of fishing mortality estimates to the overfishing limit to determine overfishing status. |
This amendment does not contain a proposed rule or regulatory text. It does not change any fishery quotas or implement any new HMS fishery management measures. It does not consider any management changes for prohibited shark species. Any operational changes to HMS fishery management measures as a result of Amendment 14 will be considered in future rulemakings, as appropriate.
Public Comment
We encourage anyone affected or otherwise interested in the general management of Atlantic HMS and the contents of the Atlantic HMS FMP to participate in the Draft Amendment 14 process. We request comment on the provisions described in Draft Amendment 14.
Comments are due by December 31, 2020. You can submit comments online at the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal (search for “NOAA-NMFS-2019-0040”).
We intend to hold two operator-assisted public hearings via conference calls and webinars to solicit comments on this topic.
October 13, 2020
2-4 pm (ET)
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November 18, 2020
2-4 pm (ET)
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