The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing regulations under authority of the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950, as amended, to implement commercial catch limits for Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) that are consistent with a resolution adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, specifically Resolution C-13-02, Measures for the Conservation and Management of Bluefin Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Convention Area includes the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean bounded by the coast of the Americas, the 50° N. and 50° S. parallels, and the 150° W. meridian. Resolution C-13-02 includes two catch limits for 2014: (1) a Commission-wide limit for all commercial fishing vessels of all IATTC Members and Cooperating Non-Members (CPCs) fishing in the IATTC Convention Area of the eastern Pacific Ocean and (2) notwithstanding the Commission-wide limit, a catch limit of 500 metric tons for each CPC with a historical record of eastern Pacific bluefin catch--such as the United States--to allow these nations to catch a small share of Pacific bluefin tuna even if the Commission-wide limit is reached. Currently, U.S. fishing vessels that commercially catch Pacific bluefin tuna are constrained by a 500 metric ton catch limit if and when the Commission-wide catch limit for all CPCs is met; however, these measures expired December 31, 2013. The proposed regulations would extend these catch limits beyond 2013, apply only to U.S. vessels that commercially catch Pacific bluefin tuna in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and ensure that the United States is satisfying its obligations as a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. The National Marine Fisheries Service is obligated to implement and enforce regulations consistent with Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission resolutions and does not make substantive decisions in promulgating such actions. Given that the recent results of the draft 2014 updated Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) (PBF) assessment by the International Scientific Committee (ISC) for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean reports that overfishing is occurring and the population is overfished, the same results as the 2012 assessment, the National Marine Fisheries Service anticipates that the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission with input from the U.S. Department of State and National Marine Fisheries Service will resolve into the foreseeable future, as in 2011 and 2013, to impose catch limits for Pacific bluefin tuna. Therefore, this Environmental Assessment includes essential components of environmental impact analyses in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to consider a range of Pacific bluefin tuna catch limits for U.S. commercial vessels fishing in the Convention Area and to assess the potential environmental impacts on the human environment that could result from the proposed action as well as similar actions in future years. The impacts to the human environment (e.g., effects of the proposed action on the natural environment and the socioeconomic environment) were found to be insignificant.

"This Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) analyzes conservation and management measures that are part of an international agreement to conserve Pacific bluefin tuna caught (PBF) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The measures would only apply to vessels that commercially catch PBF in the EPO. The average annual PBF landings by U.S. vessels fishing in the EPO represent less than two percent of the average annual PBF landings by all fleets fishing in the EPO for 2007 through 2014. While the catch and trip limits pose restrictions for the U.S. fleet, the average annual PBF catch for the U.S. fleet is below the proposed catch limit, and more than 50 percent of the trips landing PBF in that time were within the proposed trip limit. Impacts to the human environment (e.g., effects of the proposed action alternatives on the natural environment and the socioeconomic environment) were found to be insignificant"--Cover letter summary.

The Law Library presents the complete text of the International Fisheries - Pacific Tuna Fisheries - Revisions to Regulations for Vessels Authorized to Fish for Tuna and Tuna-like Species (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Regulation) (NOAA) (2018 Edition). Updated as of May 29, 2018 NMFS issues this final rule to revise regulations governing vessels authorized by the United States to fish for tuna and tuna-like species in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). This final rule updates and clarifies regulations promulgated by NMFS to implement the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Tuna Conventions Act, the Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act, and resolutions adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and by the Parties to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP). This rule modifies the procedures and requirements for the Vessel Register, the list of vessels authorized to fish for tuna and tuna-like species in the ETP. Requirements for the submission of certifications by importers are also revised. This rule is intended to clarify the regulations, facilitate management of U.S. vessels, and update the regulations to be consistent with resolutions adopted by the members of the IATTC and the Parties to the AIDCP. This ebook contains: - The complete text of the International Fisheries - Pacific Tuna Fisheries - Revisions to Regulations for Vessels Authorized to Fish for Tuna and Tuna-like Species (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Regulation) (NOAA) (2018 Edition) - A dynamic table of content linking to each section - A table of contents in introduction presenting a general overview of the structure

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