Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS January 2018 M C F N Continued from Page 13. App. This notice is a courtesy to BFT fi shery
permit holders to help keep you informed about the fi shery. For additional informa- tion, please go to the HMS Permits page or call (978) 281-9260. Offi cial notice of federal fi shery actions is made through fi ling such notice with the Offi ce of the Federal Register.
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat Permit Commercial Sale Endorsement
NOAA Fisheries creates a separate
provision for the commercial sale of Atlantic HMS by Charter/Headboat permit holders. Action Being Taken and Important Dates Starting on January 5, 2018, Atlantic
highly migratory species (HMS) Charter/ Headboat permitted vessels are prohibited from selling any catch of highly migratory species (HMS) unless they obtain a “com- mercial sale” endorsement as part of the permit. Interested permit holders can obtain the commercial sale endorsement for no additional cost when renewing or obtaining their 2018 HMS Charter/Headboat permit on the HMS Permits page. NOAA Fisheries is creating a separate
provision for the commercial sale of Atlantic HMS by HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders. Currently, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders are able to sell Atlantic tunas and swordfi sh as a condition of the HMS Charter/Headboat permit. Additionally, HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders can also sell Atlantic sharks if they hold a federal commercial shark permit. Consequently, individuals that hold an HMS Charter/ Headboat permit could have their vessels categorized as commercial fi shing vessels which are subject to United States Coast Guard (USCG) commercial fi shing vessel safety requirements, regardless of whether the permit holder engages or intends to en- gage in commercial fi shing. Under this fi nal rule, NOAA Fisheries
has created a “commercial sale” endorse- ment for the HMS Charter/Headboat per- mit. Only HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders with the endorsement are permitted to sell Atlantic tunas and swordfi sh. Individ-
uals with a federal commercial shark permit and Charter/Headboat permit would also need the endorsement. Those individuals that hold an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a “commercial sale” endorsement may be categorized as commercial vessels for the purposes of USCG commercial fi shing vessel safety requirements. Those vessels holding an HMS Charter/Headboat permit without a “commercial sale” endorsement would not be categorized as commercial fi shing vessels and would not be subject to the USCG commercial fi shing vessel safety requirements. This notice is a courtesy to permit
holders to help keep you informed about the Atlantic tuna and swordfi sh fi sheries. For further information, contact the HMS Management Division at (301) 427-8503, or visit our website. Offi cial notice of federal fi shery actions is made through fi ling such notice with the Offi ce of the Federal Regis- ter.
Grant Funds Available for Regional Aquaculture Pilot Projects
As part of our eff orts to foster respon-
sible aquaculture and seafood security in the US, NOAA Fisheries has provided $1.5 million to support aquaculture pilot proj- ects through the nation’s Interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions. These competitive grants will be managed through the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacifi c States Marine Fisheries Commissions.
Each Commission is making $450,000
available to expand seafood farming opera- tions and production to off set the $14 billion seafood trade defi cit in the US. Through these pilot projects, emphasis is being placed on promising but less commercially developed technologies for fi nfi sh, shellfi sh, seaweed, and other relative newcomers to the domestic aquaculture industry. The programs also emphasize the development and deployment of economically and en- vironmentally sustainable aquatic farming techniques and business practices. The deadline for proposals is Feb-
ruary 1, 2018. Information on eligibility and specifi c application requirements for each region can be found on Commission websites.
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Endangered Species Biennial Report, 2014-2016
This Report to Congress summarizes
eff orts to recover all domestic species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2016. This Report to Congress summariz-
es eff orts to recover all domestic species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2016. It includes a summary table (Table 1 of the report) outlining the status of each species that the Secretary of Commerce found would benefi t from having a recovery plan, the status of the recovery plan, and the completion date for the last 5-year review. With this report, NOAA Fisheries is
updating progress made on its strategic approach to endangered species recovery, which focuses agency resources on species for which immediate, targeted eff orts are needed to stabilize their populations and pre- vent extinction. The report highlights recov- ery progress for the eight species identifi ed in the Species in the Spotlight initiative. They are notable because the best available information points to their extinction in the near future because of rapid population decline or habitat destruction. These species need focused human intervention to stabi- lize their population declines and prevent their extinction. During the 2 years covered in this report
(October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2016), the number of listed species under NOAA Fisheries jurisdiction increased 18 percent. During that period, we managed 93 domes- tic (includes some transnational) species of salmon, sturgeon, sawfi sh, seagrass, mol- lusks, sea turtles, corals, and marine mam- mals, as well as 54 foreign species. In this report, we address 87 domestic species for which we found that a recovery plan would promote their conservation, including 10 newly listed domestic species. The En- dangered Species Act defi nes a species as “any subspecies of fi sh or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate fi sh or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.” The newly listed domestic species include the following: Three humpback whale distinct pop-
ulation segments (DPSs) (two foreign for a total of fi ve listed): Central America and Western North Pacifi c DPSs listed as endan- gered and Mexico DPS listed as threatened on September 8, 2016 (81 FR 62259). Six green sea turtle DPSs (fi ve foreign
for a total of 11 listed): Eastern Pacifi c, Central North Pacifi c, North Atlantic, and South Atlantic DPSs listed as threatened and Central West Pacifi c and Central South Pacifi c DPSs listed as endangered on April 2, 2016 (81 FR 20057). Nassau grouper: listed as threatened on June 29, 2016 (81 FR 42268). Between October 1, 2014, and Sep-
tember 30, 2016, of the 87 domestic listed species for which we found that a recovery plan would promote their conservation, 44 had fi nal recovery plans, three had draft re- covery plans, 19 had plans in development, and 21 plans had not been started. Because we have many multispecies plans, as well as multiple plans for one species (for example,
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sea turtles), the number of plans does not directly correspond to the number of species. The statuses of these 87 species in
the 2014–2016 Biennial Report were as follows: 28 (32 percent) were stabilized or increasing; 15 (17 percent) were known to be declining; 12 (14 percent) were mixed, with their status varying by population location; 32 (37 percent) were unknown, because we lacked suffi cient trend data to make a de- termination; Since the 2012–2014 Biennial Report on population trends, the 2014–2016 percentages refl ect a; 4 percent increase in declining trends; 3 percent decrease in in- creasing trends; 5 percent increase in mixed trends; 6 percent decrease in unknown trends. Table 1 of the Biennial Report lists the
87 domestic species managed by NOAA Fisheries; the status (unknown, decreasing, mixed, stable, or increasing) of each species, subspecies, evolutionarily signifi cant unit, and DPS; the recovery priority number; the status of the recovery plan; and the comple- tion date of the last 5-year review. Recovery of Species
Recovery is the process of restoring
species listed under the ESA and their ecosystems to the point that they no longer require ESA protections. A recovery plan serves as a road map for species recovery—it lays out where to go and how to get there. Without a plan to organize, coordinate, and prioritize recovery actions, the eff orts by many agencies, nonprofi t organizations, tribal entities, stakeholders, and citizens may be ineffi cient, ineff ective, or misdi- rected. Recovery plans are guidance docu- ments, not regulatory, and the ESA clearly envisions them as the central organizing tool guiding each species’ progress toward recovery.
Partnerships for Recovery Recovering threatened and endangered
species is a complex and challenging pro- cess, but one that off ers long-term benefi ts to the health of our environment and com- munities.
Recovery actions may require: Restor-
ing or preserving habitat; Minimizing or off setting the eff ects of actions that harm species; Enhancing population numbers; and a combination of the above. Many of these actions also help to
provide communities with healthier eco- systems, cleaner water, and greater oppor- tunities for recreation, both now and in the future.
Many partners fund and implement the
recovery actions discussed in this report. Partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including private citizens; federal, state, and local agencies; tribes; interested organiza- tions; and industry are critical to achieving species recovery goals. NOAA programs that directly fund
recovery actions include: The Species Re- covery Grants to States Program, autho- rized under section 6 of the ESA, provides grant funding to partnering state agencies to support management, outreach, research, and monitoring projects that have direct conservation benefi ts for listed species; The Species Recovery Grants to Tribes Program, started by NOAA Fisheries in FY 2010 to support tribally-led recovery eff orts that directly benefi t listed species; The Pacifi c Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, established by Congress in FY 2000 to protect, restore, and conserve Pacifi c salmon and steelhead populations and their habitats.
Projects funded through these programs
often address priority actions identifi ed in recovery plans and thus make important contributions to the recovery of listed spe- cies.
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