50 C.F.R. § 229.33 Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan Implementing Regulations—Gulf of Maine.
Title 50 - Wildlife and Fisheries
Title 50: Wildlife and Fisheries
PART 229—AUTHORIZATION FOR COMMERCIAL FISHERIES UNDER THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT OF 1972
Subpart C—Take Reduction Plan Regulations and Emergency Regulations
Browse Previous |
Browse Next
§ 229.33 Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan Implementing Regulations—Gulf of Maine.
(a) Restrictions—(1) Northeast Closure Area. From August 15 through September 13 of each fishing year, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies, from Northeast Closure Area. This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described and used as set forth in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Northeast Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
Northeast Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------NE1 (\1\) 68°55.0[min]NE2 43°29.6[min] 68°55.0[min]NE3 44°04.4[min] 67°48.7[min]NE4 44°06.9[min] 67°52.8[min]NE5 44°31.2[min] 67°02.7[min]NE6 (\1\) 67°02.7[min]------------------------------------------------------------------------\1\ Maine shoreline.
|
(2) Mid-coast Closure Area. From September 15 through May 31, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies. This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described and used as set forth in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Mid-Coast Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Mid-Coast Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------MC1 42°30[min] (\1\)MC2 42°30[min] 70°15[min]MC3 42°40[min] 70°15[min]MC4 42°40[min] 70°00[min]MC5 43°00[min] 70°00[min]MC6 43°00[min] 69°30[min]MC7 43°30[min] 69°30[min]MC8 43°30[min] 69°00[min]MC9 (\2\) 69°00[min]------------------------------------------------------------------------\1\ Massachusetts shoreline.\2\ Maine shoreline.
|
(3) Massachusetts Bay Closure Area. From December 1 through May 31, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies from the Massachusetts Bay Closure Area, except with the use of pingers as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Massachusetts Bay Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Massachusetts Bay Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------MB1 42°30[min] (\1\)MB2 42°30[min] 70°30[min]MB3 42°12[min] 70°30[min]MB4 42°12[min] 70°00[min]MB5 (\2\) 70°00[min]MB6 42°00[min] (\2\)MC7 42°00[min] (\1\)------------------------------------------------------------------------\1\ Massachusetts shoreline.\2\ Cape Cod shoreline.
|
(4) Cape Cod South Closure Area. From December 1 through May 31, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies from Cape Cod South Closure Area, except with the use of pingers as provided in paragraph (d)(3) of this section. This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Cape Cod South Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Cape Cod South Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------CCS1 (\1\) 71°45[min]CCS2 40°40[min] 71°45[min]CCS3 40°40[min] 70°30[min]CCS4 (\2\) 70°30[min]------------------------------------------------------------------------\1\ Rhode Island shoreline.\2\ Massachusetts shoreline.
|
(5) Offshore Closure Area. From November 1 through May 31, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies from Offshore Closure Area, except for the use of pingers as provided in §229.33(d)(4). This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Offshore Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Offshore Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------OFS1 42°50[min] 69°30[min]OFS2 43°10[min] 69°10[min]OFS3 43°10[min] 67°40[min]OFS4 42°10[min] 67°40[min]OFS5 42°10[min] 69°30[min]OFS6 42°50[min] 69°30[min]------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
(6) Cashes Ledge Closure Area. For the month of February of each fishing year, it is prohibited to fish with, set, haul back, possess on board a vessel unless stowed, or fail to remove sink gillnet gear or gillnet gear capable of catching multispecies from the Cashes Ledge Closure Area. This prohibition does not apply to a single pelagic gillnet (as described in §648.81(f)(2)(ii) of this title). The Cashes Ledge Closure Area is the area bounded by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Cashes Ledge Closure Area------------------------------------------------------------------------ Point N. Lat. W. Long.------------------------------------------------------------------------CL1 42°30[min] 69°00[min]CL2 42°30[min] 68°30[min]CL3 43°00[min] 68°30[min]CL4 43°00[min] 69°00[min]CL5 42°30[min] 69°00[min]------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
(b) Pingers—(1) Pinger specifications. For the purposes of this subpart, a pinger is an acoustic deterrent device which, when immersed in water, broadcasts a 10 kHz (±2 kHz) sound at 132 dB (±4 dB) re 1 micropascal at 1 m, lasting 300 milliseconds (±15 milliseconds), and repeating every 4 seconds (±.2 seconds).
(2) Pinger attachment. An operating and functional pinger must be attached at the end of each string of the gillnets and at the bridle of every net within a string of nets.
(c) Pinger training and certification. Beginning on January 1, 1999, the operator of a vessel may not fish with, set or haul back sink gillnets or gillnet gear, or allow such gear to be in closed areas where pingers are required as specified under paragraph (b) of this section, unless the operator has satisfactorily completed the pinger certification training program and possesses on board the vessel a valid pinger training certificate issued by NMFS. Notice will be given announcing the times and locations of pinger certification training programs.
(d) Use of pingers in closed areas—(1) Vessels, subject to the restrictions and regulations specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, may fish in the Mid-coast Closure Area from September 15 through May 31 of each fishing year, provided that pingers are used in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section.
(2) Vessels, subject to the restrictions and regulations specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, may fish in the Massachusetts Bay Closure Area from December 1 through the last day of February and from April 1 through May 31 of each fishing year, provided that pingers are used in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section.
(3) Vessels, subject to the restrictions and regulations specified in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, may fish in the Cape Cod South Closure Area from December 1 through the last day of February and from April 1 through May 31 of each fishing year, provided that pingers are used in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section.
(4) Vessels, subject to the restrictions and regulations specified in paragraph (a)(5) of this section, may fish in the Offshore Closure Area from November 1 through May 31 of each fishing year, with the exception of the Cashes Ledge Closure Area. From February 1 through the end of February, the area within the Offshore Closure Area defined as “Cashes Ledge” is closed to all fishing with sink gillnets. Vessels subject to the restrictions and regulation specified in paragraph (a)(5) of this section may fish in the Offshore Closure Area outside the Cashes Ledge Area from February 1 through the end of February provided that pingers are used in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section.
(e) Other special measures. The Assistant Administrator may revise the requirements of this section through notification published in the Federal Register if:
(1) After plan implementation, NMFS determines that pinger operating effectiveness in the commercial fishery is inadequate to reduce bycatch to the PBR level with the current plan.
(2) NMFS determines that the boundary or timing of a closed area is inappropriate, or that gear modifications (including pingers) are not reducing bycatch to below the PBR level.
[63 FR 66487, Dec. 2, 1998; 63 FR 71042, Dec. 23, 1998]
Browse Previous |
Browse Next
|
