Federal fisheries officials have issued a correction on a final rule published on Oct. 15 regarding on-deck sorting of Pacific halibut bycatch.
The final rule as published on Oct 15 consisted of regulations to implement catch handling and monitoring requirements to allow halibut bycatch to be sorted on the deck of trawl catcher/processors and motherships participating in the non-Pollock groundfish fisheries off the coast of Alaska.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) noted on Dec. 9 that the agency erred in stating that collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act had been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the time that the final rule was published.
Although the proposed and final rule preambles explained that certain obsolete and unnecessary regulations would be removed, the final rule inadvertently omitted amendatory language to remove a now obsolete and unnecessary regulation.
The effective date for final rule’s collection of information requirements has been delayed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing an effective date for these information collection requirements, once approval is received from OMB.
The final rule as published on Oct 15 consisted of regulations to implement catch handling and monitoring requirements to allow halibut bycatch to be sorted on the deck of trawl catcher/processors and motherships participating in the non-Pollock groundfish fisheries off the coast of Alaska.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) noted on Dec. 9 that the agency erred in stating that collection of information requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act had been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the time that the final rule was published.
Although the proposed and final rule preambles explained that certain obsolete and unnecessary regulations would be removed, the final rule inadvertently omitted amendatory language to remove a now obsolete and unnecessary regulation.
The effective date for final rule’s collection of information requirements has been delayed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing an effective date for these information collection requirements, once approval is received from OMB.