Amendment 4 fishery ecosystem plan for the Mariana Archipelago remove the prohibited areas for medium and large bottomfish vessels in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands : including environmental assessment and regulatory impact review

The Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Marianas Archipelago (FEP) and implementing federal regulations currently prohibit medium and large vessels (vessels 40 ft and greater) from commercial fishing for bottomfish management unit species (BMUS) in certain federal waters around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The prohibited areas include waters within approximately 50 nm of the Southern Islands (i.e., Rota, Aguigan (also Aguijan), Tinian, Saipan and Farallon de Medinilla) and within 10 nm of Alamagan Island. The Council established the prohibited areas in 2008 in response to concerns expressed by CNMI fishermen that Guam bottomfish fishermen would travel to fish in CNMI waters after establishment of the large vessel prohibited fishing area in Guam. CNMI fishermen were concerned that such additional fishing by the vessels from Guam would create localized depletion of bottomfish, gear conflicts, and catch competition. Current information indicates that prohibited area may not be needed to ensure the sustainability of the CNMI bottomfish fishery and, in fact, may be constraining it. The Council believes that the prohibited areas may be contributing to the potential underutilization of the bottomfish resource in CNMI, and that removing them may promote optimum yield. Accordingly, the Council has recommended removing the prohibited areas in this Amendment 4 to the FEP. Other requirements in that fishery, including requirements for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, would remain unchanged. The requirements include federal permits, annual catch limits and accountability measures, vessel marking, catch and sales reporting, and the vessel monitoring system. The Council intends Amendment 4 to improve the efficiency and economic viability of the CNMI bottomfish fleet, while ensuring that fishing remains sustainable on an ongoing basis. responsible agency: U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office; responsible council: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; responsible official: Michael D. Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS PIRO; preparers: Jarad Makaiau, Michelle McGregor and Eric Kingma. "August 4, 2016." "(RIN 0648-BF37)." Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Document received and organized by: NOAA Office of General Counsel, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) staff. Report is followed by: Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) from Michael D. Tosatto, signed on August 8, 2016. System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references.

马里亚纳群岛渔业生态系统计划（Fishery Ecosystem Plan, FEP）及其配套联邦法规目前禁止中型及大型船舶（长度40英尺及以上）在北马里亚纳群岛联邦（Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI）周边特定联邦水域内，商业捕捞底鱼管理单元物种（bottomfish management unit species, BMUS）。禁捕范围包括：南群岛（即罗塔岛、阿吉甘岛（亦称阿吉简岛）、提尼安岛、塞班岛与法拉隆德梅迪纳岛）周边约50海里范围内的海域，以及阿拉马甘岛周边10海里范围内的海域。该委员会于2008年设立上述禁捕区，起因是北马里亚纳群岛联邦的渔民担忧：关岛在实施大型船舶禁捕区后，关岛的底鱼捕捞船会前往北马里亚纳群岛联邦海域开展捕捞作业。北马里亚纳群岛联邦的渔民担忧，关岛船舶的额外捕捞会造成底鱼资源局部枯竭、渔具冲突以及捕捞竞争。现有信息显示，为保障北马里亚纳群岛联邦底鱼渔业的可持续性，或无需维持现有禁捕区；实际上，该禁捕区反而可能对渔业发展形成制约。该委员会认为，现有禁捕区可能导致北马里亚纳群岛联邦的底鱼资源未能得到充分开发，移除禁捕区则有助于实现最优产量。据此，该委员会在本次《马里亚纳群岛渔业生态系统计划》第4号修正案中提出移除现有禁捕区的建议。该渔业的其他管理要求（包括马里亚纳海沟国家海洋保护区（Marianas Trench Marine National Monument）相关规定）将维持不变，这些要求包括联邦捕捞许可、年度捕捞限额与问责机制、船舶标识、捕捞与销售报告制度，以及船舶监控系统。该委员会期望通过第4号修正案，提升北马里亚纳群岛联邦底鱼捕捞船队的作业效率与经济可行性，同时确保捕捞活动长期维持可持续性。负责机构：美国商务部、国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA）、国家海洋渔业局（National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS）太平洋岛屿区域办公室；负责委员会：西太平洋渔业管理委员会；负责官员：迈克尔·D·托萨托（Michael D. Tosatto），国家海洋渔业局太平洋岛屿区域办公室区域管理员；编制人员：贾雷德·马卡伊奥（Jarad Makaiau）、米歇尔·麦格雷戈（Michelle McGregor）与埃里克·金玛（Eric Kingma）。"2016年8月4日。""（RIN 0648-BF37）。"北马里亚纳群岛联邦。文件接收与整理：美国国家海洋和大气管理局总法律顾问办公室、国家环境政策法（National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA）工作人员。本报告附件为迈克尔·D·托萨托于2016年8月8日签署的《无重大影响认定》（Finding of No Significant Impact, FONSI）。系统要求：Adobe Acrobat Reader。含参考文献列表。