Notice of Coastal Consistency Review
State of Connecticut
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna 2009 Quota Specifications
The Department of Environmental Protection has received a request from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Sustainable Fisheries ("the applicant") pursuant to Section 307(c)(1) of the Coastal Zone Management Act to review proposed management activities related to the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery for consistency with the enforceable policies of Connecticut’s federally approved Coastal Management Program as contained in Sections 22a-90 through 22a-112 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
The applicant has proposed a rule that would establish quota specifications consistent with the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) rebuilding program and the 2008 recommendations regarding western Atlantic BFT by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and would set BFT quotas and effort controls for the 2009 fishing year. The 2008 ICCAT-recommended quota reduction for the United States results in a decrease of 155 metric tons (mt) from 1,190.9 mt to 1,034.9 mt. Consistent with the 2008 ICCAT recommendation regarding landings tolerance of small BFT, the proposed rule would limit harvest of school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 47 inches) over the 2009-2010 period to 10 percent of the overall U.S. quota. The proposed specifications also would apply 517.5 mt of BFT quota underharvest from 2008 to 2009, consistent with Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) guidelines that individual quota category carryovers not exceed 50 percent of a contracting party’s quota. NMFS would distribute 517.5 mt to: 1) allow for potential transfer of a portion (up to 15 percent) of the 2009 U.S. quota to other ICCAT contracting parties, if warranted; 2) ensure that the Longline category has sufficient quota to operate during 2090 while also accounting for BFT discards; and 3) provide the non-Longline quota categories a share of the remainder of the underharvest consistent with the allocation scheme established in the Consolidated HMS FMP.
Interested persons may obtain copies of the proposed specifications from Margo Schulze-Haugen, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. A summary of the applicant’s proposal is also available for inspection at the Office of Long Island Sound Programs, Department of Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All interested parties are invited to express their views on this action. Written comments must be submitted to the Department no later than March 27, 2009. Comments or questions regarding this notice should be directed to Thomas Ouellette by mail at Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Long Island Sound Programs, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127, by phone at 860-424-3612, or by email at tom.ouellette@ct.gov
In conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities who need information in an alternative format to allow them to benefit and/or participate in the agency's programs and services, should call TDD (860) 424-3000 and make their request to the receptionist, or contact Marcia Z. Bonitto, ADA Coordinator, via email: marcia.bonitto@ct.gov
/s/Brian P. Thompson
Brian P. Thompson, Director
Office of Long Island Sound Programs
Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse
State of Connecticut
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna 2009 Quota Specifications
The Department of Environmental Protection has received a request from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Sustainable Fisheries ("the applicant") pursuant to Section 307(c)(1) of the Coastal Zone Management Act to review proposed management activities related to the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery for consistency with the enforceable policies of Connecticut’s federally approved Coastal Management Program as contained in Sections 22a-90 through 22a-112 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
The applicant has proposed a rule that would establish quota specifications consistent with the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) rebuilding program and the 2008 recommendations regarding western Atlantic BFT by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and would set BFT quotas and effort controls for the 2009 fishing year. The 2008 ICCAT-recommended quota reduction for the United States results in a decrease of 155 metric tons (mt) from 1,190.9 mt to 1,034.9 mt. Consistent with the 2008 ICCAT recommendation regarding landings tolerance of small BFT, the proposed rule would limit harvest of school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 47 inches) over the 2009-2010 period to 10 percent of the overall U.S. quota. The proposed specifications also would apply 517.5 mt of BFT quota underharvest from 2008 to 2009, consistent with Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) guidelines that individual quota category carryovers not exceed 50 percent of a contracting party’s quota. NMFS would distribute 517.5 mt to: 1) allow for potential transfer of a portion (up to 15 percent) of the 2009 U.S. quota to other ICCAT contracting parties, if warranted; 2) ensure that the Longline category has sufficient quota to operate during 2090 while also accounting for BFT discards; and 3) provide the non-Longline quota categories a share of the remainder of the underharvest consistent with the allocation scheme established in the Consolidated HMS FMP.
Interested persons may obtain copies of the proposed specifications from Margo Schulze-Haugen, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. A summary of the applicant’s proposal is also available for inspection at the Office of Long Island Sound Programs, Department of Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All interested parties are invited to express their views on this action. Written comments must be submitted to the Department no later than March 27, 2009. Comments or questions regarding this notice should be directed to Thomas Ouellette by mail at Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Long Island Sound Programs, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127, by phone at 860-424-3612, or by email at tom.ouellette@ct.gov
In conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities who need information in an alternative format to allow them to benefit and/or participate in the agency's programs and services, should call TDD (860) 424-3000 and make their request to the receptionist, or contact Marcia Z. Bonitto, ADA Coordinator, via email: marcia.bonitto@ct.gov
/s/Brian P. Thompson
Brian P. Thompson, Director
Office of Long Island Sound Programs
Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse