Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Commercial Fishing Operations; Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan; Sea Turtle Conservation; Restrictions to Fishing Activities

Résumé

NMFS is proposing to implement management measures to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of the western North Atlantic coastal bottlenose dolphin stock (dolphins) (Tursiops truncatus) in the mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery and eight other coastal fisheries operating within the dolphin's distributional range and to amend current, seasonal restrictions on large mesh gillnet fisheries operating in the mid-Atlantic region to reduce the incidental take of sea turtles in North Carolina and Virginia state waters. This rule proposes to use effort reduction measures, gear proximity rules, gear or gear deployment modifications, fishermen training, and outreach and education measures to reduce dolphin bycatch below the marine mammal stock's potential biological removal level (PBR); and time/area closures and size restrictions on large mesh fisheries to reduce incidental takes of endangered and threatened sea turtles as well as to reduce dolphin bycatch below the stock's PBR.