Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Pelagic Longline Fishery; Sea Turtle Protection Measures

NMFS issues an emergency rule closing the Northeast Distant Statistical Reporting (NED) Area to pelagic longline fishing. Additionally, this emergency rule requires operators of all vessels that use pelagic longline gear and have been issued, or are required to have, Federal highly migratory species (HMS) limited access fishing permits and that fish in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, to follow certain requirements in deploying their gear. Finally, all operators of vessels that have been issued, or are required to have, HMS fishing permits must post in the wheelhouse safe handling guidelines for sea turtles captured in pelagic longline fisheries to be supplied by NMFS. This rule is necessary to reduce the bycatch and bycatch mortality of loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles in the Atlantic pelagic longline fishery as required by the June 8, 2001, Biological Opinion (BO).