NOAA Fisheries amends regulations to modify the management measures applicable to the American lobster fishery. This action responds to the following recommendations made by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission):To control fishing effort as determined by historical participation in the American lobster trap fisheries conducted in the offshore Lobster Conservation Management Area (LCMA) 3 (Area 3) and in the nearshore LCMAs of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from New York through North Carolina (Areas 4 and 5); to implement a mechanism for conservation equivalency and associated trap limits for owners of vessels in possession of a Federal lobster permit (permit holders) fishing in New Hampshire state waters; and to clarify lobster management area boundaries in Massachusetts waters. NOAA Fisheries includes in this final rule a mechanism for Federal consideration of future Commission requests to implement conservation equivalent measures and a technical amendment to the regulations clarifying that Federal lobster permit holders must attach federally approved lobster trap tags to all lobster traps fished in any portion of any management area (whether in state or Federal waters). This requirement is not new, but was not previously clearly specified in the regulatory text, and this announcement is intended to make the regulations easier to understand.