Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Update to Information on the Effective Date of Atlantic Smoothhound Shark Fishery Management Measures

NMFS is updating the anticipated effective date of smoothhound shark management measures implemented in the Final Rule for Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that published on June 1, 2010, and were corrected on August 17, 2010. These measures originally were to be effective around April 2012, before the beginning of the 2012 fishing year. However, the recently enacted Shark Conservation Act of 2010 requires NMFS to re-evaluate its shark management measures. The effective date will therefore be later than originally thought to fully consider the Shark Conservation Act implications and to allow time for the Section 7 consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to be completed. This rule also removes and reserves the smoothhound shark regulations. These sections will be returned, with amendments as needed, in a final rule that implements both the smoothhound shark sections of the Shark Conservation Act and any requirements of the Section 7 consultation regarding smoothhound sharks.