Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Western Pacific Crustacean Fisheries; Vessel Monitoring System; Harvest Guideline; Closed Season

NMFS issues this final rule to implement three management measures governing the crustacean fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone around Hawaii. The first measure allows fishing vessels in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) lobster fishery with vessel monitoring system (VMS) units to transit the prohibited Crustaceans Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea while returning to port following closure of the fishery. Because these vessels are under surveillance by NMFS, they are allowed to traverse the permit subarea. Lobster vessels without VMS units must be outside the permit area when the closure takes effect and be back in port as specified by the Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS. The second measure changes the deadline by which NMFS must announce the NWHI lobster harvest guideline for the following fishing season from March 31 to February 28. This action gives fishermen additional lead time to prepare their vessels for the lobster season which opens on July 1. The third measure, which pertains to the main Hawaiian Islands crustacean fishery, adds another month (May) to the existing closed lobster season (June through August), which makes Federal regulations for the lobster closed season consistent with the State of Hawaii's closed season for State waters. This rule also contains a nonsubstantive clarification of the definition of Crustaceans Permit Area 1 VMS Subarea.