The Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) will meet to discuss and provide advice on issues outlined below:

NMFS budget and legislative issues, aquaculture policy implementation and the Washington State aquaculture initiative, National Standard 1 advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, fisheries certification and sustainability, working waterfronts, revisions to MAFAC's Vision 2020 report, and current protected resources issues.

DATES: The meeting will be held May 22-24, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Teleconference will be held: Friday, May 18, 2012; 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Eastern daylight time). For deadlines and directions on registering to listen to the teleconference, submitting written material, and giving an oral presentation, please see ``Public Input'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.

It has been reported  a new safety measure taken by Toyota and Lexus will be put into place to deter E15 mis-fueling. The companies will be including a special label on gas caps on their new automobiles and will also include instructions in the owner's manual not to use E15 as the vehicles are not designed to operate on it.

Section 620 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 directed the Coast Guard to submit a survey of published data and reports pertaining to the use, safety and performance of blended fuels in marine applications. 

The conclusion stated, "Although much information has been published regarding “ethanol in Marine applications a few studies with any scientific rigidity have been conducted to date. The four studies have mixed results, but raise concerns regarding the use of ethanol in marine engines leading to a conclusion that more testing is necessary. Because tests were performed on new engines they did not resolve concerns regarding the legacy fleet of older boats. "

To read the report click here: http://www.nmma.org/assets/cabinets/Cabinet213/USCGSurveyReportonBlendedFuels.pdf

National Standard 1 (NS1) of the MSA states that conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield (OY) from each fishery for the U.S. fishing industry.

NMFS has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking  to provide background information and request public comment on potential adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines, one of 10 national standards for fishery conservation and management contained in Section 301 of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.  This action provides the public with a formal opportunity to comment on the specific ideas, as well as any additional ideas and solutions that couldimprove provisions of the National Standard 1 Guidelines.

Before a plant or animal species can receive the protection provided by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, it must first be added to the Federal lists of threatened and endangered wildlife and plants. The List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants contain the names of all organisms that have been determined by the Services to qualify as ``endangered species'' or ``threatened species.'' After a species is listed as endangered or threatened under the Act, the Service that listed the species designates as ``critical habitat,'' to the maximum extent prudent and determinable, specific areas essential for the conservation of the species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)are revising regulations related to publishing written descriptions of proposed and final critical habitat boundaries in the Federal Register for codification in the Code of Federal Regulations. In the interest of making the process of designating critical habitat more user-friendly for affected parties, the public as a whole, and the Services, as well as more efficient and cost effective, we are going to maintain the publication of maps of proposed and final critical habitat designations, but are making optional the inclusion of any written description of the boundaries of the designation in the Federal Register for codification in the Code of Federal Regulations. 

The boundaries of critical habitat as mapped or otherwise described in the Regulation Promulgation section of a rulemaking that is published in the Federal Register will be the official delineation of the designation. The coordinates and/or plot points from which the maps are generated will be included in the administrative record for the designation, and will be available to the public on the Internet site of the Service promulgating the designation, at www.regulations.gov, and at the lead field office of the Service responsible for the designation.

LoBiondo Holds Hearing to Examine Impact of Coast Guard and EPA Regulations on Job Growth in the Maritime Sector

The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, chaired by U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), held a hearing on Thursday, April 26th, to review the status of regulations by the United States Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and how such regulations impact the maritime industry.

The following is the statement of Chairman LoBiondo:

The National Marine Protected Areas Center is pleased to share the findings of its External Review. This unprecedented review was conducted by four expert marine protected area (MPA) scientists and managers from academic, non-profit and state government institutions in January 2012. The panel was asked to review the MPA Center's activities in order to maximize its effectiveness and transparency and to provide an external assessment of both past accomplishments and future directions. This review will serve as a guide as the Center works with its partners, the MPA Federal Advisory Committee and stakeholders in coastal communities to craft a vision for our future in the context of current opportunities and threats to our shared ocean resources. For additional information, contact Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov. 

To read the report click here: 

 http://www.mpa.gov/pdf/helpful-resources/mpa_center_external_review_report_reduced_size.pdf

This week NACO sent a comment letter outlining the unintended consequences of the requirement to install inflatable life rafts on all COI vessels. Click to read the letter