 Contact: MA07.03 NEFSC
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NMFS Northeast Regional Office
N E
W S
Record of Decision Available
for Atlantic Large Whale
Take Reduction Plan Final Rule
NOAA Fisheries Service has issued its record of decision for the final rule implementing new measures to further reduce the risk of entangling large whales in fishing gear along the East Coast. The record shows that the final rule implements measures identical to those presented as the preferred alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) published August 10. A final rule implementing the measures is expected to publish on Friday, October 5.
The record of decision is available online here, along with other documentation regarding the action to date:
http://www.nero.noaa.gov/whaletrpNOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
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On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA Fisheries Service: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov
Atlantic Large Whale Protection Plan: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/whaletrp