Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Reopening of Public Comment Period

NMFS is reopening the comment period on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) published on May 3, 2012, 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. The current comment period is scheduled to end on September 15, 2012. Because of the importance of NS1 to U.S. fishery management and the complexity of the issues, NMFS feels reopening the comment period will provide for a fuller range of public input on the NS1 Guideline issues. The comment period will close on October 12, 2012.

Agency Contact: Wesley Patrick, Fisheries Policy Analyst, National Marine Fisheries Service, 301-427-8566.