Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan

NMFS issues this final rule to implement regulatory and non-regulatory management measures to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of the western North Atlantic coastal bottlenose dolphin stock (dolphin) (Tursiops truncatus) in the mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery and eight other coastal fisheries operating within the dolphin′s distributional range. This final rule also revises the large mesh size restriction under the mid-Atlantic large mesh gillnet rule for conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles (mid-Atlantic large mesh gillnet rule) to provide consistency among Federal and state management measures. The measures contained in this final rule will implement gillnet effort reduction, gear proximity requirements, gear or gear deployment modifications, and outreach and education measures to reduce dolphin bycatch below the marine mammal stock′s potential biological removal level (PBR).