NACO is pleased to announce that 2nd Vice President, Capt. Tom Becker has been appointed to the Department of Homeland Security/United Sates Coast Guard Navigational Safety Advisory Council.  Please see the attached notification letter to Tom from DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.  Part of our mission is to ensure that you are represented on Panels such as this so we can continue to provide your voice on regulatory issues to ease the burdens placed on our industry. 

The Department of Commerce invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed NEW information collection regarding recreational anglers. 

Written comments must be submitted on or before August 20, 2012.

LDWF officials want to remind the public that state regulations are now applicable out to three marine leagues or 10.357 miles based on recent action by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission.   

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is extending the date by which public comments are due oncerning proposed regulations to revise existing regulations governing the confidentiality of information submitted in compliance with any requirement or regulation under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act or MSA). NMFS published the proposed rule on May 23, 2012 and announced that the public comment period would end on June 22, 2012. With this notice, NMFS is extending the comment period to August 21, 2012.

This proposed rule would establish procedures governing the National Appeals Office (NAO), a division of NMFS' Office of Management and Budget within NOAA. NAO's central mission is to provide an efficient means of adjudicating appeals by providing due process and consistency to NMFS' administrative decisions. This proposed rule would establish a process by which NMFS could review, and if necessary correct, decisions about certain limited access privilege programs under Section 303A of the Magnuson-Steven Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The proposed procedures could also be used to adjudicate appeals from other offices that incorporate these rules into their regulations or otherwise notify potential appellants of the procedures' applicability to their proceedings.

DATES: NMFS invites interested persons to submit comments on this proposed rule. To ensure consideration, comments must be in writing and must be received by July 9, 2012.

NACO has worked hard to shorten the turn around time for applying and renewing your license. The following story was published in the Washington Post by The Partnership for Public Service and supports what we have told you in the past about our success.   

There are 210,000 mariners licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard who are engaged in the movement of cargo and passengers within the United States and overseas, operating merchant ships, tugboats, ferries, dredges and other vessels on the oceans, the Great Lakes, rivers, canals and harbors.

The Coast Guard is amending the current regulations for fire suppression systems on several classes of commercial vessels including some Subchapter T charter vessels. The amendments clarify that approved alternatives to carbon dioxide systems may be used to protect some spaces on these vessels, and set general requirements for alternative systems. Additionally, certain new carbon dioxide systems must be equipped with lockout valves and odorizing units to protect persons after a carbon dioxide discharge. By requiring these features on carbon dioxide systems and by making a wider range of fire suppression systems available, the regulations advance the Coast Guard's strategic goals of promoting marine safety and maritime mobility.

DATES: This final rule is effective July 9, 2012. The incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register on July 9, 2012.

The National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) was established by the Secretary of Commerce under the authority of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 to synthesize and summarize the science and information pertaining to current and future impacts of climate.

Time and Date: The meeting will be held June 14, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and June 15, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These times are subject to change. Please refer to the Web page http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/NCADAC/index.html for changes and for the most up-to-date meeting agenda.

Nearly a year ago, NACO wrote a comment letter and encouraged you (our members) to speak out about the potential loss of reliable GPS by a private venture. LightSquared was backed by billions of dollars in funding, had plans to build a nationwide 4G broadband cellular telephone network but unfortunately, tests had shown this plan would interfere with GPS signals creating grave safety concerns. The company recently announced that it has filed for bankruptcy after the build-out of the network was halted by the FCC.

We want to thank the 18,000 boaters and other GPS users who wrote the FCC asking the guardian of the nation's airwaves to ensure the future integrity of the GPS signal, and the FCC for listening and acting on our concerns.

Even with the company's May 14 Chapter 11 filing, LightSquared continues to be a challenging adversary, stating, "The voluntary Chapter 11 filing is intended to give LightSquared sufficient breathing room to continue working through the regulatory process that will allow us to build our 4G wireless network." Under federal bankruptcy law, LightSquared would maintain exclusive control for several months over the right to craft a path to emerge from Chapter 11. The company originally asked the FCC for permission to build 40,000 network ground stations across the country. Recent government reports concluded interference issues with the GPS system could not be overcome. 

Stock assessment scientists looking to incorporate the recently re-estimated MRIP catch numbers into their analyses have new guidance from NOAA Fisheries. Final reports from the Calibration Workshop and resulting Ad Hoc Working Group are now available on the MRIP website.