Boundary Expansion of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary; Notification of Effective Date

NOAA published a final rule to expand the boundary of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS or sanctuary), clarify the correlation between TBNMS regulations and Indian tribal fishing activities, and revise the corresponding sanctuary terms of designation on September 5, 2014 (79 FR 52960). The new boundary for TBNMS increases the size of the sanctuary from 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles and extends protection to 47 additional known historic shipwrecks of national significance. Pursuant to Section 304(b) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1434(b)) the final regulations take effect after 45 days of continuous session of Congress beginning on September 5, 2014. Through this notification, NOAA is announcing the regulations became effective on February 3, 2015.