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Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Halibut Bycatch Mortality Allowance in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: July 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 137)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 44011-44012]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jy00-9]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 000211040-0040-01; I.D. 051100D]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Halibut
Bycatch Mortality Allowance in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Reapportionment of Pacific halibut bycatch mortality allowance
specified for the nontrawl fishery categories.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this amendment to the final 2000 harvest
specifications that reapportions the 2000 halibut bycatch mortality
allowance specified for the Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery category
to the other nontrawl fishery category in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the
harvest of species constrained by the other nontrawl halibut bycatch
mortality allowance, in particular Greenland turbot, while not further
restricting the hook-and-line Pacific cod fishery. This action is
intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management
Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutians Islands
Area (FMP).

[[Page 44012]]

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), July 12, 2000,
through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Furuness, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the
BSAI exclusive economic zone according to the FMP prepared by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Regulations governing
fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP at subpart H of 50
CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    The BSAI halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit for nontrawl
gear is an amount of halibut equivalent to 900 metric tons (mt) of
halibut mortality (Sec. 679.21(e)(2)(i)). The apportionment of the
nontrawl halibut PSC limit to bycatch allowances for the Pacific cod
hook-and-line fishery, other nontrawl fisheries and prohibited species
quota reserve was established by the Final 2000 Harvest Specifications
of Groundfish for the BSAI (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000) as 748 mt,
84 mt, and 67 mt, respectively.
    At its April 2000 meeting, the Council requested NMFS to amend the
2000 harvest specifications to reapportion 75 mt of the halibut bycatch
mortality allowance specified for the Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery
to the other nontrawl fishery category. This proposed amendment to the
2000 harvest specifications was published in the Federal Register on
May 22, 2000 (65 FR 32070), for public comment and review. No comments
were received during the comment period that ended June 6, 2000. In
order to provide greater opportunity to harvest the BSAI Greenland
turbot total allowable catch (TAC) while not jeopardizing the
opportunity to harvest the amount of the Pacific cod TAC allocated to
hook-and-line vessels, NMFS increases the halibut bycatch mortality
allowance specified for the other nontrawl fishery category by 75 mt
and reduces the halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for the
Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery by the same amount.
    The halibut bycatch mortality specifications for the 2000 BSAI
nontrawl fisheries are listed in Table 7 of the Final 2000 Harvest
Specifications for Groundfish (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000). To
accommodate the final action, the 2000 BSAI final harvest
specifications are amended by adding the following Table 7A.

 Table 7A. 2000 BSAI prohibited species bycatch allowances for the BSAI
                           non-trawl fisheries
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Halibut
                                                               mortality
                     Non-trawl fisheries                          (mt)
                                                                  BSAI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod-Total............................................        673
  Jan. 1-April 30............................................        457
  May 1-Sept. 1..............................................          0
  Sept. 1-Dec. 31............................................        216
Other non-trawl-Total........................................        159
  May 1-Dec. 31..............................................        159
Groundfish pot & jig.........................................     exempt
Sablefish hook-and-line......................................     exempt
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification

    This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.21(e)(4) and is exempt
from OMB review under E.O. 12866.
    NMFS prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and final regulatory
flexibility assessment (FRFA) for the 2000 harvest specifications.
These documents are available by contacting: Lori Gravel, Alaska
Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668. The
reapportionment of the BSAI nontrawl halibut PSC limit is intended to
provide fuller opportunity to conduct the fishing activities considered
in the EA/FRFA and is fully within the scope of these analyses.
    The need to implement this reapportionment promptly to provide
greater opportunity to harvest the BSAI Greenland turbot TAC and to
prevent the unnecessary economic hardships to fishermen that would
result from a fishery closure constitutes good cause under 5 U.S.C.
553(d) to waive the 30-day effective date and make this reapportionment
effective July 12, 2000 through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2000.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., 1801 et seq. and 3631 et seq.

    Dated: July 11, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-18020 Filed 7-12-00; 2:38 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F

 
 

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