[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 8, 1995)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 40302-40303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19524]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 661

[Docket No. 950426116-5116-01; I.D. 080295A]


Ocean Salmon Fisheries Off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and 
California; Adjustment of Coho Salmon Quotas

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

ACTION: Inseason adjustment of quotas.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces inseason increases to the non-treaty and treaty 
Indian coho salmon ocean fishery quotas north of Cape Falcon, OR. The 
increase to the non-treaty quota is apportioned between the commercial 
troll and recreational fisheries and among recreational subareas 
according to the coho salmon allocation provisions contained in the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Ocean Salmon Fisheries off Washington, 
Oregon, and California (FMP).

DATES: Effective at 2400 hours local time, August 3, 1995. Comments 
must be submitted by August 23, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to William Stelle, Jr., Director, 
Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand 
Point Way NE., BIN C15700-Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0070. Information 
relevant to this action has been compiled in aggregate form and is 
available for public review during business hours at the office of the 
Director, Northwest Regional, NMFS (Regional Director).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Robinson 206-526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the ocean salmon 
fisheries at section III.B. of the appendix to 50 CFR part 661, the 
standards and procedures for inseason changes to annual management 
measures. Specifically, the Regional Director may adjust management 
measures inseason provided that any inseason adjustment in management 
measures is consistent with fishery regimes established by the U.S.-
Canada Pacific Salmon Commission, ocean escapement goals, conservation 
of the salmon resource, any adjudicated Indian fishing rights, and the 
ocean allocation scheme in the FMP. In addition, all inseason 
adjustments must be based on consideration of the following factors: 
(a) Predicted sizes of salmon runs; (b) harvest quota and hooking 
mortality limits for the area and total allowable impact limitations if 
applicable; (c) amount of the recreational, commercial, and treaty 
Indian catch for each species in the area to date; (d) Amount of 
recreational, commercial, and treaty Indian fishing effort in the area 
to date; (e) Estimated average daily catch per fisherman; (f) Predicted 
fishing effort for the area to the end of the scheduled season; and (g) 
other factors as appropriate.
    The annual management measures for ocean salmon fisheries (60 FR 
21746, May 3, 1995), that NMFS may make inseason adjustments to 
fisheries north of Cape Falcon that are consistent with and 
complementary to Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) spawner 
escapement objectives in the event that management agreements or 
understandings with Canada warrant reevaluation of the Council's 
assumptions about prior interceptions (60 FR 21753, 21756).
    Annual management measures for the ocean salmon fisheries are 
recommended to NMFS by the Council under the authority of the framework 
FMP. During development of the 1995 annual management measures, the 
Council made certain assumptions regarding the harvest of coho salmon 
in Canadian fisheries off the West Coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI). 
These assumptions regarding Canadian harvest are an important factor in 
developing U.S. harvest quotas, since over one-half of the coho salmon 
harvested off Canada are of U.S. origin, and, absent interception, 
would return to U.S. waters. The Council's recommendations for U.S. 
ocean fisheries for coho salmon north of Cape Falcon were based, in 
part, on the assumption that Canada would harvest 1.78 million coho off 
WCVI, consistent with recent years' harvest levels.
    Subsequent to the implementation of the U.S. 1995 annual management 
measures, the Government of Canada announced that it will reduce the 
Canadian harvest off WCVI to 1.2 million coho salmon for 1995. This 
reduction in Canadian harvest is expected to return several hundred 
thousand additional coho salmon to U.S. waters, most of which will 
return as spawning escapement to U.S. rivers and hatcheries, and some 
of which will be available for harvest.
    The Council provided for the inseason adjustment of the annual 
management measures, based on revised assumptions for Canadian 
interceptions, in anticipation of providing some economic relief to 
ocean salmon 

[[Page 40303]]
fishermen who have been severely restricted (no fishing in 1994) during 
the last few years. At the same time, the Council assumed that the 
majority of benefits would accrue to spawning escapements, especially 
for wild coho salmon stocks.
    Before taking any action, the Regional Director consulted, as 
required by the implementing regulations, with the Council Chairman, 
the States of Washington and Oregon, and most of the affected northwest 
treaty Indian tribes. Under the authority of 50 CFR part 661, NMFS is 
increasing the non-treaty coho salmon ocean quota north of Cape Falcon, 
OR, by 25,000 fish, from 75,000 to 100,000 fish, and the treaty Indian 
coho salmon ocean quota by 5,000 fish, from 25,000 to 30,000 fish. The 
overall non-treaty increase is distributed between the commercial troll 
and recreational fisheries, with the troll fishery quota increasing 
from 18,750 to 25,000 fish, and the recreational fishery quota 
increasing from 56,250 to 75,000 fish. The recreational quota increases 
are further distributed between the four subareas north of Cape Falcon, 
with the quota in the subarea from Cape Falcon, OR, to Leadbetter 
Point, WA, increasing from 28,125 to 37,500 fish; the quota in the 
subarea from Leadbetter Point to the Queets River, WA, increasing from 
20,800 to 28,600 fish; the quota in the subarea from the Queets River 
to Cape Alava, WA, increasing from 1,460 to 1,800 fish; and the quota 
in the subarea from Cape Alava to the U.S.-Canadian border increasing 
from 5,850 to 7,100 fish.
    The best available analysis of impacts on wild coho salmon 
escapements in Puget Sound and Washington coastal rivers indicated 
that, compared with assumptions and predictions made when the annual 
management measures were approved, wild coho salmon spawning 
escapements will increase significantly in all major streams, and all 
escapement floors for Washington coastal streams will be exceeded, even 
with these and other modest increases to U.S. fisheries in State 
waters. In addition, overall harvest impacts on Oregon coastal natural 
coho salmon, which have been proposed for listing as ``threatened'' 
under the Endangered Species Act and which make up a small portion of 
the harvest north of Cape Falcon, have decreased slightly.
    The States of Oregon and Washington will manage the fisheries in 
State waters adjacent to this area of the exclusive economic zone in 
accordance with this Federal action.
    Because of the need for immediate action to relieve a restriction, 
NMFS has determined that good cause exists for this action to be issued 
without affording a prior opportunity for public comment and without a 
delayed effectiveness period. This action does not apply to other 
fisheries that may be operating in other areas.

Classification

    This action is authorized by 50 CFR 661.21 and 661.23 and is exempt 
from review under E.O. 12866.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: August 2, 1995.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-19524 Filed 8-3-95; 3:49 pm]
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