[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 13, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5608-5643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2574]
[[Page 5607]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part II
Department of Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
50 CFR Parts 672 and 675
Consolidation of Regulations Including Recordkeeping and Reporting
Requirements; Final Rule
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 13, 1996 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 5608]]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Parts 672 and 675
[Docket No. 950727194-6005-02; I.D. 062795C]
RIN 0648-AG54
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Groundfish Fishery of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area; Consolidation of Regulations
Including Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is consolidating and revising several sections of
regulations, including the recordkeeping and reporting requirements,
for use in the groundfish fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). The changes
made by this rule are expected to facilitate management of the
groundfish fisheries, promote compliance with groundfish regulations,
and facilitate enforcement efforts. This action is intended to further
the goals and objectives of the fishery management plans (FMPs) for the
groundfish fisheries off Alaska.
EFFECTIVE DATE: March 13, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Individual copies of the environmental assessment/regulatory
impact review prepared for this action may be obtained from Fisheries
Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK
99802, Attention: Lori J. Gravel.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patsy A. Bearden, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fishing for groundfish by U.S. vessels in
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the BSAI and the GOA is managed by
NMFS in accordance with the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska and the Fishery Management Plan for
the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area. The
FMPs were prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson Act). The FMPs are implemented by regulations that appear at
50 CFR parts 672, 675, and 676. General regulations that also govern
the groundfish fisheries appear at 50 CFR part 620.
This rule consolidates several sections of regulations in parts 672
and 675, corrects errors, clarifies vague text, removes outdated
requirements, as well as simplifies and streamlines the remaining
regulations, including the recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
A proposed rule addressing these concerns was published in the
Federal Register on September 8, 1995 (60 FR 46936). Public comment was
invited through October 10, 1995. NMFS received 21 letters containing
50 comments. Similar comments were grouped together, resulting in 32
comments. The comments are summarized and responded to below in the
Response to Comments section.
Changes in the Final Rule From the Proposed Rule
The final rule includes the following changes from the proposed
rule:
1. In addition to catcher vessels less than 5 net tons (4.5 mt),
catcher vessels under 60 feet (18.3 m) length overall (LOA) will not be
required to maintain a Daily Fishing Logbook (DFL), and therefore will
not submit the blue discard copy to shoreside processors, motherships,
or buying stations.
2. Beginning with 1996, catcher vessels delivering unsorted codends
to a Mothership or Shoreside Processor will be exempt from the
requirement to submit a blue DFL discard logsheet with the harvest.
3. With catcher vessels logging only total round fish weight,
documenting individual fishing quota (IFQ) catch by area currently is
not required. To promote compliance with recent changes allowing
fishing in multiple areas on the same trip, the DFL format and
procedure are changed to require catcher vessels to enter daily in the
DFL estimated IFQ sablefish harvest amounts by reporting area in the
``Comments'' column.
4. The processor permit application is revised to allow motherships
and catcher/processors under 125 feet (38.1 m) LOA that process pollock
in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
(BSAI) and/or Pacific cod in the GOA to choose to process in either the
inshore or offshore component for the entire fishing year.
5. The definition of ``round-weight equivalent'' at Sec. 672.2 is
revised by changing the words, ``as listed in Sec. 672.20(j)'' to read
``as listed in Table 3 of this part.''
6. The definition for fishing trip is revised at
Secs. 672.20(h)(2), 672.20(i)(4), 675.20(i)(2), and 675.20(j)(4). The
term, fishing trip, formerly had two separate but similar definitions.
With this change, only one definition exists.
7. The following figures are revised:
Figures 1a, 4a, 5a, 6, and 7, pages 46961, 46966, 46968, 46970, and
46971 (page numbers refer to the document published on September 8,
1995, at 60 FR 46936, et seq., are revised to remove a duplicate title;
Figure 2, page 46963, is revised to reflect new boundaries of the
Catcher Vessel Operational Area (CVOA) as changed by a recent final
rule and also to remove a duplicate title; and Figure 3a, page 46964,
is revised to add lines that reflect the boundaries of GOA reporting
areas 649 and 659 and also to remove a duplicate title.
8. Cross references were added to Sec. 672.2 for the following
terms: Fixed gear; fishing trip.
9. The definitions of inshore component and offshore component are
revised at Sec. 672.2 to be consistent with a recent final rule making
that change.
10. Paragraph 672.4(l) is removed and paragraphs 672.7 (i) and (j)
and 675.7 (l) and (m) are revised to make allowance for the eventual
reopening of the Donut Hole if an international agreement is in place
under the Convention of the Conservation and Management of Pollock
Resources in the Central Bering Sea to manage pollock fisheries in the
Donut Hole. Paragraph 672.4(m) is renumbered as 672.4(l).
11. Table 2, pages 46953 and 46954, is revised to add a species
code 888 for mixed species tote (for use with Product Transfer Reports
only).
12. Four product recovery rate values in Table 3, page 46954, for
FMP species = sablefish, are corrected as follows:
H&G with roe (6) should be blank;
H&G western cut (7) should be 0.68;
H&G eastern cut (8) should be 0.63; and
H&G without tail (10) should be 0.50.
13. Three retainable percentage values in Table 10, page 46959, are
corrected as follows:
For basis species versus bycatch species:
Flathead sole versus sablefish should be 15;
Flathead sole versus aggregated rockfish should be 15; and
Flathead sole versus demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) in the Southeast
Outside District of the Eastern Regulatory Area of the GOA (SEEO)
should be 1.
14. One retainable percentage value in Table 11, page 46960, is
corrected as follows:
For basis species versus bycatch species:
Pacific Ocean perch versus Greenland turbot should be 35.
15. A typographical error on page 46942, third column, seventh line
is
[[Page 5609]]
corrected as follows: ``weekly production'' should be ``weekly
production'' report.
Response to Comments
Catcher Vessel Daily Fishing Logbook (DFL)
Comment 1. Redesign the catcher vessel DFL format and submittal
procedure to: (1) Revise blue DFL logsheet delivery schedule and
procedure for deliveries of unsorted codends to motherships; (2) Allow
multiple entries on one DFL logsheet for each fishing trip; (3)
Determine procedure for multiple offloads of a single catcher vessel in
one day.
Response. NMFS concurs. The catcher vessel logbook format is
revised and the procedure for submittal of the DFL is revised. (1) For
deliveries of unsorted codends, the catcher vessel would be exempt from
recording of discards in the DFL and submittal of the blue logsheet
(discards copy) for that delivery. The operator of the catcher vessel
would check an ``unsorted codend'' box on the DFL, and the blue
logsheet would remain with the DFL. For presorted deliveries, or in the
event a catcher vessel has ``bled'' a codend prior to delivery to a
processor, the operator would check a ``presorted delivery'' box, enter
estimated amount of discards by species, and submit the blue logsheet
to the processor with each harvest delivery.
(2) and (3). Instead of requesting daily information on one DFL
page, the DFL format is revised to request start and end dates of a
fishing trip. The fishing trip date would be 1 day for those vessels
making multiple trips in 1 day, or the fishing trip could be as long as
7 days within a weekly reporting period. The operator would complete
one logsheet for multiple trips (offloads) in 1 day or multiple days in
one trip. In either case, the operator would submit only one blue
logsheet to the processor for the trip (unless more than one logsheet
is used to document the trip).
The operator of the catcher vessel still would be required to
account for each day of the fishing year in the DFL, and the time
periods would need to be consecutive in the logbook. The mothership
would sort catch received from unsorted codends and record the
discarded species in the Daily Cumulative Production Logbook (DCPL) as
discard at sea. The precedent for allowing one or more options in the
use of a single logsheet has been successfully demonstrated through the
use of the shoreside processor logsheet.
Comment 2. Revise the DFL format and procedure for submittal of a
blue discard logsheet as follows: (1) Require only the last blue
logsheet per fishing trip be submitted; (2) have each catcher vessel
submit a blue logsheet only if discard occurs at sea; and (3) have
catcher vessel submit discard data via radio to mothership.
Response. The difficulties addressed by these comments concerning
submittal of the blue logsheet have been corrected by the revised DFL
format and submittal procedure as indicated in Response to Comment 1.
Comment 3. Change position reporting requirements in the DFL,
catcher/processor DCPL, and mothership DCPL for haul set and retrieve
data from degrees and minutes to degrees, minutes, and tenths of
minutes or change to degrees, minutes, and seconds to improve data used
for Global Positioning System (GPS) research by the Alaska Fisheries
Science Center of spatial patterns of resource use and the occurrence
of bycatch. At the current level of spatial resolution, heavily fished
areas have many reported hauls at basically the same latitude and
longitude when reported in degrees and minutes.
GOA and BSAI fishermen use one of two radionavigation systems:
Loran C and the GPS. Loran C, planned for phase-out by the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) in the year 2000, converts to latitude and longitude in
degrees, minutes, and fractions of minutes. GPS systems generally have
the option to read latitude and longitude in degrees, minutes, seconds
or fractions of minutes.
Response. NMFS concurs. The proposed rule included a revision to
record position in degrees, minutes, and seconds. However, based on
discussions among NMFS management, NMFS Enforcement, and the USCG,
position resolution finer than degrees and minutes will be included as
an option rather than a requirement, because finer resolution is not
needed for management of groundfish quotas or for enforcement of
fisheries regulations.
Comment 4. Revise the DFL to request set-specific tally on the
target species. This would allow the operator to use the DFL to see how
each set performed and at what depths from beginning to end.
Response. NMFS will consider this comment with the next
recordkeeping and reporting revision.
Comment 5. On the DFL, add a box in the remarks section of the
``active, but no fishing activity'' that says, ``Non-groundfish
fishery. No groundfish retained for sale.''
Response. NMFS disagrees. Currently, the operator is requested to
write the reason for not fishing. The box should remain blank, because
reasons for inactivity exist other than participation in a non-
groundfish fishery.
Comment 6. Require catcher vessels involved in the IFQ sablefish
fisheries to estimate and record in the DFL the weight of IFQ sablefish
brought on board.
Response. NMFS concurs. With catcher vessels logging only total
round fish weight, documenting IFQ catch by area currently is not
required. To promote compliance with recent changes allowing fishing in
multiple areas on the same trip, the DFL format and procedure are
changed to require catcher vessels to enter daily in the DFL estimated
IFQ sablefish harvest amounts by reporting area in the ``Comments''
column.
Comment 7. Require a vessel to have a quota share on board in order
to conduct a directed hook-and-line fishery for halibut or sablefish.
Response. ``Quota share'' refers back to the original percentage of
sablefish or Pacific halibut for which a person is eligible (see
Sec. 676.20(f)). This information does not need to be on board while
fishing for one of those species. However, NMFS: Requires that a valid
IFQ permit and IFQ card in the name of the shareholder be onboard (see
Sec. 676.16(c)); prohibits the retention of IFQ halibut or IFQ
sablefish on a vessel in excess of the total amount of unharvested IFQ
that is held by all IFQ card holders aboard the vessel (see
Sec. 676.16(d)); and provides that the IFQ assigned to a person
represents the maximum amount of halibut or sablefish that may be
harvested by that person (see Sec. 676.20(f)).
Comment 8. Require vessels to enter appropriate IFQ number(s) in
the logbooks for all hook-and-line sablefish landings.
Response. NMFS will consider this comment with the next
recordkeeping and reporting revision.
Comment 9. Combine groundfish DFL with other related recording and
reporting systems, specifically: (1) Require catcher vessels involved
in the IFQ fisheries to record in the DFL, IFQ sablefish information
and IFQ permit information; (2) combine groundfish DFL with
International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) halibut logbooks; and
(3) incorporate the marine mammal logbook into the DFL.
Response. NMFS concurs and will consider this comment in the next
recordkeeping and reporting revision.
Comment 10. Add the effective date of the logbooks on the front
cover.
Response. NMFS concurs. The logbook covers are revised to include
this information.
[[Page 5610]]
Comment 11. Add to vessel logbooks, space to record the USCG
documentation number, state registration number, and the marine mammal
exemption number.
Response. NMFS will consider this comment with the next
recordkeeping and reporting revision.
Comment 12. Revise the logbook formats to include additional
information: (1) Print the address where logsheet quarterly submittals
must be mailed; and (2) print reporting codes, species and product
codes.
Response. NMFS concurs. Logbooks have been revised to include the
mailing information on the back cover. The reporting codes, species
codes, and product codes are included in an instruction packet enclosed
in the cover of each logbook.
Comment 13. Expand authorized gear definitions to include the
definitions of fixed gear, for purposes of IFQ.
Response. The GOA and BSAI groundfish regulations define specific
groundfish gear types at 50 CFR Sec. 672.2 under the definition for
authorized fishing gear. The term, fixed gear, is defined at 50 CFR
Sec. 676.11 with respect to IFQ sablefish and IFQ halibut. A cross-
reference for fixed gear to Sec. 676.11 is added to the definitions at
Sec. 672.2.
Comment 14. Add questions addressing safety requirements for
fishing vessels to the Federal Fisheries Permit application. These
questions would be answered by operators of fishing vessels required to
carry observers under 50 CFR part 677.
Response. NMFS will consider this comment with the next
recordkeeping and reporting revision.
Comment 15. Add target species to the Weekly Production Report
(WPR) to enhance calculation of halibut mortality for deep-water versus
shallow-water targets in the GOA and trawl fisheries in the BSAI.
Response. NMFS disagrees. The calculation of halibut mortality for
these targets is performed at NMFS after receipt of WPR based on
formulae written into the programs.
Comment 16. Reinstate reporting exemption for incidental groundfish
catches for small boats.
Response. Adjustments in recordkeeping and reporting requirements
are needed due to changes in regulations brought on by the IFQ Program
and the North Pacific Fisheries Research Plan. Because time is
insufficient to make these adjustments for 1996, regulations at 50 CFR
Sec. 672.5 are revised to include an exemption from compliance with
recordkeeping requirements for vessels less than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA
participating in GOA or BSAI groundfish fisheries.
Comment 17. Relocate paragraph 672.22(d) to section 672.7
Prohibitions.
Response. NMFS concurs. This prohibition already appears at
Sec. 672.7(c), so Sec. 672.22(d) is removed.
Comment 18. Add a species composition table to the regulations for
use with the annual specifications notice.
Response. While this comment has merit, NMFS is not implementing it
in this rulemaking. Currently, the species composition tables appear in
the Federal Register each year as footnotes to Table 1 for both GOA and
BSAI specifications. The public can refer to these tables for updated
species composition upon which the interim, proposed, and final
specifications are based.
Comment 19. Change the wording in the condition section of Federal
Fisheries Permit to make allowance for the eventual reopening of the
Donut Hole to permitted vessels.
Response. NMFS agrees. The text in the condition section of the
permit is revised to allow fishing in the Donut Hole if an
international agreement is in place under the Convention of the
Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering
Sea to manage pollock fisheries in the Donut Hole (Public Law 104-43,
section 104(d)).
Comment 20. Revisions and addition of maps: (1) In Figure 3, draw
lines to reflect the bounds of GOA reporting areas 649 and 659; (2) add
a map with place names for the area around the Bering Sea and Gulf of
Alaska reporting area 610; and (3) add a map for Pribilof Islands
closure area and change regulations text to refer to the figure.
Response. (1) NMFS agrees. The figure is revised; however, the
figure depicting the GOA is not to scale and merely indicates that
boundaries exist rather than depicting accurately the boundaries
themselves; (2) NMFS will review this comment in the next revision of
the recordkeeping and reporting regulations; and (3) NMFS concurs;
however, this comment will be addressed in the next revision of the
recordkeeping and reporting regulations.
Comment 21. NMFS could use DFL information for research purposes,
for example: (1) Build an adequate shelf model distribution for depth
and area through use of a bar scanner to project handwritten set
positions and catch performance on a chart; and (2) develop regional/
seasonal correlatives through observers recording spawning times in an
area, then analyze the results for possible closures during these times
by using block chart areas.
Response. NMFS agrees that utilization of groundfish data collected
for monitoring of the fisheries could be used for further research;
however, this comment is not relevant to the recordkeeping and
reporting proposed rule.
Comment 22. Change the definition of a fishing trip for a catcher
vessel.
Response. NMFS concurs, although the definition of a fishing trip
is standardized rather than revised. The text of the regulations at
Secs. 672.20(h)(2) and (i)(4) and 675.20(i)(2) and (j)(4) is revised,
so that a standard definition of a fishing trip exists in both the GOA
and BSAI. A cross reference to the term, fishing trip, is added at
Sec. 672.2.
Comment 23. The logbook instructions tell how to submit quarterly
logsheets for an inactive period that includes the end of one fishing
quarter and the start of another fishing quarter. This information
should be included in the regulations.
Response. NMFS concurs. This language is added to the regulations
at Sec. 672.5(a)(14)(c).
Comment 24. Allow the use of the number ``0'' or the word ``ZERO''
as well as ``NO DISCARDS'' to account for discard species when no
discards occurred.
Response. NMFS concurs. This language is added to the regulations
at Sec. 672.5(a)(10)(iv).
Comment 25. For purposes of the Vessel Activity Report (VAR), why
is there a distinction made between ``the seaward boundary of the EEZ
off Alaska'' and ``the United States/Canada international boundary''?
Response. Entering directly into Alaska State waters from Canadian
waters is possible, thus avoiding the ``seaward boundary of the EEZ off
Alaska.''
Comment 26. Add a prohibition against adjusting scale weights for
water content of fish.
Response. NMFS concurs; however this comment will be considered in
the next revision of the recordkeeping and reporting regulations.
Comment 27. Standardize format of regulations as follows: (1)
Capitalization of the words: Shoreside processor, mothership, catcher/
processor, buying station, catcher vessel, support vessel, tender
vessel, processor vessel, Federal Fisheries Permit number, Federal
Processor Permit number, Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G)
vessel number, and ADF&G processor code; (2) the word, codend, is one
word, not two; (3) standardize the use of either of the terms,
shoreside processor and
[[Page 5611]]
shoreside processing operation; (4) standardize capitalization of
report names.
Response. (1) NMFS concurs; capitalization is made consistent
within the final rule; (2) NMFS concurs; the correction is made; (3)
NMFS concurs, and standardization of the terms is accomplished within
the breadth of this final rule. However, many other instances of the
inconsistent use of shoreside processor and shoreside processing
operation occur in other areas of the regulations. Because more time is
needed to complete this task, this comment will be considered more
fully in the next revision of the recordkeeping and reporting
regulations; (4) NMFS concurs; capitalization is made consistent within
the final rule.
Comment 28. The requirement to disclose the number of days fished
on logbooks and on the WPR should remain rather than be removed as
proposed, as this is an excellent cross-check with other reports to
determine number of days fished for vessels. The number of days fished
is important to calculate observer coverage requirements.
Response. NMFS disagrees. Number of days fished may be calculated
from other information in the logbooks.
Comment 29. WPRs should not list ADF&G Fish Ticket numbers, because
Fish Tickets are completely voluntary for processors operating in the
EEZ. The Federal government cannot enforce a voluntary State of Alaska
program.
Response. Although issuance of ADF&G Fish Tickets is voluntary for
processors operating in the EEZ, many of those processors comply with
the State of Alaska requirement. If a fish ticket is issued, NMFS
requests that the fish ticket number be listed on the WPR.
Comment 30. Add to the regulations that groundfish caught
incidental to the non-groundfish fishery may be retained on board the
vessel for use as bait during the period of the non-groundfish fishery.
They may not be retained after closure of the non-groundfish fishery,
or sold, or transferred from the vessel.
Response. NMFS concurs; however, this comment will be considered in
the next revision of the recordkeeping and reporting regulations.
Comment 31. Product Transfer Report submittal requirements should
not be changed from 1 week to 24 hours after the completion of the
offload. Management offices need 1 week to maintain oversight of the
vessels reporting.
Response. NMFS disagrees; more timely information is generally more
accurate.
Comment 32. Create provisions in the regulations to deal with
weekend reporting where a management office chooses to oversee the
vessels reporting. Without time to complete reporting requirements in
the management office, reporting would have to come straight from the
vessel. Not only is it more costly, it would prevent management offices
from being up to date on where the vessels are checked in and whether
or not they have complied with regulations.
Response. NMFS disagrees; processor vessels are required to submit
timely reports. Submission of reports to NMFS will not preclude the
management office from monitoring their vessels' reporting.
Classification
The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS, determined that the regulatory
amendment is necessary for the conservation and management of the GOA
and BSAI management area fisheries and it is consistent with the
Magnuson Act and other applicable laws.
The Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulation of the
Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of
the Small Business Administration that this rule would not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The reasons were published in the notice of proposed rule (60 FR 46936,
September 8, 1995). As a result, a regulatory flexibility analysis was
not prepared.
This rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of
E.O. 12866.
This rule contains collection-of-information requirements subject
to the Paperwork Reduction Act. The collections of information have
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), OMB Control
Numbers 0648-0213 and 0648-0206. Additional burden would result from
the requirements set forth for the new Buying Station DCL and Check-in/
Check-out report, and also from revisions to existing reports.
An estimated additional response time for compliance with these new
forms is expected to be between 25 minutes and 2.0 hours annually for
the operator or manager of each processor or Buying Station and 27
minutes for each Catcher Vessel operator. The additional annual burden
to Shoreside Processors and Buying Stations to comply with requirements
for Check-in/Check-out reports is estimated to average about 8 minutes
and 6 minutes, respectively, for each Check-in or Check-out report.
Revisions to the format of other logbooks and/or additions to
information collected by logbooks are minimal and are not anticipated
to significantly increase reporting burden to the industry. The
requirements include: The U.S. Vessel Activities Report, 15 minutes;
Weekly Production Report, 18 minutes; Daily Production Report, 10
minutes; Processor Product Transfer Report, 11 minutes; the Catcher
Vessel Logbook, 15 minutes; and Federal Fishing Permits, 20 minutes.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to respond to nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to
comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Parts 672 and 675
Fisheries, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: January 31, 1996.
Gary Matlock,
Program Management Officer, National Marine Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR parts 672 and 675
are amended as follows:
PART 672--GROUNDFISH OF THE GULF OF ALASKA
1. The authority citation for part 672 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
2. In Sec. 672.1, paragraph (a) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.1 Purpose and scope.
(a) Regulations in this part, along with parts 602, 620, 676, and
677 of this chapter, implement the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.
* * * * *
3. Section 672.2 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.2 Definitions.
In addition to the definitions in the Magnuson Act and in
Sec. 620.2 of this chapter, the terms used in this part have the
following meanings:
Active/inactive periods--(1) Active periods--(i) Catcher Vessel. An
active period for a catcher vessel means a period of time when the
catcher vessel is in a reporting area (except 300, 400, 550, or 690) or
gear remains on the grounds in a reporting area (except 300, 400, 550,
or 690) regardless of the vessel location.
(ii) Shoreside Processor, Mothership, Catcher/Processor, and Buying
Station.
[[Page 5612]]
An active period for a shoreside processor, mothership, catcher/
processor, and buying station means a period of time when checked-in.
(2) Inactive periods--(i) Catcher Vessel. An inactive period for a
catcher vessel means any period which does not qualify as an active
period.
(ii) Shoreside Processor, Mothership, Catcher/Processor, or Buying
Station. An inactive period for a shoreside processor, mothership,
catcher/processor, or buying station means a period of time when not
checked-in.
ADF&G means the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Alaska local time (A.l.t.) means the current Alaska time, either
daylight savings time or standard time.
Alaska State waters means waters shoreward of the exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) off Alaska.
Aleutian Islands Subarea (AI) of the BSAI means that portion of the
EEZ contained in Statistical Areas 541, 542, and 543 (see Figure 1 of
this part).
Authorized fishing gear means hook-and-line, jig, longline,
longline pot, nonpelagic trawl, nontrawl, pelagic trawl, pot-and-line,
and trawl; defined as follows:
(1) Hook-and-line means a stationary, buoyed, and anchored line
with hooks attached, or the taking of fish by means of such a device;
(2) Jig means a single non-buoyed, non-anchored line with hooks
attached, or the taking of fish by means of such a device;
(3) Longline means a stationary, buoyed, and anchored line with
hooks or two or more groundfish pots attached, or the taking of fish by
means of such a device (see Sec. 672.24(b) or Sec. 675.24(b) of this
chapter);
(4) Longline pot means a stationary, buoyed, and anchored line with
two or more pots attached, or the taking of fish by means of such a
device;
(5) Nonpelagic trawl means a trawl other than a pelagic trawl;
(6) Nontrawl means hook-and-line, jig, longline, and pot-and-line
gear;
(7) Pelagic trawl means a trawl that:
(i) Has no discs, bobbins, or rollers;
(ii) Has no chafe protection gear attached to the foot rope or
fishing line;
(iii) Except for the small mesh allowed under paragraph (7)(ix) of
this definition:
(A) Has no mesh tied to the fishing line, head rope, and breast
lines with less than 20 inches (50.8 cm) between knots, and has no
stretched mesh size of less than 60 inches (152.4 cm) aft from all
points on the fishing line, head rope, and breast lines and extending
past the fishing circle for a distance equal to or greater than one
half the vessel's LOA; or
(B) Has no parallel lines spaced closer than 64 inches (162.6 cm),
from all points on the fishing line, head rope, and breast lines and
extending aft to a section of mesh, with no stretched mesh size of less
than 60 inches (152.4 cm), extending aft for a distance equal to or
greater than one half the vessel's LOA;
(iv) Has no stretched mesh size less than 15 inches (38.1 cm) aft
of the mesh described in paragraph (7)(iii) of this definition for a
distance equal to or greater than one half the vessel's LOA;
(v) Contains no configuration intended to reduce the stretched mesh
sizes described in paragraphs (7) (iii) and (iv) of this definition;
(vi) Has no flotation other than floats capable of providing up to
200 lb (90.7 kg) of buoyancy to accommodate the use of a net-sounder
device;
(vii) Has no more than one fishing line and one foot rope for a
total of no more than two weighted lines on the bottom of the trawl
between the wing tip and the fishing circle;
(viii) Has no metallic component except for connectors (e.g.,
hammerlocks or swivels) or net-sounder device aft of the fishing circle
and forward of any mesh greater than 5.5 inches (14.0 cm) stretched
measure;
(ix) May have small mesh within 32 ft (9.8 m) of the center of the
head rope as needed for attaching instrumentation (e.g., net-sounder
device); and
(x) May have weights on the wing tips;
(8) Pot-and-line means a stationary, buoyed line with a single pot
attached, or the taking of fish by means of such a device; and
(9) Trawl means a conical-shaped net that is towed through the
water for catching fish or other organisms. The net accumulates its
catch in the closed, small end (usually called the codend). This
definition includes, but is not limited to, Danish and Scottish seines
and otter trawls.
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) means the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands subareas (see Figure 1 of this part).
Bering Sea Subarea (BS) of the BSAI means that portion of the EEZ
contained in Statistical Areas 508, 509, 512, 513, 514, 516, 517, 518,
519, 521, 523, 524, and 530 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Bogoslof District means that part of the Bering Sea Subarea
contained in Statistical Area 518 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Breast line means the rope or wire running along the forward edges
of the side panels of a net, or along the forward edge of the side rope
in a rope trawl.
Buying Station means a person or vessel that receives unprocessed
groundfish from a vessel for delivery at a different location to a
shoreside processor or mothership and that does not process those fish.
Bycatch Limitation Zone 1 (Zone 1) means that part of the Bering
Sea Subarea that is contained within the boundaries of Statistical
Areas 508, 509, 512, and 516 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Bycatch Limitation Zone 2 (Zone 2) means that part of the Bering
Sea Subarea that is contained within the boundaries of Statistical
Areas 513, 517, and 521 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Catcher/Processor means a vessel that is used for catching fish and
processing that fish.
Catcher Vessel means a vessel that is used for catching fish and
that does not process on board.
Catcher Vessel Operational Area (CVOA) (see Figure 2 of this part
and Sec. 675.22(g) of this chapter).
Central Aleutian District means that part of the Aleutian Islands
Subarea contained in Statistical Area 542 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Community Development Plan (CDP) (applicable through December 31,
1998) means a plan for a specific Western Alaska community or group of
communities approved by the Governor of the State of Alaska and
recommended to NMFS under Secs. 675.27 and 676.24 of this chapter.
Community Development Quota (CDQ) (applicable through December 31,
1998) means a percentage of the CDQ reserve for a BSAI subarea or
district as defined at Sec. 675.20(a)(3)(ii) of this chapter that is
allocated to a CDP.
Community Development Quota Program (CDQ Program) (applicable
through December 31, 1998) means the Western Alaska Community
Development Program implemented under Sec. 675.27 of this chapter.
Community Development Quota Reserve (CDQ Reserve) (applicable
through December 31, 1998) means one half of the pollock TAC that is
placed into the reserve for each subarea and district of the BSAI as
specified at Sec. 675.20(a)(3) of this chapter and that is set aside
for the CDQ program.
Daily reporting period or day is the period from midnight until the
following midnight using Alaska local time (A.l.t.).
Directed fishing means any fishing activity that results in the
retention of an amount of a species or species group on board a vessel
that is greater than the maximum retainable bycatch amount for that
species or species group as calculated under Secs. 672.20 (g) and (h)
and 675.20 (h) and (i) of this chapter.
[[Page 5613]]
Donut Hole means international waters of the Bering Sea outside the
limits of the EEZ and Russian economic zone as depicted on the current
edition of NOAA chart INT 813 Bering Sea (Southern Part).
Eastern Aleutian District means that part of the Aleutian Islands
Subarea contained in Statistical Area 541 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (see Sec. 620.2 of this chapter).
Federal waters means waters within the EEZ off Alaska.
Fish product weight means the weight of the fish product in pounds
or to at least the nearest hundredth of a metric ton (0.01 mt). Fish
product weight is based upon the number of production units and the
weight of those units. Production units include pans, cartons, blocks,
trays, cans, bags, and individual fresh or frozen fish. The weight of a
production unit is the average weight of representative samples of the
product, and may include additives but not packaging. Any allowance for
water added cannot exceed 5 percent of the gross product weight (fish,
additives, and water).
Fishing activity (see definition for fishing in Sec. 620.2 of this
chapter).
Fishing circle means the circumference of a trawl intersecting the
center point on a fishing line, and that is perpendicular to the long
axis of a trawl.
Fishing day (see Sec. 677.2 of this chapter).
Fishing line means a length of chain or wire rope in the bottom
front end of a trawl to which the webbing or lead ropes are attached.
Fishing month (see Secs. 672.26 or 675.26 of this chapter).
Fishing trip (see Sec. 672.20(h)(2) of this chapter).
Fishing year means the period of time beginning at 0001 hours,
A.l.t., on January 1 and ending at 2359 hours, A.l.t., on December 31
(see Secs. 672.23(a) and 675.23(a) of this chapter).
Fixed gear (see Sec. 676.11 of this chapter).
Foot rope means a chain or wire rope attached to the bottom front
end of a trawl and attached to the fishing line.
Gear Deployment--(1) For trawl gear means where the trawl gear
reaches the fishing level and begins to fish.
(2) For jig/troll, hook-and-line, or longline gear means where the
gear enters the water.
(3) For pot-and-line gear means where the first pot enters the
water.
Gear Retrieval--(1) For trawl gear, gear retrieval means where
retrieval of trawl cable commences.
(2) For jig/troll gear, gear retrieval means where the jig/troll
gear leaves the water.
(3) For hook-and-line or longline pot gear, gear retrieval means
where the last hook-and-line or longline pot gear of a set leaves the
water, regardless of where the majority of the haul or set took place.
(4) For pot-and-line gear, gear retrieval means where the last pot
of a set leaves the water.
Governor means the Governor of the State of Alaska.
Groundfish means target species and the ``other species'' category,
specified annually pursuant to Sec. 672.20(a)(1) or Sec. 675.20(a)(1)
of this chapter.
Gulf of Alaska (GOA) means that portion of the EEZ contained in
Statistical Areas 610, 620, 630, 640, and 650 (see Figure 3 of this
part).
Head rope means a rope bordering the top front end of a trawl.
Herring Savings Area means any of three areas in the BSAI presented
in Figure 4 of this part (see also Sec. 675.21(c)(2) of this chapter
for additional closure information):
Inshore component (applicable through December 31, 1998) means the
following three categories of the U.S. groundfish fishery that process
pollock harvested in a directed fishery for pollock in the GOA or BSAI,
or Pacific cod harvested in a directed fishery for Pacific cod in the
GOA, or both:
(1) Shoreside processing operations;
(2) Vessels less than 125 ft (38.1 m) in LOA, that process no more
than 126 mt per week in round-weight equivalents of an aggregate amount
of those fish; and
(3) Vessels that process those fish at a single geographic location
in Alaska State waters (waters adjacent to the State of Alaska and
shoreward of the EEZ) during a fishing year. For the purposes of this
definition, NMFS will determine the single geographic location in a
fishing year for an individual processor from the geographic
coordinates the vessel operator reports on the check-in report
(Sec. 672.5(h)(1) of this chapter) when that vessel first engages in
processing those fish.
IPHC means International Pacific Halibut Commission (see part 301
of this title).
Joint venture processing (JVP) (see Sec. 611.2 of this chapter).
Landing means off-loading fish.
Length overall (LOA) of a vessel means the horizontal distance,
rounded to the nearest foot, between the foremost part of the stem and
the aftermost part of the stern, excluding bowsprits, rudders, outboard
motor brackets, and similar fittings or attachments (see Figure 6 of
this part).
Logbook means Daily Cumulative Production Logbook (DCPL), Daily
Cumulative Logbook (DCL), or a Daily Fishing Logbook (DFL) required by
Sec. 672.5.
Manager, with respect to any shoreside processor or buying station,
means the individual responsible for the operation of the shoreside
processor operation or buying station.
Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) (see part 602 of this chapter).
Mothership means a vessel that receives and processes groundfish
from other vessels.
Net-sounder device means a sensor used to determine the depth from
the water surface at which a fishing net is operating.
nm means nautical mile.
Non-allocated or nonspecified species means those fish species,
other than prohibited species, for which total allowable catch (TAC)
has not been specified (e.g., grenadier, prowfish, lingcod).
Observer means any person certified under the NMFS Observer Plan
(see part 677 of this chapter).
Offshore component (applicable through December 31, 1998) means all
vessels not included in the definition of ``inshore component'' that
process pollock caught in directed fisheries for pollock in the GOA or
BSAI, or Pacific cod caught in directed fisheries for Pacific cod in
the GOA, or both.
Optimum yield (OY) (see Secs. 672.20 and 675.20 of this chapter).
``Other species'' is a category that consists of groundfish species
in each management area that are not specified as target species (see
Secs. 672.20 and 675.20 of this chapter).
Processing, or to process, means the preparation of fish to render
it suitable for human consumption, industrial uses, or long-term
storage, including but not limited to cooking, canning, smoking,
salting, drying, freezing, or rendering into meal or oil, but does not
mean icing, bleeding, heading, or gutting.
Processor Vessel means, unless otherwise restricted, any vessel
that has been issued a Federal fisheries permit and that can be used
for processing groundfish.
Quarter or quarterly reporting period means one of 4 successive 3-
month periods during a calendar year, which begin at 0001 hours,
A.l.t., on the first day of each quarter, and end at 2359 hours,
A.l.t., on the last day of each quarter. The 4 quarters for each year
are specified below:
1st quarter: January 1 through March 31;
2nd quarter: April 1 through June 30;
[[Page 5614]]
3rd quarter: July 1 through September 30; and
4th quarter: October 1 through December 31.
Regional Director means Director, Alaska Region, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
Regulatory area means any of three areas of the EEZ in the GOA (see
Figure 3 of this part) described as follows:
(1) Eastern Regulatory Area means Statistical Areas 640 and 650.
(2) Central Regulatory Area means Statistical Areas 620 and 630.
(3) Western Regulatory Area means Statistical Area 610.
Reporting area means any of the areas described in Figures 1 and 3
of this part.
Resident fisherman (see Sec. 675.27(d)(7) of this chapter).
Round-weight equivalent means the weight of fish calculated by
dividing the weight of the primary product made from that fish by the
standard product recovery rate for that primary product as listed in
Table 3 of this part, or, if not listed, the weight of fish calculated
by dividing the weight of a primary product by the standard product
recovery rate as determined using the best available evidence on a
case-by-case basis.
Set means a string of pots or hook-and-line gear or a group of pots
that are deployed in a similar location with similar soak time.
Shoreside processor or shoreside processing operation, means any
person or vessel that receives unprocessed groundfish, except catcher/
processors, motherships, buying stations, restaurants, or persons
receiving groundfish for use as bait or personal consumption.
Southeast Outside District of the GOA means that part of the
Eastern Regulatory Area contained in Statistical Area 650 (see Figure 3
of this part).
Statistical area means the part of any reporting area defined in
Figures 1 and 3 of this part, contained in the EEZ.
Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas (for BSAI, see Tables 4 and 5 of
this part, Secs. 672.24(e) and 675.24(f) of this chapter) and
Sec. 227.12 of this title; (for GOA, see Table 6 of this part).
Stem means the forward part of a vessel; that portion of the vessel
where the sides are united at the fore end with the lower end attached
to the keel and the bowsprit, if one is present, resting on the upper
end.
Stern means the aft part of the vessel.
Stretched mesh size means the distance between opposite knots of a
four-sided mesh when opposite knots are pulled tautly to remove slack.
Support Vessel means any vessel that is used in support of other
vessels regulated under this part and part 675 of this chapter,
including, but not limited to, supplying a fishing vessel with water,
fuel, provisions, fishing equipment, fish processing equipment or other
supplies, or transporting processed fish. The term ``support vessel''
does not include processor vessels or tender vessels. Target species
are those species or species groups, except the ``other species''
category, for which a TAC is specified pursuant to Sec. 672.20(a) and
Sec. 675.20(a) of this chapter.
Tender Vessel means a vessel that is used to transport unprocessed
fish received from another vessel to a shoreside processor, mothership,
or buying station.
Total allowable catch (TAC) (see Secs. 672.20(a)(2) and
675.20(a)(2) of this chapter).
Transfer includes any loading, offloading, shipment or receipt of
any groundfish product, including quantities transferred inside or
outside the EEZ, within any state's territorial waters, within the
internal waters of any state, at any shoreside processor, or any
offsite meal reduction plant.
Trawl test areas (see Figure 7 of this part and Secs. 672.24(f) and
675.24(g) of this chapter).
Vessel Activity Report (VAR) (see Sec. 672.5(c)(5)).
Vessel operations category (see Sec. 672.4).
Walrus Protection Areas (see Sec. 675.22(f) of this chapter).
Weekly reporting period means a time period, which begins at 0001
hours, A.l.t., Sunday morning (except during the first week of each
year, when it starts on January 1) and ends at 2359 hours, A.l.t., the
following Saturday night (except during the last week of each year when
it ends on December 31).
West Yakutat District of the GOA means that part of the Eastern
Regulatory Area of the GOA contained in Statistical Area 640 (see
Figure 3 of this part).
Western Aleutian District means that part of the Aleutian Islands
Subarea contained in Statistical Area 543 (see Figure 1 of this part).
Wing tip means the point where adjacent breast lines intersect or
where a breast line intersects with the fishing line.
4. In Sec. 672.3, paragraphs (a) and (c) are revised to read as
follows:
Sec. 672.3 Relation to other laws.
(a) Foreign fishing. Regulations governing foreign fishing for
groundfish in the GOA are set forth at Sec. 611.92 of this chapter.
Regulations governing foreign fishing for groundfish in the BSAI are
set forth at Sec. 611.93 of this chapter. Regulations governing U.S.
nationals fishing in the Russian fisheries are set forth in part 299 of
this title.
* * * * *
(c) Domestic fishing for groundfish. Regulations governing the
conservation and management of groundfish in the GOA for vessels of the
United States are set forth at this part and parts 620, 676, and 677 of
this chapter. Regulations governing the conservation and management of
groundfish in the BSAI are set forth in this part and parts 620, 675,
676, and 677 of this chapter.
* * * * *
5. Section 672.4 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.4 Fisheries permit.
(a) General. (1) No vessel of the United States may be used to fish
for groundfish in the GOA or in the BSAI unless the owner first obtains
a Federal fisheries permit for the vessel issued under this part,
except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. A Federal
fisheries permit is effective only until December 31 of the year in
which it is issued. Fisheries permits are issued without charge.
(2) Vessels of the United States that fish in the GOA or BSAI for
any non-groundfish species, including but not limited to, halibut,
crab, salmon, scallops, and herring, and that do not retain any bycatch
of groundfish are not required to obtain a Federal fisheries permit
issued under this part.
(3) This section is effective from January 1, 1996, through
December 31, 1998, unless otherwise specified. Unless specifically
exempt under 50 CFR part 676, the owner of a vessel of the United
States must obtain a moratorium permit issued under 50 CFR part 676
before using the vessel to conduct directed fishing for moratorium
groundfish species, as defined at Sec. 676.2 of this chapter, in the
GOA or BSAI. The owner of a vessel of the United States that is not
required to have a moratorium permit, because the vessel is
specifically exempt under Sec. 676.3 of this chapter, must obtain a
fisheries permit issued under this part before using the vessel to fish
for groundfish in the GOA or BSAI. Such permits shall be issued without
charge.
(b) Federal Fisheries Permit Application--(1) Request for
application and permit. A person may obtain an application for a
Federal fisheries permit required under paragraph (a) of this section
from: National Marine Fisheries Service, Restricted Access Management
Division,
[[Page 5615]]
P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668, telephone number: 800-304-4846
or 907-586-7202.
(2) Completed application. (i) A person may obtain the Federal
fisheries permit required under paragraph (a) of this section by
submitting a written permit application to the address given in
paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(ii) The owner or operator of a vessel must answer each question on
the permit application in the manner set forth in paragraph (c) of this
section.
(iii) The owner or operator must mail completed forms to the
address given in paragraph (b)(1) of this section or fax completed
forms to: 907-586-7354.
(iv) The owner or operator must complete a separate application for
each vessel or processor and must retain a copy of each completed or
revised application.
(v) The owner or operator must type or print legibly the
information requested on the application.
(3) Application deficiency. Upon receipt of an incomplete or
improperly completed fisheries permit application, the Regional
Director will notify the applicant of the deficiency in the permit
application. If the applicant fails to correct the deficiency, the
permit will not be issued. No permit will be issued to an applicant
until a complete application is received.
(c) Permit application contents. The owner or operator must record:
(1) If application is for an amended permit, the current Federal
Fisheries Permit number and information that has changed.
(2) If for a vessel, the complete name and homeport (city and
state) of the vessel; the ADF&G Vessel number; the U.S. Coast Guard
documentation number or Alaska registration number; the vessel's LOA
and registered net tonnage; and the telephone, fax, and COMSAT
(satellite communication) numbers used on board the vessel.
(3) Shoreside Processor Information. Refer to Sec. 677.4(b) of this
chapter.
(4) Owner Information. The owner of the vessel or shoreside
processor must record the owner's name, permanent business mailing
address, telephone and fax numbers; and the name of any company (other
than the owner) that manages the operations of the vessel or shoreside
processor.
(5) Federal Fisheries Permit Information. The owner must record:
(i) The fishery or fisheries and the vessel operations category for
which the permit would apply as set forth under paragraph (e) of this
section and Sec. 672.2;
(ii) If a catcher vessel or catcher/processor, the gear type(s)
used for groundfish operations;
(iii) If a catcher vessel, whether groundfish is retained only as
bycatch from halibut, crab, or salmon fisheries; and whether sablefish
(black cod) is the only groundfish targeted in the GOA;
(iv) If a mothership or catcher/processor, check either inshore or
offshore to indicate component in which Pacific cod in the GOA or
pollock will be processed for the entire fishing year.
(6) Signature. The owner must sign and date the application.
(d) Fisheries permit issuance. (1) Except as provided in subpart D
of 15 CFR part 904, upon receipt of a properly completed permit
application, the Regional Director will issue a fisheries permit
required by paragraph (a) of this section.
(2) The Regional Director will send the fisheries permit to the
applicant along with the appropriate logbooks as provided under
Sec. 672.5.
(e) Vessel operations category. (1) A fisheries permit issued under
paragraph (d)(1) of this section authorizes a vessel to conduct
operations as a catcher vessel, catcher/processor, mothership, Tender
Vessel, or support vessel.
(2) A vessel may be issued a fisheries permit as a support vessel
or as any combination of the other four categories (catcher vessel,
catcher/processor, mothership, Tender Vessel). A vessel permitted as a
catcher vessel, catcher/processor, mothership, or Tender Vessel may
also conduct all operations authorized for a support vessel.
(f) Amended permit. (1) An owner or operator who applied for and
received a fisheries permit under this section must notify the Regional
Director, in writing, of any change in the information provided under
paragraph (c) of this section within 10 days of the date of that
change.
(2) An application for an amended permit must be made on the permit
application as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section.
(3) If the application is for an amended fisheries permit required
under paragraph (a) of this section and designates a change or addition
of a vessel operations category, the amended permit must be on board
the vessel before the new type of operations begins.
(g) Duration. (1) A fisheries permit remains in effect through
December 31 of the year for which it is issued unless it is revoked,
suspended, or modified under 15 CFR part 904 (Civil Procedures), or
unless it is surrendered or invalidated.
(2) A fisheries permit is surrendered when the original permit is
submitted to and received by NMFS Enforcement Office in Juneau.
(h) Alteration. No person may alter, erase, or mutilate any
fisheries permit issued under paragraph (a) of this section. Any
fisheries permit that is intentionally altered, erased, or mutilated is
invalid.
(i) Transfer. A fisheries permit issued under paragraph (a) of this
section is not transferable or assignable and is valid only for the
vessel for which it is issued.
(j) Inspection. (1) An original fisheries permit issued under
paragraph (a) of this section must be carried on board the vessel
whenever the vessel is fishing. Photocopied or faxed copies are not
considered originals.
(2) A permit issued under paragraph (a) of this section must be
presented for inspection upon the request of any authorized officer.
(k) Sanctions. Procedures governing permit sanctions and denials
are found at subpart D of 15 CFR part 904.
(l) Moratorium permit. In addition to the Federal fisheries permit
required by paragraph (a) of this section and any other permits that
may be required by Federal or Alaska State regulations, a moratorium
permit may be required by part 676 of this chapter for a vessel of the
United States if the vessel is used to conduct directed fishing for
moratorium groundfish species, as defined at Sec. 676.2 of this
chapter, in the GOA or BSAI.
6. Section 672.5 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.5 Recordkeeping and reporting.
(a) Applicability and general requirements--(1) Applicability. (i)
Except as otherwise provided, this section applies to:
(A) Any catcher vessel, mothership, catcher/processor, or Tender
Vessel, 5 net tons or larger, which is required to have a fisheries
permit under Sec. 672.4; and
(B) Any shoreside processor, mothership, or buying station that
receives groundfish from vessels required to have a fisheries permit
under Sec. 672.4.
(ii) Catcher vessels that are less than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA, are not
required to comply with recordkeeping and reporting requirements under
this section.
(iii) A shoreside processor, mothership, or buying station subject
to recordkeeping and reporting requirements must report all groundfish
and prohibited species received, including:
(A) Fish received from vessels not required to have a fisheries
permit;
(B) Fish received under contract for handling or processing for
another processor.
[[Page 5616]]
(2) Responsibility. The operator of a catcher vessel, catcher/
processor, mothership, or buying station delivering to a mothership
(hereafter referred to as the operator) and the manager of a shoreside
processor or buying station delivering to a shoreside processor
(hereafter referred to as the manager) are each responsible for
compliance with the applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements
of this section. In addition, the owner of a vessel, shoreside
processor, or buying station must ensure that the operator, manager, or
designated representative (see paragraph (b) of this section) complies
with these requirements and is responsible for compliance.
(3) Groundfish logbooks and forms. The Regional Director will
prescribe and provide logbooks and forms required under this section as
shown in Table 9 of this part. The operator or manager must use these
logbooks and forms or obtain approval from the Regional Director to use
electronic versions of the logbooks and forms.
(4) Participant identification information. The operator or manager
must record on all required records, reports, and logbooks:
(i) The name of the catcher vessel, catcher/processor, mothership,
shoreside processor, or buying station as displayed in official
documentation;
(ii) If a vessel, the Federal Fisheries Permit number and ADF&G
Vessel number (if applicable);
(iii) If a processor, the Federal Processor Permit number and ADF&G
Processor number;
(iv) If a buying station, the name and ADF&G Vessel number (if
applicable) of the buying station; the name, ADF&G Processor number,
and Federal Processor Permit number of associated processor;
(v) If a shoreside processor or land-based buying station, the
geographic location of operations.
(5) Representative identification. The name, daytime business
telephone number (including area code), fax or telex number, and the
COMSAT number (if applicable) of the representative;
(6) Maintenance of records--(i) General. The operator or manager
must maintain all records, reports, and logbooks in a legible, timely,
and accurate manner; in English; if handwritten, in indelible ink; if
computer-generated, a printed, paper copy; and based on Alaska local
time.
(ii) The operator or manager must account for each day of the
fishing year, starting with January 1 and ending with December 31, and
the time periods must be consecutive in the logbook.
(iii) When applicable, the operator or manager must record in each
report, form, and logbook the following information:
(A) Page number. Number the pages in each logbook consecutively,
beginning with page one and continuing throughout the logbook for the
remainder of the fishing year, except that the manager of a shoreside
processor must number the DCPL pages within Part I and Part II
separately beginning with page one;
(B) Date, presented as month-day-year;
(C) Time, in military format to the nearest hour, A.l.t.;
(D) Position coordinates, latitude and longitude to the nearest
minute (optional: Record to the nearest second or fraction of minute);
(E) Reporting area codes, given in Figures 1 and 3 of this part;
(F) Species codes, each target species, the ``other species''
category, and prohibited species (see Secs. 672.20(e) and 675.20(c) of
this chapter), using the species codes given in Table 2 of this part;
(G) Original/revised report. If a report is the first one submitted
to the Regional Director for a given date, gear type, and reporting
area, ``ORIGINAL REPORT.'' If report is a correction to a previously
submitted report for a given date, gear type, and reporting area,
``REVISED REPORT;''
(H) Metric tons. The required weight units used to record amounts
of landings, product, and discards of groundfish and herring must be
recorded in pounds (lb) or to the nearest 0.01 mt on all forms and
logbooks;
(7) Active and inactive periods. The operator or manager must, in
the DFL, DCL, or DCPL:
(i) Account for each day of the fishing year by indicating active
and inactive periods, as defined in Sec. 672.2;
(ii) Use a separate logbook page for each day of an active period;
(iii) Indicate on one page the first and last day of an inactive
period;
(iv) Fishing activity. The operator or manager must indicate all
fishing activity, which is defined for each type of vessel as follows:
(A) If a catcher vessel, harvest or discard of groundfish;
(B) If a catcher/processor, harvest, discard, or processing of
groundfish;
(C) If a mothership or shoreside processor, receipt, discard, or
processing of groundfish;
(D) If a buying station, receipt, discard, or delivery of
groundfish;
(v) If in an active period and conducting fishing activity, the
operator or manager must record:
(A) The gear type used to harvest the groundfish. If a catcher
vessel or catcher/processor and using hook-and-line longline gear, the
average number of hooks per skate;
(B) The reporting area code where gear retrieval was completed;
whether gear retrieval was in Federal or Alaska State waters;
(C) If a catcher vessel, whether a NMFS-certified observer is on
board the vessel. If a catcher/processor, mothership, or shoreside
processor, the number of NMFS-certified observers on board or on site;
(D) The number of crew, except certified observer;
(E) Whether harvest is under a CDQ program; if yes, the CDQ number;
(F) If a catcher vessel or buying station, the name and ADF&G
Processor number of the mothership or shoreside processor to which
groundfish deliveries were made;
(vi) If in an active period and not conducting fishing activity,
the operator or manager must indicate ``NO FISHING ACTIVITY'' and
briefly describe the reason.
(8) Landings information. The manager of a shoreside processor
must:
(i) Record and report groundfish landings by species codes and
product codes as defined in Tables 1 and 2 of this part for each
reporting area, whether from Alaska State waters or Federal waters,
gear type, and CDQ number;
(ii) Record in the DCPL each day on the day such landings occur,
the following additional information:
(A) The daily combined scale weight of landings retained for
processing from a catcher vessel or any associated buying station, in
pounds or to at least the nearest 0.01 mt;
(B) If more than one page is used during a weekly reporting period,
the total amount of landings carried forward from the previous page;
(C) At the end of each weekly reporting period, the cumulative
total weight, calculated by adding the daily totals and total carried
forward for that week;
(iii) If no landings occurred, write ``NO LANDINGS'' for that day.
(9) Product information. The operator or manager of a catcher/
processor, mothership, or shoreside processor must, where required:
(i) Record and report groundfish products by species codes, product
codes, and product designations as defined in Tables 1 and 2 of this
part for each reporting area, whether in Alaska State waters or Federal
waters, gear type, and CDQ number;
(ii) Record in the DCPL each day on the day such production occurs,
the
[[Page 5617]]
daily total, balance brought forward (except for shoreside processor),
and cumulative total fish product weight (see Sec. 672.2) for each
product of groundfish in pounds or to at least the nearest 0.01 mt;
(iii) If no production occurred, write ``NO PRODUCTION'' for that
day.
(10) Discarded/donated species information. The manager or operator
must, where required:
(i) Record and report discards and donations by species codes and
discard product codes as defined in Tables 1 and 2 of this part for
each reporting area, whether in Alaska State waters or Federal waters,
gear type, and CDQ number;
(ii) Record the estimated daily total, balance brought forward, and
cumulative total round fish weight in the DFL, DCL, or DCPL each day on
the day such discards and donations occur for each discard and donation
of groundfish species, groundfish species groups, and Pacific herring
in pounds or to at least the nearest 0.01 mt;
(iii) Record the estimated daily total, balance brought forward,
and cumulative total numbers in the DFL, DCL, or DCPL each day on the
day such discards and donations occur for each discard and donation of
Pacific salmon, steelhead trout, Pacific halibut, king crab, and Tanner
crab;
(iv) If there were no discards or donations, write ``NO DISCARDS'',
``0'', or ``ZERO'' for that day.
(v) Catcher Vessel discards/donations. (A) For deliveries of
unsorted codends, the catcher vessel is exempt from recording of
discards in the DFL and from submittal of the blue logsheet (discards
copy) for that delivery. The operator is required to check the box
entitled, ``unsorted codend'', and the blue DFL logsheet (discards
copy) remains in the DFL;
(B) For presorted deliveries or in the event a catcher vessel has
``bled'' a codend prior to delivery to a processor, the operator must
check the ``presorted delivery'' box, enter the amount of discards and
donations by species, and submit the blue DFL logsheet (discards copy)
to the mothership, buying station, or shoreside processor with each
harvest delivery.
(vi) Buying Station discards/donations. (A) The operator or manager
must record in the DCL on a daily basis on the day such discard occurs,
all discards and donations that occur after receipt of harvest from a
catcher vessel and prior to delivery to a mothership or shoreside
processor;
(B) If a blue DFL logsheet is received from a catcher vessel and
contains reports of discards or donations, the operator or manager must
record in the DCL the discards and donations on the day the DFL
logsheet is received from the catcher vessel;
(vii) Catcher/Processor discards/donations. The operator must
record in the DCPL on the day such discard or donation occurs all
discards and donations that occur prior to harvest, during harvest, and
during processing;
(viii) Mothership or shoreside processor discards/donations.
(A) The operator or manager must record in the DCPL on a daily
basis on the day such discard or donation occurs, all discards and
donations that occur on site after receipt of groundfish, and all
discards and donations that occur during processing of groundfish;
(B) If an unsorted codend is received from a catcher vessel, the
catcher vessel is not required to submit a blue discard logsheet to the
mothership or shoreside processor. The operator or manager must sort
the catch received from the unsorted codends and must record the
discards by species in the DCPL as discard at sea on the day the
harvest is received from the catcher vessel;
(C) If discards are reported on a blue DFL logsheet from a catcher
vessel delivering a pre-sorted codend or if a catcher vessel reports an
amount bled at sea, the operator or manager must record in the DCPL the
discards on the day the DFL logsheet is received from the catcher
vessel.
(D) If a yellow DCL logsheet is received from a buying station and
discards and donations are reported, the operator or manager must
record in the DCPL the discards and donations on the day the DCL
logsheet is received from the buying station;
(11) Contract processing. (i) The manager of a shoreside processor
or operator of a mothership who receives groundfish to be handled or
processed under contract for another processor or business entity must
report these fish to the Regional Director consistently throughout a
fishing year using one of two methods:
(A) Record landings (if applicable), discards, and products of
contract-processed groundfish routinely in the DCPL without separate
identification; or
(B) Record landings (if applicable), discards, and products of
contract-processed groundfish in a separate DCPL identified by the
name, Federal Processor Permit number, Federal Fisheries Permit number
(if applicable), and ADF&G Processor code of the associated business
entity;
(ii) If contract-processed groundfish records are kept separate
from the routine DCPL, the operator or manager of the mothership or
shoreside processor must summarize and report that information on a WPR
identified by the name, Federal Processor Permit number, Federal
Fisheries Permit number (if applicable), and ADF&G Processor code of
the associated business entity.
(12) Alteration of records. (i) The operator, manager, or any other
person may not alter or change any entry or record in a logbook except
that an inaccurate or incorrect entry or record may be corrected by
lining out the original and inserting the correction, provided that the
original entry or record remains legible.
(ii) No person except an authorized officer may remove any original
page of any logbook.
(13) Inspection of records. The operator or manager of a catcher
vessel, catcher/processor, mothership, or shoreside processor, must
make all logbooks, reports, and forms required under paragraph (a)(3)
of this section available for inspection upon the request of an
authorized officer.
(14) Submittal of logbooks, reports and forms--(i) Quarterly
submittal of logbook. (A) The operator of a catcher vessel, catcher/
processor, mothership, or the manager of a shoreside processor must
submit the yellow logsheets on a quarterly basis to: NMFS Alaska
Fisheries Science Center, Logbook Program, 7600 Sand Point Way NE,
Building 4, Seattle, WA 98115.
(B) The operator or manager must submit the yellow logsheets as
follows: First quarter, by May 1 of that year; second quarter, by
August 1 of that year; third quarter, by November 1 of that year; and
fourth quarter, by February 1 of the following year.
(C) During an inactive period that extends across two or more
quarters, the operator or manager must complete two separate logsheets:
one to indicate the last day of the quarter and the next page to
indicate the first day of the next quarter.
(ii) Submittal of reports and forms. Reports and forms may be
submitted by the operator or manager by:
(A) Using the NMFS printed form and faxing it to the fax number on
the form; or
(B) Transmitting a data file with required information and forms to
NMFS by modem or satellite (specifically INMARSAT standards A, B, or
C).
(15) Record retention--(i) Original Copy. (A) The operator of a
catcher vessel, catcher/processor, or mothership and the manager of a
shoreside processor must retain the original (white) copy of all
logbooks and a paper copy of all reports and forms, including
[[Page 5618]]
those reports and forms that were originally submitted electronically;
(1) On site until the end of the fishing year during which the
records were made and for as long thereafter as fish or fish products
recorded in the logbook, reports, and forms are retained;
(2) For 3 years after the end of the fishing year during which the
records were made;
(B) The operator or manager of a buying station must retain the
original (white) copy of all DCLs required under paragraph (a)(2) of
this section on site until the buying station has concluded receiving
groundfish for a shoreside processor or mothership and for as long as
fish and fish products recorded in the DCL are retained by the buying
station;
(ii) Yellow DCL logsheet. When the operator of a mothership or the
manager of a shoreside processor submits on a quarterly basis to NMFS,
the yellow DCL logsheets received from associated buying stations per
paragraph (a)(14) of this section, the operator or manager must retain
a photocopy of the yellow DCL logsheets until the original DCL is
received from the associated buying station operator or manager.
(iii) Blue DFL logsheet. (A) The operator of a mothership and the
manager of a shoreside processor must retain the blue DFL logsheets
(discard reports) submitted to them by operators of catcher vessels
through the last day of the fishing year during which the records were
made.
(B) The operator or manager of a buying station must submit to the
mothership or shoreside processor any blue logsheets (discards copy)
received from catcher vessels delivering groundfish to the buying
station.
(iv) Pink DCL logsheet. The operator or manager of a buying station
must retain the pink DCL logsheets for 3 years after the end of the
fishing year during which the records were made.
(16) Integration of Buying Station records. (i) The operator or
manager of a buying station must maintain a separate DCL for each
shoreside processor or mothership to which the buying station delivers
groundfish during a fishing year.
(ii) The operator or manager of a buying station must submit upon
delivery of catch, the yellow DCL logsheets, to the shoreside processor
or mothership to which it delivers groundfish, along with the blue DFL
logsheets and ADF&G fish tickets or catch receipts for that delivery.
(iii) Upon conclusion of receiving groundfish for a shoreside
processor or mothership, the buying station operator or manager must
submit the original DCL to the shoreside processor manager or
mothership operator to which deliveries were made.
(iv) If the mothership operator or the shoreside processor manager
receives fish from a buying station, the operator or manager must
incorporate all of the DCL information into the DCPL.
(b) Designated Representative. The operator or manager of a catcher
vessel, mothership, catcher/processor, shoreside processor or buying
station may identify one person to fill out and sign the logbook,
complete the recordkeeping and reporting forms, or both, and to
identify who will be the contact person for inquiries from NMFS.
Designation of a representative under this paragraph does not relieve
the owner, operator, or manager of responsibility for compliance with
this part.
(c) Catcher Vessel DFL and Catcher/Processor DCPL--(1) Requirement.
(i) The operator of each catcher vessel or catcher/processor subject to
this part must:
(A) Answer each question on the DFL or DCPL in the manner set forth
under paragraphs (c)(3) through (7) of this section; and
(B) Submit the DFL or DCPL in the manner set forth under paragraphs
(a)(14) and (c)(2) of this section.
(ii) Pair trawl. If two catcher vessels are dragging a trawl
between them (pair trawl), a separate DFL must be maintained by each of
the vessels. Each vessel operator must log the amount of the catch
retained by that vessel and any fish discarded by the vessel.
(2) Time limit and submittal. (i) The operator must record in the
DFL or DCPL, the time, position, and estimated groundfish catch weight
within 2 hours after gear retrieval;
(ii) The operator must record all other information required in the
DFL or DCPL by noon of the day following gear retrieval if a catcher
vessel or by noon of the day following completion of production if a
catcher/processor;
(iii) The operator of a catcher vessel must submit the blue DFL
logsheets with delivery of the harvest to the operator or manager of
the buying station, mothership, or shoreside processor;
(iv) Notwithstanding other time limits, the operator of a catcher
vessel must record all information required in the DFL within 2 hours
after the vessel's catch is offloaded;
(3) The operator must record on each page:
(i) Page number as defined at paragraph (a)(6)(i) of this section;
(ii) The start date and end date of the fishing trip;
(iii) If a catcher vessel, the vessel name and ADF&G vessel
registration number. If a catcher/processor, the name, ADF&G Processor
number, and Federal Processor number of the catcher/processor;
(iv) The operator's signature;
(v) Active/inactive period. Whether catcher vessel or catcher/
processor is in an active or inactive period as defined at paragraph
(a)(7) of this section.
(4) The operator must record the following for each haul or set:
(i) Date (month-day-year);
(ii) Gear deployment. The number of haul or set, by sequence; begin
time and position coordinates of gear deployment; average sea depth and
average gear depth, recorded to the nearest meter or fathom.
(iii) Gear retrieval. The date, time, and position coordinates of
gear retrieval. If the vessel is using longline hook-and-line gear, the
number of skates set. If the vessel is using longline pot or single pot
gear, the total number of pots set.
(iv) The estimated total round fish weight of the groundfish catch;
and
(v) The species code of the intended target species from Table 2 of
this part.
(vi) The estimated IFQ sablefish amounts in the ``comments''
column.
(5) The operator must record discard/donation information as
defined at paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
(6) If a catcher vessel, the operator must record:
(i) The date of delivery.
(ii) The name, ADF&G processor code, and ADF&G fish ticket
number(s) provided by the manager or operator of the mothership,
shoreside processor, or buying station.
(7) If a catcher/processor, the operator must record product
information as set forth at paragraph (a)(9) of this section.
(d) Buying station DCL--(1) Requirement. The operator or manager of
each buying station subject to this part must:
(i) Answer each question on the DCL in the manner set forth under
paragraphs (d) (3) through (5) of this section; and
(ii) Submit the DCL in the manner set forth under paragraphs (d)(2)
and (a)(14), respectively, of this section.
(2) Time limits. (i) The operator or manager must record entries in
the DCL as to catcher vessel delivery information within 2 hours after
completion of receipt of the groundfish.
(ii) All other information required in the DCL must be recorded by
noon of the day following the day the receipt of groundfish was
completed or discard occurred.
(3) The operator or manager must record for each page:
[[Page 5619]]
(i) Page number as defined at paragraph (a)(6)(i) of this section;
(ii) The date;
(iii) The buying station name and, if a vessel, the ADF&G Vessel
number;
(iv) The operator's or manager's signature.
(v) Active/inactive period. Whether buying station is in an active
or inactive period as defined at paragraph (a)(7) of this section.
(vi) The name and ADF&G processor code of the mothership or
shoreside processor to which groundfish deliveries were made;
(vii) The number of crew;
(4) The operator or manager must record the following information
for each delivery of groundfish:
(i) The ADF&G fish ticket number issued to each catcher vessel
delivering groundfish. If a fish ticket was not issued, the catch
receipt number of the transaction;
(ii) Whether blue DFL logsheets were received from catcher vessel;
(iii) The time when receipt of groundfish catch was completed;
(iv) The name and ADF&G vessel registration number of the catcher
vessel delivering the groundfish;
(v) The total groundfish delivery weight.
(5) The operator or manager must record discard/donation
information as defined at paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
(e) Mothership DCPL--(1) Requirement. The operator of each
mothership subject to this part must:
(i) Answer each question on the DCPL in the manner set forth under
paragraphs (e) (3) through (6) of this section; and
(ii) Submit the DCPL in the manner set forth under paragraphs
(e)(2) and (a)(14), respectively, of this section.
(2) Time limits. (i) The operator must record entries in the DCPL
as to catcher vessel or buying station delivery information within 2
hours after completion of the groundfish receipt.
(ii) All other information required in the DCPL must be recorded by
noon of the day following the day the catch receipt, discard, or
production occurred.
(3) The operator must record on each page:
(i) Page number as defined at paragraph (a)(6) of this section;
(ii) The date;
(iii) The name, ADF&G Processor number, and Federal Processor
number;
(iv) The operator's signature.
(v) Whether mothership is in an active or inactive period as
defined at paragraph (a)(7) of this section.
(4) The operator must record for each delivery:
(i) Whether delivery is from a catcher vessel or a buying station;
(ii) The name and ADF&G vessel registration number (if applicable)
of the catcher vessel or buying station delivering the groundfish;
(iii) The time and position coordinates of the mothership when
groundfish catch is received;
(iv) The estimated total round fish weight of the groundfish catch;
(v) The ADF&G fish ticket number issued to each catcher vessel
delivering groundfish. If a fish ticket is not issued, record the catch
receipt number of the transaction.
(5) The operator must record discard/donation information as
defined at paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
(6) The operator must record product information as defined at
paragraph (a)(9) of this section.
(f) Shoreside Processor DCPL--(1) Requirement. The manager of each
shoreside processor subject to this part must:
(i) Answer each question on the DCPL in the manner set forth under
paragraphs (f)(3) through (f)(7) of this section;
(ii) Submit the DCPL in the manner set forth under paragraphs
(f)(2) and (a)(14) of this section.
(2) Time limits. (i) The manager must record in the DCPL all
catcher vessel or buying station delivery information within 2 hours
after completion of the groundfish receipt.
(ii) All other information required in the DCPL must be recorded by
noon of the day following the day the catch receipt, discard, or
production occurred.
(3) Part IA. The operator must record on each page:
(i) Page number. If page is for an individual day, the date. If
page is for 1 week, week-ending date. See also paragraph (a)(6)(iii) of
this section;
(ii) Participant identification information as defined at paragraph
(a)(4) of this section;
(iii) The signature of the manager;
(iv) Whether the shoreside processor is in an active or inactive
period as defined at paragraph (a)(7) of this section.
(4) Delivery information (Part IB). The manager must record the
following information for each delivery:
(i) Date and time when receipt of groundfish catch was completed;
(ii) Whether delivery is from catcher vessel or buying station;
(iii) Whether blue DFL logsheets were submitted by catcher vessel;
(iv) The name and ADF&G vessel registration number (if applicable)
of the catcher vessel or buying station delivering the groundfish;
(v) The total scale weight of groundfish delivery in pounds or to
the nearest 0.01 mt;
(vi) The ADF&G fish ticket number issued to the catcher vessel
delivering groundfish. If a fish ticket is not issued, record the catch
receipt number of the transaction.
(5) Landings information (Part IC). The manager must record:
(i) The date next to the appropriate day of the week (SUN through
SAT);
(ii) Landings information as defined at paragraph (a)(8) of this
section.
(6) Discarded/donated species information (Part ID). The manager
must record:
(i) The date next to the appropriate day of the week (SUN through
SAT);
(ii) Discard information as defined at paragraph (a)(10) of this
section.
(7) Part II. The manager must record:
(i) Page numbers must be consecutive within Part II, beginning with
page one for the first day product was produced after the start of the
fishing year and continuing throughout the section for the remainder of
the fishing year;
(ii) The name, ADF&G processor code number, and Federal Processor
number of shoreside processor;
(iii) The signature of the manager.
(iv) Product information. (A) The week-ending date;
(B) The management area (BSAI or GOA);
(C) The date next to the appropriate day of the week (SUN through
SAT);
(D) Product information as defined at paragraph (a)(9) of this
section.
(g) Groundfish Product Transfer Report (PTR)--(1) Requirement. (i)
The operator of a mothership or catcher/processor or the manager of a
shoreside processor must record each transfer of groundfish product on
a separate PTR.
(ii) The operator or manager must answer each question on the PTR
in the manner set forth under paragraphs (g)(3) through (g)(6) of this
section for each transfer of groundfish or groundfish product and must
submit the PTR in the manner set forth under paragraph (g)(2) of this
section.
(iii) Shoreside Processor transfer to offsite meal reduction plant.
The manager of a shoreside processor must report on a PTR those fish
products which are subsequently transferred to an offsite meal
reduction plant;
(iv) Transfer of groundfish for bait. The operator or manager must
report on a PTR, daily sales or transfer of groundfish to vessels for
bait. Individual sales of groundfish for bait purposes during a day may
be aggregated when recording the amount of product leaving a facility
that day.
(2) Time limits and submittal. The operator or manager must:
[[Page 5620]]
(i) Record all product transfer information on a PTR within 2 hours
of the completion of the transfer;
(ii) Submit a copy of each PTR to the Regional Director to fax
number 907-586-7313 within 24 hours of completion of transfer.
(3) The operator or manager must record on each page:
(i) Whether an original or revised report, as defined at paragraph
(a)(6) of this section;
(ii) Page numbers must be numbered sequentially, with the first
transfer of the fishing year as page 1 and continuing throughout the
remainder of the fishing year;
(iii) If product (including raw fish) is received, ``RECEIPT''. If
product (including raw fish) is offloaded from a mothership or catcher/
processor, ``OFFLOAD''. If product (including raw fish) is shipped from
a shoreside processor, ``SHIPMENT'';
(iv) Representative identification information, as defined at
paragraph (a)(5) of this section;
(v) If a catcher/processor or mothership, the participant
identification information as defined at paragraph (a)(4) of this
section and USCG documentation number. If a shoreside processor, the
participant identification information as defined at paragraph (a)(4).
(4) Transfer information. The operator or manager must record the
following information for each transfer:
(i) If another vessel is involved with the transfer, the name and
call sign of the vessel receiving or delivering groundfish or
groundfish products;
(ii) If a mothership or catcher/processor and the transfer takes
place in port, the port of landing and country, if a foreign location;
(iii) If transfer is made to an agent, the agent's name. For
purposes of this part, agent is defined as the transport company, the
buyer, or the distributor;
(iv) Intended first destination of product. (A) If an offload or
shipment, the intended destination of vessel or agent receiving
groundfish or groundfish product. If receipt, not applicable;
(B) If an offload or shipment has several destinations, the primary
or first intended destination;
(C) If offload or shipment is going to a single agent and initial
destination but requires loading on multiple vans, trucks, or airline
flights, the transfer may be recorded on a single PTR page;
(v) Date and time of product transfer--(A) Start date. The date and
time the transfer starts;
(B) Finish date. The date and time the transfer is completed;
(1) If shipment is an individual van load or flight, the date and
time when each shipment leaves the plant;
(2) If shipment involves multiple vans or trucks, the date and time
when loading of vans or trucks is completed for each day;
(3) If shipment involves air freight, record date and time when the
last air freight shipment of the day leaves the plant;
(vi) Position transferred. If a catcher/processor or mothership and
transfer of product is made at sea, the transfer position coordinates.
(5) Products and quantities offloaded, shipped, or received.
(i) If a catcher/processor or mothership, the Harvest Zone code of
the area in which groundfish were harvested as defined in Table 8 of
this part;
(ii) The species code and product code for each product transferred
as defined in Tables 1 and 2 of this part;
(iii) The number of cartons or production units transferred;
(iv) The average net weight of one carton for each species and
product code in kilograms or pounds;
(v) The total net weight (fish product weight, to the nearest 0.01
mt) of the products transferred;
(6) If a catcher/processor or mothership, whether transfer is a
total or partial offload. If partial offload, the total fish product
weight, to the nearest 0.01 mt, of the products (by harvest zone,
species and product codes) remaining on board after this transfer;
(h) Check-in/Check-out Report--(1) Requirement--(i) Check-in report
(BEGIN Message). Before a catcher/processor commences harvest of
groundfish in Alaska State or Federal waters of any reporting area
except 300, 400, 550, or 690 or before a mothership, shoreside
processor or buying station commences receipt of groundfish from Alaska
State or Federal waters of any reporting area except 300, 400, 550, or
690, the operator or manager must answer each question on the Check-in/
Check-out Report in the manner set forth under paragraphs (h)(3),
(h)(4), and (h)(6) of this section; and must submit the Check-in/Check-
out Report in the manner set forth under paragraph (h)(2) of this
section.
(ii) Check-out report (CEASE Message). (A) If a catcher/ processor
departs a reporting area or moves between Alaska State and Federal
waters in a reporting area, and gear retrieval is complete from that
area, the operator or manager must answer each question on a Check-out
report in the manner set forth in paragraphs (h)(3), (h)(5), and (h)(6)
of this section and must submit the Check-in/Check-out Report in the
manner set forth under paragraph (h)(2) of this section;
(B) If a mothership or shoreside processor, and groundfish receipt
and processing are completed, the operator or manager must answer each
question on a Check-out report in the manner set forth in paragraphs
(h)(3), (h)(5), and (h)(6) of this section and must submit the Check-
in/Check-out Report in the manner set forth under paragraph (h)(2) of
this section;
(iii) Transit between reporting areas. If a vessel is transiting
through a reporting area and is not fishing or receiving fish, a Check-
in or Check-out report is not required from that area;
(iv) Multiple vessel operations categories. If a catcher/ processor
is functioning simultaneously as a mothership in the same reporting
area, the operator must submit a separate Check-in report for each
vessel operations category. Upon completion of each activity, the
operator must submit a Check-out report for each vessel operations
category.
(2) Time limits and submittal--(i) Check-in report. (A) The
operator of a catcher/processor must submit by fax a Check-in report
(BEGIN message) to the Regional Director at fax number 907-586-7131
before commencing any harvest of groundfish.
(B) The operator or manager of a mothership, shoreside processor,
or buying station must submit by fax a Check-in report (BEGIN message)
to the Regional Director at fax number 907-586-7131 before commencing
any receipt of groundfish.
(ii) Check-out report. (A) For a catcher/processor, mothership, or
buying station, the operator must submit by fax a Check-out report
(CEASE message) to the Regional Director at fax number 907-586-7131
within 24 hours after leaving either the Alaska State or Federal part
of a reporting area.
(B) For a shoreside processor, the manager must submit by fax a
Check-out report (CEASE message) to the Regional Director at fax number
907-586-7131 within 48 hours after the end of the applicable weekly
reporting period that a shoreside processor ceases to process
groundfish for the fishing year or has not processed groundfish for
more than one weekly reporting period;
(3) The operator or manager must record on each page:
(i) Whether it is an original or revised report as defined at
paragraph (a)(6) of this section;
(ii) Participant identification information as defined at paragraph
(a)(4) of this section;
[[Page 5621]]
(iii) Representative identification information as defined at
paragraph (a)(5) of this section;
(iv) For a mothership or catcher/processor, the processor type and
gear type used to harvest the groundfish. If groundfish are received by
a mothership in the same reporting area from more than one gear type,
or if groundfish are caught by a catcher/ processor in the same
reporting area using more than one gear type, the operator must submit
a separate form for each gear type;
(v) Whether harvest is under a CDQ Program; if yes, the CDQ number;
(vi) If a buying station, the number of crew on the last day of the
reporting week.
(4) BEGIN Message. The operator or manager must record:
(i) For a catcher/processor, date and time that gear is deployed.
For a mothership, date and time that receipt of groundfish begins;
(ii) For a catcher/processor, position coordinates where gear is
set. For a mothership, position coordinates where groundfish receipt is
begun;
(iii) For a catcher/processor, the reporting area code of gear
deployment and whether gear deployment was in Federal or Alaska State
waters. For a mothership or buying station, the reporting area code
where groundfish receipt begins and whether receipt of groundfish
occurred in Federal or Alaska State waters;
(iv) For a shoreside processor, the date receipt of groundfish will
begin; whether checking in for first time in fishing year or checking
in to restart receipt and processing of groundfish after filing a
Check-out report;
(v) For a mothership or catcher/processor, the primary and
secondary species expected to be harvested. For a buying station, the
intended primary target expected to be harvested. A change in intended
target species within the same reporting area does not require a new
BEGIN message.
(5) CEASE Message. The operator or manager must report:
(i) If a mothership or catcher/processor, the date, time and
position coordinates where the vessel departed the reporting area or
moved to Federal waters from Alaska State waters within a reporting
area, or vice versa;
(ii) If a shoreside processor or buying station, the date that
receipt of groundfish ceased.
(6) Fish or fish product held at plant. For a shoreside processor,
the weight of the fish or fish products in pounds or to the nearest
0.01 mt by species and product codes.
(i) Weekly Production Report (WPR)--(1) Requirement. (i) The
operator or manager of a mothership, catcher/processor, or shoreside
processor must answer each question on the WPR in the manner set forth
in paragraphs (i)(3) through (i)(7) of this section for any week the
mothership, catcher/processor, or shoreside processor is checked in
pursuant to paragraph (h)(1)(i) of this section and must submit a WPR
in the manner set forth in paragraph (i)(2) of this section.
(ii) Multiple vessel operations categories. The operator of a
vessel that is authorized to conduct operations as both a catcher/
processor and as a mothership must submit separate WPRs to report
production and discard as a catcher/processor and production and
discard as a mothership.
(2) Time limits and submittal. The operator or manager must submit
a WPR by fax to the Regional Director at fax number 907-586-7131 by
1200 hours, A.l.t., on the Tuesday following the end of the applicable
weekly reporting period.
(3) The operator or manager must record on each page:
(i) Whether an original or revised report, as defined at paragraph
(a)(6) of this section;
(ii) Participant identification information as defined at paragraph
(a)(4) of this section;
(iii) Representative identification information as defined at
paragraph (a)(5) of this section and date WPR was completed;
(iv) If a mothership or catcher/processor, the processor type and
gear type used to harvest the groundfish;
(v) Whether harvest is under a CDQ Program; if yes, the CDQ number;
(vi) The week-ending date;
(vii) The primary and secondary target codes for the next week;
(viii) If a mothership or catcher/processor, the number of crew on
the last day of the reporting week;
(4) Landings information. If a shoreside processor, see landings
information requirements at paragraph (a)(8) of this section.
(5) Discarded/donated species information (Part ID). For discard/
donate information requirements, see paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
(6) Product information. For product information requirements, see
at paragraph (a)(9) of this section.
(7) Catcher Vessel delivery information. If ADF&G fish tickets are
issued by the mothership or shoreside processor, list the fish ticket
numbers issued to catcher vessels for the weekly reporting period.
(j) Daily Production Report (DPR)--(1) Notice. If the Regional
Director determines that DPRs are necessary to avoid exceeding a
groundfish TAC or prohibited species bycatch allowance, NMFS may
require submission of DPRs for reporting one or more specific species,
in addition to a WPR. NMFS will publish a document in the Federal
Register specifying the fisheries that require DPRs and the effective
dates that submittal of DPRs is required.
(2) Requirement. (i) If a catcher/processor, mothership, or
shoreside processor is checked in to the specified reporting area and
is harvesting, receiving, processing, or discarding the specified
species or is receiving reports from a catcher vessel of discard at sea
of the specified species, the operator or manager must submit a DPR.
(ii) The operator of a mothership or catcher/processor or manager
of a shoreside processor must:
(A) Answer each question on the DPR in the manner set forth in
paragraphs (j)(4) through (j)(7) of this section;
(B) Submit the DPR in the manner set forth in paragraph (j)(3) of
this section;
(C) Use a separate DPR for each gear type, processor type, and CDQ
number.
(3) Time limit and submittal. The operator or manager must submit a
DPR by fax to the Regional Director at fax number 907-586-7131 by 1200
hours, A.l.t., the day following each day of landings, discard, or
production.
(4) The operator or manager must record on each page:
(i) Whether it is an original or revised report as defined at
paragraph (a)(6) of this section;
(ii) Participant identification information as defined at paragraph
(a)(4) of this section and processor type;
(iii) Representative identification information as defined at
paragraph (a)(5) of this section;
(iv) The gear type used to harvest the groundfish, date landings
were received, and Federal reporting area where landings were
harvested;
(v) Whether harvest is under a CDQ Program; if yes, the CDQ number.
(5) Landing information. If a shoreside processor, see landings
information requirements at paragraph (a)(8) of this section.
(6) Product information. For a mothership or catcher/ processor,
see product information requirements at paragraph (a)(9) of this
section.
(7) Discard/donate information. For discard/donate information
requirements, see paragraph (a)(10) of this section.
(k) U.S. Vessel Activity Report (VAR)--(1) Requirement. The
operator of a catcher vessel, a catcher/processor, or a mothership
regulated under this part that crosses the seaward boundary of the EEZ
off Alaska or crosses the
[[Page 5622]]
United States/Canada international boundary between Alaska and British
Columbia must answer each question on the VAR in the manner set forth
in paragraphs (k)(3) and (k)(4) of this section and must submit a VAR
in the manner set forth in paragraph (k)(2) of this section.
(2) Time limits and submittal. The operator must submit a VAR by
fax to NMFS Alaska Enforcement Division at fax number 907-586-7313
before the vessel crosses the seaward boundary of the EEZ off Alaska or
the U.S./Canada international boundary between Alaska and British
Columbia.
(3) The operator must record on each page:
(i) Whether an original or revised report as defined at paragraph
(a)(6) of this section;
(ii) Participant identification information as defined at paragraph
(a)(4) of this section;
(iii) Representative identification information as defined at
paragraph (a)(5) of this section and date VAR was completed;
(iv) If vessel is crossing into the seaward boundary of the EEZ off
Alaska or crossing the U.S./Canada international boundary between
Alaska and British Columbia, the operator must indicate ``return''
report. If vessel is crossing out of the seaward boundary of the EEZ
off Alaska or crossing the U.S./Canada international boundary between
Alaska and British Columbia into Canadian waters, the operator must
indicate ``depart'' report.
(v) Port of landing;
(vi) Whether vessel is returning from fishing or departing to fish
in the Russian Zone;
(vii) Date and time vessel will cross the EEZ off Alaska or the
U.S./Canada international boundary between Alaska and British Columbia;
(viii) Latitude and longitude at the point of crossing the EEZ off
Alaska or U.S./Canada international boundary between Alaska and British
Columbia.
(4) Fish or fish product on board the vessel when crossing the EEZ
off Alaska or U.S./Canada international boundary. (i) The Harvest Zone
code of the area in which groundfish were harvested as defined in Table
8 of this part;
(ii) The species code and product code for each species on board as
defined in Tables 1 and 2 of this part;
(iii) The fish product weight of products on board in pounds or to
the nearest 0.01 mt.
7. In Sec. 672.7, paragraphs (p) and (q) are added, and paragraphs
(i) and (j) are revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.7 Prohibitions.
* * * * *
(i) Except as authorized by permit issued pursuant to the section
of the Donut Hole Convention implementing legislation authorizing the
Secretary to issue Donut Hole fishing permits (Public Law 104-43,
section 104(d)), it is unlawful for any person to fish in the Donut
Hole from a vessel for which a Federal fisheries permit has been issued
pursuant to section 672.4 of this part during the year for which the
permit was issued;
(j) Except as authorized by permit issued pursuant to the section
of the Donut Hole Convention implementing legislation authorizing the
Secretary to issue Donut Hole fishing permits (Public Law 104-43,
section 104(d)), it is unlawful for any person to possess within the
EEZ fish harvested from the Donut Hole on board a vessel for which a
Federal fisheries permit has been issued pursuant to section 672.4 of
this part during the year for which the permit was issued.
* * * * *
(p) Fail to comply with or fail to ensure compliance with
requirements at Sec. 672.5.
(q) Use a catcher vessel or catcher/processor as a Tender Vessel
before offloading all groundfish or groundfish product harvested or
processed by that vessel.
8. In Sec. 672.20, paragraphs (a)(1), (e)(1), (h)(2) and the
headings for paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2)(i), (c)(2)(ii), and paragraphs
(i)(4), and (j) are revised; headings for paragraphs (c)(1)(i)(A),
(i)(1), (i)(2), (i)(3), and (i)(6) are added to read as set forth
below. In paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(3) the phrase, ``Table 2 to this
section'' is removed and the phrase ``Table 10 of this part'' is added
in its place; and tables 1 and 2 to the section are removed.
Sec. 672.20 General limitations.
(a) * * * (1) Optimum yield (OY). The OY for the fishery regulated
by this section and by Sec. 611.92 of this chapter is a range of
116,000 to 800,000 mt for target species and the ``other species''
category in the GOA, to the extent this amount can be harvested
consistently with this part and part 611 of this chapter, plus the
amounts of ``non-specified species'' taken incidentally to the harvest
of target species and the ``other species'' category. The species
categories are defined in Table 1 of the specifications as provided in
paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
* * * * *
(c) * * * (1) Proposed specifications, interim harvest limits, and
final specifications. (i) * * * (A) Proposed specifications. * * *
(2) * * *
(i) Directed fishing allowance--Applicable after December 31, 1998.
* * *
(ii) Directed fishing allowance--Applicable through December 31,
1998. * * *
(e) * * *
(1) Prohibited species, for the purpose of this part, means any of
the species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), steelhead trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis),
Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi), king crab (Paralithodes spp.
and Lithodes spp.), and Tanner crab (Chionoecetes spp.) caught by a
vessel regulated under this part while fishing for groundfish in the
GOA, unless retention is authorized by other applicable laws, including
the Pacific Halibut Fishery Regulations (part 301 of this title).
* * * * *
(h) * * *
(2) Fishing trip. For purposes of this section, an operator of a
vessel is engaged in a fishing trip from the time the harvesting,
receiving, or processing of groundfish is begun or resumed until:
(i) The transfer or offloading of all groundfish product;
(ii) The vessel leaves the area where fishing activity commenced;
or
(iii) The end of a weekly reporting period, whichever comes first.
(i) * * *
(1) Pollock roe. * * *
(2) Primary product. * * *
(3) Pollock product recovery rates. * * *
(4) Fishing trip. For purposes of this paragraph, a fishing trip is
defined as set forth under paragraph (h)(2) of this section.
* * * * *
(6) Primary pollock product. * * *
* * * * *
(j) Standard product types and standard product recovery rates
(PRRS)--(1) Calculating round-weight equivalents from standard PRRs.
Round-weight equivalents for groundfish products are calculated using
the product codes and standard PRRs specified in Table 3 of this part.
(2) Adjustments to Table 3 of this part. The Regional Director may
adjust standard PRRs and product types specified in Table 3 of this
part if he determines that existing standard PRRs are inaccurate or if
new product types are developed.
(3) Procedure. Adjustments to any standard PRR listed in Table 3 of
this part that are within and including 15 percent of that standard PRR
may be made without providing notice and
[[Page 5623]]
opportunity for prior public comment. Adjustments of any standard PRR
during a calendar year, when aggregated with all other adjustments made
during that year, will not exceed 15 percent of the standard PRR listed
in Table 3 of this part at the beginning of that calendar year, and no
new product type will be announced until NMFS publishes the proposed
adjustment and/or new product type in the Federal Register and provides
the public with at least 30 days opportunity for public comment. Any
adjustment of a PRR that acts to further restrict the fishery will not
be effective until 30 days after the date of publication in the Federal
Register. If NMFS makes any adjustment or announcement without
providing a prior notice and opportunity for prior public comment, the
Regional Director will receive public comments on the adjustment or
announcement for a period of 15 days after its publication in the
Federal Register.
Sec. 672.22 [Amended]
9. In Sec. 672.22, paragraph (d) is removed.
10. Section 672.23 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.23 Seasons.
(a) Fishing year. Fishing for groundfish is authorized from 0001
hours, A.l.t., January 1, through 2359 hours, A.l.t., December 31,
subject to the other provisions of this part, except as provided in
paragraphs (c) through (e) of this section.
(b) Time of openings and closures. The time of all openings and
closures of fishing seasons other than the beginning and end of the
calendar fishing year is 1200 hours, A.l.t.
(c) Directed fishing for trawl rockfish. Directed fishing for
rockfish of the genera Sebastes and Sebastolobus with trawl gear is
authorized from 1200 hours, A.l.t., on the first day of the third
quarterly reporting period of a fishing year, through 2359 hours,
A.l.t., December 31, subject to other provisions of this part.
(d) Opening date for trawl groundfish. Notwithstanding other
provisions of this part, fishing for groundfish with trawl gear in the
Gulf of Alaska is prohibited from 0001 hours, A.l.t. on January 1
through 1200 hours, A.l.t., January 20.
(e) Directed fishing for pollock. Subject to other provisions of
this part, directed fishing for pollock in the Western and Central
Regulatory Areas is authorized: From 0001 hours, A.l.t., January 1,
through 1200 hours, A.l.t., April 1; from 1200 hours, A.l.t., June 1,
through 1200 hours, A.l.t., July 1; from 1200 hours, A.l.t., July 1,
through 1200 hours A.l.t., October 1; and from 1200 hours A.l.t.,
October 1, through 2359 hours, A.l.t., December 31.
11. In Sec. 672.24, paragraphs (d)(3) and (d)(4) are redesignated
as paragraphs (d)(4) and (d)(5), respectively; headings for paragraphs
(c)(4), redesignated paragraphs (d)(4) and (d)(5), (f)(2) and (f)(3)
are added; paragraph (d)(3) is added; headings of paragraphs (a), (b),
and (d) are revised; and paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (e), (f)(4), and
(f)(5) are revised to read as follows:
Sec. 672.24 Gear limitations.
(a) Marking of gear--longline marker buoys. * * *
(b) Gear restrictions--pots. * * *
(c) * * *
(4) Longline pot gear. * * *
(d) Trawls other than pelagic trawls--Kodiak Island--(1) Type I
Closures. No person may trawl in waters of the EEZ within the vicinity
of Kodiak Island, as shown in Figure 5 of this part as Type I areas,
from a vessel having any trawl other than a pelagic trawl either
attached or on board.
(2) Type II Closures. From February 15 to June 15, no person may
trawl in waters of the EEZ within the vicinity of Kodiak Island, as
shown in Figure 5 of this part as Type II areas, from a vessel having
any trawl other than a pelagic trawl either attached or on board.
(3) Type III Closures. Type III areas are open to any trawl other
than a pelagic trawl gear year round.
(4) Net-sounder device. * * *
(5) Footrope of the trawl. * * *
(e) Steller sea lion protection areas--(1) Year-round closures.
Trawling is prohibited in the GOA within 10 nm of the 14 Steller sea
lion rookeries designated in Table 6a of this part.
(2) Seasonal closures. During January 1 through April 15, or a date
earlier than April 15, if adjusted under Sec. 675.20(a)(8) of this
chapter, trawling is prohibited in the GOA within 20 nm of each of the
three Steller sea lion rookeries presented in Table 6b of this part.
(f) * * *
(2) Trawl gear testing. * * *
(3) Test area criteria. * * *
(4) Kodiak Test Area. Trawl gear testing is allowed in an area
(Figure 7 of this part) bounded by straight lines connecting the
following coordinates in the order listed at all times:
W. longitude N. latitude
152 deg.02'.............................. 57 deg.37'
151 deg.25'.............................. 57 deg.37'
151 deg.25'.............................. 57 deg.23'
152 deg.02'.............................. 57 deg.23'
152 deg.02'.............................. 57 deg.37'
(5) Sand Point Test Area. Trawl gear testing is allowed in an area
(Figure 7 of this part) bounded by straight lines connecting the
following coordinates in the order listed at all times:
W. longitude N. latitude
161 deg.00'.............................. 54 deg.50'
160 deg.30'.............................. 54 deg.50'
160 deg.30'.............................. 54 deg.35'
161 deg.00'.............................. 54 deg.35'
161 deg.00'.............................. 54 deg.50'
12. In Part 672, figures 1 and 2 are revised, figures 3 through 7
and tables 1 through 11 are added to read as follows:
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Figure 1.--BSAI Statistical and Reporting Areas
[b. Coordinates of Reporting Areas]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
300................... Russian waters. Those waters inside the Russian
200 mile limit as described in the current
editions of NOAA chart INT 813 Bering Sea
(Southern Part) and NOAA chart INT 814 Bering
Sea (Northern Part).
400................... Chukchi Sea. North of a diagonal line between 66
deg.00'N, 169 deg.42.5'W (Cape Dezhneva,
Russia); and 65 deg.37.5'N, 168 deg.7.5'W (Cape
Prince of Wales, Alaska) and to the limits of
the U.S. EEZ as described in the current
edition of NOAA chart INT 814 Bering Sea
(Northern Part).
508................... South of 58 deg. 00' N between the intersection
of 58 deg. 00' North lat with the Alaska
Peninsula and 160 deg. 00' W long.
509................... South of 58 deg. 00' N lat between 163 deg. 00'
W long and 165 deg. 00' W long.
512................... South of 58 deg. 00' N lat, north of the Alaska
Peninsula between 160 deg. 00' W long and 162
deg. 00' W long.
513................... Between 58 deg. 00' N lat and 56 deg. 30' N lat,
and between 165 deg. 00' W long and 170 deg.
00' W long.
514................... North of 58 deg. 00' N to the southern boundary
of the Chukchi Sea, area 400, and east of 170
deg. 00' W long.
516................... South of 58 deg. 00' N lat, north of the Alaska
Peninsula, and between 162 deg. 00' and 163
deg. 00' W long.
517................... South of 56 deg. 30' N lat, between 165 deg. 00'
W long and 170 deg. 00' W long; and north of
straight lines between: 54 deg. 30' N lat, 165
deg. 00' W long, 54 deg. 30' N lat, 167 deg.00'
W long, and 55 deg. 46' N lat, 170 deg. 00' W
long.
518................... Bogoslof District: South of a straight line
between 55 deg. 46' N lat, 170 deg. 00' W long
and 54 deg. 30' N lat, 167 deg. 00' W long, and
between 167 deg. 00' W long and 170 deg. 00' W
long, and north of the Aleutian Islands and
straight lines between the islands connecting
the following coordinates in the order listed:
52 deg. 49.2' N, 169 deg. 40.4' W, 52 deg.
49.8' N, 169 deg. 06.3' W, 53 deg. 23.8' N, 167
deg. 50.1' W, 53 deg. 18.7' N, 167 deg. 51.4'
W.
519................... South of a straight line between 54 deg. 30' N
lat, 167 deg. 00' W long and 54 deg. 30' N lat,
164 deg. 54' W long; east of 167 deg. 00' W
long; west of Unimak Island; and north of the
Aleutian Islands and straight lines between the
islands connecting the following coordinates in
the order listed: 53 deg. 59.0' N, 166 deg.
17.2' W, 54 deg. 02.9' N, 166 deg. 03.0' W, 54
deg. 07.7' N, 165 deg. 40.6' W, 54 deg. 08.9'
N, 165 deg. 38.8' W, 54 deg. 11.9' N, 165 deg.
23.3' W, 54 deg. 23.9' N, 164 deg. 44.0' W.
521................... The area bounded by straight lines connecting
the following coordinates in the order listed:
55 deg. 46' N, 170 deg. 00' W, 59 deg. 25' N,
179 deg. 20' W, 60 deg. 00' N, 179 deg. 20' W,
60 deg. 00' N, 171 deg. 00' W, 58 deg. 00' N,
171 deg. 00' W, 58 deg. 00' N, 170 deg. 00' W,
55 deg. 46' N, 170 deg. 00' W.
523................... The area bounded by straight lines connecting
the following coordinates in the order listed:
59 deg. 25' N, 179 deg. 20' W; 55 deg. 46' N,
170 deg. 00' W; 55 deg. 00' N, 170 deg. 00' W;
55 deg. 00' N, 180 deg. 00' W; and north to the
limits of the US EEZ as described in the
current edition of NOAA chart INT 813 Bering
Sea (Southern Part).
524................... The area west of 170 deg. 00' W bounded south by
straight lines connecting the following
coordinates in the order listed: 58 deg. 00' N,
170 deg. 00' W, 58 deg. 00' N, 171 deg. 00' W;
60 deg. 00' N, 171 deg. 00' W; 60 deg. 00' N,
179 deg. 20' W; 59 deg. 25' N, 179 deg. 20' W
and to the limits of the US EEZ as described in
the current edition of NOAA chart INT 813
Bering Sea (Southern Part).
530................... The area north of 55 deg. 00 N lat and west of
180 deg. 00 W long to the limits of the US EEZ
as described in the current edition of NOAA
chart INT 813 Bering Sea (Southern Part).
541................... Eastern Aleutian District. The area south of 55
deg. 00' N lat, west of 170 deg. 00' W long,
and east of 177 deg. 00' W long and bounded on
the south by the limits of the US EEZ as
described in the current editions of NOAA chart
INT 813 Bering Sea (Southern Part) and NOAA
chart 530 (San Diego to Aleutian Islands and
Hawaiian Islands).
542................... Central Aleutian District. The area south of 55
deg. 00' N lat, west of 177 deg. 00' W long,
and east of 177 deg. 00' E long and bounded on
the south by the limits of the US EEZ as
described in the current editions of NOAA chart
INT 813 Bering Sea (Southern Part) and NOAA
chart 530 (San Diego to Aleutian Islands and
Hawaiian Islands).
543................... Western Aleutian District. The area south of 55
deg. 00' N lat and west of 177 deg. 00' E long,
and bounded on the south and west by the limits
of the US EEZ as described in the current
editions of NOAA chart INT 813 Bering Sea
(Southern Part) and NOAA chart 530 (San Diego
to Aleutian Islands and Hawaiian Islands).
550................... Donut Hole. International waters of the Bering
Sea outside the limits of the EEZ and Russian
economic zone as depicted on the current
edition of NOAA chart INT 813 Bering Sea
(Southern Part).
Statistical Area. A statistical area is the part of a reporting area
contained in the EEZ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Figure 3.--Gulf of Alaska Statistical and Reporting Areas
[b. Coordinates of Reporting Areas]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
610................... Western Regulatory Area, Shumagin District.
Along the south side of the Aleutian Islands
and straight lines between the islands and the
Alaska Peninsula connecting the following
coordinates in the order listed:
52 deg. 49.2' N, 169 deg. 40.4' W;
52 deg. 49.8' N, 169 deg. 06.3' W;
53 deg. 23.8' N, 167 deg. 50.1' W;
53 deg. 18.7' N, 167 deg. 51.4' W;
53 deg. 59.0' N, 166 deg. 17.2' W;
54 deg. 02.9' N, 166 deg. 03.0' W;
54 deg. 07.7' N, 165 deg. 40.6' W;
54 deg. 08.9' N, 165 deg. 38.8' W;
54 deg. 11.9' N, 165 deg. 23.3' W;
54 deg. 23.9' N, 164 deg. 44.0' W; and southward
to the limits of the US EEZ as described in the
current editions of NOAA chart INT 813 (Bering
Sea, Southern Part) and NOAA chart 500 (West
Coast of North America, Dixon Entrance to
Unimak Pass), between 170 deg. 00' W long and
159 deg. 00' W long.
620................... Central Regulatory Area, Chirikof District.
Along the south side of the Alaska Peninsula,
between 159 deg. 00' W long and 154 deg. 00' W
long, and southward to the limits of the US EEZ
as described in the current edition of NOAA
chart 500 (West Coast of North America, Dixon
Entrance to Unimak Pass).
630................... Central Regulatory Area, Kodiak District. Along
the south side of continental Alaska, between
154 deg. 00' W long and 147 deg. 00' W long,
and southward to the limits of the US EEZ as
described in the current edition of NOAA chart
500 (West Coast of North America, Dixon
Entrance to Unimak Pass). Excluding area 649.
640................... Eastern Regulatory Area, West Yakutat District.
Along the south side of continental Alaska,
between 147 deg. 00' W long and 140 deg. 00' W
long, and southward to the limits of the US
EEZ, as described in the current edition of
NOAA chart 500 (West Coast of North America,
Dixon Entrance to Unimak Pass). Excluding area
649.
649................... Prince William Sound. Includes those waters of
the State of Alaska inside the base line as
specified in Alaska State regulations at 5 AAC
28.200.
650................... Eastern Regulatory Area, Southeast Outside
District. East of 140 deg. 00' W long and
southward to the limits of the US EEZ as
described in the current edition of NOAA chart
500 (West Coast of North America, Dixon
Entrance to Unimak Pass). Excluding area 659.
659................... Southeast Inside District. As specified in
Alaska State regulations at 5 AAC 28.105 (a)
(1) and (2).
690................... Gulf of Alaska Outside the U.S. EEZ as described
in the current editions of NOAA chart INT 813
(Bering Sea, Southern Part) and NOAA chart 500
(West Coast of North America, Dixon Entrance to
Unimak Pass).
Statistical Area. A statistical area is the part of a reporting area
contained in the EEZ.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Figure 4.--Herring Savings Areas in the BSAI
[b. Coordinates]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name Description and effective date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer Herring Savings Area 1. That part of the Bering Sea subarea that
is south of 57 deg. N. latitude and
between 162 deg. and 164 deg. W.
longitude from 1200 hours, A.l.t., June
15 through 1200 hours, A.l.t. July 1 of
a fishing year.
Summer Herring Savings Area 2. That part of the Bering Sea subarea that
is south of 56 deg.30' N. latitude and
between 164 deg. and 167 deg. W.
longitude from 1200 hours, A.l.t., July
1 through 1200 hours, A.l.t. August 15
of a fishing year.
Winter Herring Savings Area... That part of the Bering Sea subarea that
is between 58 deg. and 60 deg. N.
latitude and between 172 deg. and 175
deg. W. longitude from 1200 hours,
A.l.t. September 1 of the current
fishing year through 1200 hours, A.l.t.
March 1 of the succeeding fishing year.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Figure 5.--Kodiak Island Areas Closed to Non-pelagic Trawl Gear
[b. Coordinates]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name and description
of reference area North latitude/West longitude
reference point
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alitak Flats and Towers Areas--All waters of Alitak Flats and the
Towers Areas enclosed by a line connecting the following 7 points in the
order listed:
b..................... 57 deg. 00' 0'' 155 deg. 00' 0''.
c..................... 56 deg. 17' 0'' 155 deg. 00' 0''.
d..................... 56 deg. 17' 0'' 153 deg. 52' 0''.
e..................... 56 deg. 33' 5'' 153 deg. 52' 0'' Cape Sitkinak.
f..................... 56 deg. 54' 5'' 153 deg. 32' 5'' East point of
Twoheaded Island.
g..................... 56 deg. 56' 0'' 153 deg. 35' 5'' Kodiak Island,
thence, along the coastline of Kodiak Island
until intersection of Low Cape.
a..................... 56 deg. 59' 4'' 154 deg. 31' 1'' Low Cape.
Marmot Flats Area--All waters enclosed by a line connecting the
following five points in the clockwise order listed:
a..................... 58 deg. 00' 0'' 152 deg. 30' 0''.
b..................... 58 deg. 00' 0'' 151 deg. 47' 0''.
c..................... 57 deg. 37' 0'' 151 deg. 47' 0''.
d..................... 57 deg. 37' 0'' 152 deg. 10' 1'' Cape Chiniak,
thence, along the coastline of Kodiak Island to
e..................... 57 deg. 54' 5'' 152 deg. 30' 0'' North Cape.
a..................... 58 deg. 00' 0'' 152 deg. 30' 0''.
Chirikof Island Area--All waters surrounding Chirikof Island enclosed
by a line connecting the following four points in the counter-clockwise
order listed:
a..................... 56 deg. 07' 0'' 155 deg. 13' 0''.
b..................... 56 deg. 07' 0'' 156 deg. 00' 0''.
c..................... 55 deg. 41' 0'' 156 deg. 00' 0''.
d..................... 55 deg. 41' 0'' 155 deg. 13' 0''.
a..................... 56 deg. 07' 0'' 155 deg. 13' 0''.
Barnabas Area--All waters enclosed by a line connecting the following
six points in the counter clockwise order listed:
a..................... 57 deg. 00' 0'' 153 deg. 18' 0'' Black Point.
b..................... 56 deg. 56' 0'' 153 deg. 09' 0''.
c..................... 57 deg. 22' 0'' 152 deg. 18' 5'' South Tip of
Ugak Island.
d..................... 57 deg. 23' 5'' 152 deg. 17' 5'' North Tip of
Ugak Island.
e..................... 57 deg. 25' 3'' 152 deg. 20' 0'' Narrow Cape,
thence, along the coastline of Kodiak Island.
f..................... 57 deg. 04' 2'' 153 deg. 30' 0'' Cape Kasick to
a..................... 57 deg. 00' 0'' 153 deg. 18' 0'' Black Point,
including inshore waters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[[Page 5635]]
Tables--Part 672
Table 1.--Product Codes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish product code/description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Whole fish/food fish.
2. Whole fish/bait. Processed for bait.
3. Bled only. Throat, or isthmus, slit to allow blood to drain.
4. Gutted only. Belly slit and viscera removed.
6. Head and gutted, with roe.
7. Headed and gutted, Western cut. Head removed just in front of the
collar bone, and viscera removed.
8. Headed and gutted, Eastern cut. Head removed just behind the collar
bone, and viscera removed.
10. Headed and gutted, tail removed. Head removed usually in front of
collar bone, and viscera and tail removed.
11. Kirimi. Head removed either in front or behind the collar bone,
viscera removed, and tail removed by cuts perpendicular to the spine,
resulting in a steak.
12. Salted and split. Head removed, belly slit, viscera removed, fillets
cut from head to tail but remaining attached near tail. Product salted.
13. Wings. On skates, side fins are cut off next to body.
14. Roe. Eggs, either loose or in sacs, or skeins.
15. Pectoral girdle. Collar bone and associated bones, cartilage and
flesh.
16. Heads. Heads only, regardless where severed from body.
17. Cheeks. Muscles on sides of head.
18. Chins. Lower jaw (mandible), muscles, and flesh.
19. Belly. Flesh in region of pelvic and pectoral fins and behind head.
20. Fillets with skin and ribs. Meat and skin with ribs attached, from
sides of body behind head and in front of tail.
21. Fillets with skin, no ribs. Meat and skin with ribs removed, from
sides of body behind head and in front of tail.
22. Fillets with ribs and no skin. Meat with ribs with skin removed,
from sides of body behind head and in front of tail.
23. Fillets, skinless/boneless. Meat with both skin and ribs removed,
from sides of body behind head and in front of tail.
24. Deep-skin fillet. Meat with skin, adjacent meat with silver lining,
and ribs removed from sides of body behind head and in front of tail,
resulting in thin fillets.
30. Surimi. Paste from fish flesh and additives.
31. Minced. Ground flesh.
32. Fish meal. Meal from fish and fish parts, including bone meal.
33. Fish oil. Rendered oil.
34. Milt. (in sacs, or testes).
35. Stomachs. Includes all internal organs.
36. Octopus/squid mantles. Flesh after removal of viscera and arms.
37. Butterfly, no backbone. Head removed, belly slit, viscera and most
of backbone removed; fillets attached.
39. Bones (if meal, report as 32).
86. Donated Salmon. Includes salmon retained and donated under Salmon
Donation Program.
97. Other retained product
Discard Product Codes
92. Discard, bait. Whole fish used as bait on board vessel.
94. Discard, consumption. Fish or fish products eaten on board or taken
off the vessel for personal use.
96. Previously discarded fish (decomposed) taken with trawl gear in
current fishing efforts. Discarded.
98. Discard, at sea. Whole groundfish and prohibited species discarded
by catcher vessels, Catcher/Processors, Motherships, or Buying Stations
delivering to Motherships.
99. Discard, dockside. Discard after delivery and before processing;
Discard, at plant. In-plant discard of whole groundfish and prohibited
species by Shoreside Processors and Buying Stations delivering to
Shoreside Processors before and during processing.
M99 Discard, off site meal reduction plant. Discarded fish that are
transferred to any off site facility for reduction to fish meal, fish
oil and/or discard at sea.
Product Designation
A Ancillary. Product made in addition to a primary product from the
same fish.
P Primary. Product made from each fish with the highest recovery rate.
R Reprocessed. Product that results from processing a previously
reported product.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2.--Species Codes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Species
------------------------------------------------------------------------
110................... Pacific cod.
120................... Miscellaneous flatfish (all flatfish without
separate codes).
121................... Arrowtooth flounder and/or Kamchatka flounder.
122................... Flathead sole.
123................... Rock sole.
124................... Dover sole.
125................... Rex sole.
126................... Butter sole.
127................... Yellowfin sole.
128................... English sole.
129................... Starry flounder.
131................... Petrale sole.
132................... Sand sole.
133................... Alaska Plaice flounder.
[[Page 5636]]
134................... Greenland turbot.
135................... Greenstripe rockfish.
136................... Northern rockfish.
137................... Bocaccio rockfish.
138................... Copper rockfish.
141................... Pacific ocean perch (S. alutus only).
142................... Black rockfish.
143................... Thornyhead rockfish (all Sebastolobus species).
145................... Yelloweye rockfish.
146................... Canary rockfish.
147................... Quillback rockfish.
148................... Tiger rockfish.
149................... China rockfish.
150................... Rosethorn rockfish.
151................... Rougheye rockfish.
152................... Shortraker rockfish.
153................... Redbanded rockfish.
154................... Dusky rockfish.
155................... Yellowtail rockfish.
156................... Widow rockfish.
157................... Silvergray rockfish.
158................... Redstripe rockfish.
159................... Darkblotched rockfish.
160................... Sculpins.
166................... Sharpchin rockfish.
167................... Blue rockfish.
175................... Yellowmouth rockfish.
176................... Harlequin rockfish.
177................... Blackgill rockfish.
178................... Chilipepper rockfish.
179................... Pygmy rockfish.
181................... Shortbelly rockfish.
182................... Splitnose rockfish.
183................... Stripetail rockfish.
184................... Vermilion rockfish.
185................... Aurora rockfish.
193................... Atka mackerel.
270................... Pollock.
510................... Smelt.
511................... Eulachon.
516................... Capelin.
689................... Sharks.
700................... Skates.
710................... Sablefish.
870................... Octopus.
875................... Squid.
GROUP CODES
These group codes may be used if individual species cannot be
identified. .
144................... Slope rockfish (aurora, blackgill, Bocaccio,
redstripe, silvergray, chilipepper,
darkblotched, greenstriped, harlequin, pygmy,
shortbelly, splitnose, stripetail, vermillion,
yellowmouth, sharpchin)
168................... Demersal shelf rockfish (china, copper,
quillback, rosethorn, tiger, yelloweye, canary)
169................... Pelagic shelf rockfish (blue, dusky, yellowtail,
widow).
171................... Shortraker/rougheye rockfish
PROHIBITED SPECIES CODES
000................... Unspecified salmon.
200................... Pacific halibut.
235................... Pacific herring.
410................... Salmon, Chinook.
420................... Salmon, Sockeye.
430................... Salmon, Coho.
440................... Salmon, Pink.
450................... Salmon, Chum.
540................... Steelhead trout.
920................... Unspecified king crab.
921................... Red king crab.
922................... Blue king crab.
923................... Gold/brown king crab.
930................... Unspecified tanner crab.
931................... Bairdi tanner crab.
932................... Opilio tanner crab.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 5637]]
Table 3.--Product Recovery Rates for Groundfish Species Referenced in 50 CFR 672.20(a)(1) and/or 50 CFR 675.20(a)(1)
Product code
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMP species Species Whole Whole H&G H&G H&G
code food bait Bled Gutted with western eastern H&G w/o Kirimi Salted Wings Roe
fish fish roe cut cut tail & split
1 2 3 4 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PACIFIC COD........................ 110 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.85 0.63 0.57 0.47 0.44 ....... 0.45 ....... 0.05
ARROWTOOTH FLOUNDER................ 121 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
ROCKFISH \1\....................... ....... 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.88 ....... 0.60 0.50 ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
SCULPINS........................... 160 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.87 ....... 0.50 0.40 ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
ATKA MACKEREL...................... 193 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.87 0.67 0.64 0.61 ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
POLLOCK............................ 270 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.80 0.70 0.65 0.56 0.50 ....... ....... ....... 0.04
SMELTS............................. 510 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.82 ....... 0.71 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
EULACHON........................... 511 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.82 ....... 0.71 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
CAPELIN............................ 516 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.89 ....... 0.78 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
SHARKS............................. 689 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.83 ....... 0.72 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
SKATES............................. 700 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 ....... ....... 0.32 ....... ....... ....... 0.32 .......
SABLEFISH.......................... 710 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.89 0.68 0.63 0.50 ....... ....... ....... .......
OCTOPUS............................ 870 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.69 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
Target species categories only at
50 CFR 672.20(a)
DEEP WATER FLATFISH............ 118 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
FLATHEAD SOLE.................. 122 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
REX SOLE....................... 125 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
SHALLOW WATER FLATFISH......... 119 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
THORNYHEAD ROCKFISH............ 143 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.88 0.55 0.60 0.50 ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
Target species categories only at
50 CFR 675.20(a)
OTHER FLATFISH................. 120 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
ROCK SOLE...................... 123 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
YELLOWFIN SOLE................. 127 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
GREENLAND TURBOT............... 134 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.65 0.62 0.48 ....... ....... 0.08
SQUID.......................... 875 1.00 1.00 0.98 0.69 ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......
Product code
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMP species Species Fillets Fillets Fillets Fillets Fillets
code Pectoral Heads Cheeks Chins Belly w/skin skin on w/ribs skinless/ deep Surimi Mince Meal
girdle & ribs no ribs no skin boneless skin
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 30 31 32
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PACIFIC COD.................................................... 110 0.05 ....... 0.05 ....... 0.01 0.45 0.35 0.25 0.25 ....... 0.15 0.5 0.17
ARROWTOOTH FLOUNDER............................................ 121 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
ROCKFISH....................................................... ....... ........ 0.15 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.40 0.30 0.33 0.25 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
SCULPINS....................................................... 160 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.17
ATKA MACKEREL.................................................. 193 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... 0.15 ....... 0.17
POLLOCK........................................................ 270 ........ 0.15 ....... ....... ....... 0.35 0.30 0.30 0.21 0.16 0.16 \2
\
0.17 \3
\ 0.22 0.17
SMELTS......................................................... 510 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.38 ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.22
EULACHON....................................................... 511 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.38 ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.22
CAPELIN........................................................ 516 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.22
SHARKS......................................................... 689 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.30 0.30 0.25 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
SKATES......................................................... 700 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.17
SABLEFISH...................................................... 710 ........ ....... 0.05 ....... ....... 0.35 0.30 0.30 0.25 ....... ....... ....... 0.22
OCTOPUS........................................................ 870 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.17
Target species categories only at 50 CFR 672.20(a)
DEEP WATER FLATFISH........................................ 118 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
FLATHEAD SOLE.............................................. 122 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
REX SOLE................................................... 125 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
SHALLOW WATER FLATFISH..................................... 119 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
THORNYHEAD ROCKFISH........................................ 143 ........ 0.20 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.40 0.30 0.35 0.25 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
Target species categories only at 50 CFR 675.20(a)
OTHER FLATFISH............................................. 120 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
ROCK SOLE.................................................. 123 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
YELLOWFIN SOLE............................................. 127 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... 0.18 ....... 0.17
GREENLAND TURBOT........................................... 134 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... 0.32 0.27 0.27 0.22 ....... ....... ....... 0.17
SQUID...................................................... 875 ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....... ....... 0.17
[[Page 5638]]
Table 3.--Product Recovery Rates for Groundfish Species Referenced in 50 CFR 672.20(a)(1) and/or 50 CFR 675.20(a)(1) (continued)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product code
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMP species Species Butterfly
code Oil Milt Stomachs Mantles backbone Decomposed Discards
removed fish
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33 34 35 36 37 96
(6) 92, 94, 98, 99, M99
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PACIFIC COD................................................ 110 ....... ....... ........ ....... 0.43 0.00 1.00
ARROWTOOTH FLOUNDER........................................ 121 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
ROCKFISH................................................... ....... ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SCULPINS................................................... 160 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
ATKA MACKEREL.............................................. 193 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
POLLOCK.................................................... 270 ....... ....... ........ ....... 0.43 0.00 1.00
SMELTS..................................................... 510 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
EULACHON................................................... 511 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
CAPELIN.................................................... 516 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SHARKS..................................................... 689 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SKATES..................................................... 700 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SABLEFISH.................................................. 710 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
OCTOPUS.................................................... 870 ....... ....... ........ 0.85 1.00 0.00 1.00
Target species categories only at 50 CFR 672.20(a)
DEEP WATER FLATFISH.................................... 118 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
FLATHEAD SOLE.......................................... 122 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
REX SOLE............................................... 125 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SHALLOW WATER FLATFISH................................. 119 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
THORNYHEAD ROCKFISH.................................... 143 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
Target species categories only at 50 CFR 675.20(a)
OTHER FLATFISH......................................... 120 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
ROCK SOLE.............................................. 123 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
YELLOWFIN SOLE......................................... 127 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
GREENLAND TURBOT....................................... 134 ....... ....... ........ ....... ......... 0.00 1.00
SQUID.................................................. 875 ....... ....... ........ 0.75 1.00 0.00 1.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Rockfish means all species of Sebastes and Sebastolobus.
\2\ Standard pollock surimi rate during January through June.
\3\ Standard pollock surimi rate during July through December.
Table 4.--Bering Sea Subarea Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From To
Island -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-nm NO TRANSIT ZONES described at 50 CFR 227.12(a)(2)
a. Year-round Trawl Closures (Trawling Prohibited Within 10 nm).
Sea Lion Rocks...................... 55 deg.28.0' N 163 deg.12.0' W
Ugamak Island....................... 54 deg.14.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W 54 deg.13.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W
Akun Island......................... 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.32.5' W 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.31.5' W
Akutan Island....................... 54 deg.03.5' N 166 deg.00.0' W 54 deg.05.5' N 166 deg.05.0' W
Bogoslof Island..................... 53 deg.56.0' N 168 deg.02.0' W
Ogchul Island....................... 53 deg.00.0' N 168 deg.24.0' W
Adugak Island....................... 52 deg.55.0' N 169 deg.10.5' W
Walrus Island....................... 57 deg.11.0' N 169 deg.56.0' W
b. Seasonal Trawl Closures (During January 1 through April 15, or a date earlier than April 15, if adjusted under 50 CFR 672.30(a)(8), Trawling
Prohibited Within 20 nm).
Sea Lion Rocks...................... 55 deg.28.0' N 163 deg.12.0' W
Akun Island......................... 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.32.5' W 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.31.5' W
Akutan Island....................... 54 deg.03.5' N 166 deg.00.0' W 54 deg.05.5' N 166 deg.05.0' W
Ugamak Island....................... 54 deg.14.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W 54 deg.13.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W
Seguam Island....................... 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.35.0' W 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.33.0' W
Agligadak Island.................... 52 deg.06.5' N 172 deg.54.0' W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The bounds of each rookery extend in a clockwise direction from the first set of geographic coordinates, along the shoreline at mean lower low
water, to the second set of coordinates; if only one set of geographic coordinates is listed, the rookery extends around the entire shoreline of the
island at mean lower low water.
[[Page 5639]]
Table 5.--Aleutian Islands Subarea Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From To
Island -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-nm NO TRANSIT ZONES described at 50 CFR 227.12(a)(2)
a. Year-round Trawl Closures (Trawling Prohibited Within 10 nm).
Yunaska Island...................... 52 deg.42.0' N 170 deg.38.5' W 52 deg.41.0' N 170 deg.34.5' W
Seguam Island....................... 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.35.0' W 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.33.0' W
Agligadak Island.................... 52 deg.06.5' N 172 deg.54.0' W
Kasatochi Island.................... 52 deg.10.0' N 175 deg.31.0' W 52 deg.10.5' N 175 deg.29.0' W
Adak Island......................... 51 deg.36.5' N 176 deg.59.0' W 51 deg.38.0' N 176 deg.59.5' W
Gramp Rock.......................... 51 deg.29.0' N 178 deg.20.5' W
Tag Island.......................... 51 deg.33.5' N 178 deg.34.5' W
Ulak Island......................... 51 deg.20.0' N 178 deg.57.0' W 51 deg.18.5' N 178 deg.59.5' W
Semisopochnoi....................... 51 deg.58.5' N 179 deg.45.5' E 51 deg.57.0' N 179 deg.46.0' E
Semisopochnoi....................... 52 deg.01.5' N 179 deg.37.5' E 52 deg.01.5' N 179 deg.39.0# E
Amchitka Island..................... 51 deg.22.5' N 179 deg.28.0' E 51 deg.21.5' N 179 deg.25.0' E
Amchitka Is/Column Rocks............ 51 deg.32.5' N 178 deg.49.5' E
Ayugadak Point...................... 51 deg.45.5' N 178 deg.24.5' E
Kiska Island........................ 51 deg.57.5' N 177 deg.21.0' E 51 deg.56.5' N 177 deg.20.0' E
Kiska Island........................ 51 deg.52.5' N 177 deg.13.0' E 51 deg.53.5' N 177 deg.12.0' E
Buldir Island....................... 52 deg.20.5' N 175 deg.57.0' E 52 deg.23.5' N 175 deg.51.0' E
Agattu Is./Gillion Pt............... 52 deg.24.0' N 173 deg.21.5' E
Agattu Island....................... 52 deg.23.5' N 173 deg.43.5' E 52 deg.22.0' N 173 deg.41.0' E
Attu Island......................... 52 deg.54.5' N 172 deg.28.5' E 52 deg.57.5' N 172 deg.31.5' E
b. Seasonal Trawl Closures (During January 1 through April 15, or a date earlier than April 15, if adjusted under 50 CFR 675.20(a)(8). Trawling
Prohibited Within 20 nm).
Seguam Island....................... 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.35.0' W 52 deg.21.0' N 172 deg.33.0' W
Agligadak Island.................... 52 deg.06.5' N 172 deg.54.0' W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Each rookery extends in a clockwise direction from the first set of geographic coordinates, along the shoreline at mean lower low water, to the
second set of coordinates; if only one set of geographic coordinates is listed, the rookery extends around the entire shoreline of the island at mean
lower low water.
Table 6.--Gulf of Alaska Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From To
Island ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-nm NO TRANSIT ZONES described at 50 CFR 227.12(a)(2)
a. Year-round Trawl Closures (Trawling Prohibited Within 10 nm).
Outer Island..................... 59 deg.20.5' N 150 deg.23.0' W 59 deg.21.0' N 150 deg.24.5' W
Sugarloaf Island................. 58 deg.53.0' N 152 deg.02.0' W ............................ ...........................
Marmot Island.................... 58 deg.14.5' N 151 deg.47.5' W 58 deg.10.0' N 151 deg.51.0' W
Chirikof Island.................. 55 deg.46.5' N 155 deg.39.5' W 55 deg.46.5' W 155 deg.43.0' W
Chowiet Island................... 56 deg.00.5' N 156 deg.41.5' W 56 deg.00.5' N 156 deg.42.0' W
Atkins Island.................... 55 deg.03.5' N 159 deg.18.5' W ............................ ...........................
Chernabura Island................ 54 deg.47.5' N 159 deg.31.0' W 54 deg.45.5' N 159 deg.33.5' W
Pinnacle Rock.................... 54 deg.46.0' N 161 deg.46.0' W ............................ ...........................
Clubbing Rocks-N................. 54 deg.43.0' N 162 deg.26.5' W ............................ ...........................
Clubbing Rocks-S................. 54 deg.42.0' N 162 deg.26.5' W ............................ ...........................
Ugamak Island.................... 54 deg.14.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W 54 deg.13.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W
Akun Island...................... 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.32.5' W 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.31.5' W
Akutan Island.................... 54 deg.03.5' N 166 deg.00.0' W 54 deg.05.5' N 166 deg.05.0' W
Ogchul Island.................... 53 deg.00.0' N 168 deg.24.0' W ............................ ...........................
b. Seasonal Trawl Closures (During January 1 through April 15, or a date earlier than April 15, if adjusted under 50 CFR 672.30(a)(8). Trawling
Prohibited Within 20 nm).
Akun I........................... 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.32.5' W 54 deg.18.0' N 165 deg.31.5' W
Akutan I......................... 54 deg.03.5' N 166 deg.00.0' W 54 deg.05.5' N 166 deg.05.0' W
Ugamak I......................... 54 deg.14.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W 54 deg.13.0' N 164 deg.48.0' W
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The bounds of each rookery extend in a clockwise direction from the first set of geographic coordinates, along the shoreline at mean lower low
water, to the second set of coordinates; if only one set of geographic coordinates is listed, the rookery extends around the entire shoreline of the
island at mean lower low water.
[[Page 5640]]
Table 7.--Communities Determined To Be Eligible To Apply for Community
Development Quotas
[Other communities may also be eligible, but do not appear on this
table]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aleutian Region:
1. Atka
2. False Pass
3. Nelson Lagoon
4. Nikolski
5. St. George
6. St. Paul
Bering Strait:
1. Brevig Mission
2. Diomede/Inalik
3. Elim
4. Gambell
5. Golovin
6. Koyuk
7. Nome
8. Savoonga
9. Shaktoolik
10. St. Michael
11. Stebbins
12. Teller
13. Unalakleet
14. Wales
15. White Mountain
Bristol Bay:
1. Alegnagik
2. Clark's Point
3. Dillingham
4. Egegik
5. Ekuk
6. Manokotak
7. Naknek
8. Pilot Point/Ugashi
9. Port Heiden/Meschick
10. South Naknek
11. Sovonoski/King Salmon
12. Togiak
13. Twin Hills
Southwest Coastal Lowlands:
1. Alakanuk
2. Chefornak
3. Chevak
4. Eek
5. Emmonak
6. Goodnews Bay
7. Hooper Bay
8. Kipnuk
9. Kongiganak
10. Kotlik
11. Kwigillingok
12. Mekoryuk
13. Newtok
14. Nightmute
15. Platinum
16. Quinhagak
17. Scammon Bay
18. Sheldon's Point
19. Toksook Bay
20. Tununak
21. Tuntutuliak
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 8.--Harvest Zone Codes for Use With Product Transfer Reports and
Vessel Activity Reports
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harvest zone Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A................................ EEZ off Alaska.
D................................ Donut Hole.
F................................ Foreign Waters Other than Russia.
I................................ International Waters other than Donut
Hole and Seamounts.
R................................ Russian waters.
S................................ Seamounts in International waters.
U................................ U.S. EEZ other than Alaska.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 9.--Required Logbooks, Reports and Forms From Participants in the Federal Groundfish Fisheries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catcher- Catcher- Shoreside Buying
Name of logbook/form vessel processor Mothership processor station
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daily Fishing Logbook (DFL)............... Yes No No No No.
Daily Cumulative Production Logbook (DCPL) No Yes Yes Yes No.
Daily Cumulative Logbook (DCL)............ No No No No Yes.
Check-in/check-out Report................. No Yes Yes Yes Yes.
U.S. Vessel Activity Report (VAR)......... Yes Yes Yes No No.
Weekly Production Report (WPR)............ No Yes Yes Yes No.
Daily Production Report (DPR)*............ No Yes Yes Yes No.
Product Transfer Report (PTR)............. No Yes Yes Yes No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* When required by Regional Director.
Table 10.--Gulf of Alaska Retainable Percentages Referenced in 50 CFR 672.20
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bycatch species\1\
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basis species 1 Pacific Deep Rex Flathead Shallow Aggregated DSR Atka Other
Pollock cod flatfish sole sole flatfish Arrowtooth Sablefish rockfish 2 SEEO 3 mackerel species
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock......................... \4\ na 20 20 20 20 20 35 1 5 10 20 20
Pacific cod..................... 20 \4\ na 20 20 20 20 35 1 5 10 20 20
Deep-water flatfish............. 20 20 \4\ na 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Rex sole........................ 20 20 20 \4\ na 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Flathead sole................... 20 20 20 20 \4\ na 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Shallow-water flatfish.......... 20 20 20 20 20 \4\ na 35 1 5 10 20 20
Arrowtooth...................... 0 0 0 0 0 0 \4\ na 0 0 0 0 0
Sablefish....................... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 \4\ na 15 1 20 20
Pacific Ocean Perch............. 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Shortraker/rougheye............. 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Other rockfish.................. 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Northern rockfish............... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Pelagic rockfish................ 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
DSR-Southeast Outside........... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 \4\ na 20 20
Thornyhead...................... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 1 20 20
Atka mackerel................... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 1 5 10 \4\ na 20
Other species................... 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 1 5 10 20 \4\ na
[[Page 5641]]
Aggregated amount non-groundfish
species........................ 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 1 5 10 20 20
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For definition of species, see Table 1 of the Gulf of Alaska groundfish specifications.
\2\ Aggregated rockfish means rockfish of the general Sebastes and Sebastolobus except in the southeast Outside District where demersal shelf rockfish
(DSR) is a separate category.
\3\ SEEO--Southeast Outside District.
\4\ na=not applicable.
Table 11.--Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area Retainable Percentages Referenced in 50 CFR 675.20
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bycatch species \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basis species \5\ Pacific Atka Yellowfin Other Rock Flathead Greenland Aggregated Other
Pollock cod mackerel Arrowtooth sole flatfish sole sole turbot Sablefish rockfish Squid species
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\6\---------------------
Pollock...................................................... \7\ na 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 20 20
Pacific cod.................................................. 20 \3\ na 20 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 20 20
Atka mackerel................................................ 20 20 \3\ na 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 20 20
Arrowtooth................................................... 0 0 0 \3\ na 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yellowfin sole............................................... 20 20 20 35 \3\ na 35 35 35 1 1 5 20 20
Other flatfish............................................... 20 20 20 35 35 \3\ na 35 35 1 1 5 20 20
Rocksole..................................................... 20 20 20 35 35 35 \3\ na 35 1 1 5 20 20
Flathead sole................................................ 20 20 20 35 35 35 35 \3\ na 35 15 15 20 20
Greenland turbot............................................. 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 \3\ na 15 15 20 20
Sablefish.................................................... 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 35 \3\ na 15 20 20
Other rockfish............................................... 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 20 20
Other red rockfish-BS........................................ 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 20 20
Pacific Ocean perch.......................................... 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 5 15 15 20 20
Sharpchin/Northern-AI........................................ 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 20 20
Shortraker/Rougheye-AI....................................... 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 35 15 15 20 20
Squid........................................................ 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 \3\ na 20
Other species................................................ 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 20 na \3\
Aggregated amount non-groundfish species..................... 20 20 20 35 20 20 20 20 1 1 5 20 20
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For definition of species, see Table 1 of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands groundfish specifications.
\2\ Aggregated rockfish of the genera Sebastes and Sebastolobus.
\3\ na=not applicable.
PART 675--GROUNDFISH OF THE BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AREA
13. The authority citation for part 675 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
14. In Sec. 675.1, paragraph (a) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 675.1 Purpose and scope.
(a) Regulations in this part, along with parts 620, 672, 676, and
677 of this chapter implement the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area.
* * * * *
15. Section 675.2 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 675.2 Definitions.
Definitions for this part are identical to the definitions for part
672. See Sec. 672.2 of this chapter.
16. Section 675.3 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 675.3 Relation to other laws.
Regulations for this section are located in Sec. 672.3 of this
chapter.
17. Section 675.4 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 675.4 Permits.
Fisheries permit requirements for vessels fishing for groundfish in
the BSAI are located at Sec. 672.4 of this chapter.
18. Section 675.5 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 675.5 Recordkeeping and reporting.
Recordkeeping and reporting requirements regulated under this part
and Sec. 672.4 of this chapter are located at Sec. 672.5 of this
chapter.
19. In Sec. 675.7, paragraphs (a), (l), and (m) are revised, and
paragraphs (q) and (r) are added to read as follows:
Sec. 675.7 Prohibitions.
* * * * *
(a) Fish for groundfish in the BSAI with a vessel of the United
States that does not have on board a valid permit issued under
Sec. 672.4 of this chapter.
* * * * *
(l) Except as authorized by permit issued pursuant to the section
of the Donut Hole Convention implementing legislation authorizing the
Secretary to
[[Page 5642]]
issue Donut Hole fishing permits (Public Law 104-43, section 104(d)),
it is unlawful for any person to fish in the Donut Hole from a vessel
for which a Federal fisheries permit has been issued pursuant to
section 672.4 of this chapter during the year for which the permit was
issued;
(m) Except as authorized by permit issued pursuant to the section
of the Donut Hole Convention implementing legislation authorizing the
Secretary to issue Donut Hole fishing permits (Public Law 104-43,
section 104(d)), it is unlawful for any person to possess within the
EEZ fish harvested from the Donut Hole on board a vessel for which a
Federal fisheries permit has been issued pursuant to section 672.4 of
this chapter during the year for which the permit was issued.
* * * * *
(q) Fail to comply with or fail to ensure compliance with
requirements at Sec. 672.5 of this chapter.
(r) Use a catcher vessel or catcher/processor as a Tender Vessel
before offloading all groundfish or groundfish product harvested or
processed by that vessel.
20. In Sec. 675.20, paragraphs (a)(1), (c)(1), (i)(2), and (j)(4)
are revised; headings for paragraphs (a)(8) through (a)(12), (d),
(j)(1), (j)(2) and (j)(3) are added; paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(3) are
amended by revising the words, ``Table 1 to this section'' to read
``Table 11 of part 672,'' and Table 1 to Sec. 675.20 is removed.
Sec. 675.20 General limitations.
(a) * * *
(1) Optimum yield (OY). The OY for the fishery regulated by this
section and by Sec. 611.93 of this chapter is a range of 1.4 million to
2.0 million mt for target species and the ``other species'' category in
the BSAI, to the extent this amount can be harvested consistently with
this part and part 611 of this chapter, plus the amounts of ``non-
specified species'' taken incidentally to the harvest of target species
and the ``other species'' category. The species categories are defined
in Table 1 of the specifications as provided in paragraph (a)(7) of
this section.
* * * * *
(8) Directed fishing allowance. * * *
(9) Prohibited species closure. * * *
(10) Overfishing closure. * * *
(11) JVP or TALFF prohibitions. * * *
(12) Factors to be considered. * * *
* * * * *
(c) * * *
(1) Prohibited species, for the purpose of this part, means any of
the species of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), steelhead trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis),
Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi), king crab (Paralithodes spp.
and Lithodes spp.), and Tanner crab (Chionoecetes spp.) caught by a
vessel regulated under this part while fishing for groundfish in the
BSAI, unless retention is authorized by other applicable law, including
Part 301--Pacific Halibut Fisheries Regulations.
* * * * *
(d) Winter Halibut Savings Area. * * *
* * * * *
(i) * * *
(2) Fishing trip. For purposes of this paragraph, a fishing trip is
defined as set forth under paragraph 672.20(h)(2) of this chapter.
(j) * * *
(1) Pollock roe. * * *
(2) Primary product. * * *
(3) Standard product recovery rates. * * *
* * * * *
(4) For purposes of this paragraph, a fishing trip is defined as
set forth under part 672.20(h)(2) of this chapter.
* * * * *
21. In Sec. 675.21, headings are added to paragraphs (a)(1) through
(a)(6), and (b)(4), to read as follows:
Sec. 675.21 Prohibited Species Catch (PSC) Limitations.
(a) * * *
(1) Red king crab, Zone 1. * * *
(2) Tanner crab, Zone 1. * * *
(3) Tanner crab, Zone 2. * * *
(4) Pacific halibut, trawl. * * *
(5) Pacific herring. * * *
(6) Pacific halibut, non-trawl. * * *
(b) * * *
(4) Bycatch allowances and seasonal apportionments. * * *
* * * * *
22. In Sec. 675.22, paragraph (a) is revised and headings are added
to paragraphs (b) through (f) to read as follows:
Sec. 675.22 Time and area closures.
(a) Year-round closures, Area 512. No fishing with trawl gear is
allowed at any time in that part of Zone 1 in the Bering Sea subarea
that is south of 58 deg.00' N. lat. and between 160 deg.00' W. long.
and 162 deg.00' W. long. (see Figure 1 to part 672), except as
described in paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) Seasonal closures, Area 516. * * *
(c) Partial closures, Area 512. * * *
(d) Partial closures, Area 516. * * *
(e) Red king crab closures. * * *
(f) Walrus Protection Areas. * * *
* * * * *
23. In Sec. 675.23, paragraphs (a) and (d) are revised and headings
are added to paragraphs (b) and (c) to read as follows:
Sec. 675.23 Seasons.
(a) Fishing year. Fishing for groundfish in the subareas and
statistical areas of the BSAI is authorized from 0001 hours, A.l.t.,
January 1, through 2359 hours, A.l.t., December 31, subject to the
other provisions of this part, except as provided in paragraphs (c)
through (e) of this section.
(b) Time of openings and closures. * * *
(c) Directed fishing for arrowtooth flounder and Greenland turbot.
* * *
(d) Trawl gear prohibition, BSAI. Notwithstanding other provisions
of this part, fishing for groundfish with trawl gear in the BSAI is
prohibited from 0001 hours, A.l.t. on January 1, through 1200 hours,
A.l.t., January 20.
* * * * *
24. In Sec. 675.24, paragraph (e) is removed; paragraphs (f), (g),
and (h) are redesignated as paragraphs (e), (f), and (g) respectively;
headings are added to paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2), (c)(3), (d)(1),
(d)(2), and newly redesignated paragraphs (f)(2) and (f)(3); the
headings for paragraph (b) and newly redesignated paragraph (f) are
revised; newly redesignated paragraphs (e) and (f)(4) are revised; and
paragraph (a)(4) is added to read as follows:
Sec. 675.24 Gear limitations.
* * * * *
(a) * * *
(4) Marking shall be in characters at least 4 inches (10.2 cm) in
height and one-half inch (1.3 cm) in width, in a contrasting color
visible above the water line, and shall be maintained in good
condition.
(b) Gear restrictions--pots. * * *
* * * * *
(c) * * * (1) Sablefish. * * *
(2) Pollock. * * *
(3) Longline pot gear. * * *
(d) * * *
(1) Directed fishing closures. * * *
(2) PSC closures. * * *
* * * * *
(e) Steller sea lion protection areas--(1) Bering Sea Subarea and
Bogoslof District--(i) Year-round closures. Trawling is prohibited
within 10 nm (18.5 km) of each of the eight Steller sea lion rookeries
shown in Table 4a to part 672 of this chapter.
(ii) Seasonal closures. During January 1 through April 15, or a
date earlier than April 15 if adjusted under Sec. 675.20(a)(8),
trawling is prohibited within 20 nm (37 km) of each of the six Steller
sea lion
[[Page 5643]]
rookeries shown in Table 4b to part 672 of this chapter.
(2) Aleutian Islands Subarea--(i) Year-round closures. Trawling is
prohibited within 10 nm (18.4 km) of each of the 19 Steller sea lion
rookeries shown in Table 5a of part 672 of this chapter.
(ii) Seasonal closures. During January 1 through April 15, or a
date earlier than April 15 if adjusted under Sec. 675.20(a)(8),
trawling is prohibited within 20 nm (37 km) of each of the two Steller
sea lion rookeries shown in Table 5b of part 672 of this chapter.
(f) Trawl gear testing areas. * * *
(2) Test area conditions. * * *
(3) Test area criteria. * * *
(4) Bering Sea Testing Area. Trawl gear testing is allowed in an
area (Figure 7 to part 672 of this chapter) bounded by straight lines
connecting the following coordinates in the order listed, at all times:
W. longitude N. latitude
167 deg. 00' 55 deg. 00'
166 deg. 00' 55 deg. 00'
166 deg. 00' 54 deg. 40'
167 deg. 00' 54 deg. 40'
167 deg. 00' 55 deg. 00'
* * * * *
25. In Sec. 675.27, the table to Sec. 675.27 is removed; paragraph
(d)(2) introductory text and paragraph (g) are revised; the heading of
paragraph (c) is revised, and headings are added to paragraphs (a)(1),
(a)(2), (c)(1), (c)(2), (e)(2), and (f)(1) through (f)(3), to read as
follows:
Sec. 675.27 Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program
(applicable through December 31, 1998).
(a) State of Alaska CDQ regulations.--(1) Compliance. * * *
(2) Public hearing. * * *
* * * * *
(c) Secretarial review and approval of CDPs.--(1) Consistent with
criteria. * * *
(2) Not consistent with criteria. * * *
(d) Evaluation criteria. * * *
(2) Prior to approval of a CDP recommended by the Governor, NMFS
will review the Governor's findings to determine that each community
that is part of a CDP is listed on Table 7 to part 672 of this chapter
or meets the following criteria for an eligible community:
* * * * *
(e) * * *
(2) Increase in CDQ allocation. * * *
(f) * * *
(1) Recommendation of Governor. * * *
(2) Non-compliance. * * *
(3) Review of allocation. * * *
(g) CDQ fishing requirements. Recordkeeping and reporting
requirements are set out at Sec. 672.5 of this chapter.
* * * * *
26. Part 675 is amended by removing figures 1 through 3 to this
part.
[FR Doc. 96-2574 Filed 2-12-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P