[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8023-8024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4748]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 675

[I.D. 022396A]


Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Pollock Seasonal Allowances

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

ACTION: Notice of Availability of an amendment to a fishery management 
plan; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has 
submitted Amendment 45 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (FMP) for 
Secretarial review and is requesting comments from the public. Copies 
of the amendment may be obtained from the Council (See ADDRESSES).

DATES: Comments on Amendment 45 should be submitted on or before April 
26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments on Amendment 45 should be submitted to Ronald J. 
Berg, Chief, Fisheries Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. 
Box 21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668 Attn: Lori Gravel, or delivered to 
the Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK. Copies of 
Amendment 45 and the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review 
prepared for the amendment are available from the North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council, 605 West Fourth Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2252; 
telephone 907-271-2809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Lind, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson Act) requires that each Regional Fishery 
Management Council submit any fishery management plan or plan amendment 
it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial 
disapproval. The Magnuson Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a 
fishery management plan or amendment, immediately publish a document 
that the fishery management plan or amendment is available for public 
review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received 
during the comment period in determining whether to approve the FMP or 
amendment.
    If approved, Amendment 45 would allow NMFS to establish seasonal 
allowances of pollock total allowable catch (TAC) by regulation. 
Included with Amendment 45 is a regulatory amendment that would combine 
the third and fourth quarterly allowances of pollock TAC in the Western 
and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska. Under this 
proposal, the third and fourth quarterly allowances of pollock would be 
combined into a single seasonal allowance equal to 50 percent of the 
TAC available on October 1 in the Western Regulatory Area and September 
1 in the Central Regulatory Area.
    This action is intended to result in four types of management 
improvements: (1) Reduced chum salmon bycatch, which has been 
excessively high during the third quarter (July 1) opening; (2) reduced 
scheduling conflicts with summer salmon processing activities; (3) 
reduced operating costs for industry through a reduction in the number 
of seasonal openings from four to three; and (4) reduced risk of 
harvest overruns during extremely short openings.


[[Page 8024]]

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

    Dated: February 26, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-4748 Filed 2-26-96; 4:53 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P