[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 5, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 8496-8497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-5100]



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[[Page 8497]]



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 661

[Docket No. 950426116-5116-01; I.D. 022796C]


Ocean Salmon Fisheries Off the Coasts of Washington, Oregon, and 
California; Inseason Adjustment, Point Arena, CA, to the U.S.-Mexican 
Border

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

ACTION: Inseason adjustment; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the retention of coho salmon will be 
prohibited in the recreational salmon fishery in the area from Point 
Arena, CA, to the U.S.-Mexican border when the season opens on March 2, 
1996. This adjustment is intended to ensure conservation of coho 
salmon.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours local time, March 2, 1996, until the 
effective date of the 1996 management measures, as published in the 
Federal Register. Comments will be accepted through March 15, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to William Stelle, Jr., Director, 
Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand 
Point Way NE., BIN C15700-Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or Hilda 
Diaz-Soltero, Director, Southwest Region, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, NOAA, 501 W. Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 
90802-4213. Information relevant to this action has been compiled in 
aggregate form and is available for public review during business hours 
at the office of the Director, Northwest Region, NMFS (Regional 
Director).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Robinson, 206-526-6140, or 
Rodney R. McInnis, 310-980-4030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 1995 annual management measures for 
ocean salmon fisheries, NMFS announced 1996 recreational salmon seasons 
opening earlier than May 1, 1996 (60 FR 21746, May 3, 1995). The 1996 
recreational fishery in the area between Point Arena, CA, and the U.S.-
Mexican border is scheduled to open on March 2 (the nearest Saturday to 
March 1) for all salmon, unless an evaluation indicates low coho 
abundance in 1996, in which case inseason action may be taken to 
prohibit retention of coho salmon.
    The best available information on February 6 indicated that the 
1996 preseason index abundance estimate for Oregon Production Index 
(OPI) area coho stocks is 427,300 fish, about 4 percent below the 1995 
preseason estimate of 443,000 fish. In 1994 and 1995, preseason 
abundance estimates for Oregon coastal natural (OCN) coho salmon, an 
OPI area stock component, were at record low levels, resulting in no 
coho retention south of Cape Falcon, OR, when commercial and 
recreational salmon seasons opened May 1. Due to the continuing low 
preseason abundance estimates for OPI coho and OCN coho in 1996, it is 
necessary to modify the recreational fishery in the area between Point 
Arena, CA, and the U.S.-Mexican border such that it will open on March 
2 for all salmon except coho.
    Modifications in the species which may be caught and landed during 
specific seasons and the establishment or modification of limited 
retention regulations are authorized by regulations at 50 CFR 
661.21(b)(1)(ii). All other restrictions that apply to this fishery 
remain in effect as announced in the annual management measures.
    The Regional Director consulted with representatives of the Pacific 
Fishery Management Council and the California Department of Fish and 
Game regarding this adjustment. The State of California will also 
prohibit retention of coho salmon in the recreational fishery in State 
waters adjacent to this area of the exclusive economic zone. Because of 
the need for immediate action to conserve coho salmon, NMFS has 
determined that good cause exists to take this action without affording 
a prior opportunity for public comment. This action does not apply to 
other fisheries that may be operating in other areas.

Classification

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

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

    Dated: February 29, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-5100 Filed 2-29-96; 4:00 pm]
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