[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 27, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 44033-44034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21709]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 960129019-6019-01; I.D. 081696B]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area; Reallocation of Pacific
Cod
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Reallocation; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to reallocate the projected unused amount of
Pacific cod from vessels using trawl gear to vessels using hook-and-
line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area
(BSAI) and is inviting comments. The proposed action is necessary to
allow the 1996 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod to be
harvested. It is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the
North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council).
DATES: Comments must be received at the following address no later than
4:30 p.m., Alaska local time, September 5, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Ronald J. Berg, Chief, Fisheries
Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK
99802-1668, or delivered to the Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street,
Room 453, Juneau, AK Attn: Lori Gravel.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew N. Smoker, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive
economic zone is managed by NMFS according to the Fishery Management
Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Area (FMP) prepared by the Council under authority of the Magnuson
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Fishing by U.S. vessels is
governed by regulations implementing the FMP at subpart H of 50 CFR
part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS, has determined that vessels
using trawl gear will not be able to harvest 15,000 metric tons (mt) of
Pacific cod allocated to those vessels under Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(i)(A).
As of July 27, 1996, NMFS estimates 47,540 mt remain in the trawl
gear share of the 1996 Pacific cod TAC and projects that trawl gear
will take 32,540 mt during the remainder of 1996.
Trawl fisheries that will take Pacific cod include the directed
Pacific cod, yellowfin sole, pollock, and rockfish fishery. NMFS closed
directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using trawl gear in the
BSAI effective June 23, 1996, until October 25, 1996, to prevent
exceeding the first seasonal bycatch allowance of Pacific halibut
apportioned to the trawl Pacific cod fishery category in the BSAI. The
directed fishery for Pacific cod with trawl gear will open October 25,
1996. One hundred eighty nine mt of prohibited species bycatch
allowance of halibut mortality remain in
[[Page 44034]]
that allocation. Based on 1995 halibut bycatch rates for that fishery,
11,040 mt of Pacific cod is expected to be harvested in the directed
fishery for Pacific cod with trawl gear. The trawl yellowfin sole,
rockfish, and pollock directed fisheries will take Pacific cod as
bycatch. Based on the remaining halibut mortality and the ratio of
halibut mortality to Pacific cod caught in those directed fisheries
after August 1, 1995, 21,495 mt of Pacific cod are estimated to be
needed.
The directed fishery for Pacific cod by vessels using hook-and-line
gear will reopen on September 1 when 360 mt of prohibited species
bycatch allowance of halibut mortality become available for that
fishery. Based on the ratio of Pacific cod caught to halibut mortality
during the September and October hook-and-line fishery in 1995, NMFS
estimates that hook-and-line gear will take 31,000 mt of Pacific cod.
Pot gear is expected to take an additional 3,500 mt during September
and October of 1996. The combined hook-and-line/pot gear capacity after
September 1, 1996 is 34,500 mt. Without the proposed reallocation of
Pacific cod from trawl to hook-and-line and pot gear, 20,000 mt of
Pacific cod is expected to be available for vessels fishing with those
gears.
During 1995 NMFS did not reallocate unused amounts of Pacific cod
from vessels using trawl gear to vessels using hook-and-line/pot gear
until November when the trawl component of the fishery had completed
its season and the trawl catch for 1995 was realized. As a consequence,
a portion of the hook-and-line/pot fleet was unable to participate and
the remainder was unable to sustain a continuous fishery and
experienced unnecessary expenses associated with initiating the short-
term fishery during November. In addition, the halibut mortality
incurred per metric ton of Pacific cod caught during the last opening
of the fishery in 1995 was higher, providing less desirable utilization
of halibut mortality.
Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 679.20(a)(7)(ii), NMFS proposes
to apportion the projected unused amount, 15,000 mt of Pacific cod from
vessels using trawl gear to vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear.
NMFS invites public comments and will consider those received
during the comment period in determining whether to reallocate an
unused amount of Pacific cod from trawl gear to hook-and-line or pot
gear.
Classification
This action is taken under 50 CFR 679.20, and is exempt from review
under E.O. 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 20, 1996.
Richard H. Schaefer,
Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-21709 Filed 8-21-96; 4:07 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F