[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 180 (Monday, September 16, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 48643-48644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23559]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 951227306-6117-02; I.D. 090696E]
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; End of Pacific Whiting Regular Season
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the end of the ``regular season'' for the
Pacific whiting (whiting) fishery off Washington, Oregon, and
California and the reimposition of a 10,000-lb (4,536-kg) trip limit
coastwide. This action is authorized by the Pacific Coast Groundfish
Fishery Management Plan, which governs the harvest of groundfish in the
U.S. exclusive economic zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and
California. This action is intended to keep landings close to the 1996
commercial harvest guideline for whiting while allowing small
quantities to be landed by fresh fish and bait fisheries and as bycatch
in other fisheries.
DATES: Effective 0001 hours (local time) September 11, 1996, until the
effective date of the 1997 annual specifications and management
measures for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery, which will be
published in the Federal Register. Comments will be accepted until
September 25, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Comments on this action should be sent to Mr. William
Stelle, Jr., Director, Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries
Service, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA
98115-0070; or Ms. Hilda Diaz-Soltero, Director, Southwest Region,
National Marine Fisheries Service, 501 West Ocean Blvd., 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Robinson 206-526-6140; or
Rodney R. McInnis 310-980-4040.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At its October 1995 meeting, the Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended that a 10,000-lb
(4,536-kg) trip limit apply to landings of whiting after the end of the
regular season (61 FR 279, January 4, 1996). The end of the regular
season occurs when the ``commercial harvest guideline'' is projected to
be reached (61 FR 28786, June 6, 1996; 61 FR 34570, July 2, 1996, as
modified.) The commercial harvest guideline is the harvest guideline
minus any amount allocated to the Washington coastal treaty Indian
tribes. Therefore, the end of the regular season in 1996 occurs when
the commercial harvest guideline of 197,000 metric tons (mt) (the
212,000-mt harvest guideline minus the 15,000 mt tribal allocation) is
projected to be reached.
The commercial harvest guideline is divided between shore-based and
at-sea sectors, according to the regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4).
At-sea processing of whiting was prohibited on June 1,
[[Page 48644]]
1996 (61 FR 28796, June 6, 1996) when 118,200 mt (60 percent of the
197,000-mt commercial harvest guideline) was projected to have been
taken (112,776 mt for at-sea processing and 8,201 mt for shore-based
processing). The remainder of the commercial harvest guideline was
reserved for vessels delivering to shore-based processors.
Based on the best available information on current and projected
rates of landings, the Director, Northwest Region, NMFS, has determined
that 189,214 mt of whiting has been caught in the non-treaty fisheries
through August 31, 1996, and, at a rate of about 805-828 mt delivered
shoreside per day, the 197,000-mt commercial harvest guideline would be
reached on September 10, 1996. Therefore, the regular season ends and
the 10,000-lb (4,536-kg) trip limit for whiting resumes on September
11, 1996. Because at-sea processing of whiting is prohibited, this trip
limit applies only to vessels delivering shoreside. The trip limit is
intended to accommodate small bait and fresh fish markets and the
bycatch of whiting in other fisheries. Tribal fisheries for whiting are
governed by other regulations at 50 CFR 660.324.
NMFS action: NMFS announces the following change to the 1996
management measures for whiting published at (61 FR 279, January 4,
1996) as modified:
Paragraph IV.F(1)(a) is revised to read as follows:
IV. * * *
F. * * *
(1) * * *
``(a) No more than 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) of whiting may be taken and
retained, possessed, or landed, per vessel per fishing trip. This
includes any whiting caught shoreward of 100 fathoms (183 m) in the
Eureka subarea (see paragraph IV.F.(1)(b) at 61 FR 279).''
Classification
The determination to take this action is based on the most recent
data available. The aggregate data upon which the determination is
based are available for public inspection at the office of the
Director, Northwest Region, NMFS (see ADDRESSES) during business hours.
This action was recommended by the Council at its October 1995 meeting,
and was announced in the annual specifications and management measures
for 1996 that published on January 4, 1996, at 61 FR 279. There was an
opportunity for public comment at the August and October 1995 Council
meetings. Supporting documents (catch projections) were available for
public inspection prior to, and at, the August 21-23, 1996, Council
meeting in Portland, OR. Because of the need for immediate action, and
because the public had an opportunity to comment on the action at
Council meetings, NMFS has determined that good cause exists for this
notice to be published without affording a prior opportunity for public
comment or a 30-day delayed effectiveness period. This action is taken
under the authority of 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4), and is exempt from review
under E.O. 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 10, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-23559 Filed 9-10-96; 4:56 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F