[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 37860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18472]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[I.D. 070797C]
RIN 0648-AJ45


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish 
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area; Prohibited Species Catch 
Limit for Chionoecetes opilio Crab

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 40 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (FMP) 
for Secretarial review. Amendment 40 would establish a prohibited 
species catch (PSC) limit for Chionoecetes opilio crab in a newly 
established C. opilio Bycatch Limitation Zone (COBLZ) of the Bering 
Sea. Upon attainment of the C. opilio PSC limit, directed fishing for 
groundfish by vessels using trawl gear, except for pollock by vessels 
using nonpelagic trawl gear, would be prohibited within the COBLZ. This 
measure is necessary to protect the C. opilio stock in the Bering Sea, 
which has declined to a level that presents a conservation problem. The 
intended effect of the proposed action is to further limit crab bycatch 
in the Bering Sea groundfish fisheries.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 40 must be submitted on or before 
September 15, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed FMP amendment must 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 proposed Amendment 40 and the Environmental Assessment/
Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 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: Kim S. Rivera, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Steven 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 approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, 
upon receiving a plan or amendment, immediately publish a document 
announcing that the plan or amendment is available for public review 
and comment.
    Amendment 40 would authorize the annual specification of a PSC 
limit for C. opilio crab for the new COBLZ of the Bering Sea based on 
the total annual abundance estimate of C. opilio crab as indicated by 
the NMFS bottom trawl survey. The PSC limits would be determined as 
part of the annual BSAI groundfish specification process, after 
consultation with the Council.
    A proposed rule that would implement Amendment 40 may be published 
in the Federal Register for public comment, following NMFS' evaluation 
of the proposed rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Act procedures. Public 
comments on the proposed rule must be received by the end of the 
comment period on the FMP amendment to be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on Amendment 40. All comments received on or 
before September 15, 1997, whether specifically directed to Amendment 
40 or the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval 
decision. Comments received after that date will not be considered in 
the approval/disapproval decision on Amendment 40.

    Dated: July 9, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-18472 Filed 7-14-97; 8:45 am]
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