[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 43126-43127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21283]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 961217359-7050-02; I.D. 080597A]
Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Area 2A Commercial Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Inseason action.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Area 2A commercial harvest of Pacific
halibut incidental to the salmon troll fishery is closed.
The action is necessary because the non-Indian commercial halibut
fishery quota has been taken and no halibut quota remains for an
incidental catch during the salmon troll fisheries.
DATES: Effective August 1, 1997, through December 31, 1997. Comments
will be accepted through August 27, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to William Stelle, Jr., Regional
Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle, WA
98115. Information relevant to this action is available for public
review during business hours at this address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, 206-526-6143.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan (Plan) for
Pacific halibut off Washington, Oregon, and California is implemented
in the annual management measures for the Pacific halibut fisheries
published on March 18, 1997 (52 FR 12759). The non-Indian commercial
halibut fishery quota of 144,235 lb (65 metric tons (mt)) is divided
into two components: A directed fishery targeting on halibut managed by
the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) with a subquota of
122,600 lb (55.6 mt), and an incidental catch fishery during the salmon
troll fisheries off Washington, Oregon, and California managed by NMFS
with a subquota of 21,635 lb (9.8 mt). In accordance with the Plan, the
management measures for the incidental halibut catch fishery were
implemented with the annual management measures for the ocean salmon
fisheries published in the Federal Register on May 5, 1997 (62 FR
24355). Paragraph C.9. of Table 1 of the annual management measures
stipulates that, if the subquota for this incidental catch is not
harvested during the May/June salmon troll fishery, the remaining
subquota will be made available by the IPHC to the directed halibut
fishery. If the overall quota for the non-Indian commercial fisheries
has not been harvested by July 31 and the subquota for the salmon troll
fishery was not harvested during the May/June fishery, landings of
halibut caught incidentally during salmon troll fisheries would be
allowed effective August 1 and would continue until the subquota for
the troll fishery was taken or the overall non-Indian commercial
halibut quota was estimated to have been achieved by the IPHC.
An estimated total of 17,570 lb of halibut was harvested in the
May/June salmon troll fishery, and the remaining 4,065 lb in the quota
for this fishery were ``rolled-over'' to the directed commercial
halibut fishery by the IPHC. In its July 11, 1997 News Release, the
IPHC announced that the directed halibut commercial fishery in Area 2A
had harvested approximately 135,000 lb and no quota remained to be
``rolled-over'' into the incidental catch fishery.
[[Page 43127]]
The IPHC closed all Area 2A non-Indian commercial halibut fisheries,
including the incidental catch of halibut during the salmon troll
fisheries that opened on August 1. Notice of the closure has been
provided on the NMFS hotline at 206-526-6667.
Accordingly, NMFS announces that Pacific halibut caught during the
salmon troll fisheries may not be retained, possessed or sold for the
remainder of 1997.
Classification
This action is authorized by Section 10 of the annual management
measures for Pacific halibut fisheries published on March 18, 1997 (62
FR 12759) and Paragraph C.9. of Table 1 of the annual management
measures for the ocean salmon fisheries published in the Federal
Register on May 5, 1997 (62 FR 24355). This action has been determined
to be not significant for purposes of E.O. 12866.
Because of the need to implement the IPHC closure and prevent the
commercial catch of halibut in excess of the quota, NMFS has determined
that good cause exists for this action to be issued without affording a
prior opportunity for public comment.
Dated: August 6, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-21283 Filed 8-11-97; 8:45 am]
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