[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 24, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 46153-46154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21947]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 99030463-9063-01; I.D. 072199B]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Halibut 
Bycatch Mortality Allowance in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 
Management Area

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

ACTION: Reapportionment of Pacific halibut bycatch mortality allowance 
specified for the nontrawl fishery categories.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule that reapportions the 1999 halibut 
bycatch mortality allowance specified for the Pacific cod hook-and-line 
fishery category to the other nontrawl fishery category in the Bering 
Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is 
necessary to allow the harvest of species constrained by the other 
nontrawl halibut bycatch mortality allowance, in particular Greenland 
turbot, while not further restricting the hook-and-line Pacific cod 
fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of 
the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering 
Sea and Aleutians Islands Area (FMP).

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), September 1, 
1999, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Furuness, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the 
BSAI exclusive economic zone according to the FMP prepared by the North 
Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Regulations governing 
fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP are at subpart H of 
50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    The BSAI halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit for nontrawl 
gear is an amount of halibut equivalent to 900 mt of halibut mortality 
(Sec. 679.21(e)(2)(i)). The apportionment of the nontrawl halibut PSC 
limit to bycatch allowances for the Pacific cod hook-and-line and other 
nontrawl fisheries was established by the Final 1999 Harvest 
Specifications of Groundfish for the BSAI (64 FR 12103, March 11, 1999) 
as 748 mt and 84 mt respectively.
    A proposed rule for this action was published in the Federal 
Register on July 29, 1999 (64 FR 41068), requesting comments through 
August 12, 1999. One letter of comment was received during the comment 
period from a hook-and-line industry representative supporting the 
reapportionment. Based on this comment, and in order to provide greater 
opportunity to harvest the BSAI Greenland turbot total allowable catch 
(TAC) while not jeopardizing the opportunity to harvest the amount of 
the Pacific cod TAC allocated to hook-and line vessels, NMFS increases 
the halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for the other 
nontrawl fishery category by 150

[[Page 46154]]

mt and reduces the halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for 
the Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery by the same amount.
    The halibut bycatch mortality specifications for the 1999 BSAI 
nontrawl fisheries are listed in Table 7 of the Final 1999 Harvest 
Specifications for Groundfish (64 FR 12103, March 11, 1999). To 
accommodate the final action, the 1999 BSAI final harvest 
specifications are amended by adding the following Table 7A.

 Table 7A. 1999 BSAI prohibited species bycatch allowances for the BSAI
                           non-trawl fisheries
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                    Halibut mortality
              Non-trawl fisheries                       (mt)BSAI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod - Total                                                598.
Jan. 1 - April 30                                                  457.
May 1 - Sept. 14                                                     0.
Sept. 15 - Dec. 31                                                 141.
Other non-trawl - Total                                            234.
May 1 - Aug. 31\1\                                                  42.
Sept.1 - Dec.31                                                    192.
Groundfish pot & jig                                            Exempt.
Sablefish hook-and-line                                         Exempt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Consistent with Sec.  679.21(e)(5)(iv)(A), any portion of the first
  seasonal allowance of the Pacific cod halibut bycatch mortality
  allowance that is not harvested by the end of the first season will
  become available on September 15, the beginning of the third season.

Classification

    This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.21(e)(4) and is exempt 
from OMB review under E.O. 12866.
    NMFS prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and final regulatory 
flexibility assessment (FRFA) for the 1999 harvest specifications (See 
ADDRESSES). The reapportionment of the BSAI nontrawl halibut PSC limit 
is intended to provide fuller opportunity to conduct the fishing 
activities considered in the EA/FRFA and is fully within the scope of 
these analyses.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., 1801 et seq. and 3631 et seq.

    Dated: August 18, 1999.
George H. Darcy,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-21947 Filed 8-23-99; 8:45 am]
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