[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 213 (Thursday, November 4, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 60157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28937]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[I.D. 102699B]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea 
and Aleutian Islands; Amendment 58 to Revise the Chinook Salmon Savings 
Area

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 58 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Groundfish Fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (FMP) 
for Secretary of Commerce review. The intended effect of this amendment 
is to reduce bycatch of chinook salmon by trawl fisheries in the Bering 
Sea Aleutian Islands Area (BSAI).

DATES: Comments on Amendment 58 must be submitted by January 3, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments on Amendment 58 should be submitted to Sue 
Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, 
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802, Attn: Lori 
Gravel, or delivered to the Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street, 
Juneau, AK. Comments will not be accepted if submitted by e-mail or 
Internet. Copies of Amendment 58 and the Environmental Assessment/
Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis 
prepared for this action may be obtained from the same address or by 
calling the Alaska Region, NMFS, at 907-586-7228.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shane Capron, 907-586-7228 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To reduce bycatch of chinook salmon by trawl 
fisheries in the BSAI, the Council recommended changes to both the FMP 
and the regulations implementing it. Amendment 58 would revise the 
FMP's management measures for chinook salmon by (1) removing the 
prohibited species catch (PSC) limit of 48,000 chinook salmon from the 
FMP and replacing it with a framework that would allow NMFS to 
establish the chinook PSC limit through regulations; and (2) revising 
the boundaries of the chinook salmon savings area (CHSSA).
    The Council also recommended that NMFS use the framework proposed 
in Amendment 58 to reduce the chinook PSC limit from 48,000 to 29,000 
salmon over a 4-year period, to implement year-round accounting of 
chinook salmon bycatch in the pollock fishery beginning on January 1 of 
each year, to revise the boundaries of the CHSSA, and to set new CHSSA 
closure dates.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional Fishery Management 
Council submit any fishery management plan (FMP) or FMP amendment it 
prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial 
approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon 
receiving an amendment, immediately publish a notification in the 
Federal Register that the amendment is available for public review and 
comment. NMFS will consider all public comments received during the 
comment period in determining whether to approve the FMP or amendment. 
Public comments on Amendment 58 must be received by January 3, 2000 to 
be considered by NMFS in the decision to approve/disapprove this 
amendment. After evaluating Amendment 58 pursuant to the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, NMFS will publish a proposed rule to implement the 
amendment and the related regulatory changes the Council recommended in 
the Federal Register for public comment. Public comments on the 
proposed rule must be received by January 3, 2000, the end of the 
comment period for this notice of availability on Amendment 58, to be 
considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the amendment. 
Comments received after that date will not be considered in the 
approval/disapproval decision on the amendment. All comments received 
on the amendment or on the proposed rule will be responded to in the 
preamble to the final rule.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: October 29, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-28937 Filed 11-3-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F