[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 238 (Monday, December 13, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 69457-69464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32235]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 991207321-9321-01; I.D. 111899A]


Groundfish Fishery of the Gulf of Alaska; Fisheries of the 
Exclusive Economic Zone; Gulf of Alaska; Proposed 2000 Harvest 
Specifications for Groundfish

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

ACTION: Proposed 2000 specifications for groundfish and associated 
management measures; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes 2000 harvest specifications, reserves, and 
apportionments for groundfish; Pacific halibut prohibited species catch 
(PSC) limits; and assumed mortality rates for the groundfish fishery of 
the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest 
specifications for GOA groundfish for the 2000 fishing year. The 
intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish 
resources of the GOA and to provide an opportunity for public 
participation in the annual groundfish specification process.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 12, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional 
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 
P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668, Attn: Lori Gravel. Comments also 
may be sent via facsimile (fax) to 907-586-7465. Comments will not be 
accepted if submitted via e-mail or Internet. Courier or hand delivery 
of comments may be made to NMFS in the Federal Building, Room 453, 709 
West 9th Street, Juneau, AK 99801.
    Copies of the Draft Environmental Assessment/Initial Regulatory 
Flexibility Analysis (EA/IRFA) prepared for this action and the 
Preliminary 2000 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report, 
dated September 1999, are available from the North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council, 605 West 4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501-
2252 (907-271-2809).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Pearson, 907-481-1780, fax 907-
481-1781, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background for the 2000 Proposed Specifications

    Federal regulations at 50 CFR part 679 implement the Fishery 
Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) and govern 
the groundfish fisheries in the GOA. The North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council (Council) prepared the FMP, and NMFS approved it 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act. General regulations that also pertain to the U.S. 
fisheries appear at 50 CFR part 600.
    The FMP and implementing regulations require NMFS, after 
consultation with the Council, to specify annually the total allowable 
catch (TAC) for each target species and for the ``other species'' 
category, the sum of which must be within the optimum yield range of 
116,000 to 800,000 metric tons (mt) (Sec. 679.20 (a)(1)(ii)). 
Regulations under Sec. 679.20(c)(1) further require NMFS to publish 
annually, and solicit public comment on, proposed annual TACs, halibut 
PSC amounts, seasonal allowances of pollock, and inshore/offshore 
Pacific cod. The proposed specifications set forth in tables 1 to 6 of 
this document satisfy these requirements. For 2000, the sum of the 
proposed TAC amounts is 306,535 mt. Under 679.20(c)(3), NMFS will 
publish the final specifications for 2000 after: (1) considering 
comments received within the comment period (see DATES); and (2) 
consulting with the Council.
    Regulations at Sec. 679.20(c)(2)(i) provide that interim 
specifications become effective 0001 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.) 
January 1 and remain in effect until superseded by the final harvest 
specifications. The regulations provide that the interim specifications 
will be established as one-fourth of each proposed TAC and 
apportionment thereof (not including the reserves and the first 
seasonal allowance of pollock), one-fourth of the proposed halibut PSC 
amounts, and the proposed first seasonal allowance of pollock. NMFS 
will publish interim specifications for the 2000 fishing year in a 
separate Federal Register document. No fishing is authorized before 
NMFS files interim specifications with the Office of the Federal 
Register.

Proposed Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) and TAC Specifications

    The proposed ABC and TAC for each species are based on the best 
available biological and socioeconomic information, including projected 
biomass trends, information on assumed distribution of stock biomass, 
and revised technical methods used to calculate stock biomass. This 
information was compiled by the Council's GOA Plan Team and is 
presented in the preliminary 2000 SAFE report for the GOA groundfish 
fisheries, dated September 1999. The Plan Team annually produces such a 
document as the first step in the process of specifying TACs. The SAFE 
report contains a review of the latest scientific analyses and 
estimates of each species' biomass and other biological parameters, as 
well as summaries of the available information on the GOA ecosystem and 
the economic condition of the groundfish fisheries off Alaska. From 
these data and analyses, the Plan Team estimates an ABC for each 
species category.
    The GOA Plan Team acknowledged that for purposes of the proposed 
2000 overfishing levels and ABC amounts, the best information currently 
available is set forth in the final SAFE report for the 1999 GOA 
groundfish fisheries dated November 1998. The Plan Team further 
acknowledged that information on the status of stocks will be updated 
with the 1999 survey results and reconsidered by the Plan Team at its 
November 1999 meeting and will be included in the final 2000 SAFE 
report.
    In October 1999, the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), 
Advisory Panel (AP), and Council reviewed the Plan Team's preliminary 
recommendations to roll over 1999 ABC, overfishing, and TAC amounts, 
and to reconsider these amounts at the December 1999 Council meeting 
after new status of stocks information has been incorporated by the 
Plan Team into a final SAFE report. The SSC, AP, and Council concurred 
with the Plan Team's recommendations. However, the Plan Team's 
recommendation to roll over the 1999 groundfish harvest specifications 
for this action did not take into account the overfishing definitions 
approved in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands FMP and GOA FMP 
Amendments 56/56. Those overfishing definitions were used in August 
1999 to reanalyze the status of the groundfish stocks in the BSAI and 
GOA. That analysis is presented in the draft EA prepared for this 
action. The

[[Page 69458]]

overfishing levels in these proposed specifications reflect that 
analysis. None of the Council's proposed TACs for 1999 exceed the 
proposed ABC for any species category (Table 1). Therefore, NMFS finds 
that the proposed TACs are consistent with the best available 
information on the biological condition of the groundfish stocks.

Specification and Apportionment of TAC Amounts and Reserves

    The proposed 2000 TAC amounts equal the 1999 TAC amounts for each 
species. NMFS finds that the recommended proposed TAC amounts are 
consistent with the biological condition of groundfish stocks as 
adjusted for other biological and socioeconomic considerations, 
including maintaining the total TAC within the required OY range of 
116,000 to 800,000 mt.
    The reserves for the GOA (under Sec. 679.20(b)(2)) are 20 percent 
of the TAC amounts for pollock, Pacific cod, flatfish target species 
categories, and ``other species.'' The GOA groundfish TAC amounts have 
been fully utilized by the respective domestic target species 
categories since 1987, and NMFS expects the same to occur in 2000. NMFS 
proposes apportionment of all the reserves to the respective target 
species categories except Pacific cod. The Pacific cod fishery in the 
GOA has become increasingly difficult to manage. The increased number 
of participants, unexpected increases in harvest rates, and unexpected 
shifts to other management areas and target species in the GOA have 
resulted in overharvests of Pacific cod in some areas. Therefore, NMFS 
proposes initially to reserve 20 percent of the Pacific cod TACs in the 
GOA as a management buffer to prevent exceeding the Pacific cod TAC.
    Table 1 lists the proposed 2000 ABC, TAC, and initial TAC amounts 
(for Pacific cod only), overfishing levels, and initial apportionments 
of groundfish in the GOA. The apportionment of TAC amounts among 
fisheries is set forth in the following tables. These proposed 
specifications are subject to change as a result of public comment, 
analysis of the current biological condition of the groundfish stocks, 
new information regarding the fishery, and consultation with the 
Council at its December 1999 meeting.

Table 1.--Proposed 2000 ABCs, TACs, initial TACs (Pacific cod only) and overfishing levels of groundfish for the
   combined Western/Central (W/C), Western (W), Central (C), and Eastern (E) Regulatory Areas and in the West
           Yakutat (WYK), Southeast Outside (SEO), and Gulf-Wide (GW) Districts of the Gulf of Alaska.
                                          [Values are in metric tons.]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Species                  Area \1\            ABC             TAC         Initial TAC     Overfishing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock \2\
        Subtotal.............  W/C..............          92,480          92,480  ..............         157,000
    WYK......................  (640)............  ..............           2,110  ..............  ..............
    SEO......................  (650)............  ..............           6,330  ..............  ..............
        Subtotal.............  E................           8,440           8,440  ..............          14,400
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................         100,920         100,920  ..............         171,400
================================================================================================================
Pacific cod \3\
                               W................          29,540          23,630          18,904  ..............
                               C................          53,170          42,935          34,348  ..............
                               E................           1,690           1,270           1,016  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................          84,400          67,835          54,268         113,000
================================================================================================================
Flatfish \4\ (deep-water)
                               W................             240             240  ..............  ..............
                               C................           2,740           2,740  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............           1,720           1,720  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............           1,350           1,350  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           6,050           6,050  ..............           8,070
================================================================================================================
Rex sole
                               W................           1,190           1,190  ..............  ..............
                               C................           5,490           5,490  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............             850             850  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............           1,620           1,620  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           9,150           9,150  ..............          11,920
================================================================================================================
Flathead sole
                               W................           8,440           2,000  ..............  ..............
                               C................          15,630           5,000  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............           1,270           1,270  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............             770             770  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................          26,110           9,040  ..............          34,010
================================================================================================================
Flatfish \5\ (shallow-water)
                               W................          22,570           4,500  ..............  ..............
                               C................          19,260          12,950  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............             250             250  ..............  ..............

[[Page 69459]]

 
                               SEO..............           1,070           1,070  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................          43,150          18,770  ..............          53,400
================================================================================================================
Arrowtooth flounder
                               W................          34,400           5,000  ..............  ..............
                               C................         155,930          25,000  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............          13,260           2,500  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............          13,520           2,500  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................         217,110          35,000  ..............         258,000
================================================================================================================
Sablefish \6\
                               W................           1,820           1,820  ..............  ..............
                               C................           5,590           5,590  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............  ..............           2,090  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............  ..............           3,200  ..............  ..............
        Subtotal.............  E................           5,290           5,290  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................          12,700          12,700  ..............          15,000
================================================================================================================
Pacific \7\ ocean perch
                               W................           1,850           1,850  ..............           2,140
                               C................           6,760           6,760  ..............           7,830
                               WYK..............             820             820  ..............           5,230
                               SEO..............           3,690           3,160  ..............  ..............
        Subtotal.............  E................  ..............  ..............  ..............           5,230
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................          13,120          12,590  ..............          15,200
================================================================================================================
Short raker/rougheye \8\
                               W................             160             160  ..............  ..............
                               C................             970             970  ..............  ..............
                               E................             460             460  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           1,590           1,590  ..............           2,360
================================================================================================================
Other rockfish 9,10,11
                               W................              20              20  ..............  ..............
                               C................             650             650  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............             470             470  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............           4,130           4,130  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           5,270           5,270  ..............           6,940
================================================================================================================
Northern Rockfish 10,12
                               W................             840             840  ..............  ..............
                               C................           4,150           4,150  ..............  ..............
                               E................        N/A \15\             N/A  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           4,990           4,990  ..............           7,340
================================================================================================================
Pelagic shelf rockfish \13\
                               W................             530             530  ..............  ..............
                               C................           3,370           3,370  ..............  ..............
                               WYK..............             740             740  ..............  ..............
                               SEO..............             240             240  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           4,880           4,880  ..............           6,670
================================================================================================================
Thornyhead rockfish
                               W................             260             260  ..............  ..............
                               C................             700             700  ..............  ..............
                               E................           1,030           1,030  ..............  ..............
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
            Total............  .................           1,990           1,990  ..............           2,370
================================================================================================================
Demersal shelf rockfish \11\.  SEO..............             560             560  ..............             698

[[Page 69460]]

 
Atka mackerel................  GW...............             600             600  ..............           6,200
Other \14\ species...........  GW...............        N/A \15\          14,600
                                                 ===============================================================
            TOTAL\16\........  .................         532,590         306,535  ..............         712,578
================================================================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 \1\ Regulatory areas and districts are defined at Sec.  679.2.
\2\ NMFS is not apportioning pollock among the Central and Western Regulatory Areas until permanent reasonable
  and prudent alternatives can be implemented that would avoid the likelihood that the pollock fisheries off
  Alaska will jeopardize the continued existence of the western population of Steller sea lions or adversely
  modify its critical habitat. In the Eastern Regulatory Area, pollock is not divided by seasonal allowances.
\3\ Pacific cod is allocated 90 percent for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent for processing by
  the offshore component. Component allocations are shown in Table 4.
\4\ ``Deep water flatfish'' means Dover sole, Greenland turbot, and deepsea sole.
\5\ ``Shallow water flatfish'' means flatfish not including ``deep water flatfish,'' flathead sole, rex sole, or
  arrowtooth flounder.
\6\ Sablefish is allocated to trawl and hook-and-line gears (Table 2).
\7\ ``Pacific ocean perch'' means Sebastes alutus.
\8\ ``Shortraker/rougheye rockfish'' means Sebastes borealis (shortraker) and S. aleutianus (rougheye).
\9\ ``Other rockfish'' in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas and in the West Yakutat District means slope
  rockfish and demersal shelf rockfish. The category ``other rockfish'' in the Southeast Outside District means
  Slope rockfish.
\10\ ``Slope rockfish'' means Sebastes aurora (aurora), S. melanostomus (blackgill), S. paucispinis (bocaccio),
  S. goodei (chilipepper), S. crameri (darkblotch), S. elongatus (greenstriped), S. variegatus (harlequin), S.
  wilsoni (pygmy), S. babcocki (redbanded), S. proriger (redstripe), S. zacentrus (sharpchin), S. jordani
  (shortbelly), S. brevispinis (silvergrey), S. diploproa (splitnose), S. saxicola (stripetail), S. miniatus
  (vermilion), and S. reedi (yellowmouth). In the Eastern GOA only, ``slope rockfish'' also includes northern
  rockfish, S. polyspinous.
\11\ ``Demersal shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper),
  S. maliger (quillback), S. helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye).
 
\12\ ``Northern rockfish'' means Sebastes polyspinis.
\13\ ``Pelagic shelf rockfish'' means Sebastes ciliatus (dusky), S. entomelas (widow), and S. flavidus
  (yellowtail).
\14\ ``Other species'' means sculpins, sharks, skates, squid, and octopus. The TAC for ``other species'' equals
  5 percent of the TACs of target species.
\15\ N/A means not applicable.
\16\ The total ABC is the sum of the ABCs for target species.

Proposed Apportionment of the Sablefish TAC Amounts to Users of 
Hook-and-Line and Trawl Gear

    Under Sec. 679.20(a)(4)(i) and (ii), sablefish TAC amounts for each 
of the regulatory areas and districts are assigned to hook-and-line and 
trawl gear. In the Central and Western Regulatory Areas, 80 percent of 
the TAC amounts is allocated to vessels using hook-and-line gear and 20 
percent is allocated to vessels using trawl gear. In the Eastern 
Regulatory Area, 95 percent of the TAC is assigned to vessels using 
hook-and-line gear and 5 percent is assigned to vessels using trawl 
gear. Additionally the Eastern Regulatory Area hook-and-line allocation 
of sablefish is apportioned between the West Yakutat and Southeast 
Outside Districts based on biomass distribution. In the Eastern 
Regulatory Area, the trawl allocation is not apportioned by district 
although regulations at Sec. 679.7(b) prohibit the use of trawl gear 
east of 140 deg. W. long. The trawl gear allocation in the Eastern 
Regulatory Area may only be used for bycatch to support directed 
fisheries for other trawl target species west of 140 deg. W. long. 
Sablefish caught in the GOA with gear other than hook-and-line or trawl 
must be treated as prohibited species and may not be retained. Table 2 
shows the assignments of the proposed 2000 sablefish TAC amounts 
between vessels using hook-and-line and trawl gears.

[[Page 69461]]



   Table 2. Proposed 2000 Sablefish TAC Specifications in the Gulf of
     Alaska and Allocations Thereof to Hook-and-Line and Trawl Gear.
                      [Values are in metric tons.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Hook-and-line      Trawl
        Area/District              TAC      apportionment  apportionment
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western......................        1,820         1,456            364
Central......................        5,590         4,472          1,118
West Yakutat.................        2,090         1,825            265
Southeast Outside............        3,200         3,200              0
                              ------------------------------------------
    Total....................       12,700        10,953          1,747
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Proposed Apportionments of Pollock TAC Among Regulatory Areas and 
Seasons, and Allocations for Processing by Inshore and Offshore 
Components

    NMFS is not establishing seasons or apportioning pollock TAC among 
the regulatory areas in the Central and Western GOA Regulatory Areas at 
this time. NMFS is preparing a proposed rule that would permanently 
implement reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPA's) to avoid the 
likelihood that the pollock fisheries off Alaska will jeopardize the 
continued existence of the western population of Steller sea lions or 
adversely modify its critical habitat. Three types of management 
measures would be implemented for the pollock fisheries of the Bering 
Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) and GOA: (1) Measures 
to temporally disperse fishing effort, (2) measures to spatially 
disperse fishing effort, and (3) measures to provide full protection 
from pollock fisheries that compete with Steller sea lions for prey in 
waters immediately adjacent to rookeries and important haulouts. Final 
measures must be effective prior to the start of the BSAI and GOA 
pollock fisheries on January 20, 2000, or NMFS will be obligated under 
the Endangered Species Act to close all fishing for pollock until such 
measures can be implemented.
    In the Eastern Regulatory Area pollock would be apportioned between 
the West Yakutat and Southeast Outside Districts on an annual basis. 
The pollock TAC in all regulatory areas would be allocated 100 percent 
to vessels catching pollock for processing by the inshore component 
after subtraction of amounts that the Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
determines to be necessary to support the bycatch needs of the offshore 
component in directed fisheries for other groundfish species 
(Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(ii)). At this time, these bycatch amounts are 
unknown. They would be determined during the fishing year.

Proposed Apportionments of Pacific Cod TAC Amounts

    The apportionment of Pacific cod in all GOA regulatory areas would 
be allocated at 90 percent of the Pacific cod TAC to vessels catching 
Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component and 10 percent of 
the Pacific cod TAC to vessels catching Pacific cod for processing by 
the offshore component (Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(iii)). Inshore and offshore 
component allocations of the proposed 54,268 mt initial TAC for Pacific 
cod for each regulatory area are shown in Table 3.
    Beginning in 1997, the Council recommended a GOA Pacific cod TAC 
lower than the ABC to account for removals from the developing state 
waters Pacific cod fishery. The Pacific cod TAC could be further 
reduced for 2000 pending State action to increase the state waters 
harvest of Pacific cod.

 Table 3.--Proposed 2000 Allocation (Metric Tons) of Pacific Cod Initial
  TAC Amounts in the Gulf of Alaska; Allocations for Processing by the
                     Inshore and Offshore Components
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Component Allocation
                                               -------------------------
         Regulatory area           Initial TAC    Inshore      Offshore
                                                   (90%)        (10%)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western..........................       18,904       17,014        1,890
Central..........................       34,348       30,913        3,435
Eastern..........................        1,016          914          102
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total........................       54,268       48,841        5,427
------------------------------------------------------------------------

``Other Species'' TAC

    The FMP specifies that amounts for the ``other species'' category 
are calculated as 5 percent of the combined TAC amounts for target 
species. The GOA-wide ``other species'' TAC is calculated as 14,600 mt, 
which is 5 percent of the sum of combined TAC amounts for the target 
species.

Proposed Halibut PSC Limits

    Under Sec. 679.21(d), annual Pacific halibut PSC limits are 
established for trawl and hook-and-line gear and may be established for 
pot gear. In October 1999, the Council recommended that NMFS re-
establish the 1999 halibut PSC limits of 2,000 mt for the trawl 
fisheries and 300 mt for the hook-and-line fisheries, with 10 mt of the 
hook-and-line limit allocated to the demersal shelf rockfish (DSR) 
fishery in the Southeast Outside District and the remainder to the 
remaining hook-and-line fisheries.
    Regulations at Sec. 679.21(d)(4) authorize exemption of specified 
nontrawl fisheries from the halibut PSC limit. The Council proposes to 
exempt pot gear, jig gear, and the hook-and-line sablefish fishery from 
the nontrawl halibut limit for 2000. The Council proposed these 
exemptions because the halibut bycatch mortality experienced in the pot 
gear

[[Page 69462]]

fisheries is relatively low (17 mt in 1996, 13 mt in 1997, 13 mt in 
1998, and 44 mt in 1999) and because the halibut and sablefish 
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program, implemented in 1995, allows 
retention of legal-sized halibut in the sablefish fishery by persons 
holding IFQ permits for halibut.
    Under Sec. 679.21(d)(5), NMFS seasonally apportions the halibut PSC 
limits based on recommendations from the Council. The FMP requires that 
the following information be considered by the Council in recommending 
seasonal apportionments of halibut PSC limits: (1) Seasonal 
distribution of halibut, (2) seasonal distribution of target groundfish 
species relative to halibut distribution, (3) expected halibut bycatch 
needs on a seasonal basis relative to changes in halibut biomass and 
expected catches of target groundfish species, (4) expected bycatch 
rates on a seasonal basis, (5) expected changes in directed groundfish 
fishing seasons, (6) expected actual start of fishing effort, and (7) 
economic effects of establishing of the target groundfish industry.
    The final rule establishing the final 1999 groundfish and PSC 
specifications (64 FR 12094, March 11, 1999) summarizes Council 
findings with respect to each of the FMP considerations set forth here. 
At this time, the Council's findings are unchanged from those set forth 
in 1999. Pacific halibut PSC limits, and apportionments thereof, are 
presented in Table 4. Regulations at Sec. 679.21(d)(5)(iii) specify 
that any overages or shortfalls in a seasonal apportionment of a PSC 
limit will be deducted from or added to the next respective seasonal 
apportionment within the 2000 season.

               Table 4.--Proposed 2000 Pacific Halibut PSC Limits, Allowances, and Apportionments.
  [The Pacific halibut PSC limit for hook-and-line gear would be allocated to the demersal shelf rockfish (DSR)
   fishery in the SE Outside District and other fisheries. The hook-and-line sablefish fishery is exempt from
                                      halibut PSC limits. Values are in mt]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Trawl gear                                           Hook-and-line gear
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Other than DSR                         DSR
            Dates                  Amount     ------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Dates           Amount           Dates           Amount
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan 1-Mar 31.................       600 (30%)  Jan 1-May 17....       250 (86%)  Jan 1-Dec 31...       10 (100%)
Apr 1-Jul 3..................       400 (20%)  May 18-Aug 31...         15 (5%)  ...............  ..............
Jul 4-Sep 30.................       600 (30%)  Sep 1-Dec 31....         25 (9%)  ...............  ..............
Oct 1-Dec 31.................       400 (20%)  ................  ..............  ...............  ..............
                              ----------------                  ----------------                 ---------------
    Total....................    2,000 (100%)    ..............      290 (100%)    .............       10 (100%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Regulations at Sec. 679.21(d)(3)(iii) authorize the apportionment 
of the trawl halibut PSC limit to a deep-water species fishery 
(comprising sablefish, rockfish, deep-water flatfish, rex sole, and 
arrowtooth flounder) and a shallow-water species fishery (comprising 
pollock, Pacific cod, shallow-water flatfish, flathead sole, Atka 
mackerel, and ``other species''). The proposed apportionment for these 
two fishery complexes is presented in Table 5.

Table 5. Proposed 2000 Apportionment of Pacific Halibut PSC Trawl Limits
  Between the Deep-Water Species Complex and the Shallow-Water Species
                                Complex.
                      [Values are in metric tons.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Shallow
              Season                  water      Deep water     Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20-March 31..............          500          100          600
April 1-July 3...................          100          300          400
July 4-September 30..............          200          400          600
                                  --------------------------------------
    Subtotal.....................
January 20-September 30..........          800          800        1,600
October 1-December 31............  ...........  ...........          400
                                                            ------------
    Total........................  ...........  ...........        2,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Pacific halibut PSC is not apportioned between shallow-water and
  deep-water categories from October 1 through December 31.

    The Council may recommend, or NMFS may make, some changes in the 
seasonal, gear type, and fishing-complex apportionments of halibut PSC 
limits for the final 2000 harvest specifications. NMFS considers the 
following types of information in setting halibut PSC limits as 
presented by, and summarized from, the preliminary 2000 SAFE Report, or 
from public comment and testimony.

1. Estimated Halibut Bycatch in Prior Years

    The best available information on estimated halibut bycatch is 
available from data collected by observers during 1999. The calculated 
halibut bycatch mortality by trawl, hook-and-line, and pot gear through 
October 16, 1999, is 2,115 mt, 343 mt, and 44 mt, respectively, for a 
total halibut mortality of 2,502 mt.
    Halibut bycatch restrictions seasonally constrained trawl gear 
fisheries during all quarters of the 1999 fishing year. Trawling for 
the deep-water fishery complex was closed for the first quarter on 
March 24 (64 FR 14840, March 29, 1999), for the second quarter on April 
25 (64 FR 22815, April 28, 1999), for the third quarter on July 21 (64 
FR 40293, July 26, 1999), and for the fourth quarter on October 16, 
1999 (64 FR 56473, October 20, 1999). The

[[Page 69463]]

shallow-water fishery complex was closed for the first quarter on March 
20 (64 FR 14155, March 24, 1999), for the second quarter on April 1 (64 
FR 16654, April 6, 1999), for the third quarter on July 4 (64 FR 35080, 
June 30, 1999), and for the fourth quarter on October 16, 1999 (64 FR 
56473, October 20, 1999). The use of hook-and-line gear targeting 
groundfish other than sablefish and DSR was closed for the first 
trimester on April 24 (64 FR 22814, April 28, 1999), for the second 
trimester on May 18 (64 FR 27476, May 20, 1999), and for the third 
trimester on September 1 (64 FR 46317, August 25, 1999). The amount of 
groundfish that might have been harvested if halibut had not been 
seasonally limiting in 1999 is unknown. However, lacking market 
incentives, some amounts of groundfish will not be harvested, 
regardless of halibut PSC bycatch availability.

2. Expected Changes in Groundfish Stocks

    The proposed 2000 ABC amounts for the species or species groups are 
unchanged from 1999 amounts.

3. Expected Changes in Groundfish Catch

    The total of the proposed 2000 TAC amounts for the GOA is 306,535 
mt, which represents 100 percent of the sum of TAC amounts for 1999 
(306,535 mt).

4. Current Estimates of Halibut Biomass and Stock Condition

    The most recent information on halibut biomass and stock condition 
may be found in the final SAFE report for 1999, dated November 1998. 
New information will be incorporated in the final SAFE report for 2000.
    The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has added the 
following information to the preliminary SAFE report for 2000, dated 
September 1999: (1) Halibut viability information collected by 
observers in 1998, (2) discard mortality rates (DMRs) have been 
estimated for the 1998 groundfish fisheries, and (3) DMR 
recommendations for year 2000 halibut bycatch monitoring.

5. Potential Impacts of Expected Fishing for Groundfish on Halibut 
Stocks and U.S. Halibut Fisheries

    The allowable commercial catch of halibut will be adjusted to 
account for the overall halibut PSC mortality limit established for 
groundfish fisheries. The 2000 groundfish fisheries are expected to use 
the entire proposed halibut PSC limit of 2,300 mt. The allowable 
directed commercial catch is determined by accounting for the 
recreational catch, waste, and bycatch mortality and then providing the 
remainder to the directed fishery. Groundfish fishing is not expected 
to adversely affect the halibut stocks.

6. Methods Available for, and Costs of, Reducing Halibut Bycatch in 
Groundfish Fisheries

    Methods available for reducing halibut bycatch include: (1) 
Reducing halibut bycatch rates through the Vessel Incentive Program; 
(2) modifications to gear; (3) changes in groundfish fishing seasons; 
(4) individual transferable quota programs; and (5) time/area closures.
    Reductions in groundfish TAC amounts provide no incentive for 
fishermen to reduce bycatch rates. Costs that would be imposed on 
fishermen as a result of reducing TAC amounts depend on the species and 
amounts of groundfish foregone.
    Trawl vessels carrying observers for purposes of complying with 
observer coverage requirements (50 CFR 679.50) are subject to the 
Vessel Incentive Program. This program encourages trawl fishermen to 
avoid high halibut bycatch rates while conducting groundfish fisheries 
by specifying bycatch rate standards for various target fisheries.
    Current regulations (Sec. 679.24(b)(1)(ii)) specify requirements 
for tunnel openings for groundfish pots to reduce halibut bycatch. As a 
result, low bycatch and mortality rates of halibut in pot fisheries 
have justified exempting pot gear from PSC limits.
    The regulations also define pelagic trawl gear in a manner intended 
to reduce bycatch of halibut by displacing fishing effort off the 
bottom of the sea floor when certain halibut bycatch levels are reached 
during the fishing year. The definition provides standards for physical 
conformation (Sec. 679.2, see authorized fishing gear) and performance 
of the trawl gear in terms of crab bycatch (Sec. 679.7(a)(14)). 
Furthermore, all hook-and-line vessel operators are required to employ 
careful release measures when handling halibut bycatch 
(Sec. 679.7(a)(13)). These measures are intended to reduce handling 
mortality, to increase the amount of groundfish harvested under the 
available halibut mortality bycatch limits, and to possibly lower 
overall halibut bycatch mortality in groundfish fisheries.
    The sablefish/halibut IFQ program (implemented in 1995) was 
intended, in part, to reduce the halibut discard mortality in the 
sablefish fishery.
    NMFS and the Council will review the methods available for reducing 
halibut bycatch listed here to determine their effectiveness, and will 
initiate changes, as necessary, in response to this review or to public 
testimony and comment.
    Consistent with the goals and objectives of the FMP to reduce 
halibut bycatch while providing an opportunity to harvest the 
groundfish OY, NMFS proposes the assignments of 2,000 mt and 300 mt of 
halibut PSC limits to trawl and hook-and-line gear, respectively. While 
these limits would reduce the harvest quota for commercial halibut 
fishermen, NMFS has determined that they would not result in unfair 
allocation to any particular user group. NMFS recognizes that some 
halibut bycatch will occur in the groundfish fishery, but the Vessel 
Incentive Program, required modifications to gear, and implementation 
of the halibut/sablefish IFQ program are intended to reduce adverse 
impacts on halibut fishermen while promoting the opportunity to achieve 
the OY from the groundfish fishery.

Halibut Discard Mortality Rates

    The Council recommended that the assumed recommended halibut 
mortality rates developed by staff of the IPHC for the 1999 GOA 
groundfish fisheries be adopted for purposes of monitoring halibut 
bycatch allowances established for the 2000 GOA groundfish fisheries. 
The justification for these mortality rates is discussed in the final 
SAFE report dated November 1998. Most of the IPHC's assumed mortality 
rates were based on an average of discard mortality rates determined 
from NMFS-observer data collected during 1997 and 1998. The proposed 
mortality rates listed in Table 6 are subject to change pending the 
results of an updated analysis on halibut mortality rates in the 
groundfish fisheries that IPHC staff are scheduled to present to the 
Council at its meeting in December 1999.

   Table 6.--Proposed 2000 Assumed Pacific Halibut Mortality Rates for
                  Vessels Fishing in the Gulf of Alaska
   [Listed values are percent of halibut bycatch assumed to be dead.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Mortality
                       Gear and target                            rate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hook-and-Line:
    Pacific cod..............................................         16
    Rockfish.................................................          9
    Other species............................................         16
Trawl:
    Midwater pollock.........................................         76
    Rockfish.................................................         64
    Shallow-water flatfish...................................         71

[[Page 69464]]

 
    Pacific cod..............................................         66
    Deep-water flatfish......................................         66
    Flathead sole:
        Catcher vessels......................................         58
        Catcher/processing vessels...........................         74
    Rex sole.................................................         55
    Bottom pollock...........................................         73
    Atka mackerel............................................         57
    Sablefish................................................         71
    Other species............................................         66
Pot:
    Pacific cod..............................................          6
    Other species............................................          6
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification

    This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.20 and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12866.
    Pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, NMFS has 
completed a consultation on the effects of the 1999 to 2002 pollock and 
Atka mackerel fisheries on listed species, including the Steller sea 
lion, and designated critical habitat. The Biological Opinion prepared 
for this consultation, dated December 3, 1998, concluded that the Atka 
mackerel fisheries in the BSAI are not likely to jeopardize the 
continued existence of Steller sea lions or adversely modify their 
designated critical habitat. However, the Biological Opinion concluded 
that the pollock fisheries in the BSAI and the GOA would cause jeopardy 
and adverse modification.
    NMFS is developing a proposed rule to permanently implement RPAs to 
avoid the likelihood that the pollock fisheries off Alaska will 
jeopardize the continued existence of the western population of Steller 
sea lions or adversely modify its critical habitat. Final regulations 
must be effective prior to the start of the BSAI and GOA pollock 
fisheries on January 20, 2000, or NMFS will be obligated under the 
Endangered Species Act to close all fishing for pollock until such 
measures can be implemented.
    NMFS must also complete a consultation on the effects of the 2000 
BSAI groundfish fisheries on listed species, including the Steller sea 
lion and salmon, and on designated critical habitat. These 
consultations will be completed in December 1999 before the start of 
the 2000 groundfish fishery. These consultations cannot be completed 
until new fishery information is available in late November.
    NMFS prepared a Draft EA/IRFA that describes the impact these 
proposed specifications, if adopted, may have on small entities. The 
preferred alternative would allow the GOA groundfish fisheries to 
continue under final specifications set at 1999 levels until the TAC is 
harvested or until the fishery is closed due to attainment of a PSC 
limit, or for other management reasons. Under the preferred 
alternative, the 2000 TACs would be based on the most recent scientific 
information as reviewed by the Plan Team, SSC, AP, and Council and that 
includes public testimony and comment from the September Plan Team and 
October Council meetings. The preferred alternative also achieves 
optimum yield while preventing overfishing. Small entities would 
receive the maximum benefits under this alternative, in that they would 
be able to harvest target species and species groups at the highest 
available level based on stock status and ecosystem concerns. This 
proposed rule would apply to all vessels harvesting groundfish in the 
GOA. In 1998, 1,239 vessels caught groundfish in the GOA. NMFS has no 
information to accurately determine which of these vessels represent 
``small businesses'' for IRFA purposes. No reporting requirements exist 
with this proposed action. NMFS is not aware of any other Federal rules 
which duplicate, overlap or conflict with the proposed specifications. 
The proposed rule would affect these vessels by authorizing fishing and 
establishing harvest limits. The amounts proposed are the same as last 
year's.
    The establishment of differing compliance or reporting requirements 
or timetables, the use of performance rather than design standards, or 
exempting affected small entities from any part of this action would 
not be appropriate because of the nature of this action.

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

    Dated: December 8, 1999.
Penelope D. Dalton,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-32235 Filed 12-10-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P