[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 246 (Thursday, December 23, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72035-72036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33354]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 300

[I.D. 120999F]


Notification of U.S. Fish Quota Allocations in the Northwest 
Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area

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

ACTION: Notification of U.S. fish quota allocations.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that fish quota allocations are available for 
harvest by U.S. fishermen in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area.

DATES: Fish quotas are effective January 1, 2000, through December 31, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: For more information regarding the High Seas Fishing 
Compliance Act (HSFCA) Permit and NAFO requirements, please contact the 
Office of the Regional Administrator, NMFS Northeast Regional Office at 
One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 (phone: 978-281-
9226, fax: 978-281-9371).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick E. Moran, 301-713-2276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NAFO has established and maintains 
conservation measures in its Regulatory Area that include one effort 
limitation fishery as well as fisheries with total allowable catches 
(TACs) and member nation allocations. The principal species managed are 
cod, flounders, redfish, American plaice, halibut, capelin, shrimp, and 
squid. At the 1999 NAFO Annual Meeting, the United States received fish 
quota allocations for three NAFO stocks to be fished during 2000. In 
addition, the United States received an effort allocation for shrimp in 
NAFO Division 3M, which will be addressed in a separate notice. The 
species, fish quota allocation (in metric tons), and location of these 
U.S. fishing opportunities are as follows:
    (1) Redfish 69 mt NAFO Division 3M
    (2) Shrimp 67 mt NAFO Division 3L
    (3) Squid 453 mt NAFO Subareas 3 & 4
    All U.S. fish quota allocations in NAFO are available, on a first-
come-first-served basis, to be taken by U.S. vessels in possession of a 
valid High Seas Fishing Compliance Act (HSFCA) permit and NAFO 
reporting forms, both of which are available from the NMFS Northeast 
Regional Office. Note that

[[Page 72036]]

vessels issued valid High Seas Fishing Compliance permits under 50 CFR 
part 300 are exempt from multispecies permit, mesh size, effort-
control, and possession limit restrictions, specified in Secs. 648.4, 
648.80, 648.82 and 648.86, respectively, while transiting the U.S. EEZ 
with multispecies on board the vessel or landing multispecies in U.S. 
ports that were caught while fishing in the NAFO Regulatory Area, 
provided:
    (1) The vessel operator has a letter of authorization issued by the 
Regional Administrator on board the vessel;
    (2) For the duration of the trip, the vessel fishes exclusively in 
the NAFO Regulatory Area and does not harvest fish in, or possess fish 
harvested in or from, the U.S. EEZ;
    (3) When transiting the U.S. EEZ, all gear is properly stowed in 
accordance with one of the applicable methods specified in 
Sec. 648.81(e); and
    (4) The vessel operator complies with the HSFCA permit and all NAFO 
conservation and enforcement measures while fishing in the NAFO 
Regulatory Area.
    Relevant NAFO Conservation and Enforcement Measures include, but 
are not limited to, maintenance of a fishing logbook with NAFO-
designated entries; adherence to NAFO hail system requirements; 
presence of an on-board observer; deployment of a functioning, 
autonomous vessel monitoring system; and adherence with all relevant 
minimum size, gear, bycatch, and other requirements. Further details 
regarding these requirements can be found in the current NAFO 
Conservation and Enforcement Measures, available on the World Wide Web 
at <http://www.nafo.ca>.
    As the United States Government is required to notify NAFO with 
information regarding vessels intending to fish in the NAFO Regulatory 
Area, interested parties are encouraged to express their interest to 
the Office of the Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional 
Office (see ADDRESSES) as soon as possible.
    NMFS has received inquiries regarding the possibility of making 
U.S. fishing opportunities available to U.S. fishing interests using 
foreign vessels under contractual arrangements. To be consistent with 
domestic policies and practices under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, in particular the provisions relating 
to the total allowable level of foreign fishing and joint venture 
fishing, and, in light of the apparent capacity of U.S. vessels to take 
advantage of NAFO fishing opportunities, NMFS has determined that NAFO 
fish allocations to the United States will not be made available, at 
this time, to chartered fishing vessels registered to foreign 
governments.
    In the interests of expanding fishing opportunities for U.S. 
vessels, the United States has begun seeking additional fishing 
opportunities in the 3L shrimp fishery by requesting that NAFO members 
that did not fish their shrimp allocation in 1999 transfer such 
allocations for use by U.S. vessels. Information regarding any 
additional fishing opportunities resulting from transfers from other 
NAFO members will be published in the Federal Register.

    Dated: December 16, 1999.
Penelope D. Dalton,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Services.
[FR Doc. 99-33354 Filed 12-22-99; 8:45 am]
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