[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 99 (Monday, May 22, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 32070-32071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12833]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 000211040-0040-01; I.D. 051100D]


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: Proposed reapportionment of Pacific halibut bycatch mortality 
allowance specified for the nontrawl fishery categories; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes the reapportionment of the 2000 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

[[Page 32071]]

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: Comments on this action must be received at the following 
address no later than 4:30 p.m., A.l.t., June 6, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional 
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 
P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668, Attn: Lori Gravel. Hand delivery 
or courier delivery of comments may be sent to the Federal Building, 
709 West 9th Street, Room 453, Juneau, AK 99801. The final 
environmental assessment and final regulatory flexibility analysis 
prepared for the final 2000 total allowable catch specifications may be 
obtained from the same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Smoker, 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 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 metric tons (mt) of 
halibut mortality (Sec. 679.21(e)(2)(i)). The Final 2000 Harvest 
Specifications of Groundfish for the BSAI established the apportionment 
of the nontrawl halibut PSC limit to bycatch allowances for the Pacific 
cod hook-and-line and other nontrawl fisheries was established as 748 
mt and 84 mt respectively (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000). As of April 
22, 2000, 593 mt remain in the total 2000 halibut bycatch mortality 
allowance for the hook-and-line Pacific cod fishery. The other non-
trawl fishery opened on May 1, 2000.
    The hook-and-line fishery for Pacific cod will reopen on September 
1, 2000, and is projected to take as much as 300 mt of halibut 
mortality for the remainder of 2000. The directed fishery for Greenland 
turbot, a constituent and primary fishery of the other nontrawl 
category, may require an estimated 150 mt of halibut mortality to fully 
harvest the remaining directed fishing allowance of Greenland turbot.
    NMFS has determined that a reapportionment of 75 mt of halibut 
bycatch mortality allowance from the hook-and-line Pacific cod to the 
other nontrawl fishery category is necessary to promote achieving the 
optimum yield harvest of the BSAI nontrawl fisheries. This 
reapportionment is based on the best available scientific information 
pertaining to bycatch rates reported by NMFS-certified observers.
    Therefore, 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 proposes to increase the 
halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for the other nontrawl 
fishery category by 75 mt and reduce 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 2000 
BSAI nontrawl fisheries are listed in Table 7 of the final 2000 harvest 
specifications (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000). To accommodate the 
proposed action, the 2000 BSAI final harvest specifications would be 
amended by adding the following Table 7A.

 Table 7A.--2000 BSAI Prohibited Species Bycatch Allowances for the BSAI
                           Non-trawl Fisheries
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Non-trawl fisheries             Halibut mortality  (mt) BSAI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod--Total \1\....................  673.
Jan. 1-April 30...........................  457.
May 1-Sept. 1.............................  0.
Sept. 15-Dec. 31..........................  216.
Other non-trawl--Total....................  159.
May 1-Dec. 31.............................  159.
Groundfish pot & jog......................  exempt .
Sablefish hook-and-line...................  exempt.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Consistent with Sec.  679.21(e)(5)(iv)(A), Any unused halibut PSC
  from the first trimester may be rolled over into the third trimester.

    NMFS invites public comments on its proposal to reallocate the 
projected unused amount of halibut mortality from the hook-and-line 
Pacific cod fishery to the other nontrawl fishery category.

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 2000 harvest specifications (See 
ADDRESSES). The proposed 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: May 17, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-12833 Filed 5-19-00; 8:45 am]
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