[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 137 (Monday, July 17, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44011-44012]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18020]


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

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this amendment to the final 2000 harvest 
specifications that reapportions 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 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).

[[Page 44012]]


DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), July 12, 2000, 
through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2000.

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 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 apportionment of the 
nontrawl halibut PSC limit to bycatch allowances for the Pacific cod 
hook-and-line fishery, other nontrawl fisheries and prohibited species 
quota reserve was established by the Final 2000 Harvest Specifications 
of Groundfish for the BSAI (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000) as 748 mt, 
84 mt, and 67 mt, respectively.
    At its April 2000 meeting, the Council requested NMFS to amend the 
2000 harvest specifications to reapportion 75 mt of the halibut bycatch 
mortality allowance specified for the Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery 
to the other nontrawl fishery category. This proposed amendment to the 
2000 harvest specifications was published in the Federal Register on 
May 22, 2000 (65 FR 32070), for public comment and review. No comments 
were received during the comment period that ended June 6, 2000. 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 75 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 2000 BSAI 
nontrawl fisheries are listed in Table 7 of the Final 2000 Harvest 
Specifications for Groundfish (65 FR 8282, February 18, 2000). To 
accommodate the final action, the 2000 BSAI final harvest 
specifications are amended by adding the following Table 7A.

 Table 7A. 2000 BSAI prohibited species bycatch allowances for the BSAI
                           non-trawl fisheries
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Halibut
                                                               mortality
                     Non-trawl fisheries                          (mt)
                                                                  BSAI
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod-Total............................................        673
  Jan. 1-April 30............................................        457
  May 1-Sept. 1..............................................          0
  Sept. 1-Dec. 31............................................        216
Other non-trawl-Total........................................        159
  May 1-Dec. 31..............................................        159
Groundfish pot & jig.........................................     exempt
Sablefish hook-and-line......................................     exempt
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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. 
These documents are available by contacting: Lori Gravel, Alaska 
Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668. 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.
    The need to implement this reapportionment promptly to provide 
greater opportunity to harvest the BSAI Greenland turbot TAC and to 
prevent the unnecessary economic hardships to fishermen that would 
result from a fishery closure constitutes good cause under 5 U.S.C. 
553(d) to waive the 30-day effective date and make this reapportionment 
effective July 12, 2000 through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2000.

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

    Dated: July 11, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-18020 Filed 7-12-00; 2:38 pm]
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