[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 203 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 62646-62649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26786]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 000211040-0040-01; I.D. 101200A]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation 
of Pollock

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

ACTION:  Reallocation.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating projected unused amounts of Bering Sea

[[Page 62647]]

subarea (BS) pollock from the incidental catch allowance to the 
directed fisheries. This action is necessary to allow the 2000 total 
allowable catch (TAC) of pollock to be harvested.

DATES: Effective October 13, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Andrew Smoker, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands area (BSAI) according to the Fishery 
Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands Area (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 appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 
600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    In accordance with section 206(b) of the American Fisheries Act 
(AFA), NMFS specified a pollock incidental catch allowance equal to 5 
percent of the pollock total allowable catch after subtraction of the 
10 percent Community Development Quota reserve in the Final 2000 
Harvest Specifications for Groundfish for the BSAI (65 FR 8282, 
February 18, 2000).
     As of October 10, 2000, the Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator), has determined that approximately 14,000 
metric tons (mt) of pollock remain in the incidental catch allowance. 
Based on projected harvest rates of other groundfish species and the 
expected bycatch of pollock in those fisheries, the Regional 
Administrator has determined that 9,000 mt of pollock specified in the 
incidental catch account will not be necessary as incidental catch. 
Therefore, NMFS is apportioning the projected unused amount, 9,000 mt, 
of pollock from the incidental catch allowance to the directed fishing 
allowances established at section 206(b) of the AFA. This transfer will 
increase the allocation to catcher vessels harvesting pollock for 
processing by the inshore component by 4,500 mt, to catcher/processors 
and catcher vessels harvesting pollock for processing by catcher 
processors in the offshore component by 3,600 mt, and to catcher 
vessels harvesting pollock for processing by motherships in the 
offshore component by 900 mt. Pursuant to section 210(c) of the AFA, no 
less than 8.5 percent of the 3,600 mt allocated to catcher processors 
in the offshore component, 306 mt, will be available for harvest only 
by eligible catcher vessels delivering to listed catcher processors.
    Regulations in the emergency interim rule establishing Steller sea 
lion protection measures for the pollock fisheries off Alaska (65 FR 
3892, January 25, 2000) and extended (65 FR 36795, June 12, 2000) allow 
for catch to occur within the C/D season so that pollock removals from 
all sectors do not exceed 60 percent of the annual TAC. Sixty percent 
of the annual pollock TAC is equal to 683,400 mt tons. With this 
apportionment the C/D season catch for the three combined directed 
fisheries, the CDQ fishery, and bycatch of pollock in other directed 
groundfish fisheries will be less than 679,000 mt, thereby not 
violating the 60 percent restriction.
    The emergency interim rule to establish AFA permit requirements (65 
FR 380, January 5, 2000) and the extension (65 FR 39107, June 23, 2000) 
set out procedures for AFA inshore catcher vessel pollock cooperatives 
to apply for and receive cooperative fishing permits and inshore 
pollock allocations. NMFS received applications from seven inshore 
catcher vessel cooperatives by the application deadline of December 31, 
1999. Table 1 revises the final 2000 BS subarea allocations to include 
the seven inshore catcher vessel pollock cooperatives that have been 
approved and permitted by NMFS for the 2000 fishing year consistent 
with this reallocation.
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Classification

    This action responds to the best available information recently 
obtained from the fishery. NMFS finds that the need to implement this 
action immediately in order to allow full utilization of the pollock 
TAC constitutes good cause to waive prior notice and comment as such 
procedures are unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. As 
further delay would only disrupt the AFA and the FMP's objective of 
providing pollock for harvest in directed fisheries, NMFS finds for 
good cause that the implementation of this action cannot be delayed for 
30 days. Accordingly, under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a delay in the effective 
date is hereby waived.
    This action is taken under 50 CFR 679.20, and is exempt from review 
under E.O. 12866.

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

    October 13, 2000.
Clarence Pautzke
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-26786 Filed 10-13-00; 5:02 pm]
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