[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 218 (Thursday, November 9, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67305-67309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28676]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 300 and 679

[Docket No. 000616184-0290-02; I.D. 050500A]
RIN 0648-AK74


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Sitka 
Pinnacles Marine Reserve

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 59 to the 
Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) and 
to make changes to the regulations governing the Individual Fishing 
Quota (IFQ) commercial fishery and halibut sport fishery. This action 
designates an unusually productive and fragile 2.5 square nautical mile 
(nm) area of habitat as the Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve (Reserve) 
and closes this area to groundfish fishing and anchoring by commercial 
groundfish vessels, to halibut fishing and anchoring by IFQ halibut 
fishing vessels, to sport fishing for halibut, and to anchoring by any 
vessel if halibut is on board. The intent of this action is to protect 
an area containing important fish habitat from the effects of fishing 
and anchoring and to create a groundfish reserve.

DATES: Effective December 11, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact 
Review/Initial Regulatory Impact Review (EA/RIR/IRFA) and the Final 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) prepared for this action may be 
obtained from the Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 
99802-1668, Attn: Lori Gravel, or by calling the Alaska Region, NMFS, 
at 907-586-7228. Send comments on any ambiguity or unnecessary 
complexity arising from the language used in this final rule to the 
Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 709 West Ninth Street, 
Federal Office Building, Suite 453, Juneau, AK 99801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nina Mollett, 907-586-7228; fax 907-
586-7465.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The domestic groundfish fisheries of the 
Gulf of Alaska (GOA) are managed by NMFS under the FMP. The FMP was 
prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Regulations governing the domestic groundfish 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone of the GOA appear at 50 CFR 
parts 600 and 679. Regulations governing the IFQ halibut fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone of the GOA appear at 50 CFR part 679. 
Regulations governing the domestic halibut fisheries appear at 50 CFR 
300.60 to 300.65, which supplements the annual fishery management 
measures adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) 
under the Convention between the United States and Canada for the 
Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and 
Bering Sea.
    Amendment 59 was submitted to NMFS for review and a notice of 
availability of the FMP amendment was published on May 12, 2000 (65 FR 
30559), with comments on the FMP amendment invited through July 11, 
2000. Amendment 59 was approved by NMFS on August 9, 2000. The proposed 
rule to implement Amendment 59 was published on June 26, 2000 (64 FR 
39342). The public comment period ended on August 10, 2000. One letter 
of comments was received on Amendment 59 and its implementing 
regulations. A summary of this letter and NMFS' response is provided in 
the ``Response to Comments'' section.

Background

    The Sitka Pinnacles area, in the Southeast Outside District of the 
GOA near Cape Edgecumbe, provides highly productive habitat for many 
species at different stages of their life cycles. Information collected 
during manned submersible surveys of groundfish habitat by the Alaska 
Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) indicates that the diversity and 
density of fish around the Sitka Pinnacles are much greater than the 
typical eastern continental shelf of the GOA. The pinnacles habitat is 
fragile, and the concentration of fishes in a relatively small, compact 
space can lend itself to overfishing of certain species, particularly 
lingcod, at sensitive life stages.
    The Sitka Pinnacles (also called the Cape Edgecumbe Pinnacles) 
consist of two large volcanic cones that rise abruptly off the 
seafloor. The top of one is within 70 meters (229.6 feet) of the sea 
surface, and the other within 40 meters (131.2 feet). The area from sea 
surface to seafloor provides a variety of rich habitat suitable for 
different species. The field of boulders on the bottom provides a 
spawning bed for

[[Page 67306]]

lingcod and refuge for large numbers of such commercially valuable 
species as yelloweye and tiger rockfish, and of such non-commercial 
species as prowfish. The flat, irregular tops of the pinnacles are used 
as a feeding platform by juvenile and adult rockfish and by huge 
concentrations of lingcod. The walls of the pinnacles, covered with 
algae, anemones, and other organisms, provide shelter to large numbers 
of juvenile and adult bottom-dwelling rockfish. Finally, schooling 
species, such as yellowtail and widow rockfish, feed along the pinnacle 
walls and in the water column between the top of the pinnacles and the 
surface.
    Since 1997, when the State of Alaska (State) initially proposed 
this action to the Council, NMFS, ADF&G, and the IPHC have cooperated 
on creating the Reserve, as different species are managed under 
different jurisdictions (see Table 1).

                The Sitka Pinnacles Table 1--Agency Actions to Close Fisheries off Cape Edgecumbe
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              Species                             Agency                                  Law
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commercial and recreational fishing  ADF&G..........................  These fisheries are closed under 5 AAC
 for lingcod and black rockfish                                        28.150.
Groundfish                           NMFS...........................  Closed by Amd. 59 and regulatory
                                                                       amendments at 50 CFR 679.2 and Sec.
                                                                       679.22.
Halibut                              NMFS and IPHC..................  Closed by regulatory amendments at 50 CFR
                                                                       300.63 and Sec.  679.22.
Scallops                             ADF&G..........................  Under Amd. 3 to the Fishery Management
                                                                       Plan for Scallop Fisheries off Alaska,
                                                                       NMFS delegates responsibility to the
                                                                       State for managing the scallop fishery.
                                                                       Scallop dredging has been closed under 5
                                                                       AAC 38.120 in the ``Central Southeast
                                                                       Outside'' area, including the Sitka
                                                                       Pinnacles, since July, 1994.
Commercial and Recreational Salmon   NMFS and ADF&G.................  The Alaska State Board of Fish considered
                                                                       closure to salmon fishing at its February
                                                                       2000 meeting and rejected the proposal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The area has been used for fishing, especially with hook-and-line 
gear, for decades. In the late 1980s, a directed fishery for lingcod 
developed on the pinnacles. The high density and aggressive feeding 
behavior of lingcod made them extremely susceptible to capture; hourly 
catch rates of lingcod at the site exceeded catch rates in the 
surrounding area by threefold. In 1991, the State of Alaska (State) 
began attempting to preserve lingcod populations in nearby State waters 
(the Sitka Pinnacles are in Federal waters) through closures during 
winter when male lingcod are nest guarding and, in 1994, through 
spring/summer in-season closures of State-regulated fishing in areas 
that included the pinnacles. In 1995, the pinnacles area was included 
in the winter closure as well. In 1997, ADF&G issued an emergency order 
closing the area to all State-regulated groundfish fishing for the 
entire season. However, the sport fishery was not affected by any of 
the State's management actions and continued to take lingcod and 
Pacific halibut. In May 1998, the commercial and sportfish divisions of 
ADF&G submitted joint proposals to the State's Board of Fish and the 
Council to close the Sitka Pinnacles area. The Board of Fish closed the 
area to fishing for lingcod and black rockfish, which are species under 
its jurisdiction. It took up the question of closing the area to 
commercial and recreational salmon fishing in February 2000 but 
rejected the proposal.
    This action has two parts:

1. Implementation of Amendment 59; Designation of Sitka Pinnacles 
Marine Reserve and Closure to Groundfish Fishing and Anchoring

    This action complements State regulations by designating a 2.5 
square nm area of the GOA as the Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve and 
closing this area to groundfish fishing or anchoring by vessels 
required to have a Federal fisheries permit under Sec. 679.4(b).

2. Regulatory amendment for halibut

    The Pacific halibut fishery is managed by the IPHC, under the 
Northern Pacific Halibut Act. The Act states that the Regional Fishery 
Management Council with authority for a geographic area may develop 
regulations governing U.S. waters ``which are in addition to, and not 
in conflict with, regulations adopted by the Commission'' (16 U.S.C. 
773c(c)). Pursuant to this authority, this action closes the Reserve to 
fishing for halibut or anchoring by vessels required to have on board 
an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) halibut permit under Sec. 679.4(d). 
Also pursuant to this authority, this action closes the area to sport 
fishing for halibut as defined at Sec.  300.61, or anchoring by any 
vessel having halibut on board.
    The combined effect of State and Federal regulations will allow the 
Sitka Pinnacles ecosystem to maintain its natural level of production 
by eliminating the harvest or bycatch of fish during critical portions 
of their life history. The prohibition on anchoring will prevent 
degradation of the area's fragile habitat.

Response to Comments

    One letter was received during the public comment period. It was 
from the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC). CMC's comments are 
summarized and responded to as follows:
    Comment: CMC supported the closure generally with certain 
reservations: (1) It would have preferred an ``ecosystem-based 
management strategy'' including designation of the reserve as a Habitat 
Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) to the ``species-specific strategy'' 
adopted by NMFS; (2) it supports a ban on all anchoring in the 
pinnacles area; (3) it supports closing a larger area to fishing that 
would include a buffer zone around

[[Page 67307]]

the pinnacles, noting that initial State-regulated closures designated 
a 3.1 square nm area.
    Response: (1) The Reserve is being considered by the Council for 
HAPC designation as part of a broader HAPC amendment, which is 
undergoing a public planning process. (2) NMFS agrees that the 
anchoring prohibition is selective, not comprehensive. However, NMFS' 
authority under the Magnuson-Stevens Act is limited to the regulation 
of fishing vessels. Thus, NMFS does not have authority to prohibit 
anchoring by non fishing vessels. NMFS has delegated the management of 
commercial and sport salmon fishing to the State. NMFS has corresponded 
with the State over the possibility of prohibiting anchoring by salmon 
fishing vessels. (3) Initial state-regulated closures designated a 3.1 
square nm area around the pinnacles. The discrepancy is due to an 
initial miscalculation of the area, which has been corrected. The area 
is actually 2.5 square nm. The area delineated has remained the same 
dimension and includes the entire area around the pinnacles recommended 
by the State in its initial presentation to the Council, as described 
in the final rule. A larger closed area would lead to greater impacts 
on fishermen and would have less community support. The 2.5 square nm 
closure adequately protects the discrete habitat area surrounding the 
Sitka Pinnacles.

Classification

    This action has been determined to be not significant under 
Executive Order12866. No new reporting, recordkeeping, or compliance 
requirements are imposed by this final rule.
    NMFS has prepared an FRFA that describes the impact this final rule 
is expected to have on small entities. A copy of this analysis is 
available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). At the upper limit, the total 
number of entities that could be affected by this action is estimated 
at 2,618, which includes 1,048 fixed gear groundfish vessels and 1,570 
halibut vessels, based on 1998 data for vessels that fished in the GOA. 
This figure does not include trawl vessels, which are already 
prohibited from fishing in this area under Amendment 41 (63 FR 8356, 
February 19, 1998). Of the non-trawl vessels, the great majority (90 
percent) are catcher vessels under 60 feet in length overall (as 
opposed to larger catcher vessels and catcher-processors). The 
necessary data on ownership, affiliation, contractual relationships, 
and the rest from which to conclusively determine which of these 
operations are ``small entities'' for Regulatory Flexibility Act 
purposes are not available, and some of these 2,618 vessels might not 
qualify under Small Business Administration criteria. However, for the 
purposes of the FRFA analysis, all of these groundfish and commercial 
halibut vessels are assumed to be small entities, given the nature of 
the fisheries they participate in and the unlikelihood that many of 
them have annual gross revenues in excess of $3 million. This 
simplifying assumption avoids the risk of understating the potential 
impact on small entities.
    Realistically, the assumption that all vessels fishing in the GOA 
could be affected greatly inflates the estimate of vessels whose 
opportunity to fish could potentially be affected by this final rule. 
The closure is in Statistical Area (S.A.) 355631. Information from the 
State's Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission fish ticket data shows 
that, in 1998, 97 vessels fished for groundfish in S. A. 355631. The 
NMFS IFQ landings database shows that 67 vessels caught IFQ halibut in 
1998 in S. A. 355631 (4.2 percent of halibut vessels). Therefore, 157 
is a more realistic estimate of the universe of commercial groundfish 
and halibut vessels that fish in the vicinity and whose opportunity to 
fish could potentially be affected by the final rule.
    The total landings of State and federally managed species in 1998 
in S. A. 355631, based on fish ticket data, were 748,378 lb (or about 
0.14 percent of the total landings in the GOA that year). The total 
amount of halibut landed in S. A. 355631 was 409,000 lb, or 0.9 percent 
of the total landed in the GOA, a percentage which remained consistent 
from 1995 to 1998. The closure area itself is less than 1 percent of S. 
A. 355631 (2.5 sq nm out of a total of 466 sq nm). The historical 
poundage of groundfish and halibut taken in the closure area cannot be 
ascertained with any further accuracy, however, because the data built 
from fish tickets give only statistical areas and not exact catch 
locations.
    In addition to the commercial fishing vessels, 588 charter vessels, 
owned by 397 unique businesses, fished for halibut in 1988 in IPHC Area 
2C, in which the Sitka Pinnacles are located. Of the charter vessels, 
364 were homeported in Sitka, and 191 of the Sitka vessels targeted 
bottomfish, including Pacific halibut. Opportunities of charter boat 
operators, as well as individual anglers, to fish for Pacific halibut 
could be affected by this action. But few, if any, of these charter 
boats have been fishing on the pinnacles since the State closed the 
area to fishing for lingcod and State-managed rockfish species in the 
summer of 1998. The aggregations of lingcod present on the pinnacles 
were an incentive to travel to this site. Although halibut may be found 
near the Sitka Pinnacles, they do not aggregate there in any greater 
numbers than elsewhere in S. A. 355631.
    The actual number of vessels affected by the rule will be even 
smaller than the number outlined. Few fishing vessels currently use the 
area. Most, if not all, groundfish and halibut fishermen have 
voluntarily avoided the pinnacles area for the past 2 years, since 
ADF&G regulations prohibiting the take of groundfish species under its 
jurisdiction took effect. Local fishermen have been supportive of 
protecting the Sitka Pinnacles.
    If any vessels continue to fish in the reserve, they are not likely 
to be adversely affected by the closure to any significant extent, as 
the area constitutes less than 1 percent of the grounds in S. A. 355631 
and less than .001 percent of the total available fishing grounds in 
the GOA (about 340,000 sq nm). Some long-term advantage may accrue to 
fishermen in terms of fishing opportunity in nearby areas because 
leaving an area of notably high biological importance and productivity 
(e.g., unique breeding, spawning, rearing habitat) undisturbed has the 
potential of increasing production through a spillover effect in 
adjacent areas that remain open to fishing. Any such benefits from 
increased production, however, could be offset in an open-access 
situation because increased catch per unit effort in adjacent areas 
could lead to crowding externalities. The preferred alternative 
selected, under which salmon fishing would continue to be allowed, was 
chosen in order to reduce the potential impact on small entities. The 
State Board of Fish considered and rejected closing the area to salmon 
fishing at its February 2000 meeting in order to minimize unwarranted 
adverse impacts on numerous salmon vessels that fish in the GOA.
    In summary, the cost to small entities of implementing the final 
rule is expected to be quite low, as the area being proposed for 
closure constitutes an extremely small percentage of available fishing 
grounds, and few, if any, vessels have been fishing in the area since 
ADF&G promulgated regulations prohibiting fishing for groundfish 
species under its jurisdiction in 1998. No total allowable catch quotas 
will be changed by the rule, and NMFS does not anticipate a reduction 
in catch for any species as a result of this rulemaking.
    The Environmental Assessment concluded that implementing the

[[Page 67308]]

amendment is not likely to affect the quality of the human environment.
    The President has directed Federal agencies to use plain language 
in their communication with the public, including regulations. To 
comply with this directive, we seek public comment on any ambiguity or 
unnecessary complexity arising from the language used in this final 
rule. Such comments should be sent to the Alaska Regional Administrator 
(see ADDRESSES).

List of Subjects

50 CFR Part 300

    Administrative practice and procedure, Exports, Fish, Fisheries, 
Marine resources.

50 CFR Part 679

    Alaska, Fisheries, Recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

    Dated: November 1, 2000.
William T. Hogarth,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.

    For the reasons discussed in the preamble, 50 CFR parts 300 and 679 
are amended as follows:

PART 300--INTERNATIONAL FISHERIES REGULATIONS

    1. The authority citation for 50 CFR part 300, subpart E, continues 
to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 - 773k.

    2. In subpart E, Pacific Halibut Fisheries, Sec. 300.63, paragraph 
(e) is added to read as follows:


Sec. 300.63  Catch sharing plans, local area management plans, and 
domestic management measures.

* * * * *
    (e) Prohibition on halibut fishing and anchoring in the Sitka 
Pinnacles Marine Reserve. (1) For purposes of this paragraph (e), the 
Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve means an area totaling 2.5 square nm off 
Cape Edgecumbe, defined by straight lines connecting the following 
points in a counterclockwise manner:
    56 deg.55.0'N lat., 135 deg.54.0'W long;
    56 deg.57.0'N lat., 135 deg.54.0'W long;
    56 deg.57.0'N lat., 135 deg.57.0'W long;
    56 deg.55.5'N lat., 135 deg.57.0'W long.
    (2) No person shall engage in sport fishing, as defined in Sec.  
300.61, for halibut within the Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve.
    (3) No person shall anchor a vessel within the Sitka Pinnacles 
Marine Reserve if halibut is on board.

PART 679--FISHERIES OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF ALASKA

    3. The authority citation for 50 CFR part 679 continues to read as 
follows:

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

    4. In Sec. 679.2, a new definition for the ``Sitka Pinnacles Marine 
Reserve'' is added in alphabetical order, to read as follows:


Sec. 679.2  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve means an area totaling 2.5 square nm 
in the GOA, off Cape Edgecumbe, in Statistical Area 650. See Figure 18 
to this part.
* * * * *

    5. In Sec. 679.22, paragraph (b)(5) is added to read as follows:


Sec. 679.22  Closures.

* * * * *
    (b)* * *
    (5) Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve. (i) No vessel required to have 
a Federal fisheries permit under Sec. 679.4(b) may fish for groundfish 
or anchor in the Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve, as described in Figure 
18 to this part.
    (ii) No vessel required to have on board an IFQ halibut permit 
under Sec. 679.4(d) may fish for halibut or anchor in the Sitka 
Pinnacles Marine Reserve, as described in Figure 18 to this part.
* * * * *

    6. In part 679, Figure 18 is added to read as follows:

Figure 18 to Part 679-Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve

BILLING CODE 3510-22-S

[[Page 67309]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR09NO00.011

    b. Coordinates
    An area totaling 2.5 square nm off Cape Edgecumbe, defined by 
straight lines connecting the following points in a counterclockwise 
manner:
    56 deg.55.5'N lat., 135 deg.54.0'W long;
    56 deg.57.0'N lat., 135 deg.54.0'W long;
    56 deg.57.0'N lat., 135 deg.57.0'W long;
    56 deg.55.5'N lat., 135 deg.57.0'W long.
[FR Doc. 00-28676 Filed 11-09-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-C