[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 7 (Thursday, January 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 1329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-647]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 010302C]


Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Notice of Availability of Observer 
Coverage Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of Observer Coverage Plan for the 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces availability of the Observer Coverage Plan for 
the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery pursuant to Amendment 13 (bycatch 
provisions) to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier or Becky Renko 
(Northwest Region, NMFS), phone: 206-526-6140; fax: 206-526-6736 and e-
mail: [email protected], [email protected]. Copies of the 
Observer Coverage Plan may also be obtained from these contacts.

Electronic Access

    This Federal Register document is also accessible via the internet 
at the website of the Office of the Federal Register: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su-docs/aces/aces140.html. The Observer Coverage 
Plan is accessible at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/fram/Observer .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS approved Amendment 13 to the Pacific 
Coast Groundfish FMP on December 21, 2000. Amendment 13 implements the 
bycatch requirements of the Sustainable Fisheries Act Amendments of 
1996. Among other things, Amendment 13 authorizes an at-sea observer 
program in fulfillment of the requirement that a standardized reporting 
methodology for bycatch be established. Federal funding was obtained, 
and the observer program was initiated in August 2001.
    Amendment 13 states that details of how observer coverage will be 
distributed across the West Coast groundfish fleet will be described in 
an observer coverage plan and that NMFS will publish an announcement of 
the authorization of the observer program and description of the 
observer coverage plan in the Federal Register. To comply with this 
requirement, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center developed an 
initial Observer Coverage Plan (Sampling Plan and Logistics for the 
West Coast Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP), Fall 2001), which may 
be obtained from the individuals listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section. The plan outlines the initial goals and methodology of 
the WCGOP, and describes the initial observer deployments. The program 
is expected to evolve as it progresses, and new information becomes 
available.

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

    Dated: January 7, 2002.
Jon Kurland,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-647 Filed 1-9-02; 8:45 am]
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