[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 111 (Monday, June 10, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 39632-39633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14539]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 020402077-2077-01; I.D. 052802F]


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Whiting Closure for the Mothership 
Sector

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

ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces closure of the 2002 mothership fishery for 
Pacific

[[Page 39633]]

whiting (whiting) at 0500 local time (l.t.) June 6, 2002, because the 
allocation for the mothership sector is projected to be reached by that 
time. This action is intended to keep the harvest of whiting at the 
2002 allocation levels.

DATES: Effective from 0500 l.t. June 6, 2002, until the start of the 
2003 primary season for the mothership sector, unless modified, 
superseded or rescinded; such action will be published in the Federal 
Register. Comments will be accepted through June 25, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to D. Robert Lohn, Administrator, Northwest 
Region (Regional Administrator), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., 
Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or Rodney McInnis, Acting Regional 
Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Renko or Carrie Nordeen at 206-
526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by regulations 
implementing the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP), which governs the groundfish fishery off Washington, Oregon, and 
California. On April 15, 2002 (67 FR 18117), the levels of allowable 
biological catch (ABC), the optimum yield (OY) and the commercial OY 
(the OY minus the tribal allocation) for U.S. harvests of whiting were 
announced in the Federal Register. For 2002 the whiting OY is 129,600 
metric tons (mt) and the commercial OY is 106,920 mt. Regulations at 50 
CFR 660.323(a)(4) divide the commercial OY into separate allocations 
for the catcher/processor, mothership, and shore-based sectors of the 
whiting fishery. The 2002 allocations, which are based on the 2002 
commercial OY, are 36,353 mt (34 percent) for the catcher/processor 
sector, 25,661 mt (24 percent) for the mothership sector, and 44,906 mt 
(42 percent) for the shoreside sector. When each sector's allocation is 
reached, the primary season for that sector is ended. The mothership 
sector is composed of motherships, and catcher vessels that harvest 
whiting for delivery to motherships. Motherships are vessels that 
process, but do not harvest, whiting. The regulations at 50 CFR 660.323 
(a)(3)(i) describe the primary season for vessels delivering to 
motherships as the period(s) when at-sea processing is allowed and the 
fishery is open for the mothership sector.

NMFS Action

    This action announces achievement of the allocation for the 
mothership sector only. The best available information on June 4, 2002, 
indicated that the 25,661 mt mothership allocation would be reached by 
0500 hours, June 6, 2002, at which time the primary season for the 
mothership sector ends and further at-sea processing and receipt of 
whiting by a mothership, or taking and retaining, possessing, or 
landing of whiting by a catcher boat in the mothership sector, are 
prohibited. For the reasons stated above, and in accordance with the 
regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4)(iii)(B), NMFS herein announces that 
effective 0500 hours June 6, 2002--(1) further receiving or at-sea 
processing of whiting by a mothership is prohibited. No additional 
unprocessed whiting may be brought on board after at-sea processing is 
prohibited, but a mothership may continue to process whiting that was 
on board before at-sea processing was prohibited, and (2) whiting may 
not be taken and retained, possessed, or landed by a catcher vessel 
participating in the mothership sector.

Classification

    This action is authorized by the regulations implementing the FMP. 
The determination to take this action is based on the most recent data 
available. The aggregate data upon which the determination is based are 
available for public inspection at the office of the Regional 
Administrator (see ADDRESSES) during business hours. This action is 
taken under the authority of 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4)(iii)(B) and is exempt 
from review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: June 5, 2002.
John H. Dunnigan,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 02-14539 Filed 6-5-02; 3:59 pm]
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