[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 69704-69708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-29356]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 223 and 224

[I.D. 111302C]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding 
on a Petition To List Bocaccio as Threatened

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

ACTION: Notification of petition finding and availability of a status 
review document.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a 12-month finding on a petition to list the 
southern population of bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis) as a threatened 
species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA). Based on a review of the best scientific and commercial 
information on the status of the species, and on the recent actions 
adopted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, NMFS finds that 
listing the southern population of bocaccio is not warranted at this 
time.

DATES: The finding announced in this document was made on November 14, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: The bocaccio status review and accompanying stock assessment 
and rebuilding analysis are available electronically at the NMFS Web 
site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov. Paper copies of the status review and 
a list of references are available by submitting requests to Cathy 
Campbell, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213. The status review, along with the 
accompanying stock assessment and rebuilding analysis, are the basis 
for the following discussions, except where other references are noted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Campbell, NMFS, Southwest 
Region, Protected Resources Division, (562) 980-4060 or David O'Brien, 
NMFS Office of Protected Resources, 301-713-1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On January 30, 2001, NMFS received a petition from the Natural 
Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and Center 
for Marine Conservation (now known as The Ocean Conservancy) to list 
the central/southern distinct population segment (DPS) of bocaccio 
(Sebastes paucispinis) or, in the alternative, to list bocaccio 
throughout its entire range as threatened under the ESA. The petition 
also requested that NMFS designate critical habitat for bocaccio. The 
petitioners contend that bocaccio have suffered precipitous population 
declines over the last several decades and that these population 
declines threaten bocaccio with extinction and compromise its ability 
to recover. The petitioners identified overutilization, specifically 
the direct and indirect harvest of bocaccio in groundfish fisheries, as 
the primary cause of bocaccio's decline. The petitioners identified 
other factors contributing to the status of bocaccio including 
inadequate regulatory mechanisms and habitat modification due to the 
effects of bottom trawling gear, pollution of nearshore juvenile 
habitat, and shifts in oceanographic conditions.
    In reviewing the petition, NMFS also reviewed stock assessments, 
fishery independent and dependent data and other reports prepared prior 
to and from the time that bocaccio and other Pacific rockfish species 
came under Federal management. On June 14, 2001, NMFS published its 
determination (66 FR 32304) that the petition presented substantial 
scientific and commercial information indicating that listing may be 
warranted, and announced the initiation of a formal status review as 
required by section 4(b)(3)(A) of the ESA. To ensure a comprehensive 
review, NMFS concurrently solicited additional information and comment 
from the public on historical abundance, current abundance, factors 
contributing to population declines, sources of mortality, habitat use, 
habitat condition, factors affecting habitat condition, and 
distinctness of the southern population. In addition, NMFS solicited 
information regarding the adequacy of bocaccio conservation efforts and 
on areas that may qualify for critical habitat for bocaccio.
    In response to the 90-day petition finding, NMFS received one 
public comment. The comment focused on the inadequacy of existing 
regulatory measures and, in particular, the underestimate of discards 
of bocaccio and the authorization of continued overfishing.

[[Page 69705]]

    NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center staff prepared a 
comprehensive status review for the southern stock of bocaccio. This 
document summarizes the results of the status review. Copies of the 
status review are available on the internet or upon request (see 
ADDRESSES).

Life History

    Bocaccio is a common rockfish, belonging to the genus Sebastes. 
Bocaccio are found in coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from 
Baja California, Mexico to Alaska. Adults have been found at depths of 
40-1578 ft. (12-481 m), but are most abundant at 165-825 ft. (50-251 
m). Adults are often found in association with rocky areas. Larvae and 
small juveniles are pelagic and are commonly found in the upper 300 ft. 
(91 m) of the water column.
    Bocaccio generally copulate in the late summer to early fall, and 
females bear their young live in the winter months. Off California, 
some bocaccio produce multiple broods in one season (Moser 1967). 
Larvae and early juveniles are pelagic until early June, when they move 
toward the shore and settle to the bottom where they develop as 
juveniles. Juvenile bocaccio (age 3 to 6 months) sometimes form dense 
schools in the nearshore area and are often found under drifting kelp 
mats.
    Juvenile bocaccio grow rapidly, but typically take five years to 
mature. Based on the oldest fish that have been seen, bocaccio may live 
up to 40 years. The mean generation time (the average time required for 
offspring to replace the parents) is 12 years.
    Bocaccio eat a variety of fish. Bocaccio are prey to larger 
organisms, including marine mammals, and juvenile bocaccio can at times 
provide a significant component of seabird diets.
    Bocaccio recruitment (the addition of young fish to a population) 
is highly variable. Successful reproduction, where production of 
offspring offsets natural loss of adults, has occurred in only 26 
percent of years. No large recruitments have occurred since 1978. 
Because of this highly variable recruitment pattern, abundance 
naturally fluctuates greatly.

Consideration as a ``Species'' Under the ESA

    The ESA defines species as ``any subspecies of fish or wildlife or 
plants and any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate 
fish or wildlife that interbreeds when mature.'' This definition allows 
for the recognition of distinct population segments at levels below 
taxonomically recognized species or subspecies. On February 7, 1996, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) and NMFS adopted a joint policy to 
clarify their interpretation of the phrase ``distinct population 
segment (DPS)'' for the purposes of listing, delisting, and 
reclassifying species under the ESA (61 FR 4722). The joint policy 
identifies two criteria that must be met for a population segment to be 
considered a DPS under the ESA: (1) The discreteness of the population 
segment in relation to the remainder of the species (or subspecies) to 
which it belongs; and (2) the significance of the population segment to 
the species or subspecies to which it belongs.

Discreteness

    According to the joint policy, a population segment of a vertebrate 
species may be considered discrete if it satisfies either one of the 
following conditions: (1) It is markedly separated from other 
populations of the same taxon as a consequence of physical, 
physiological, ecological, or behavioral factors; or (2) it is 
delimited by international governmental boundaries within which 
differences in control of exploitation, management of habitat, 
conservation status, or regulatory mechanisms exist that are 
significant in light of section 4(a)(1)(D) of the ESA.
    Bocaccio are geographically separated into northern and southern 
populations divided by an area of scarcity off of Northern California 
and southern Oregon. Genetic analysis of the northern and southern 
populations indicates that there is a 90 percent probability that they 
are genetically distinct from each other. Thus, these segments can be 
considered discrete segments under the DPS policy.
    The southern bocaccio segment extends into Mexican waters, where 
regulatory mechanisms differ from those in the United States. As a 
result, the Mexican portion of bocaccio's range could be considered 
discrete and, if also found to be ``significant,'' it could be a DPS. 
However, as stated below, the Mexican population of bocaccio is not 
considered significant and therefore not a separate DPS, but a 
component of the southern DPS.

Significance

    The DPS policy identifies several factors that may be considered in 
determining the significance of a discrete population segment to the 
taxon to which it belongs. These considerations include, but are not 
limited to: (1) persistence of the discrete population segment in an 
ecological setting unusual or unique for the taxon; (2) evidence that 
loss of the DPS would result in a significant gap in the range of a 
taxon; (3) evidence that the DPS represents the only surviving natural 
occurrence of a taxon; or (4) evidence that the discrete population 
segment differs markedly from other populations of the species in its 
genetic characteristics.
    As noted above, genetic analysis indicates that there is a 90-
percent probability that the northern and southern population segments 
are genetically distinct. In addition, the loss of either population 
segment would result in a significant gap in the range of the taxon. As 
a result, both the northern and southern population segments would be 
considered significant under the DPS policy.
    A rough estimate indicates that approximately 10 percent of total 
bocaccio abundance occurs in Mexican waters. Thus, despite the fact 
that regulatory mechanisms and bocaccio catches in Mexico could 
influence the conservation status of bocaccio in the United States, 
that influence is presumably small given the relative sizes of the 
stock segments. As a result, the portion of the southern bocaccio range 
in Mexican waters is not significant and is not considered a separate 
DPS, but a part of the southern population.
    The northern and southern bocaccio population segments are both the 
discrete and significant as defined in the joint DPS policy. Thus, NMFS 
is recognizing a northern DPS and a southern DPS for bocaccio. This is 
consistent with the current NMFS and Council management of bocaccio, 
which recognize two separate West coast bocaccio populations. The 
remainder of this document will primarily address the southern stock as 
a DPS, since this was the subject of the petition.

Abundance

    The current abundance of the southern bocaccio stock is estimated 
to be 3000 metric tons (mt) or approximately 1.6 million fish (of age 1 
and older).
    Spawning potential or output, which is the number of spawn that the 
population is capable of producing, is used as a measure of abundance 
for bocaccio. This measure accounts for both numerical abundance and 
the effects of age structure and maturation, where older individuals 
are disproportionally more fecund. The current spawning output of the 
stock is 720 billion eggs, and the estimated spawning output in the 
absence of fishing is 19,849 billion eggs (coefficient of variation 
(CV) of 31 percent). Thus, the current spawning output is 3.6

[[Page 69706]]

percent of the estimated unfished abundance.
    The abundance of bocaccio naturally fluctuates greatly, due to 
rare, large recruitment events. Between 1951 and 1969, abundance 
fluctuated between 26 percent (in 1960-61) and 95 percent (1969) of the 
estimated average unfished level. Since 1969, there has been a gradual 
decline in abundance to its current level of 3.6 percent of estimated 
unfished abundance.

Fishery Management

    Bocaccio have been an important component of commercial and 
recreational catches off California for several decades. The estimated 
catch of bocaccio in 1950 was approximately 5000 mt. Landings of 
bocaccio in California gradually increased over the next 20 years, 
reaching a maximum annual harvest level of almost 12,000 mt in the mid-
1970s.
    In 1982, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) completed 
its fishery management plan (FMP) for west coast groundfish, including 
bocaccio. The Council is one of eight regional fishery management 
councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to prepare fishery management 
plans for U.S. fisheries in need of federal management. The Council's 
area of responsibility covers fisheries off California, Oregon, and 
Washington.
    During the early 1980's, under the FMP, the allowable annual 
harvest of bocaccio was approximately 6,000 mt. After a 1990 bocaccio 
stock assessment showed a decline, NMFS established a harvest guideline 
of 1,100 mt for 1991-1992. During these two years, actual harvest 
exceeded the harvest guideline by 300-500 mt.
    NMFS increased the allowable catch of bocaccio to 1,540 mt in 1992 
and to 1,700 mt in 1995. Actual landings during the mid-1990's were 
significantly less than the allowable catch, however, with 864 mt and 
599 mt harvested in 1995 and 1996 respectively. A 1996 stock assessment 
then indicated that bocaccio were in severe decline, which could 
account for the low harvests in 1995 and 1996.
    Until the mid-1990s, NMFS believed that bocaccio were capable of 
withstanding an exploitation rate that was commonly applied in 
fisheries worldwide. This fishing rate of F(0.35; read as ``F-35 
percent'') reduces the expected average lifetime reproductive output of 
a fish to 35 percent of the output it would achieve under natural 
unfished conditions. Recognizing that rockfish stocks were continuing 
to decline at this exploitation level, NMFS recommended the more 
conservative rockfish harvest policy of F(0.40) in 1998 and adopted an 
allowable catch of 230 mt for 1998 and 1999.
    In 1999, the bocaccio resource was formally declared overfished by 
the Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 
Following this declaration, NMFS adopted a rebuilding policy based on 
the 1999 stock assessment and a rebuilding analysis (MacCall, 1999). 
The rebuilding analysis indicated that rebuilding of bocaccio would 
take 37 years if the annual harvest was limited to 100 mt. NMFS set the 
optimum yield (OY) at 100 mt for 2000-2002 and, in 2001, adopted a more 
conservative rockfish harvest policy of F(0.50). The actual levels of 
harvest in 2000 and 2001 exceeded the OY, with 233 mt taken in 2000 and 
214 mt taken in 2001. In response to indications that the harvest 
levels for 2002 were nearing the OY level too early in the year, NMFS 
implemented additional fishery restrictions in July 2002 to minimize 
further 2002 catch of bocaccio.
    A new 2002 stock assessment confirmed that the southern stock was 
in severe decline. The Council reviewed the accompanying rebuilding 
analysis at its September 2002 meeting and has proposed an even lower 
fishing rate which would allow a harvest of not more than 20 mt in 
2003. Based on the rebuilding analysis, this harvest rate would provide 
an 80-percent probability that the stock would not decline in 100 
years.
    In establishing the harvest levels for 2002 and 2003, the Council 
incorporated new information available on the bycatch rates of bocaccio 
in the commercial trawl fishery. As a result of recent litigation, NMFS 
and the Council reviewed historic bycatch rates and discard assumptions 
and re-evaluated their approach to estimating discards in the trawl 
fishery. The result was a model developed by Hastie (Hastie, 2001) that 
estimates the co-occurrence rate of overfished groundfish species, 
including bocaccio, relative to the landings of key target groundfish 
species. Using this model, the Council was able to estimate the level 
of discards of bocaccio that can be expected for a given groundfish 
harvest in the trawl fishery. This model enables the Council to fully 
evaluate the impacts of management measures and protects against the 
adoption of management measures that may increase the level of bocaccio 
bycatch.

Summary of Factors Affecting the Species

    The ESA defines an endangered species as ``any species which is in 
danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its 
range.'' A threatened species is defined as ``any species which is 
likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future 
throughout all or a significant portion of its range.'' Under section 
4(a)(1) of the ESA, a species can be determined to be endangered or 
threatened due to one or more of the following factors: (1) The present 
or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat 
or range; (2) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, 
or educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy 
of existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade 
factors affecting its continued existence. Listing determinations are 
made solely on the best scientific and commercial data available, after 
conducting a review of the status of the species and taking into 
account efforts made by any state or nation to protect such species. 
These factors and their application to the southern stock of bocaccio 
are described below.

(1) The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment 
of Habitat or Range

    Adult bocaccio are primarily found in rocky habitat. This habitat 
has likely been degraded by large commercial trawling operations, but 
there is little information regarding the level of habitat loss. Since 
this type of trawling has now been excluded from primary bocaccio 
habitat, it is expected that the future threats to rocky bottom habitat 
are minimal.
    Little information is available on the habitat requirements of 
juvenile bocaccio. While kelp and eelgrass are utilized by larvae and 
juvenile bocaccio, there is no information to indicate that this 
habitat is critical to the survival of bocaccio or that any reduction 
in kelp or eelgrass has had a significant impact on bocaccio.
    Bocaccio have not been observed to have any significant reduction 
in their range.

(2) Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific, or 
Educational Purposes

    Bocaccio have been overutilize for the last several decades. A 
combination of overutilization and poor recruitment have resulted in a 
severe decline of the southern bocaccio stock to 3.6 percent of their 
estimated pre-exploitation level.

[[Page 69707]]

    Although historical overutilization has been the primary cause of 
bocaccio's decline, recent conservation measures have drastically 
reduced fishing effort in times and areas where bocaccio occur and are 
expected to allow the stock to recover. As a result, under new 
management measures, overutilization is not expected to place the 
bocaccio stock at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable 
future. See further discussion under ``Conservation Factors'' below.

(3) Disease or Predation

    Bocaccio are prey to larger organisms, including marine mammals, 
and juvenile bocaccio can at times provide a significant component of 
seabird diets. This predation is not considered significant and is not 
likely to threaten the survival of the stock. There are no known 
threats of disease for bocaccio.

(4) The Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms

    Previous fishery management measures have been inadequate to 
protect bocaccio, and the southern stock of bocaccio has been heavily 
overutilized during the entire period of Council management. However 
the Council has taken strict measures over the past few years to 
promote bocaccio recovery, and NMFS believes that the Council's most 
recent proposed measures, adopted in September 2002, will ensure that 
the southern stock of bocaccio will not become endangered within the 
foreseeable future. See further discussion under ``Conservation 
Factors'' below.

(5) Other Natural or Manmade Factors Affecting its Continued Existence

    Long-term ocean climate patterns appear to have a strong influence 
on the frequency of large recruitments of southern bocaccio. The 
protracted and extremely warm ocean conditions of the 1990s was 
associated with poor reproduction of most rockfish species, including 
bocaccio, and undoubtedly contributed to the decline in abundance. 
Although this relationship cannot yet be quantified, the cooler ocean 
since 1998 is similar to the cool conditions of the 1960s and early 
70s, and may be associated with better bocaccio recruitment. Although 
the specific impacts are uncertain, it is probable that ocean-climate 
patterns will continue to affect the recruitment of bocaccio.
    Juvenile bocaccio have been documented in the intake of power 
plants along the California coast. In fact, power plant intakes have 
provided useful indices of rockfish recruitment. However, the level of 
mortality of juvenile bocaccio from power plant intake is very low and 
is not expected to impact the survival of bocaccio.

Conservation Factors

    Previous fishery management measures have been inadequate to 
protect bocaccio, and the southern stock of bocaccio has been heavily 
overutilized during the entire period of Federal management. However, 
NMFS has adopted increasingly more restrictive measures over the past 
few years to promote bocaccio recovery, and NMFS believes that the 
Council's most recent proposed measures, adopted in September 2002, 
will ensure that the southern stock of bocaccio will not become 
endangered within the foreseeable future.
    In 1999, the bocaccio resource was formally declared overfished. 
The 1999 NMFS bocaccio stock assessment and rebuilding analysis 
indicated a rebuilding time of 37 years, based on a harvest rate of 100 
mt per year. Based on this stock assessment, NMFS adopted a rebuilding 
policy in 2000 that set the catch at 100 mt for 2000-2002. This 
rebuilding policy was strongly influenced by the assumed strength of 
the 1999 yearclass, based on unusually high intake levels at certain 
power plants. The 100-mt harvest rate was a significant restriction 
from previous catch limits, which were as high as 1,700 mt in 1996. 
During the first 2 years of implementation of the 100 mt catch limit, 
the Council struggled to track catches on a real-time basis so it could 
recommend effective means to restrict the catch of bocaccio, which co-
occur with many other species. This was not possible, however, and the 
catch limit of 100 mt was exceeded in both 2000 and 2001. In 2002, the 
Council closely monitored catch rates and recommended that NMFS 
implement mid-year closures and restrictions when the mid-year catch 
level indicated that the 100 mt limit was likely to be exceeded. As a 
result of NMFS mid-year actions in 2002, the bocaccio catch for 2002 
will be near or below the 100 mt catch limit.
    In June 2002, NMFS prepared a revised stock assessment that 
indicated that the 1999 stock assessment and accompanying rebuilding 
analysis were overly optimistic because the 1999 bocaccio yearclass was 
not as strong as initially estimated. This analysis showed that the 
stock continued to be in severe decline and indicated that more 
restrictive measures would be necessary to ensure both the survival and 
rebuilding of the southern stock of bocaccio. NMFS further refined this 
analysis and prepared a rebuilding analysis in August 2002, which 
modeled the probable outcomes for bocaccio at 25 and 100 years at 
varying levels of harvest. Based on this analysis, NMFS recommended to 
the Council that the annual harvest of bocaccio be reduced to as close 
to zero as possible, but not to exceed 20 mt.

Bocaccio Rebuilding Policy and Measures for 2003

    At its September 2002 meeting, the Council considered the August 
rebuilding analysis and adopted a catch rate (catch/total biomass) 
which would allow a catch of up to 20 mt in 2003. Based on the 
rebuilding analysis, this catch rate would provide an 80 percent 
probability that the stock would not decline in 100 years. Under this 
rebuilding policy, allowable catch rates are very low. The catch rate 
for 2003 is 0.5 percent, compared with an average catch rate of 11 
percent during the preceding 50 years. Under this rebuilding analysis, 
rebuilding is expected to take a median time of 170 years at this 
harvest level.
    The Council recommended that NMFS implement several management 
measures for 2003 in order to limit the catch for 2003. The Council has 
proposed that all directed fishing for bocaccio be eliminated in 2003 
and that the catch rate of 20 mt would be used to account for discards 
of bocaccio incidentally taken in fisheries for co-occurring species. 
The Council recommended new depth-based management measures that would 
prohibit bottom trawl, limited entry fixed gear, and open access 
fishing in the times and areas where bocaccio are expected to occur. In 
addition, the Council proposed that no retention of bocaccio be allowed 
in the commercial fisheries. In addition, recreational fisheries south 
of Cape Mendocino (40[deg] 10' N.) would be closed from January through 
June and open shoreward of 20 fathoms from July though December.
    The State of California has worked closely with the Council in 
developing measures to reduce bocaccio bycatch. In fact, the depth-
based restrictions recently adopted by the Council were originally 
developed by the state. The state has recently adopted several 
conservation measures to provide additional protection for bocaccio. 
The state implemented regulations in 2002 that prohibit the retention 
of bocaccio in the recreational fishery. For 2003, the recreational 
season for all rockfish was reduced to six months and a new groundfish 
bag limit was created which will reduce the overall take of rockfish, 
including bocaccio. The state recently adopted a regulation that will 
require

[[Page 69708]]

that observers be carried on California vessels, if requested by the 
State. The state recently adopted a network of reserves around the 
Channel Islands, which will provide protection for important bocaccio 
habitat. In addition, the Council has adopted a plan that, when 
implemented, will reduce the size of the nearshore fishery and is 
considering a number of options for significantly restricting or 
eliminating the spot prawn trawl fishery for 2003. Further, a rockfish 
closure intended to protect cowcod in a large area off southern 
California will also provide substantial protection for bocaccio.
    With this combination of Federal and state management measures, the 
Council estimates that the bycatch of bocaccio (meaning the total 
harvest of bocaccio) in 2003 will be 10.3 mt. The Council plans to 
closely monitor harvest throughout 2003 and would implement additional 
mid-year management measures if necessary to ensure that the 20-mt 
harvest level is not exceeded. In order to evaluate the harvest levels 
of bocaccio in 2003, the Council will consider the results of the trawl 
bycatch model, information from the NMFS Marine Recreational Fisheries 
Statistical Survey (MRFSS), and logbook and other data. Modifications 
being made in the MRFSS program are also expected to result in faster 
availability of higher quality data in recreational catches of 
bocaccio. In addition, in early 2003, the initial results from the NMFS 
Groundfish Observer Program will be available for NMFS and Council 
review. The observer program has monitored both the limited entry and 
open access components of the commercial groundfish fishery since 
August 2001. Preliminary results of the observer program will be 
available early in 2003 and will be used to further refine the Hastie 
bycatch model (Hastie 2001).
    NMFS has prepared emergency regulations to implement the Federal 
management measures discussed above. These emergency regulations will 
be in effect by January 1, 2003, and will remain effective for 60 days. 
Concurrently, NMFS will be issuing a proposed rule to implement these 
measures for the remainder of 2003 and soliciting public comment on 
these measures.

Future Harvest Levels

    The Council's current rebuilding policy is based on the 2000 
rebuilding analysis which indicated that it will take 170 years to 
rebuild the bocaccio stock, with the recently adopted catch rate (which 
is 20 mt for 2003). According to the National Standard Guidelines 
(Guidelines), NMFS' regulations that implement the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act, the maximum length of time to rebuild an overfished species is the 
time to rebuild in the absence of fishing, plus one generation time. 
For bocaccio, the maximum time to rebuild is 106 years. Therefore, the 
Council must adopt a rebuilding plan that will have at least a 50-
percent probability of rebuilding bocaccio within 106 years. Given the 
current abundance of bocaccio, and their natural tendency for rare, 
large recruitment events, analyses indicate that, even in the absence 
of fishing, the southern stock of bocaccio would not have a 50-percent 
probability of recovering within 106 years. Since the Guidelines do not 
address the unique situation in which rebuilding a species in the 
maximum time allowed is not possible, NMFS reviewed the Magnuson-
Stevens Act and has determined that the Council's recommended level of 
bocaccio harvest (20 mt) meets its standards for rebuilding overfished 
stocks. Although the Council has not yet adopted a revised rebuilding 
plan for bocaccio, NMFS expects that the rebuilding plan will maintain 
the catch rate adopted for 2003, since this would be necessary in order 
to meet the rebuilding requirements under the MSA given bocaccio's 
current status.

Determination

    After reviewing the best scientific and commercial information 
available and considering the expected effects of conservation 
measures, NMFS has determined that listing the southern DPS of bocaccio 
is not warranted at this time. While NMFS recognizes that the southern 
stock of bocaccio has severely declined over the past several decades, 
NMFS believes that the catch rate of 0.5 percent (20 mt in 2003) 
recently adopted by the Council will prevent bocaccio from becoming 
endangered within the foreseeable future. NMFS will retain bocaccio on 
the Candidate Species list and closely monitor the status of the 
bocaccio population and future Council measures. If necessary, NMFS 
will re-evaluate its decision regarding whether the southern stock of 
bocaccio warrants listing under the ESA, including evaluating whether 
emergency listing is warranted and whether an additional status review 
is necessary. Reasons for a re-evaluation include, but are not limited 
to: (1) if future Council decisions allow for increased exploitation 
rate; or (2) if future data or analysis indicate that conservation 
efforts are inadequate.

References

    A list of references is available upon request (see ADDRESSES).

Authority

    The authority for this section is the ESA of 1973, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: November 13, 2002.
Rebecca Lent,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-29356 Filed 11-15-02; 9:16 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S