[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 8544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3362]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 021505A]


Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Western Pacific Crustacean Fisheries; 2005 Bank-specific Harvest 
Guidelines

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

ACTION: Notification of no harvest guideline for crustaceans.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that an annual harvest guideline for the 
commercial lobster fishery in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) 
will not be issued for the year 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alvin Katekaru, NMFS Pacific Islands 
Regional Office, at (808)973-2937.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the regulations implementing the 
Fishery Management Plan for Crustacean Fisheries of the Western Pacific 
Region (Crustaceans FMP) at 50 CFR 660.50(b)(2), every year NMFS is 
required to publish a harvest guideline for lobster Permit Area 1, 
which encompasses the exclusive economic zone ( 0 to 200 nm from shore) 
around the NWHI. The fishery has been closed since 2000. This action is 
(a) taken as a precautionary measure to prevent overfishing of the 
lobster resources while NMFS conducts biological research and 
assessment on the lobster stocks; (b) in compliance with an order of 
the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii to keep the NWHI 
commercial lobster fishery closed until an environmental impact 
statement and a biological opinion have been prepared for the 
Crustaceans FMP; and (c) consistent with Executive Orders 13178 and 
13196, issued in December 2000 and January 2001, respectively, that 
established the NWHI Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.
    NMFS will not publish any harvest guideline for the NWHI commercial 
lobster fishery for the year 2005, and no harvest of NWHI lobster 
resources is allowed. NMFS intends to continue to study and assess the 
status of the lobster populations in the NWHI and examine the resulting 
information to determine the appropriate direction for future fishery 
management actions.

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

    Dated: February 15, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-3362 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S