[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 56 (Thursday, March 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 15067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5858]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031705F]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish 
Fisheries Management in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management 
Area and the Gulf of Alaska

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has 
submitted for Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) review Amendment 83 to 
the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) and Amendment 75 to the FMP for 
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). If approved, the amendments 
would provide housekeeping revisions to the FMPs. The proposed 
revisions would update harvest, ecosystem, and socioeconomic 
information, consolidate text, and reorganize the documents. The intent 
of this action is to provide more recent information in the FMPs and to 
make them easier to read. This action will promote the goals and 
objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the FMPs, and other applicable laws. 
Comments from the public are welcome.

DATES: Written comments on Amendments 83 and 75 must be received by May 
23, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional 
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 
Attn: Lori Durall. Comments may be submitted by:
     Mail to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802;
     Hand delivery to the Federal Building, 709 West 9th 
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK;
     FAX to 907-586-7557; or
     E-mail to [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
the following document identifier: 83-75 NOA. E-mail comments, with or 
without attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes.
    Copies of Amendments 83 and 75 may be obtained from the NMFS Alaska 
Region at the address above or from the Alaska Region website at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie Brown, phone: 907-586-7228 or 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that the 
Council submit any FMP amendment it prepares to the Secretary for 
review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-
Stevens Act also requires that the Secretary, upon receiving an FMP 
amendment, immediately publish a notice in the Federal Register that 
the amendment is available for public review and comment.
    The Council prepared and the Secretary approved the FMP for 
Groundfish of the GOA in 1978 and the FMP for Groundfish of the BSAI in 
1981. Both FMPs have been amended numerous times.
    Amendments 83 and 75 were unanimously recommended by the Council in 
December 2004. If approved by the Secretary, these amendments would: 
(1) update harvest, ecosystem, and socioeconomic information, (2) 
consolidate text, and (3) reorganize the documents. The intent of this 
action is to provide more recent information in the FMPs and to make 
them easier to read.
    The Council also recommended revising the harvest specifications 
process set forth in the FMPs to be consistent with Amendments 81 and 
74 to the FMPs (69 FR 31091, June 2, 2004). These amendments were 
approved by the Secretary in August 2004. Amendments 81 and 74 added 
new policy objectives to the FMPs, including the objective to adopt 
conservative harvest levels for multi-species and single species 
fisheries. Amendments 83 and 75 would amend the FMPs' description of 
the harvest specifications process by adding the provision that total 
allowable catch for species or species groups be set equal to or less 
than the acceptable biological catch. This revision would ensure that 
harvest levels are set conservatively and consistent with the FMP 
management policy and objectives to prevent overfishing.
    Public comments are being solicited on proposed Amendments 83 and 
75 through the end of the comment period stated (see DATES). All 
comments received by the end of the comment period on the amendments 
will be considered in the approval/partial approval/disapproval 
decision. Comments received after that date will not be considered in 
the approval/partial approval/disapproval decision on the amendments. 
To be considered, written comments must be received not just postmarked 
or otherwise transmitted by the close of business on the last day of 
the comment period.

    Dated: March 18, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-5858 Filed 3-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S