[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23096-23097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8857]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031005A]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern 
United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2005 Georges Bank Cod 
Hook Sector Operations Plan and Agreement and Allocation of Georges 
Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch

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

ACTION: Notice of approval of hook sector operations plan and 
allocation of Georges Bank cod total allowable catch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of an Operations Plan and Sector 
Contract titled ``Amendment 1 to Georges Bank (GB) Cod Hook Sector 
Operations Plan and Agreement'' (Sector Agreement), and the associated 
allocation of GB cod, consistent with regulations implementing 
Amendment 13 to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). The intent is to allow regulated harvest of groundfish by the GB 
cod Hook Sector (Sector), consistent with the objectives of the FMP.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Sector Operations Plan and the environmental 
assessment (EA) are available upon request from the NE Regional Office 
at the following mailing address: George H. Darcy, Assistant Regional 
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS, Northeast Regional 
Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. These documents may 
also be requested by calling (978) 281-9315.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
phone (978) 281-9347, fax (978) 281-9135, e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final rule implementing Amendment 13 (69 
FR 22906, April 27, 2004) specified a process for the formation of 
sectors within the NE multispecies fishery and the allocation of total 
allowable catch (TAC) for a specific groundfish species (or Days-at-Sea 
(DAS)), implemented restrictions that apply to all sectors, authorized 
the Sector, established the GB Cod Hook Sector Area (Sector Area), and 
specified a formula for the allocation of GB cod TAC to the Sector. The 
Sector was authorized for fishing year (FY) 2004 and, based upon the 
hook gear landings history of its 58

[[Page 23097]]

members, was allocated 371 mt of cod, which represented 12.587 percent 
of the total 2004 GB cod TAC.
    NMFS provided interested parties an opportunity to comment on the 
Sector Agreement proposed for the 2005 fishing year through 
notification published in the Federal Register on April 1, 2005 (70 FR 
16804); additional background and details of the Sector Agreement are 
contained in that notification and are not repeated here. No comments 
from the public were received.
    After consideration of the proposed Sector Agreement, which 
contains the Sector Contract and Operations Plan, NMFS has concluded 
that the Sector Agreement is consistent with the goals of the FMP and 
other applicable law and is in compliance with the regulations 
governing the development and operation of a sector as specified under 
50 CFR 648.87.
    There are 49 members of the approved Sector. The calculation of GB 
cod TAC for the Sector was based upon historic GB landings under the 
following two regulatory scenarios: (1) The current regulations, as 
implemented by Amendment 13, that restrict GB cod landings to only hook 
gear; and (2) based upon the proposed Framework Adjustment 40-B 
(currently under review by the NMFS) that, if approved, would not 
restrict GB cod landings to certain gear types. The allocation 
percentages were calculated by dividing the sum of GB cod landings by 
Sector members for the FYs 1996 through 2001 by the sum of the 
accumulated landings of GB cod harvested by all NE multispecies vessels 
for same time period (113,278,842 lb or 51,383 mt) for each of the two 
regulatory scenarios described above. The resulting numbers are 10.79 
percent and 11.12 percent for the two methods, respectively. Based upon 
the 49 Sector members, the Sector TAC of GB cod for FY 2005 is 441 mt, 
and would be 455 mt, upon approval of FW 40-B.
    Letters of Authorization will be issued to members of the Sector 
exempting them, conditional upon their compliance with the Sector 
Agreement, from the requirements of the Gulf of Maine trip limit 
exemption program, limits on the number of hooks, and the GB Seasonal 
Closure Area, as specified in Sec. Sec.  648.86(b), 648.80(a)(4)(v), 
and 648.81(g), respectively.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: April 29, 2005.
Anne M. Lange
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-8857 Filed 4-29-05; 2:59 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S