[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7741-7742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 020806D]


North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) 
Halibut Stakeholder Committee will meet in Anchorage, AK.

DATES: The meeting will be held on February 27-28, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500 
West 3rd Avenue, Birch-Willow Room, Anchorage, AK 99501.
    Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 605 W. 
4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane DiCosimo, Council staff, 
telephone: (907) 271-2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Halibut Stakeholder Committee will 
develop two alternatives for the long term management of the halibut 
charter fishery. The alternatives would be considered by the North 
Pacific Council at its April 5-11, 2006 meeting. The committee will 
identify common principles and goals to develop a problem statement and 
define two alternatives for a future analysis. One alternative would be 
an allocation based program. Elements to be included in the plan should 
include, but not be limited to: (1) A percentage based allocation that 
would float up and down with abundance in a fashion similar to the 
commercial longline Total Allowable Catch (TAC); (2) Subdivision of 
Area 2C and 3A into smaller geographic sub-districts, including time 
certain establishment of local area management plans (LAMPs) and super-
exclusive registration areas; (3) Management measures that will be used 
to enforce the allocation, including: a) the current suite of measures 
to reduce harvests under the Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) (i.e., one 
trip per vessel per day, no harvest by skipper and crew, and annual 
limit of 5 or 6 fish per person (for Area 2C only));(b) Measures being 
pursued by the State of Alaska in 2006, including: (i) a halibut 
reporting requirement in charter boat logbooks with methodology to 
ensure accuracy; (ii) a proposed regulation to the Board of Fish to 
prohibit retention or harvest of fish by skipper and crew members when 
clients are on board; and (iii) limit the number of lines fished to the 
number of clients; (c) Other annual bag limits; (d) Limitations on days 
fished (either total number of days or by excluding specific days of 
the week); (e) Reduced daily limits including size limitations for the 
second fish caught; (f) Subtraction of any allocation exceedence from 
the following year's allocation; (g) Federal moratorium or control date 
of December 9, 2006 and/or a State limited entry program with delayed 
transferability; (h) Mechanisms which, if the charter harvest continues 
to grow, would allow for an orderly and compensated allocation shift 
from the longline sector to the charter sector, including the use of a 
charter stamp, which would generate funds to pay for management of the 
charter fishery and to buy longline shares to be converted into the 
charter allocation; (i) Exploration of delegation of some management 
aspects of the halibut sport fishery, including the charter sector, to 
the State of Alaska.
    A second alternative would be a modified Individual Fishing Quota 
(IFQ) program, including, but not be limited to: (1) The elements of 
the previously proposed (2001) charter IFQ program; (2) A modified IFQ 
program, including, but not be limited to, addressing potential legal 
vulnerabilities that may exist in the 2001 IFQ program. Such approaches 
might include a ``leveling'' plan, other effort based mechanisms to 
update 1998 and 1999 history, new history approaches, an effort based 
transferable seat program, or other options; (3) Subdivision of Area 2C 
and 3A into smaller geographic sub-districts, including time certain 
establishment of LAMPs; (4) The use of a moratorium or control date of 
December 9, 2006; and (5) Other elements to be identified by the 
committee.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those

[[Page 7742]]

issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 
Action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in 
this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice 
that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public 
has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to 
address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Gail Bendixen at (907) 271-2809 at 
least 7 working days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: February 8, 2006.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-1994 Filed 2-13-06; 8:45 am]
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