[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 38 (Monday, February 27, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 9770-9771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2733]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 680

[Docket No. I.D. 021606B]
RIN 0648-AU06


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allocating 
Bering Sea And Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crab Fishery Resources

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

ACTION:  Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendment; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  Congress amended the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to require the Secretary of 
Commerce (Secretary) to approve the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) 
Crab Rationalization Program (Program). The Program allocates BSAI crab 
resources among harvesters, processors, and coastal communities. The 
Program was implemented by Amendments 18 and 19 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for BSAI King and Tanner Crabs (FMP). Amendment 20 
would modify the FMP and the Program to increase resource conservation 
and improve economic efficiency in the Chionoecetes bairdi crab (Tanner 
crab) fisheries that are subject to the Program. This action is 
intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.

DATES:  Comments on the amendment must be submitted on or before April 
28, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional 
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 
Attn: Records Office. Comments may be submitted by:
     Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
     Hand Delivery to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th 
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.
     Facsimile: 907-586-7557.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail the following document identifier: Crab 
Rationalization RIN 0648-AU06. E-mail comments, with or without 
attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes.
     Webform at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
    Copies of Amendment 20 and the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory 
Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) for 
this action may be obtained from the NMFS Alaska Region at the address 
above or from the Alaska Region Web site at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Glenn Merrill, 907-586-7228 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each 
regional fishery management council submit any fishery management plan 
amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or 
partial approval by the Secretary. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also 
requires that NMFS, upon receiving a fishery management plan amendment, 
immediately publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing that 
the amendment is available for public review and comment.
    The king and Tanner crab fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
of the BSAI are managed under the FMP. The FMP was prepared by the 
North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) under the Magnuson-
Stevens Act as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 
(Pub. L. 108-199, section 801). Amendments 18 and 19 to the FMP amended 
the FMP to include the Program. A final rule implementing these 
amendments was published on March 2, 2005 (70 FR 10174). NMFS also 
published three corrections to the final rule (70 FR 13097; March 18, 
2005), (70 FR 33390; June 8, 2005), and (70 FR 75419; December 20, 
2005).
    The Council submitted Amendment 20 to the FMP for Secretarial 
review, which would make minor changes to the FMP necessary for the 
management of the Tanner crab fisheries under the Program. If approved, 
Amendment 20 to the FMP would modify the allocation of harvesting 
shares and processing shares for Bering Sea Tanner crab. Under 
authority deferred to the State of Alaska (State) by the FMP, the State 
has determined that the Bering Sea District Tanner crabs are in two 
geographically separate stocks, and should be managed as two separate 
stocks; one east of 166[deg] W longitude, the other west of 166[deg] W 
longitude. Currently, under the Program, harvester quota share (QS), 
processor quota share (PQS), individual fishing quota (IFQ), and 
individual processing quota (IPQ) are issued for one Tanner crab 
fishery. Amendment 20 would modify the FMP to allocate QS and PQS and 
the resulting IFQ and IPQ for two Tanner crab fisheries one east of 
166[deg] W longitude, the other west of 166[deg] W longitude.
    The current allocations are not consistent with management of the 
species as two stocks. Revision of the QS and PQS allocations would 
resolve this inconsistency, reduce administrative costs for managers 
and reduce potential operational costs and increase flexibility for 
harvesters and processors.

[[Page 9771]]

    Public comments are being solicited on proposed Amendment 20 
through the end of the comment period (see DATES). NMFS intends to 
publish a proposed rule that would implement Amendment 20 in the 
Federal Register for public comment, following NMFS' evaluation under 
the Magnuson-Stevens Act procedures. Public comments on the proposed 
rule must be received by the end of the comment period on Amendment 20 
to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on Amendment 20. 
All comments received by the end of the comment period on Amendment 20, 
whether specifically directed to the FMP amendment or the proposed 
rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision. Comments 
received after that date will not be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the amendments. To be considered, comments must 
be received not just postmarked or otherwise transmitted by the close 
of business on the last day of the comment period.

    Dated: February 22, 2006.
William D. Chappell,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-2733 Filed 2-24-06; 8:45 am]
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