[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 43 (Monday, March 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11191-11192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3099]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 022806C]


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) 
Charter Halibut Stakeholder Committee will meet in Anchorage, AK.

DATES: The meeting will be held on March 21-23, 2006. The meeting will 
be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500 
West 3rd Avenue, Dillingham 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 
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

[[Page 11192]]

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 
Individual Fishing Quota (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 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

    This meeting is 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 28, 2006.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3099 Filed 3-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S