[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 160 (Friday, August 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47779-47780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13693]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080306A]


Pacific Albacore Tuna Fisheries; Updating Annual Vessel List

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: NMFS revises the methodology to create a vessel list at the 
beginning of each calendar year of vessels eligible to fish for 
albacore tuna in Canadian waters. The vessel list reverts to zero 
vessels on December 31 of each year, unless NMFS receives a notice for 
a vessel to be added to the list for the upcoming year, with the 
requisite information. This notice clarifies NMFS' original intention 
that the vessel list remain valid for a single calendar year. Revising 
the way the list is created and updating the list every year is 
intended to facilitate the United States' obligation to annually 
provide Canada a current list of U. S. vessels that are likely to fish 
albacore off the coast of Canada.

ADDRESSES: Submit requests to be added to the vessel list of those 
vessels desiring to fish in Canadian waters to:
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: Mark Helvey, Assistant Regional Administrator, 
Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, 
CA 90802-4213.
     Phone: (562)980-4024.
     Fax: (562) 980-4047.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Helvey, Southwest Region, NMFS, 
(562) 980-4040.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1981 Treaty Between the Government of 
the United States of America and the Government of Canada on Pacific 
Coast Albacore Tuna Vessels and Port Privileges (Treaty), as amended in 
2002,

[[Page 47780]]

establishes a number of obligations for both countries to control 
reciprocal fishing in waters of one country by vessels of the other 
country. One obligation is that each country is required to annually 
provide to the other country a list of its fishing vessels which 
propose to fish for Pacific albacore tuna off the coast of the other 
county for each fishing season. As described in the 2004 final rule in 
69 FR 31531, published on June 4, 2004, and at 50 CFR 300.172, the list 
is to include vessel and owner name, address, and phone number; USCG 
documentation number (or state registration if not documented); vessel 
operator (if different from the owner) and his or her address with 
phone number. Each U.S. vessel must be on the list for at least 7 days 
prior to engaging in fishing under the Treaty. This is intended to 
ensure that both countries have equal information as to eligible 
vessels, and U.S. and Canadian enforcement offices can obtain lists of 
eligible vessels that are up to date to facilitate enforcement. Vessel 
owners who wish their vessel to remain on or be added to the vessel 
list must contact NMFS at the ADDRESSES section listed above and 
provide the required information. NMFS will notify fishermen by a 
confirmation letter or email that they are on the vessel list.
    This revision to procedures is necessary for NMFS to reconstruct 
the 2006 vessel list. Previous to the 2006 fishing season, NMFS did not 
require owners of any albacore fishing vessels that wanted their 
vessels to be on the list of U. S. vessels eligible to fish for 
albacore tuna in Canadian waters under the Treaty to contact NMFS. 
Instead, NMFS relied on a lengthy list created from information 
provided by industry that was not readily verifiable nor did it 
indicate to NMFS whether each vessel owner actually wished to be 
eligible to fish for albacore tuna in Canada for any given year. The 
result was that NMFS did not have an effective and efficient way of 
annually providing the Canadian government an updated vessel list of 
vessels owners who intended to fish for albacore tuna in Canada for a 
particular fishing season.
    NMFS is undertaking rulemaking to clarify the requirements of 50 
CFR 300.172.

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

    Dated: August 11, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-13693 Filed 8-17-06; 8:45 am]
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