[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 27768-27770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10645]



[[Page 27768]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 0612242903-7445-03 and 0612242886-7464-03]
RINs 0648-AU48 and 0648-AU68


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allocating 
Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Fishery Resources; American Fisheries Act 
Sideboards

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal 
Register on September 4, 2007. The final rule implemented Amendment 85 
to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) as partially approved by NMFS. 
In addition, NMFS is correcting another final rule that appeared in the 
Federal Register on September 14, 2007. This final rule implemented 
Amendment 80 to the FMP.

DATES: Effective January 1, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patsy A. Bearden, 907-586-7008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Two final rules recently promulgated by NMFS contained several 
unintended errors that need to be corrected.
    A final rule published on September 4, 2007 (72 FR 50788) 
implemented Amendment 85 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish 
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP). Amendment 
85 modified the current allocations of Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 
(BSAI) Pacific cod total allowable catch, and seasonal apportionments 
thereof, among various harvest sectors. The final rule also included 
the allocation of Pacific cod to the Western Alaska Community 
Development Quota Program. All of the provisions of the Amendment 85 
final rule were effective January 1, 2008 (September 4 rule). The final 
rule to implement Amendment 80 to the FMP was published on September 
14, 2007 (72 FR 52668) (September 14 rule). Amendment 80 primarily 
allocated several BSAI non-pollock trawl groundfish fisheries among 
fishing sectors, facilitated the formation of harvesting cooperatives 
in the non-American Fisheries Act trawl catcher/processor sector, and 
established a limited access privilege program for that sector. Most 
provisions of the Amendment 80 final rule were effective October 15, 
2007, but some provisions were effective January 1, 2008, or January 
20, 2008. Some errors in the amendatory instructions became apparent 
when the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) tried to make certain 
revisions to the 50 CFR Part 679 regulations in several paragraphs. 
This notice corrects those errors.

Need for Corrections

    Each of the requested corrections is necessary to properly codify 
several provisions of final rules for Amendments 80 and 85 in the Code 
of Federal Regulations.
    Tables follow the description for each needed correction in the 
September 4 or September 14 rule to provide a visual presentation of 
the problems.
    In the September 4 rule, revisions to Sec.  679.20(b)(1)(i) were 
necessary to remove Pacific cod from the non-specified reserve for BSAI 
groundfish fisheries and were to be effective January 1, 2008. This 
section, however, was re-written under the September 14 rule which 
incorporated the change made by Amendment 85 with new language for 
Amendment 80 that included Pacific cod under ``Amendment 80 species'', 
and the revisions in the September 14 rule were effective October 15, 
2007. NMFS intended the revision made by the September 14 rule to be 
the final change to Sec.  679.20(b)(1)(i) made by the two rules. The 
September 4 rule is corrected by revising Sec.  679.20(b)(1)(i) by 
inserting the phrase ``which includes Pacific cod,'' in between 
``Amendment 80 species,'' and ``is automatically'' from the regulatory 
language implemented under the September 14 rule.

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                                       Revisions to Sec.   679.20(b)(1)(i)
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    Federal Register Document             Page number             Paragraph Sec.              Instruction
----------------------------------------------------------------------679.20------------------------------------
(72 FR 50788; September 4, 2007   50818, in Remove/Add table  (b)(1)(i)               Remove text: ''except
 [Amendment 85]                                                                        pollock and the''
Effective: January 1, 2008
                                                                                     ---------------------------
                                  ..........................  ......................  Replace text with:
                                                                                       ''except pollock, Pacific
                                                                                       cod, and the''
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007   52720, third column         (b)(1)(i)               Revise paragraph
 [Amendment 80]
Effective: October 15, 2007
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    In the September 4 rule, changes to Sec.  679.31 were necessary to 
revise three cross-references. Prior to the effective date of the 
September 4 rule, the September 14 rule revised and moved one of these 
cross-references, so that the cross-reference revision in the September 
4 rule cannot be made as instructed. This action removes this cross-
reference revision from the September 4 rule. The September 14 rule 
redesignated the paragraph containing the other two cross-reference 
revisions in the September 4 rule, so this action corrects the 
paragraph to be revised.

[[Page 27769]]



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                                            Changes to Sec.   679.31
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    Federal Register Document            Page number        Paragraph Sec.   679.31          Instruction
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(72 FR 50788; September 4, 2007    50818, in Remove/Add     (c)                      Remove: (See Sec.
 [Amendment 85]                     table                                             679.20(b)(1)(iii))
Effective: January 1, 2008
                                                                                    ----------------------------
                                   .......................  .......................  Replace with: (See Sec.
                                                                                      679.20(a)(7)(i) and
                                                                                      (b)(1)(iii).)
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007    52725, column 1          (c)                      Instruction 12
 [Amendment 80]                                                                      a. Remove paragraphs
Effective: October 15, 2007                                                           (a)(2), (c), and (f);
                                                                                     b. Redesignate paragraphs
                                                                                      (b), (d), and (e) as
                                                                                      paragraphs (a)(2), (3),
                                                                                      and (4), respectively;
                                                                                     e. Add and reserve
                                                                                      paragraph (b);
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    Federal Register Document            Page number        Paragraph Sec.   679.31          Instruction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(72 FR 50788; September 4, 2007    50818, in Remove/Add     (e)                      Remove: (See Sec.
 [Amendment 85]                     table                                             679.21(e)(1)(i) and
Effective: January 1, 2008                                                            (e)(2)(ii))
                                                                                    ----------------------------
                                   .......................  .......................  Replace : (See Sec.
                                                                                      679.21(e)(3)(i)(A) and
                                                                                      (e)(4)(i)(A))
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007    52725, column 1          (e)                      Instruction 12
 [Amendment 80]                                                                      b. Redesignate paragraphs
Effective: October 15, 2007                                                           (b), (d), and (e) as
                                                                                      paragraphs (a)(2), (3),
                                                                                      and (4), respectively;
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    In the September 4 rule, amendment instruction 7.A concerning Sec.  
679.64(a)(1) inadvertently resulted in two paragraphs (a)(1)(ii). NMFS 
expected the new paragraph (a)(1)(ii) in amendment instruction 7.E to 
overwrite the original paragraph, but that is not what occurred. 
Therefore, this action revises amendment instruction 7.A so that it 
removes the original paragraph (a)(1)(ii). The intention to remove the 
original paragraph was noted in the preamble to the proposed rule for 
Amendment 85 published on February 7, 2007 (72 FR 5654). The 
establishment of a separate Pacific cod allocation to the American 
Fisheries Act trawl catcher/processor sector eliminated the need for 
this sideboard.

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                                               Sec.   679.64(a)(1)
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    Federal Register Document            Page number        Paragraph Sec.   679.64          Instruction
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(72 FR 50788; September 4, 2007    50818, column 1          (a)(1)(ii)               Instruction 7
 [Amendment 85]                                                                      Not redesignated nor
Effective: January 1, 2008                                                            removed
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                                   50818, column 1          (a)(3) introductory      Instruction 7
                                                             text                    Redesignate as (a)(1)(ii)
                                                                                    ----------------------------
                                   .......................  .......................  Result: Two (a)(1)(ii)
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    In the September 14 rule, in amendment instruction 14.c., Sec.  
679.64 (a)(1)(iii) was redesignated as (a)(i)(iv). The instruction 
should have included the revision of this paragraph, and this notice 
corrects that error. The paragraph was correctly proposed for revision 
in the proposed rule to implement Amendment 80, and the revision was 
set out in both the proposed and final rules. Therefore, this notice 
corrects the instruction error.

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    Federal Register Document            Page number        Paragraph Sec.   679.64          Instruction
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007    52725, column 3          (a)(1)(iii)              Instruction 14
 [Amendment 80]                                                                      c. Redesignate paragraph
Effective: October 15, 2007                                                           (a)(1)(iii) as (a)(1)(iv);
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    In the September 14 rule, amendment instruction 14.f. instructed 
that Sec.  679.64 (a)(3) was to be revised. However, paragraph (a)(3) 
could not be revised because no corresponding text for that paragraph 
was set out. NMFS never intended to revise paragraph (a)(3), and this 
paragraph was not proposed for revision in the proposed rule to 
implement Amendment 80. Therefore, this notice removes that text from 
the instruction.

[[Page 27770]]



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    Federal Register Document            Page number        Paragraph Sec.   679.64          Instruction
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007    52725                    (a)(3)                   Revise paragraph
 [Amendment 80]                                                                      Result: no corresponding
Effective: October 15, 2007                                                           text for that paragraph is
                                                                                      set out on the following
                                                                                      page after (a)(2), only
                                                                                      five stars.
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    In the September 14 rule, on page 52668 in the DATES section, Sec.  
679.64(a)(3) and Sec.  679.64(a)(1)(vi) were listed to be effective 
January 1, 2008. However, paragraph (a)(3) was not revised in the 
September 14 rule, as noted above, and paragraph (a)(1)(vi) does not 
exist. These effective date citations were made inadvertently and, 
therefore, this notice removes that text from the DATES section.

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    Federal Register Document            Page number               Paragraph                 Instruction
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72 FR 52668; September 14, 2007    52668                    DATES                    Says 679.64 (a)(1)(vi), to
 [Amendment 80]                                                                       be effective on 1-1-08,
Effective: October 15, 2007                                                           but no such paragraph
                                                                                      exists
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Classification

    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), the Assistant Administrator of 
Fisheries finds good cause to waive prior notice and opportunity for 
public comment otherwise required by the section. NOAA finds that prior 
notice and opportunity for public comment are unnecessary because the 
changes to the amendatory instructions do not substantively change the 
requirements of these final rules. It was not the intention under 
Amendment 85 or Amendment 80 to retain obsolete language, incorrect 
cross-references, or incorrect instructions. Because prior notice and 
opportunity for public comment are not required for this rule by 5 
U.S.C. 553, or any other law, the analytical requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et. seq. are inapplicable.
    The rule does not make any substantive change in the rights and 
obligations of fishermen managed under Amendment 80 or Amendment 85. 
Because this action makes only non-substantive changes to Part 679 
described above, this rule is not subject to the 30-day delay in 
effective date requirement of 5 U.S.C. 553(d).

Correction

    Accordingly, the final rule, FR Doc. E7-17140, published on 
September 4, 2007 (72 FR 50788) is corrected as follows:
    1. On page 50818, in the Remove/Add table, first row, revise column 
two to read ``Amendment 80 species, is automatically''; revise column 
three to read ``Amendment 80 species, which includes Pacific cod, is 
automatically''; and revise column four to read ``1''. This refers to 
paragraph 679.20(b)(1)(i).
    2. On page 50818, in the Remove/Add table, revise the tenth row 
under the ``Paragraph(s)'' column, which refers to Sec.  679.31(e), to 
read ``Sec.  679.31(a)(4)''.
    3. On page 50818, in the Remove/Add table, columns one, two, and 
three, remove the ninth row, which refers to paragraph 679.31(c).
    4. On page 50818, first column, first paragraph, second and third 
lines, revise Instruction 7.A. to read ``Remove paragraph (a)(1) 
introductory text and paragraph (a)(1)(ii).''
    Accordingly, the final rule, FR Doc. 07-4358, published on 
September 14, 2007 (72 FR 52668) is corrected as follows:
    5. On page 52668, column 1, DATES paragraph, remove ``Sec.  
679.64(a)(1)(vi)'' and Sec.  679.64(a)(3).''
    6. On page 52725, column 3, revise Instruction 14.c. to read 
``Redesignate paragraph (a)(1)(iii) as (a)(1)(iv) and revise it.''
    7. On page 52725, column 3, revise Instruction 14.f. to read 
``Revise paragraph (a)(2).''

    Dated: May 7, 2008.
James W. Balsiger,
Acting Assistant Administrator For Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E8-10645 Filed 5-13-08; 8:45 am]
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