[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 25, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 65973-65975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27606]



[[Page 65973]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 101126521-0640-02]
RIN 0648-XA784


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation 
of Crab Prohibited Species Catch Allowances in the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands Management Area

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the 2011 
crab prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances from the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands trawl limited access sector to the Amendment 80 
cooperatives in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area 
(BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the Amendment 80 cooperatives 
to fully harvest their 2011 groundfish allocations.

DATES: Effective October 25, 2011, through 2400 hrs, Alaska local time 
(A.l.t.), December 31, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-586-7269.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the 
BSAI according to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) prepared by the 
North Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Regulations 
governing fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP appear at 
subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    The Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, has also determined that 
259,000 crabs of Zone 1 C. bairdi tanner crab PSC, 750,000 crabs of 
Zone 2 C. bairdi tanner crab PSC, 37,000 crabs of Zone 1 red king crab 
PSC, and 1,300,000 crabs of C. opilio Bycatch Limitation Zone (COBLZ) 
C. opilio tanner crab PSC from the BSAI trawl limited access sector 
will not be needed to support BSAI trawl limited access fisheries. 
Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  679.91(f)(5), NMFS is reallocating 
these crab PSC amounts from the BSAI trawl limited access sector to the 
Amendment 80 cooperatives in the BSAI.
    In accordance with Sec.  679.91(f)(1), NMFS will reissue 
cooperative quota permits for the reallocated crab PSC following the 
procedures set forth in Sec.  679.91(f)(4) and Sec.  679.91(f)(5).
    The harvest specifications for crab PSC allowances included in the 
final harvest specifications for crab in the BSAI (76 FR 11139, March 
1, 2011) are modified as follows in Tables 8a, 8c, and 8d:

 Table 8a--Final 2011 and 2012 Apportionment of Prohibited Species Catch Allowances to Non-Trawl Gear, the CDQ Program, Amendment 80, and the BSAI Trawl
                                                                 Limited Access Sectors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Non-trawl                                        Amendment 80 sector     BSAI trawl limited
                                                              PSC                  Trawl PSC    CDQ PSQ  ------------------------     access fishery
                 PSC species                  Total non-   remaining     Total     remaining    reserve                          -----------------------
                                               trawl PSC   after CDQ   trawl PSC   after CDQ      \1\        2011        2012
                                                            PSQ \1\                 PSQ \1\                                          2011        2012
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halibut mortality (mt) BSAI.................         900         832       3,675       3,349         393       2,375       2,325         875         875
Herring (mt) BSAI...........................         n/a         n/a       2,273         n/a         n/a         n/a         n/a         n/a         n/a
Red king crab (animals) Zone 1 \1\..........         n/a         n/a     197,000     175,921      21,079     130,432      87,925      16,797      53,797
C. opilio (animals) COBLZ \2\...............         n/a         n/a   8,310,480   7,421,259     889,221   5,175,381   3,647,549   1,085,193   2,385,193
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 1 2...........         n/a         n/a     830,000     741,190      88,810     590,608     312,115      89,285     348,285
C. bairdi crab (animals) Zone 2.............         n/a         n/a   2,520,000   2,250,360     269,640   1,315,966     532,660     303,394   1,053,394
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Section 679.21(e)(3)(i)(A)(2) allocates 326 mt of the trawl halibut mortality limit and Sec.   679.21(e)(4)(i)(A) allocates 7.5 percent, or 67 mt,
  of the non-trawl halibut mortality limit as the PSQ reserve for use by the groundfish CDQ program. The PSQ reserve for crab species is 10.7 percent of
  each crab PSC limit.
\2\ Refer to Sec.   679.2 for definitions of zones.
\3\ Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.


          Table 8c--Final 2011 and 2012 Prohibited Species Bycatch Allowances for the BSAI Trawl Limited Access Sector and Non-Trawl Fisheries
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Prohibited species and area \1\
                                                                               -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                        Red king                   C. bairdi (animals)
                      BSAI trawl limited access fisheries                         Halibut mortality       crab      C. opilio  -------------------------
                                                                                      (mt) BSAI        (animals)    (animals)
                                                                                                         Zone 1       COBLZ        Zone 1       Zone 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowfin sole................................................................                   167       14,799    1,022,610       75,172      289,709
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish \2\....................................                     0            0            0            0            0
Turbot/arrowtooth/sablefish \3\...............................................                     0            0            0            0            0
Rockfish April 15-December 31.................................................                     5            0        1,738            0          244
Pacific cod...................................................................                   453        1,873       43,460       13,027       12,219
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species...........................................                   250          125       17,384        1,086        1,222
                                                                               -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total BSAI trawl limited access PSC.......................................                   875       16,797    1,085,193       89,285      303,394
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-trawl fisheries                                                          Catcher/    Catcher
                                                                            processor     vessel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod--Total........................................................        760         15
    January 1-June 10.....................................................        455         10
    June 10-August 15.....................................................        190          3

[[Page 65974]]

 
    August 15-December 31.................................................        115          2
                                                                           ----------------------
Other non-trawl--Total....................................................           58
 
    May 1-December 31.....................................................           58
 
    Groundfish pot and jig................................................         Exempt
 
    Sablefish hook-and-line...............................................         Exempt
 
                                                                           ----------------------
    Total non-trawl PSC...................................................           833
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
                                                                                                     Prohibited species and area \1\
                                                                               -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                        Red king                   C. bairdi (animals)
                      BSAI trawl limited access fisheries                         Halibut mortality       crab      C. opilio  -------------------------
                                                                                      (mt) BSAI        (animals)    (animals)
                                                                                                         Zone 1       COBLZ        Zone 1       Zone 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          2012
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yellowfin sole................................................................                   167       47,397    2,247,640      293,234    1,005,879
Rock sole/flathead sole/other flatfish \2\....................................                     0            0            0            0            0
Turbot/arrowtooth/sablefish \3\...............................................                     0            0            0            0            0
Rockfish April 15-December 31.................................................                     5            0        3,821            0          849
Pacific cod...................................................................                   453        6,000       95,523       50,816       42,424
Pollock/Atka mackerel/other species \4\.......................................                   250          400       38,209        4,235        4,242
                                                                               -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total BSAI trawl limited access PSC.......................................                   875       53,797    2,385,193      348,285    1,053,394
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-trawl fisheries                                                          Catcher/    Catcher
                                                                            processor     vessel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific cod--Total........................................................        760         15
    January 1-June 10.....................................................        455         10
    June 10-August 15.....................................................        190          3
    August 15-December 31.................................................        115          2
                                                                           ----------------------
Other non-trawl--Total....................................................           58
 
    May 1-December 31.....................................................           58
 
    Groundfish pot and jig................................................         Exempt
 
    Sablefish hook-and-line...............................................         Exempt
 
                                                                           ----------------------
    Total non-trawl PSC...................................................           833
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 \1\ Refer to Sec.   679.2 for definitions of areas.
\2\ ``Other flatfish'' for PSC monitoring includes all flatfish species, except for halibut (a prohibited species), flathead sole, Greenland turbot,
  rock sole, yellowfin sole, Kamchatka flounder, and arrowtooth flounder.
\3\ Arrowtooth flounder for PSC monitoring includes Kamchatka flounder.
\4\ ``Other species'' for PSC monitoring includes sculpins, sharks, skates, and octopuses.
\5\ Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.


        Table 8d--Final 2011 Prohibited Species Bycatch Allowance for the BSAI Amendment 80 Cooperatives
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Prohibited species and zones \1\
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Cooperative                Halibut      Red king crab     C. opilio          C. bairdi (animals)
                                  mortality (mt)  (animals) Zone     (animals)   -------------------------------
                                       BSAI              1             COBLZ          Zone 1          Zone 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska Seafood Cooperative......           1,643          88,830       3,341,355         415,769         907,979
Alaska Groundfish Cooperative...             732          41,602       1,834,026         174,839         407,987
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Refer to Sec.   679.2 for definitions of zones.
\2\ Sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.

    This will enhance the socioeconomic well-being of harvesters of 
groundfish dependent upon these PSC allowances. The Regional 
Administrator considered the following factors in reaching this 
decision: (1) The current catch and stated future harvesting intent of 
BSAI trawl limited access sector fisheries and, (2) the harvest 
capacity and stated intent on future harvesting patterns of the 
Amendment 80 cooperatives that participates in this BSAI fishery. The 
Regional Administrator also has determined that this action will create 
no threats of exceeding TACs for any species or species group.

Classification

    This action responds to the best available information recently 
obtained from the fishery. The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 
NOAA (AA), finds good cause to waive the requirement to provide prior 
notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to the authority set 
forth at 5

[[Page 65975]]

U.S.C. 553(b)(B) as such requirement is impracticable and contrary to 
the public interest. This requirement is impracticable and contrary to 
the public interest as it would prevent NMFS from responding to the 
most recent fisheries data in a timely fashion and would delay the 
reallocation of crab PSC allowances from the BSAI trawl limited access 
sector to the Amendment 80 cooperatives in the BSAI. Since the 
fisheries are currently open, it is important to immediately inform the 
industry as to the revised allocations. Immediate notification is 
necessary to allow for the orderly conduct and efficient operation of 
these fisheries, to allow the industry to plan for the fishing season, 
and to avoid potential disruption to the fishing fleet as well as 
processors. NMFS was unable to publish a notice providing time for 
public comment because the most recent, relevant data only became 
available as of October 17, 2011.
    The AA also finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the 
effective date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). This finding is 
based upon the reasons provided above for waiver of prior notice and 
opportunity for public comment.
    This action is required by Sec.  679.91 and is exempt from review 
under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: October 20, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-27606 Filed 10-20-11; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P