[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 96 (Monday, May 18, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 29670-29672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09084]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 200423-0120]
RIN 0648-XY201


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of 
Alaska; Final 2020 and 2021 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish; 
Correction

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service is correcting a final 
rule that published on March 10, 2020, implementing the final 2020 and 
2021 harvest specifications and prohibited species catch allowances for 
the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska. One table in the document 
contains errors associated with deep-water flatfish, and another table 
contains an error associated with northern rockfish. These corrections 
are necessary to provide the correct information about the amount of 
deep-water flatfish and northern rockfish available for commercial 
harvest in 2020, thus allowing commercial fishermen to maximize their 
economic opportunities in this fishery. This correction also is 
necessary to comport with the requirements of the Fishery Management 
Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska.

DATES: Effective May 18, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Obren Davis, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Need for Correction

    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published the Gulf of 
Alaska (GOA) final 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications in the Federal 
Register on March 10, 2020 (85 FR 13802). The harvest specifications 
were effective March 10, 2020. NMFS has identified two tables in that 
final rule that contain errors. First, a table (Table 18) providing 
information about the 2020 groundfish sideboard limits for non-exempt 
American Fisheries Act (AFA) catcher vessels contains errors associated 
with the deep-water flatfish sideboard limits in the Central and 
Eastern Regulatory Areas of the GOA. Second, a table (Table 23) 
providing information about 2020 Rockfish Program (RP) sideboard limits 
for catcher/processors contains one error associated with the northern 
rockfish sideboard limit in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA. 
These tables, associated errors, and corrections to each table are 
discussed below.

Corrections to Table 18: Non-Exempt AFA Catcher Vessel Sideboard Limits

    An explanation of AFA sideboard limits is contained in the final 
rule implementing the 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications (85 FR 
13802, March 10, 2020) and is not repeated here. In conjunction with 
calculating the non-exempt AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits 
contained in Table 18 of the final 2020 and 2021 harvest 
specifications, NMFS also incorporated changes to the specification and 
management of non-exempt AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits that were 
implemented in a final rule published in 2019 (84 FR 2723, February 8, 
2019). That particular final rule established regulations to prohibit 
directed fishing for specific groundfish species or species groups 
subject to sideboard limits in regulations (Sec.  679.20(d)(1)(iv)(D) 
and Table 56 to 50 CFR part 679), which effectively reduced the number 
of non-exempt AFA catcher vessel groundfish sideboard limits that must 
be annually specified. However, NMFS must continue to specify some non-
exempt AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits for certain groundfish 
species or species groups.
    In the final harvest specifications, the table (Table 18) 
associated with the 2020 non-exempt AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits 
provides information about species, apportionments by gear and season, 
areas, ratios used to calculate sideboard limits, total allowable catch 
(TAC) limits, and final 2020 sideboard limits. This table was revised 
and condensed from an equivalent table published in 2019 to remove 
species or species groups for which directed fishing is now prohibited 
in regulation, following the implementation of a final rule (84 FR 
2723, February 8, 2019) that, in part, revised the specification and 
management of non-exempt AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits. In Table 
18 on page 13821 of the harvest specifications published in the Federal 
Register (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020), NMFS inadvertently included a 
deep-water species sideboard limit for the Western GOA and omitted a 
deep-water species sideboard limit for the Eastern GOA. Table 18 also 
includes the incorrect ratio used for calculating the sideboard limit 
for deep-water flatfish for the Central GOA. The correct ratios for 
calculating sideboard limits for deep-water flatfish for the Central 
and

[[Page 29671]]

Eastern Regulatory Areas of the GOA are .0647 and .0128, respectively. 
The correct 2020 deep-water flatfish TACs for the Central and Eastern 
Regulatory Areas of the GOA are 1,948 metric tons (mt) and 3,856 mt, 
respectively. The correct 2020 deep-water flatfish sideboard limits for 
the Central and Eastern Regulatory Areas of the GOA are 126 mt and 49 
mt, respectively. This action will revise columns 3, 4, 5, and 6 of 
Table 18 to incorporate the correct amounts for ratios for calculating 
sideboard limits, TACs, and sideboard limits for the 2020 deep-water 
flatfish in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA (C) and the Eastern 
Regulatory Area of the GOA (E).

Correction to Table 23: RP Sideboard Limits for the Western GOA and 
West Yakutat District for the Catcher/Processor Sector

    A table (Table 23) providing information about the final 2020 RP 
sideboard limits for the catcher/processor sector by area and fishery 
contains one error associated with the northern rockfish sideboard 
limit for the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA (or Western GOA). In 
Table 23 on page 13824 of the harvest specifications published in the 
Federal Register (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020), NMFS inadvertently used 
an incorrect value for the northern rockfish sideboard limit for the 
Western Regulatory Area of the GOA. The correct 2020 northern rockfish 
sideboard limit for catcher/processors for the Western Regulatory Area 
of the GOA is 842 mt. This action will revise column 5 of Table 23 to 
incorporate the correct amount for the 2020 RP northern rockfish 
sideboard limit for the catcher/processor sector for the Western 
Regulatory Area of the GOA (or Western GOA).

Classification

    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 U.S.C. 
553(b)(B), as such requirement is unnecessary and contrary to the 
public interest. This correcting amendment makes changes to correct 
mis-specified 2020 deep-water flatfish sideboard limits for non-exempt 
AFA catcher vessels in Table 18 and the 2020 RP northern rockfish 
sideboard limit for catcher/processors in Table 23, as described above, 
and does not change operating practices in the fisheries. This 
correcting action is consistent with the harvest specifications 
recommended by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in December 
2019, and ensures that the groundfish sideboard limits that the fishing 
industry expected to be available in 2020 are correct. If this 
correction is delayed to allow for notice and comment, it would result 
in confusion for participants in the fisheries, given that the final 
rule implementing the 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications already is 
effective. The correct 2020 deep-water flatfish sideboard limits for 
non-exempt AFA catcher vessels for the Central and Eastern Regulatory 
Areas of the GOA are different from the incorrectly specified sideboard 
limits for these two management areas. The correct 2020 RP northern 
rockfish sideboard limit for catcher/processors is less than the 
incorrectly specified sideboard limit for the Western Regulatory Area 
of the GOA (or Western GOA). Without this correction, commercial 
fishermen may believe that there are different amounts of sideboard 
limits available for harvest in 2020 than are actually available, to 
their economic detriment. In addition, the public was already provided 
with notice and opportunity to comment during the public comment period 
for the proposed harvest specifications (84 FR 66109, December 3, 
2019), so additional opportunity for public comment at this point would 
not be meaningful. Therefore, in order to avoid any negative 
consequences that could result from this correction, the AA finds good 
cause to waive the requirement to provide prior notice and opportunity 
for public comment.
    For the reasons above, the AA also finds good cause under 5 U.S.C. 
553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in effective date and make this 
rule effective immediately upon publication.

Corrections

    In the final rule document, published on March 10, 2020 (85 FR 
13802), the following corrections are made:
    1. On page 13821, Table 18 is corrected to read as follows:

   Table 18--Final 2020 GOA Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel (CV) Groundfish Sideboard Limits
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
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                                                                  Ratio of  1995-                   Final 2020
                                                                    1997  non-                      non-exempt
           Species              Apportionments    Area/component  exempt  AFA CV    Final 2020        AFA CV
                                by season/gear                    catch  to 1995-    TACs \3\        sideboard
                                                                     1997 TAC                          limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pollock......................  A Season:         Shumagin (610).          0.6047             517             313
                                January 20-      Chirikof (620).          0.1167          18,757           2,189
                                March 10.        Kodiak (630)...          0.2028           5,783           1,173
                               B Season: March   Shumagin (610).          0.6047             517             313
                                10-May 31.       Chirikof (620).          0.1167          22,222           2,593
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.2028           2,318             470
                               C Season: August  Shumagin (610).          0.6047           9,070           5,485
                                25-October 1.    Chirikof (620).          0.1167           6,739             786
                                                 Kodiak (630)...          0.2028           9,248           1,875
                               D Season:         Shumagin (610).          0.6047           9,070           5,485
                                October 1-       Chirikof (620).          0.1167           6,739             786
                                November 1.      Kodiak (630)...          0.2028           9,248           1,875
                               Annual..........  WYK (640)......          0.3495           5,554           1,941
                                                 SEO (650)......          0.3495          10,148           3,547
Pacific cod..................  A Season: \1\     W..............          0.1331           1,246             166
                                January 1-June   C..............          0.0692           2,284             158
                                10.
                               B Season: \2\     W..............          0.1331             830             111
                                September 1-     C..............          0.0692           1,522             105
                                December 31.
Flatfish, shallow-water......  Annual..........  W..............          0.0156          13,250             207

[[Page 29672]]

 
                                                 C..............          0.0587          27,732           1,628
Flatfish, deep-water.........  Annual..........  C..............          0.0647           1,948             126
                               ................  E..............          0.0128           3,856              49
Rex sole.....................  Annual..........  C..............          0.0384           8,579             329
Arrowtooth flounder..........  Annual..........  C..............          0.0280          68,669           1,923
Flathead sole................  Annual..........  C..............          0.0213          15,400             328
Pacific ocean perch..........  Annual..........  C..............          0.0748          23,678           1,771
                                                 E..............          0.0466           6,123             285
Northern rockfish............  Annual..........  C..............          0.0277           3,178              88
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\1\ The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20.
\2\ The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1.
\3\ The Western and Central GOA and WYK District area apportionments of pollock are considered ACLs.

    2. On page 13824, Table 23 is corrected to read as follows:

 Table 23--Final 2020 Rockfish Program Sideboard Limits for the Western GOA and West Yakutat District by Fishery
                                        for the Catcher/Processor Sector
                                 [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton]
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                                                                              Final 2020
              Area                     Fishery       C/P sector (% of TAC)       TACs       Final 2020 C/P limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western GOA....................  Dusky rockfish....  72.3.................             776  561
                                 Pacific ocean       50.6.................           1,437  727
                                  perch.
                                 Northern rockfish.  74.3.................           1,133  842
West Yakutat District..........  Dusky rockfish....  Confidential \1\.....             115  Confidential \1\
                                 Pacific ocean       Confidential \1\.....           1,470  Confidential \1\
                                  perch.
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\1\ Not released due to confidentiality requirements associated with fish ticket data, as established by NMFS
  and the State of Alaska.


    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1540 (f), 1801 et 
seq.; 16 U.S.C. 3631 et seq.; Pub. L. 105-277; Pub. L. 106-31; Pub. 
L. 106-554; Pub. L. 108-199; Pub. L. 108-447; Pub. L. 109-241; Pub. 
L 109-479.

    Dated: April 24, 2020.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-09084 Filed 5-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P