[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 3532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1546]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 980113013-8013-01; I.D. 122397I]
RIN 0648-AK56
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Control Date
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking; consideration of a
control date.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that persons who, after November 13,
1997, enter the pelagic longline fishery in American Samoa will not
necessarily be assured of eligibility for continuing participation in
the fishery if, in the future, the Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) prepares and NMFS approves a program limiting entry
or effort. This notice also announces that vessels greater than 50 ft
(15.2 m) in length that are registered for use with Federal general
longline permits after November 13, 1997, would not be assured of being
allowed to use longline gear to fish for pelagic management unit
species within 100 nautical miles (nm) from the coast lines of American
Samoa. This notice does not commit the Council to limit effort, nor
does it prevent any other date from being selected for eligibility to
participate in the fishery. The Council also may use other criteria to
limit fishing effort associated with the proposed area closure around
American Samoa.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by February 23, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 92813.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kitty Simonds, Executive Director,
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, (909) 522-8220, or Mr.
Alvin Katekaru, Fishery Management Specialist, Pacific Islands Area
Office, NMFS (808) 973-2985.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The pelagic fishery in American Samoa is
undergoing rapid change. Prior to 1995 it was largely a troll-based
fishery. In late 1995 four vessels known locally as ``alia'' catamarans
(about 30 ft (9.1 m) long powered by small gas outboard engines) began
to fish for albacore using monofilament longline gear. During 1995,
this artisanal-scale fishing operation landed 54,902 lb (24.903 metric
tons (mt)) of albacore, a 97-percent increase in landings over the
previous year. In 1996, 13 alias participated in the fishery and landed
232,721 lb (105.56 mt) of albacore. The number of longline vessels
registered for the fishery increased to 32 in 1997, including four
vessels ranging in length from 65 to 109 ft (19.8 to 33.2 m). In 1996,
a total of 99,990 hooks were set in the fishery. By the third quarter
of 1997, a total of 175,081 hooks had been set in the fishery.
In June 1997, fishermen in American Samoa formed a small boat
working group to discuss possible management approaches to prevent
destabilization and overcapitalization in the fishery. At the 94th
meeting held in November 1997, after consulting with the group, Council
members from American Samoa presented the Council with two
recommendations: (1) Establish a ``control date'' (potential cut-off
date) for permit eligibility if the Council decides to develop a
limited entry program and (2) prepare a regulatory amendment under the
framework process of the Fishery Management Plan for Pelagic Species
Fisheries in the Western Pacific Region to establish a 100-nm area
around American Samoa closed to longline fishing by vessels longer than
50 ft (15.2 m) that were not already in the fishery. Vessels greater
than 50 ft (15.2 m) in length registered with a general longline permit
after the control date would not be allowed to continue to fish within
the closed area. The Council approved the establishment of a control
date (November 13, 1997) for a limited entry program and directed staff
to prepare a regulatory amendment to establish a 100-nm area closed to
longline fishing.
This decision by the Council rescinds the earlier control date for
this fishery of January 1, 1991, published in the Federal Register on
March 28, 1991 (56 FR 1289).
The Council believes that there is a risk of speculative entry into
the fishery while the Council further evaluates the potential benefits
and costs of limited entry alternatives and the proposed regulatory
amendment for area closure, including enforcement concerns. The control
date is designed to discourage speculative entry during this period of
analysis. The control date does not commit the Council or NMFS to any
particular management regime or criteria for entry into the American
Samoa longline fishery. Fishermen are not guaranteed future
participation in this fishery, regardless of their entry date or level
of participation before or after the control date. The Council may
choose a different control date or it may choose a management regime
that does not involve a control date. Other criteria, such as
documentation of commercial landings and sales, may be used to
determine eligibility for participation in the fishery. At its 95th
meeting in April 1998, the Council may also consider prohibiting other
U.S. pelagic non-longline fishing vessels (purse-seiners, trollers, and
pole-and-line bait boats) greater than 50 ft (15.2 m) from fishing
within 100-nm of the land masses of American Samoa. The Council also
may choose to take no further action to control entry or access to the
fishery or to establish a closed longline fishing area.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 14, 1998.
Rolland A. Schmitten,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-1546 Filed 1-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
