[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8921-8922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4871]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 022197B]
RIN 0648-AI82
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Commercial and Recreational Pacific Salmon Fishery Amendment 12;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Amendment 10
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of amendments to fishery management
plans; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) has submitted Amendment 12 to the Fishery Management Plan for
Commercial and Recreational Salmon Fisheries off the Coasts of
Washington, Oregon, and California (Salmon FMP) and Amendment 10 to the
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP) for
Secretarial review. Amendment 12 would allow retention, but not sale,
of salmon bycatch by groundfish trawl vessels under a monitoring
program that meets certain guidelines; would specify Endangered Species
Act (ESA) standards as management objectives for salmon species listed
under the ESA; and would update the Salmon FMP,
[[Page 8922]]
with no change in the FMP's management objectives. Amendment 10 would
allow retention, but not sale, of salmon bycatch by groundfish trawl
vessels under a monitoring program that meets certain guidelines.
DATES: Comments on Amendments 12 and 10 must be received on or before
April 28, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Comments on Amendments 12, 10, or supporting documents
should be sent to Mr. William Stelle, Administrator, Northwest Region,
NMFS, Sand Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or to Ms.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero, Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West
Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.
Copies of Amendments 12 and 10, the Environmental Assessment (EA)/
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR)/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(IRFA) are available from Larry Six, Executive Director, Pacific
Fishery Management Council, 2130 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 224, Portland, OR
97201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Robinson at 206-526-6140,
Rodney McInnis at 310-980-4040, or the Pacific Fishery Management
Council at 503-326-6352.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional
Fishery Management Council submit any fishery management plan (FMP) or
plan amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval,
disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also
requires that NMFS, upon receiving an FMP or amendment, immediately
publish a notice that the FMP or amendment is available for public
review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received
during the comment period in determining whether to approve the FMP or
amendment.
Amendment 12 to the Pacific Coast Salmon FMP and Amendment 10 to
the Groundfish FMP would authorize rulemaking to allow retention of
salmon bycatch by groundfish trawl vessels under an appropriate
monitoring program. Amendment 12 to the Salmon FMP would also
incorporate NMFS ESA standards as management objectives for salmon
species listed under the ESA, and update the Salmon FMP, without
changing the existing FMP's management objectives.
The portion of the amendment regarding ESA standards is necessary
to bring the Salmon FMP into compliance with the March 1996 Biological
Opinion issued under section 7 of the ESA regarding the impacts of the
Pacific Coast salmon fishery on salmon stocks listed under the ESA. The
update of the Salmon FMP merely combines into one document the
operative language of the 1984 framework FMP and its amendments.
Changes to management objectives to comply with the ESA and the update
of the salmon FMP will result in minor modifications to the salmon
regulations. A proposed rule to implement those modifications will be
issued shortly.
NMFS welcomes comments on the proposed FMP amendments through the
end of the comment period. NMFS will consider the public comments
received during the comment period in determining whether to approve
the proposed amendments. A proposed rule to implement Amendment 12 to
the Salmon FMP has been submitted for Secretarial review and approval.
NMFS expects to publish and request public review and comment on this
rule in the near future. Public comments on the proposed rule must be
received by the end of the comment period on the amendments to be
considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the amendments. All
comments received by the end of the comment period for the amendments,
whether specifically directed to the amendments or the proposed rule,
will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the
amendments.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 21, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-4871 Filed 2-26-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
