[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8023-8024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4748]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 675
[I.D. 022396A]
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Pollock Seasonal Allowances
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of an amendment to a fishery management
plan; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has
submitted Amendment 45 to the Fishery Management Plan for the
Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (FMP) for
Secretarial review and is requesting comments from the public. Copies
of the amendment may be obtained from the Council (See ADDRESSES).
DATES: Comments on Amendment 45 should be submitted on or before April
26, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Comments on Amendment 45 should be submitted to Ronald J.
Berg, Chief, Fisheries Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O.
Box 21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668 Attn: Lori Gravel, or delivered to
the Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, AK. Copies of
Amendment 45 and the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review
prepared for the amendment are available from the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council, 605 West Fourth Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2252;
telephone 907-271-2809.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kent Lind, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson Act) requires that each Regional Fishery
Management Council submit any fishery management plan or plan amendment
it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial
disapproval. The Magnuson Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a
fishery management plan or amendment, immediately publish a document
that the fishery management plan 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.
If approved, Amendment 45 would allow NMFS to establish seasonal
allowances of pollock total allowable catch (TAC) by regulation.
Included with Amendment 45 is a regulatory amendment that would combine
the third and fourth quarterly allowances of pollock TAC in the Western
and Central Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska. Under this
proposal, the third and fourth quarterly allowances of pollock would be
combined into a single seasonal allowance equal to 50 percent of the
TAC available on October 1 in the Western Regulatory Area and September
1 in the Central Regulatory Area.
This action is intended to result in four types of management
improvements: (1) Reduced chum salmon bycatch, which has been
excessively high during the third quarter (July 1) opening; (2) reduced
scheduling conflicts with summer salmon processing activities; (3)
reduced operating costs for industry through a reduction in the number
of seasonal openings from four to three; and (4) reduced risk of
harvest overruns during extremely short openings.
[[Page 8024]]
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 26, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-4748 Filed 2-26-96; 4:53 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
