[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 31, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15307-15308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7889]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[I.D. 032299A]
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Renewal of Exempted Fishing Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
[[Page 15308]]
Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Commerce.
ACTION: Renewal of Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) for monitoring
salmon bycatch in the Washington-Oregon-California (WOC) shore-based
Pacific whiting fishery.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application, and NMFS' intent
to renew EFPs to vessels participating in an observation program to
monitor the incidental take of salmon and groundfish in the shore-based
component of the Pacific whiting fishery. These EFPs are necessary to
allow trawl vessels fishing for Pacific whiting to delay sorting of
prohibited species and groundfish catch in excess of cumulative trip
limits until the point of offloading. These activities are otherwise
prohibited by Federal regulations.
DATES: The EFPs will be effective no earlier than April 1, 1999, and
would expire no later than May 31, 2000, but could be terminated
earlier under terms and conditions of the EFPs and other applicable
laws.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFPs are available from Katherine King,
Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA
98115-0070.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine King 206-526-6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and implementing
regulations at 50 CFR 600.745, which state that EFPs may be used to
authorize fishing activities that would otherwise be prohibited.
NMFS received an application requesting renewal of these EFPs from
the States of Washington, Oregon, and California at the March 8-12,
1999, Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting in Portland,
OR. An opportunity for public testimony was provided during the Council
meeting. The Council recommended that NMFS issue the EFPs, as requested
by the States.
Renewal of these EFPs, to about 40 vessels, would continue an
ongoing program to collect information on the bycatch of salmon and
groundfish in whiting harvests delivered to shoreside processing
facilities by domestic trawl vessels operating off WOC. Sorting the
catch at sea can hurt the whiting quality because whiting deteriorates
rapidly if it is not immediately chilled. Issuing EFPs will allow
vessels to delay sorting of groundfish catch in excess of cumulative
trip limits and prohibited species until offloading. Delaying sorting
until offloading will allow state biologists to collect bycatch data
for total catch estimates and will enable whiting quality to be
maintained. Without an EFP, groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 660.306(b)
require vessels to sort their prohibited species bycatch and return
them to sea as soon as practicable with minimum injury. To allow state
biologists to sample unsorted whiting, it is also necessary to include
provisions for potential overages of groundfish trip limits which is
prohibited by regulations at 50 CFR 660.306(h).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 25, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-7889 Filed 3-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
