[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 24, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 46153-46154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21947]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 99030463-9063-01; I.D. 072199B]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Halibut
Bycatch Mortality Allowance in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Reapportionment of Pacific halibut bycatch mortality allowance
specified for the nontrawl fishery categories.
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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule that reapportions the 1999 halibut
bycatch mortality allowance specified for the Pacific cod hook-and-line
fishery category to the other nontrawl fishery category in the Bering
Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is
necessary to allow the harvest of species constrained by the other
nontrawl halibut bycatch mortality allowance, in particular Greenland
turbot, while not further restricting the hook-and-line Pacific cod
fishery. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of
the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering
Sea and Aleutians Islands Area (FMP).
DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), September 1,
1999, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Furuness, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the
BSAI exclusive economic zone according to the FMP prepared by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Regulations governing
fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP are at subpart H of
50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
The BSAI halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit for nontrawl
gear is an amount of halibut equivalent to 900 mt of halibut mortality
(Sec. 679.21(e)(2)(i)). The apportionment of the nontrawl halibut PSC
limit to bycatch allowances for the Pacific cod hook-and-line and other
nontrawl fisheries was established by the Final 1999 Harvest
Specifications of Groundfish for the BSAI (64 FR 12103, March 11, 1999)
as 748 mt and 84 mt respectively.
A proposed rule for this action was published in the Federal
Register on July 29, 1999 (64 FR 41068), requesting comments through
August 12, 1999. One letter of comment was received during the comment
period from a hook-and-line industry representative supporting the
reapportionment. Based on this comment, and in order to provide greater
opportunity to harvest the BSAI Greenland turbot total allowable catch
(TAC) while not jeopardizing the opportunity to harvest the amount of
the Pacific cod TAC allocated to hook-and line vessels, NMFS increases
the halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for the other
nontrawl fishery category by 150
[[Page 46154]]
mt and reduces the halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for
the Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery by the same amount.
The halibut bycatch mortality specifications for the 1999 BSAI
nontrawl fisheries are listed in Table 7 of the Final 1999 Harvest
Specifications for Groundfish (64 FR 12103, March 11, 1999). To
accommodate the final action, the 1999 BSAI final harvest
specifications are amended by adding the following Table 7A.
Table 7A. 1999 BSAI prohibited species bycatch allowances for the BSAI
non-trawl fisheries
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Halibut mortality
Non-trawl fisheries (mt)BSAI
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Pacific cod - Total 598.
Jan. 1 - April 30 457.
May 1 - Sept. 14 0.
Sept. 15 - Dec. 31 141.
Other non-trawl - Total 234.
May 1 - Aug. 31\1\ 42.
Sept.1 - Dec.31 192.
Groundfish pot & jig Exempt.
Sablefish hook-and-line Exempt.
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\1\ Consistent with Sec. 679.21(e)(5)(iv)(A), any portion of the first
seasonal allowance of the Pacific cod halibut bycatch mortality
allowance that is not harvested by the end of the first season will
become available on September 15, the beginning of the third season.
Classification
This action is authorized under 50 CFR 679.21(e)(4) and is exempt
from OMB review under E.O. 12866.
NMFS prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and final regulatory
flexibility assessment (FRFA) for the 1999 harvest specifications (See
ADDRESSES). The reapportionment of the BSAI nontrawl halibut PSC limit
is intended to provide fuller opportunity to conduct the fishing
activities considered in the EA/FRFA and is fully within the scope of
these analyses.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., 1801 et seq. and 3631 et seq.
Dated: August 18, 1999.
George H. Darcy,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-21947 Filed 8-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
