[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 232 (Wednesday, December 2, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 77406-77407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26573]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 200221-0062]
RTID 0648-XA647


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation 
of Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of Pacific 
cod total allowable catch (TAC) from catcher/processors using hook-and-
line gear, catcher vessels less than 50 feet using hook-and-line gear, 
catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet using hook-and-line 
gear, and vessels using pot gear to catcher vessels using trawl gear 
and catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area 
of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to allow the 2020 
TAC of Pacific cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA to be 
harvested.

DATES: Effective December 2, 2020 through 2,400 hours, Alaska local 
time (A.l.t.), December 31, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Obren Davis, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the 
GOA exclusive economic zone according to the Fishery Management Plan 
for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (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 appear at subpart H 
of 50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC specified for catcher/processors using 
hook-and-line gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA is 192 
metric tons (mt) as established by the final 2020 and 2021 harvest 
specifications for groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020).
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC specified for catcher vessels less than 50 
feet using hook-and-line gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA 
is 550 mt as established by the final 2020 and 2021 harvest 
specifications for

[[Page 77407]]

groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020).
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC specified for catcher vessels greater than 
or equal to 50 feet using hook-and-line gear in the Central Regulatory 
Area of the GOA is 253 mt as established by the final 2020 and 2021 
harvest specifications for groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 
10, 2020).
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC specified for vessels using pot gear in 
the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA is 1,048 mt as established by 
the final 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications for groundfish of the 
GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020).
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC specified for catcher/processors using 
trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA is 158 mt as 
established by the final 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications for 
groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020).
    The 2020 Pacific cod TAC apportioned to catcher vessels using trawl 
gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA is 1,567 mt, as 
established by the final 2020 and 2021 harvest specifications for 
groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020).
    The Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, (Regional Administrator) 
has determined that catcher/processors using hook-and-line gear will 
not be able to use 180 mt, catcher vessels less than 50 feet using 
hook-and-line gear will not be able to use 460 mt, catcher vessels 
greater than or equal to 50 feet using hook-and-line gear will not be 
able to use 100 mt, and vessels using pot gear will not be able to 
harvest 1,040 mt of the 2020 Pacific cod TAC allocated to those vessels 
under Sec.  679.20(a)(12)(i)(B)(1) to (3) and (6).
    In accordance with Sec.  679.20(a)(12)(ii)(B), the Regional 
Administrator has also determined that catcher vessels using trawl gear 
and catcher/processors using trawl gear currently have the capacity to 
harvest this excess allocation. Therefore, NMFS apportions 1,780 mt of 
Pacific cod from the catcher/processors using hook-and-line gear, 
catcher vessels less than 50 feet using hook-and-line gear, catcher 
vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet using hook-and-line gear, and 
vessels using pot gear apportionments to catcher vessels using trawl 
gear and catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory 
Area of the GOA.
    The harvest specifications for Pacific cod in the Central 
Regulatory Area of the GOA included in the final 2020 and 2021 harvest 
specifications for groundfish of the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020) 
are revised as follows: 12 mt to catcher/processors using hook-and-line 
gear, 90 mt to catcher vessels less than 50 feet using hook-and-line 
gear, 153 mt to catcher vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet using 
hook-and-line gear, 8 mt to vessels using pot gear, 2,521 mt to catcher 
vessels using trawl gear, and 838 mt to catcher/processors using trawl 
gear.

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR part 679, which was 
issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempt from review under 
Executive Order 12866.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior 
notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice 
and comment would be impracticable and contrary to the public interest, 
as it would prevent NMFS from responding to the most recent fisheries 
data in a timely fashion and would delay the reallocation of Pacific 
cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA. NMFS was unable to 
publish a notice providing time for public comment because the most 
recent, relevant data only became available as of November 25, 2020.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: November 27, 2020.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-26573 Filed 12-1-20; 8:45 am]
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