Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 251 / Thursday, December 31, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 86865 

not fully developed. Additionally, this 

action maintains the management 

approach set in the FMP for stocks in 

the monitored category, which dictates 

how the OFL and ABC can be set, 

thereby limiting the alternatives for 

these values. The CPS FMP states that 

the ACL is set equal to the ABC or lower 

if determined necessary to prevent 

overfishing or for other OY 

considerations not already built into the 

ABC control rule. Although there is no 

management uncertainty that requires 

reducing the ACL from the ABC, prior 

environmental analyses have only 

analyzed an ACL up to 25,000 mt, 

which is also the Council’s previous 

determination of OY for the stock. As 

previously stated, NMFS does not 

expect the proposed reduction in the 

ABC to negatively impact regulated 

fishermen, as the proposed ACL (25,000 

mt) is higher than the vacated ACL 

(23,573 mt). 

During the proposed rule stage, NMFS 

proposed the option of implementing a 

biomass threshold whereby, if the best 

scientific information available 

indicates the stock’s abundance drops 

below this threshold, then the ACL 

would be automatically reduced. A 

reduced ACL resulting from the this 

type of management measure would 

have potential to impact regulated 

fishermen through a consequent 

reduction in fishing opportunity, but the 

extent of economic impact would 

depend on a variety of factors, including 

the percentage of the reduction. NMFS 

decided to not to implement this 

management measure because NMFS 

determined it was not necessary in 

order to prevent overfishing over the 

long term. Therefore, NMFS did not 

further analyze potential economic 

impacts from this type of management 

measure during the final rule stage. 

Thus, no significant alternatives to 

this final rule exist that would 

accomplish the stated objectives of the 

applicable statutes while minimizing 

any significant economic impact of this 

final rule on the affected small entities. 

However, as stated above, this final rule 

is not expected to have a significant 

economic impact on the regulated 

fishermen. 

This final rule contains no 

information collection requirements 

under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995. 

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

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660 

Fisheries, Fishing, Indians, Recreation 

and recreation areas, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Treaties. 

Dated: December 23, 2020. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 660 is amended 

as follows: 

PART 660—FISHERIES OFF WEST 

COAST STATES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 660 

continues to read as follows: 

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

773 et seq., and 16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq. 

■ 2. In § 660.511, revise paragraph (k)(1) 

to read as follows: 

§ 660.511 Catch restrictions. 

* * * * * 

(k) * * * 

(1) Northern Anchovy (Central 

Subpopulation): 25,000 mt. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2020–28901 Filed 12–30–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 200221–0062; RTID 0648– 

XA759] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the 

Gulf of Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; modification of 

closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is opening directed 

fishing for Pacific cod by various sectors 

in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action 

is necessary to fully use the 2021 total 

allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod in 

the GOA. 

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, Alaska 

local time (A.l.t.), January 1, 2021 

through 2400 hours, A.l.t., December 31, 

2021. Comments must be received at the 

following address no later than 4:30 

p.m., A.l.t., January 15, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by NOAA–NMFS–2019–0102, 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov/ 

docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0102, 

click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

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 

(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. 

Pursuant to the final 2020 and 2021 

harvest specifications for groundfish in 

the GOA (85 FR 13802, March 10, 2020), 

NMFS closed directed fishing for Pacific 

cod in the GOA in accordance with 

§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii) through December 31, 

2021. 

As of December 17, 2020, NMFS has 

determined that 5,590 metric tons (mt) 

in the Western Regulatory Area and 

10,242 mt in the Central Regulatory 

Area of the GOA of Pacific cod TAC is 

available in 2021. This is based on the 

Council’s December 2020 

recommendation for the 2021 Pacific 

cod TAC in the GOA. NMFS issued an 

inseason adjustment to adjust the 2021 

Pacific cod TAC to reflect the Council’s 

recommendations (85 FR 83834, 

December 23, 2020). The adjusted 2021 

Pacific cod TACs are sufficient to allow 

for directed fishing for Pacific cod by 

vessels using jig gear, vessels using pot 

gear, and catcher/processors (CPs) using 

hook-and-line gear in the Western 

Regulatory Area of the GOA. The 

adjusted 2021 Pacific cod TACs also are 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
86866 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 251 / Thursday, December 31, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 

sufficient to allow for directed fishing 

for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear, 

vessels using pot gear, catcher vessels 

using hook-and-line gear, and CPs using 

hook-and-line gear in the Central 

Regulatory Area of the GOA. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 679.25(a)(1)(i), (a)(2)(i)(C), and 

(a)(2)(iii)(D), and to fully utilize the 

2021 Pacific cod TAC in the Western 

Regulatory Area of the GOA, NMFS is 

terminating the previous closures and is 

opening directed fishing for Pacific cod 

by vessels using jig gear, vessels using 

pot gear, and CPs using hook-and-line 

gear. 

Additionally, in accordance with 

§ 679.25(a)(1)(i), (a)(2)(i)(C), and 

(a)(2)(iii)(D), and to fully utilize the 

2021 Pacific cod TAC in the Central 

Regulatory Area of the GOA, NMFS is 

terminating the previous closures and is 

opening directed fishing for Pacific cod 

by vessels using jig gear, vessels using 

pot gear, catcher vessels less than 50 

feet length overall (LOA) using hookand-line gear, catch vessels greater than 

or equal to 50 feet LOA using hook-andline gear, and CPs using hook-and-line 

gear. 

This action will enhance the 

socioeconomic well-being of harvesters 

in this area. The Administrator, Alaska 

Region (Regional Administrator) 

considered the following factors in 

reaching this decision: (1) The adjusted 

2021 Pacific cod TAC in the GOA and 

(2) the harvest capacity and stated intent 

on future harvesting patterns of vessels 

in participating in this fishery. 

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 opening of directed 

fishing for Pacific cod in 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 December 

23, 2020. 

Without this inseason adjustment, 

NMFS could not allow the fishery for 

Pacific cod in the GOA to be harvested 

in an expedient manner and in 

accordance with the regulatory 

schedule. 

Under § 679.25(c)(2), interested 

persons are invited to submit written 

comments on this action to the above 

address until January 15, 2021. 

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

Dated: December 28, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28967 Filed 12–30–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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