Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 32 / Friday, February 19, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 10183 

broadband license is in the public 

interest. 

In addition, the Commission adopted 

a two-fold performance requirement 

whereby a 900 MHz broadband licensee 

must: (1) Provide reliable signal 

coverage and offer broadband service; 

and (2) meet either (a) a population 

coverage requirement, or (b) a 

geographic coverage requirement. 

The information required in this 

collection will be used to ensure that a 

grant of a 900 MHz broadband license 

is in the public interest and to ensure 

that licensees use 900 MHz spectrum 

productively, provide service in a 

timely manner, and promote the 

provision of innovative services and 

technologies in unserved areas, 

particularly rural markets. The 

collection is also necessary for the 

Commission to satisfy its oversight 

responsibilities and/or agency specific/ 

government-wide reporting obligations. 

Federal Communications Commission. 

Marlene Dortch, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00782 Filed 2–18–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 160426363–7275–02] 

RTID 0648–XA879 

Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources 

of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic 

Region; 2020–2021 Commercial Hookand-Line Closure for King Mackerel in 

the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS implements an 

accountability measure (AM) to close 

the hook-and-line component of the 

commercial sector for king mackerel in 

the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) southern zone. 

This closure is necessary to protect the 

Gulf king mackerel resource. 

DATES: This temporary rule is effective 

from 12:01 a.m., local time, on February 

22, 2021, through June 30, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelli O’Donnell, NMFS Southeast 

Regional Office, telephone: 727–824– 

5305, email: kelli.odonnell@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

fishery for coastal migratory pelagic fish 

in the Gulf includes king mackerel, 

Spanish mackerel, and cobia, and is 

managed under the Fishery 

Management Plan for the Coastal 

Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf 

of Mexico and Atlantic Region (FMP). 

The FMP was prepared by the Gulf of 

Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Councils and is 

implemented by NMFS under the 

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) through 

regulations at 50 CFR part 622. All 

weights for Gulf migratory group king 

mackerel (Gulf king mackerel) apply as 

either round or gutted weight. 

The commercial sector for Gulf king 

mackerel is divided into western, 

northern, and southern zones. The 

southern zone encompasses an area of 

the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off 

Collier and Monroe Counties in south 

Florida. The southern zone includes the 

EEZ south of a line extending due west 

from the boundary of Lee and Collier 

Counties on the Florida west coast, and 

south of a line extending due east from 

the boundary of Monroe and MiamiDade Counties on the Florida east coast 

(50 CFR 622.369(a)(1)(iii)). 

The commercial annual catch limit 

(ACL) for Gulf king mackerel is divided 

into separate ACLs for the hook-and-line 

and run-around gillnet components of 

the commercial sector. The commercial 

hook-and-line quota (equivalent to the 

commercial hook-and-line ACL) for Gulf 

king mackerel in the southern zone is 

575,400 lb (260,997 kg) for the current 

fishing year of July 1, 2020, through 

June 30, 2021 (50 CFR 

622.384(b)(1)(iii)(A)). 

Regulations at 50 CFR 622.388(a)(1) 

require NMFS to close any component 

of the king mackerel commercial sector 

when its applicable quota has been 

reached or is projected to be reached by 

filing a notification with the Office of 

the Federal Register. NMFS has 

determined the 2020–2021 hook-andline commercial quota for Gulf king 

mackerel in the southern zone will be 

reached by February 22, 2021. 

Accordingly, the hook-and-line 

component of the commercial sector for 

Gulf king mackerel in the southern zone 

is closed from February 22, 2021, 

through the end of the fishing year on 

June 30, 2021. The commercial hookand-line component for Gulf king 

mackerel in the southern zone will 

reopen on July 1, 2021. 

NMFS has also determined that the 

Gulf king mackerel commercial quota 

for vessels using run-around gillnet gear 

in the southern zone was reached on 

January 28, 2021, and therefore on that 

date, NMFS closed the southern zone to 

commercial king mackerel fishing using 

run-around gillnet gear (86 FR 7815, 

February 2, 2021). Accordingly, all 

commercial fishing for Gulf king 

mackerel in the southern zone is closed 

effective at 12:01 a.m. local time on 

February 22, 2021. The commercial runaround gillnet component for Gulf king 

mackerel in the southern zone will 

reopen at 6 a.m. local time on January 

18, 2022. 

A person aboard a vessel that has a 

valid Federal commercial permit for 

king mackerel may continue to retain 

king mackerel under the recreational 

bag and possession limits specified in 

50 CFR 622.382(a)(1)(ii) and (a)(2), as 

long as the recreational sector for Gulf 

king mackerel is open (50 CFR 

622.384(e)(1)). 

During the commercial closure, king 

mackerel caught with hook-and-line 

gear from the closed zone may not be 

purchased or sold, including those 

harvested under the recreational bag 

and possession limits. This prohibition 

does not apply to king mackerel caught 

with hook-and-line gear from the closed 

zone that were harvested, landed 

ashore, and sold prior to the closure and 

were held in cold storage by a dealer or 

processor (50 CFR 622.384(e)(2)). 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

622.388(a)(1), which was issued 

pursuant to section 304(b) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, 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 is 

unnecessary and contrary to the public 

interest. Such procedures are 

unnecessary because the regulations 

associated with the commercial quota 

and associated AM for Gulf king 

mackerel have already been subject to 

notice and public comment, and all that 

remains is to notify the public of the 

closure. Prior notice and opportunity for 

public comment on this action is 

contrary to the public interest because 

of time required to provide notice and 

an opportunity for public comment. 

There is a need to immediately 

implement the closure to protect the 

Gulf king mackerel resource, because 

the capacity of the fishing fleet allows 

for rapid harvest of the commercial 

quota, and any delay in the closure 

could result in the commercial quota 

being exceeded. 

For the aforementioned reasons, there 

is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with RULES
10184 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 32 / Friday, February 19, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 

to waive the 30-day delay in 

effectiveness of this action. 

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

Dated: February 12, 2021. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03351 Filed 2–16–21; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 210210–0018] 

RTID 0648–XY115 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final 

2021 and 2022 Harvest Specifications 

for Groundfish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule; harvest specifications 

and closures. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces final 2021 

and 2022 harvest specifications, 

apportionments, and Pacific halibut 

prohibited species catch limits for the 

groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska 

(GOA). This action is necessary to 

establish harvest limits for groundfish 

during the remainder of the 2021 and 

the start of the 2022 fishing years and 

to accomplish the goals and objectives 

of the Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). 

The 2021 harvest specifications 

supersede those previously set in the 

final 2020 and 2021 harvest 

specifications, and the 2022 harvest 

specifications will be superseded in 

early 2022 when the final 2022 and 

2023 harvest specifications are 

published. The intended effect of this 

action is to conserve and manage the 

groundfish resources in the GOA in 

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

DATES: Harvest specifications and 

closures are effective at 1200 hours, 

Alaska local time (A.l.t.), February 19, 

2021, through 2400 hours, A.l.t., 

December 31, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the 

Final Alaska Groundfish Harvest 

Specifications Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS), Record of Decision 

(ROD), and the annual Supplementary 

Information Reports (SIRs) to the EIS 

prepared for this action are available 

from https://www.regulations.gov. The 

2020 Stock Assessment and Fishery 

Evaluation (SAFE) report for the 

groundfish resources of the GOA, dated 

November 2020, and SAFE reports for 

previous years are available from the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) at 1007 West 3rd 

Avenue, Suite 400, Anchorage, AK 

99501, phone 907–271–2809, or from 

the Council’s website at https://

www.npfmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Obren Davis, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the GOA groundfish fisheries 

in the exclusive economic zone of the 

GOA under the FMP. The Council 

prepared the FMP under the authority of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 

1801 et seq. Regulations governing U.S. 

fisheries and implementing the FMP 

appear at 50 CFR parts 600, 679, and 

680. 

The FMP and its implementing 

regulations require that NMFS, after 

consultation with the Council, specify 

the total allowable catch (TAC) for each 

target species, the sum of which must be 

within the optimum yield (OY) range of 

116,000 to 800,000 metric tons (mt) (50 

CFR 679.20(a)(1)(i)(B)). Section 

679.20(c)(1) further requires that NMFS 

publish and solicit public comment on 

proposed annual TACs and 

apportionments thereof, Pacific halibut 

prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, 

and seasonal allowances of pollock and 

Pacific cod. Upon consideration of 

public comment received under 

§ 679.20(c)(1), NMFS must publish 

notice of final harvest specifications for 

up to two fishing years as annual TACs 

and apportionments, Pacific halibut PSC 

limits, and seasonal allowances of 

pollock and Pacific cod, per 

§ 679.20(c)(3)(ii). The final harvest 

specifications set forth in Tables 1 

through 29 of this rule reflect the 

outcome of this process, as required at 

§ 679.20(c). 

The proposed 2021 and 2022 harvest 

specifications for groundfish of the GOA 

and Pacific halibut PSC limits were 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 3, 2020 (85 FR 78076). 

Comments were invited and accepted 

through January 4, 2021. NMFS did not 

receive any comments on the proposed 

harvest specifications. In December 

2020, NMFS consulted with the Council 

regarding the 2021 and 2022 harvest 

specifications. After an opportunity for 

public comment, and after considering 

more recent biological and 

socioeconomic data that were available 

at the Council’s December 2020 

meeting, NMFS is implementing the 

final 2021 and 2022 harvest 

specifications, as recommended by the 

Council. Differences between the 

proposed specifications and the final 

specifications are discussed below. For 

2021, the sum of the TAC amounts is 

407,975 mt. For 2022, the sum of the 

TAC amounts is 409,039 mt. 

Other Actions Affecting the 2021 and 

2022 Harvest Specifications 

Amendment 109 to the FMP: Revisions 

to the GOA Pollock Seasons and Pacific 

Cod Seasonal Allocations 

On June 25, 2020, NMFS published a 

final rule to implement Amendment 109 

to the FMP (85 FR 38093), effective 

January 1, 2021 (see also correction 85 

FR 79139, December 9, 2020). The final 

rule revised the pollock seasons and 

allocations, along with Pacific cod 

season allocations, in the Western and 

Central Regulatory Areas of the GOA. 

Amendment 109 modified the existing 

annual pollock TAC allocation to two 

equal seasonal allocations (50 percent of 

TAC), rather than four equal seasonal 

allocations (25 percent of TAC). The 

pollock A and B seasons were combined 

into a January 20 through May 31 A 

season, and the pollock C and D seasons 

were combined into a September 1 

through November 1 B season. 

Additionally, Amendment 109 revised 

the Pacific cod TAC seasonal 

apportionments to the trawl catcher 

vessel (CV) sector by increasing the A 

season allocation and decreasing the B 

season allocation. The December 9, 

2020, correction clarified existing 

seasonal apportionments of Pacific cod 

for the jig sector. The revisions 

implemented by Amendment 109 are 

incorporated into these final 2021 and 

2022 harvest specifications. 

Amendment 110 to the FMP: Reclassify 

Sculpins as an Ecosystem Component 

Species 

On July 10, 2020, NMFS published 

the final rule to implement Amendment 

110 to the FMP (85 FR 41427). The final 

rule reclassified sculpins in the FMP as 

an ‘‘Ecosystem Component’’ species, 

which is a category of non-target species 

that are not in need of conservation and 

management. Accordingly, NMFS will 

no longer set an Overfishing Level 

(OFL), acceptable biological catch 

(ABC), and TAC for sculpins in the GOA 

groundfish harvest specifications. 

ABC and TAC Specifications 

In December 2020, the Council’s 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC), its Advisory Panel (AP), and the 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with RULES