24456 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 26, 2000 / Notices

TABLE 2—LIST OF FISHERIES—Continued

Commercial Fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean

Fishery Description

Estimated ι

of vessels/

persons

Marine mammal species/stocks incidentally injured/killed

Gulf of Maine, U.S. mid-Atlantic mixed species trap/pot ............. 100 North Atlantic right whale, WNA*+,

Humpback whale, WNA*+

Minke whale, Canadian east coast

Harbor porpoise, GME/BF*

Harbor seal, WNA

Gray seal, Northwest North Atlantic

U.S. mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. Atlantic black sea bass

trap/pot.

30 None documented

U.S. mid-Atlantic eel trap/pot ....................................................... >700 None documented

Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico blue crab trap/pot ....................... 20,500 Bottlenose dolphin, WNA coastal*

Bottlenose dolphin, Western GMX coastal

Bottlenose dolphin, Northern GMX coastal

Bottlenose dolphin, Eastern GMX coastal

Bottlenose dolphin, GMX Bay, Sound, & Estuarine*

West Indian manatee, FL*+

Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean spiny

lobster trap/pot.

4,847 West Indian manatee, FL*+

Bottlenose dolphin, WNA coastal*+

STOP SEINE/WEIR/POUND FISHERIES:

Gulf of Maine herring and Atlantic mackerel stop seine/weir ...... 50 North Atlantic right whale, WNA*

Humpback whale, WNA*+

Minke whale, Canadian east coast

Harbor porpoise, GME/BF*

Harbor seal, WNA

Gray seal, Northwest North Atlantic

U.S. mid-Atlantic mixed species stop/seine/weir (except the

North Carolina roe mullet stop net).

500 None documented

U.S. mid-Atlantic crab stop seine/weir ......................................... 2,600 None documented

DREDGE FISHERIES:

Gulf of Maine, U.S. mid-Atlantic sea scallop dredge ................... 233 None documented

U.S. mid-Atlantic offshore surfclam and quahog dredge ............. 100 None documented

Gulf of Maine mussel ................................................................... >50 None documented

U.S. mid-Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico oyster ....................................... 7,000 None documented

HAUL SEINE FISHERIES:

Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Caribbean haul seine ....................... 25 None documented

BEACH SEINE FISHERIES:

Caribbean beach seine ................................................................ 15 West Indian manatee, FL+

DIVE, HAND/MECHANICAL COLLECTION FISHERIES:

Gulf of Maine urchin dive, hand/mechanical collection ................ >50 None documented

Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean shellfish dive, hand/

mechanical collection.

20,000 None documented

COMMERCIAL PASSENGER FISHING VESSEL (CHARTER

BOAT) FISHERIES:.

Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean commercial passenger fishing vessel.4,000 None documented

1 * Marine mammal stock is strategic or is proposed to be listed as strategic in the draft SARs for 1998.

2 *+ Stock is listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA or as depleted under the MMPA.

3 *List of Abbreviations Used in Table 2 FL - Florida NC - North Carolina GA - Georgia SC - South Carolina GME/BF - Gulf of Maine/Bay of

Fundy TX - Texas GMX - Gulf of Mexico WNA - Western North Atlantic

List of Fisheries for 2001

NMFS is currently conducting a

thorough review of the current fisheries

classifications and will publish

proposed changes to the LOF in the

summer of 2000.

Dated: April 19, 2000.

Andrew A. Rosenberg,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Services.

[FR Doc. 00–10438 Filed 4–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 041200B]

Incidental Take of Marine Mammals;

Taking of Ringed Seals Incidental to

On-ice Seismic Activities

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of

authorization.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Marine Mammal Protection Act

(MMPA), as amended, and with

implementing regulations, notification

is hereby given that a letter of

authorization (LOA) to take ringed and

bearded seals incidental to an on-ice

shallow-water seismic survey in the

Beaufort Sea off Alaska was issued on

April 20, 2000, to Western Geophysical

of Anchorage, AK.

DATES: This letter of authorization is

effective from April 20, 2000, through

May 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The application letters and

LOA are available for review in the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 26, 2000 / Notices 24457

following offices: Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, and

Western Alaska Field Office, NMFS, 701

C Street, Anchorage, AK 99513.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth R. Hollingshead, NMFS, (301)

713–2055, ext 128 or Brad Smith,

Western Alaska Field Office, NMFS,

(907) 271–5006.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.

1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on

request, the incidental, but not

intentional, taking of small numbers of

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who

engage in a specified activity (other than

commercial fishing) within a specified

geographical region, if certain findings

are made by NMFS and regulations are

issued. Under the MMPA, the term

‘‘taking’’ means to harass, hunt, capture,

or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt,

capture or kill marine mammals.

Permission may be granted for periods

up to 5 years if NMFS finds, after

notification and opportunity for public

comment, that the taking will have a

negligible impact on the species or

stock(s) of marine mammals and will

not have an unmitigable adverse impact

on the availability of the species or

stock(s) for subsistence uses. In

addition, NMFS must prescribe

regulations that include permissible

methods of taking and other means

effecting the least practicable adverse

impact on the species and its habitat

and on the availability of the species for

subsistence uses, paying particular

attention to rookeries, mating grounds,

and areas of similar significance. The

regulations must include requirements

pertaining to the monitoring and

reporting of such taking. Regulations

governing the taking of ringed and

bearded seals incidental to on-ice

seismic surveys were published on

February 2, 1998 (63 FR 5277), and

remain in effect until December 31,

2002.

Summary of Request

NMFS received requests for letters of

authorization from Western Geophysical

on September 23, 1999, and October 14,

1999. LOAs for these activities were

issued on January 28, 2000 (see 65 FR

4949, February 2, 2000). A third

application from Western Geophysical

was received on January 31, 2000, and

amended by letter on February 21, 2000.

The letters requested a take by

mortality, injury, and harassment of a

small number of ringed seals incidental

to conducting shallow-water seismic

surveys on the ice in the Beaufort Sea

off Alaska.

Issuance of this new letter of

authorization is based on findings that

the total takings by this activity will

have a negligible impact on the ringed

seal stocks of the Western Beaufort Sea

and that the applicants have met the

requirements contained in the

implementing regulations, including

monitoring and reporting requirements.

Dated: April 20, 2000.

Donald R. Knowles,

Director, Office of Protected Resources,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–10385 Filed 4–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 042100A]

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Council’s Recreational

Fisheries Data Task Force (RFDTF) will

hold a meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held May

11, 2000, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council office, 1164

Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI

96813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director;

telephone: 808–522–8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This will

be the fifth meeting of the RFDTF which

will discuss the following topics: review

of minutes from fourth Task Force

meeting, review of proposal for

redefining commercial fishermen,

review of a rapid survey instrument to

establish total pelagic catch in Hawaii,

review of longer term strategies for

obtaining recreational fishery data in

Hawaii, and an update on the recent

(sixth) meeting to establish an

international management regime for

tuna and tuna-like species in the

Central-Western Pacific.

Although non-emergency issues not

contained in this agenda may come the

RFDTF for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be subject of

formal action during this meeting.

Action will be restricted to those issues

specifically identified in this agenda

and any issues arising after publication

of this notice that require emergency

action under Section 305(c) of the

Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the

public has been notified of the Council’s

intent to take action to address the

emergency.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Kitty M. Simonds, 808–522–8220

(voice) or 808–522–8226 (fax), at least 5

days prior to meeting date.

Dated: April 21, 2000.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–10437 Filed 4–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

COMMITTEE FOR THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE

AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of import Limits for Certain

Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile

Products Produced or Manufactured in

the Dominican Republic

April 20, 2000.

AGENCY: Committee for the

Implementation of Textile Agreements

(CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the

Commissioner of Customs adjusting

limits.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Naomi Freeman, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and

Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce,

(202) 482–4212. For information on the

quota status of these limits, refer to the

Quota Status Reports posted on the

bulletin boards of each Customs port,

call (202) 927–5850, or refer to the U.S.

Customs website at http://

www.customs.gov. For information on

embargoes and quota re-openings, call

(202) 482–3715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854);

Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended.

The current limits for certain

categories are being adjusted for swing.

A description of the textile and

apparel categories in terms of HTS

numbers is available in the

CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel

Categories with the Harmonized Tariff