[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 98 (Friday, May 19, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 31836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12668]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 980414095-8240-02; I.D. 051200A]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Dealer Reporting 
Requirements

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

ACTION: Notification of a 2-month termination of the deferral of 
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System reporting requirements for 
Atlantic cod purchases.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that it is terminating the current deferral of 
IVR reporting requirements of Atlantic cod for a 2-month period, 
beginning May 28, 2000, and ending July 31, 2000. One of the management 
measures for Atlantic cod includes two conditional 1-month closures in 
the Gulf of Maine (GOM). If the preliminary landings of GOM cod from 
May 1, 2000, through July 31, 2000, indicate that the trigger of 1.67 
million lb (759 mt) has been reached, the closures would become 
effective. This deferral will enable NMFS to determine if the trigger 
has been reached. Any dealer issued a Northeast (NE) multispecies 
permit must submit, through the IVR system, a weekly summary of 
Atlantic cod purchased from May 28, 2000, through July 31, 2000.

DATES: The 2-month termination of the deferral of the IVR system 
reporting requirements is effective May 28, 2000, through July 31, 
2000. Effective August 1, 2000, the IVR system reporting requirement 
for Atlantic cod is deferred until notification terminating the 
deferral for Atlantic cod is published in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Arvilla, (978) 281-9255 or 
Gregory Power, (978) 281-9304.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To effectively monitor landings of quota-
managed species on a timely basis, NMFS issued a final rule (63 FR 
52639, October 1, 1998) requiring federally permitted dealers to submit 
a weekly summary of purchases of quota-managed species through the IVR 
system within 3 days of the end of the reporting week. To minimize the 
burden of dealer reporting requirements, the regulations implementing 
the use of an IVR system authorize (Sec. 648.7(a)(ii)) the 
Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (RA), to defer the IVR reporting 
requirements for any species if landings are not expected to reach 
levels that would cause the applicable target exploitation rate 
specified in the applicable Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for that 
species to be achieved, resulting in specific management changes. NMFS 
announced in the Federal Register (63 FR 57931, October 29, 1998) the 
deferral of IVR reporting requirements for Atlantic mackerel, 
butterfish, and regulated NE multispecies, which included Atlantic cod.
    To address the overfishing of Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank cod, 
NMFS recently published a final rule implementing Framework Adjustment 
33 to the NE Multispecies FMP (65 FR 21658, April 24, 2000). One of the 
management measures under Framework Adjustment 33 is the conditional 1-
month closure of two areas, which would become effective if preliminary 
landings from May 1, 2000, through July 31, 2000, indicate that more 
than 1.67 million lb (759 mt) of GOM cod have been landed. As specified 
in Sec. 648.81(o), if the RA determines that preliminary landings 
through July 31, 2000, indicate that more than 1.67 million lb (759 mt) 
has been landed as of, or before, July 31, 2000, NMFS shall implement 
the closures. The trigger (1.67 million lb (759 mt)) is established at 
a level that is 50 percent of the total allowable catch (TAC) level 
between the TACs associated with F<INF>0.1</INF> and F<INF>max</INF>.
    In order to monitor effectively Atlantic cod landings relative to 
the trigger of 1.67 million lb (759 mt), NMFS is requiring any dealer 
issued a NE multispecies permit to submit, through the IVR system, a 
weekly summary of Atlantic cod purchases made from May 28, 2000, 
through July 31, 2000. IVR reports must be submitted within 3 days of 
the end of the reporting week. Purchases of Atlantic cod transacted 
July 30-31, 2000, must be reported via the IVR system by midnight, 
Eastern time, Tuesday, August 8, 2000. Following submission of IVR 
reports for Atlantic cod purchases occurring from May 28, 2000, through 
July 31, 2000, the IVR system reporting requirements for Atlantic cod 
will again be deferred until notification terminating the deferral is 
published in the Federal Register.
    Dealers must continue to report through the IVR system, their 
purchases of the species specified in Sec. 648.7(a) for which IVR 
reporting requirements have not been deferred. These species are summer 
flounder, scup, black sea bass, Illex squid and Loligo squid. If no 
purchases of any quota-managed species are made during the reporting 
week, a negative report, so stating, must be submitted.
    As specified in Sec. 648.7(a)(1), dealers must continue to report 
purchases of all species, including those species for which IVR 
reporting has been deferred, on the detailed written reports.

Classification

    This action is authorized by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: May 15, 2000.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-12668 Filed 5-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F