Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 30549

paragraphs designated as (A), (B), and

(C), and (D) are correctly designated as

(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv).

Dated: May 8, 2000.

Penelope D. Dalton,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–12030 Filed 5–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 970703166–8209–04; I.D.

060997A]

RIN 0648–AH65

Fisheries of the Exclusive Zone

Economic Zone Off Alaska; License

Limitation Program; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Correcting amendments.

SUMMARY: NMFS is correcting a final

rule implementing the License

Limitation Program (LLP) established

for the groundfish fisheries in the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands area (BSAI),

the groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of

Alaska (GOA), and the crab fisheries in

the BSAI, which was published in the

Federal Register of Thursday, October

1, 1998.

DATES: Effective January 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay

Ginter, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The LLP is a limited access system

authorized under section 303(d) of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act. The

LLP is designed to limit the number,

size and operation of vessels that may

be used in the affected groundfish and

crab fisheries. The North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) adopted

the LLP in June 1995. The Council

officially submitted the LLP to NMFS in

June 1997. A proposed rule to

implement the LLP was published on

August 15, 1997 (62 FR 43865). The LLP

was approved by NMFS on September

12, 1997. A final rule to implement the

LLP was published on October 1, 1998

(63 FR 52642). Additional rules to

implement an application process and a

transfer process for LLP licenses were

proposed on April 19, 1999 (64 FR

19113) and published as final on August

6, 1999 (64 FR 42826).

One of the licensing requirements

adopted by the Council for vessels

greater than or equal to 125 feet (38.1 m)

length overall (LOA) to participate in

the groundfish fisheries in the Western

GOA was to have made at least one

landing in the Western GOA in any 2 of

the 4 calendar years 1992, 1993, 1994,

or 1995, through June 17, 1995. The LLP

proposed rule discussed this

requirement in the preamble (at 62 FR

43869) and in the proposed rule text at

§ 679.4(i)(4)(ii)(E). Vessels that are equal

to or greater than 125 feet (38.1 m) LOA

were defined as ‘‘category ‘A’ ’’ vessels.

The proposed rule text described this

particular licensing requirement as

follows:

‘‘A vessel assigned to vessel category ‘A’

must have made at least one legal landing of

any amount of license limitation groundfish

harvested in each of any 2 calendar years

from January 1, 1992, through June 17, 1995,

in the Western Area of the Gulf of Alaska or

in State waters shoreward of that area for a

Western Gulf area endorsement.’’

NMFS’ approval of the Council’s LLP

recommendation included approval of

this particular licensing requirement as

an integral part of the overall LLP. The

final rule implementing the LLP also

discussed this licensing requirement in

the preamble (at 63 FR 52645) as a

documented harvest ‘‘ * * * in each of

any 2 calendar years from January 1992

through June 17, 1995 * * *.’’ However,

the final rule text (63 FR 52655,

§ 679.4(i)(4)(ii)(C)) erroneously omitted

the phrase, ‘‘in each of any 2 calendar

years,’’ and wrongly indicates that only

one documented harvest of groundfish

needs to be made by category ‘‘A’’

vessels during the period January 1992,

through June 17, 1995, to satisfy the

license endorsement criteria for the

Western GOA area.

Paragraph (i) was redesignated as

paragraph (k) on October 13, 1998 (63

FR 54753).

Need for Correction

As published, the final regulations

contain errors, which may prove to be

misleading and need to be clarified.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 679

Alaska, Fisheries, Reporting and

Recordkeeping requirements.

Accordingly, 50 CFR part 679 is

corrected by making the following

correcting amendments:

PART 679–FISHERIES OF THE

EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF

ALASKA

1. The authority citation for part 679

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., 1801 et

seq., and 3631 et seq.

2. In § 679.4(k)(4)(ii)(C)(1) is revised

to read as follows:

§ 679.4 Permits.

* * * * *

(k) * * *

(4) * * *

(ii) * * *

(C) Western Gulf Area Endorsement.

(1) Vessel length category ‘‘A.’’ For a

license to be assigned a Western Gulf

area endorsement based on the

participation from a vessel in vessel

length category ‘‘A,’’ at least one

documented harvest of any amount of

license limitation groundfish must have

been made from that vessel in each of

any 2 calendar years from January 1,

1992, through June 17, 1995, in the

Western Area of the Gulf of Alaska or

in State waters shoreward of that area.

* * * * *

Dated: May 8, 2000.

Penelope D. Dalton,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–12028 Filed 5–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F