[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 162 (Monday, August 22, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52301-52302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21421]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

RIN 0648-XA633


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allocating 
Gulf of Alaska Fishery Resources; Notice of Rockfish Program Public 
Workshops

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will present two public workshops on the Central Gulf of 
Alaska Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program) for potentially eligible 
participants and other interested parties. At each workshop, NMFS will 
provide an overview of the proposed Rockfish Program, discuss the key 
differences between the Rockfish Program and the Rockfish Pilot 
Program, provide information on the proposed rule comment process, and 
answer questions. NMFS is conducting these public workshops to assist 
fishery participants in understanding and reviewing the proposed rule 
that would implement this new Rockfish Program.

[[Page 52302]]


DATES: Two workshops will be held on the following dates:
    1. Monday, August 29, 2011, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time, 
Kodiak, AK.
    2. Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight 
Time, Seattle, WA.

ADDRESSES: The workshops will be held at the following locations:
    1. Kodiak--Kodiak Fisheries Research Center (Main Conference Room), 
301 Research Court, Kodiak, AK 99615.
    2. Seattle--Mountaineers Program Center (Cascade Room), 7700 Sand 
Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gwen Herrewig, 907-586-7091.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 28, 2011 (76 FR 45217), NMFS 
published a Notice of Availability to implement the proposed Central 
Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program as Amendment 88 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. NMFS anticipates 
publication of the proposed rule to implement the Central GOA Rockfish 
Program prior to workshop held in Kodiak on Monday, August 29, 2011. 
The proposed Rockfish Program is necessary to replace the Central Gulf 
of Alaska Rockfish Pilot Program (Pilot Program) that is scheduled to 
expire December 31, 2011. Amendment 88 was approved by the North 
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) on June 14, 2010. Although 
some modifications were recommended by the Council, the proposed 
Rockfish Program would retain the conservation, management, safety, and 
economic gains realized under the Pilot Program. The recommended 
modifications would improve the functionality of the Rockfish Program 
and resolve identified issues in the management and viability of the 
fisheries. The proposed Rockfish Program would include similar 
implementation, management, monitoring, and enforcement measures to 
those developed under the Pilot Program, however, the new program 
would:
    <bullet> Change the qualifying years for eligibility of quota share 
(QS);
    <bullet> Use a different suite of years to determine the allocation 
of QS and sideboard limits;
    <bullet> Assign to rockfish cooperatives a specific portion of the 
Central GOA total allowable catch of species historically harvested in 
the rockfish fisheries;
    <bullet> Assign a specific amount of halibut prohibited species 
catch to cooperatives and conserve a portion of the halibut that will 
remain unallocated;
    <bullet> Restrict the entry level fishery to longline gear only;
    <bullet> Relax the requirements to form a cooperative;
    <bullet> Specify the location where harvesters in cooperatives may 
deliver rockfish;
    <bullet> Remove the requirement that harvesters in a catcher vessel 
cooperative deliver to a specific processor;
    <bullet> Discontinue the limited access fishery;
    <bullet> Simplify sideboards, and slightly modify sideboards for 
catcher/processors;
    <bullet> Implement a cost recovery program, except for the entry 
level longline fishery;
    <bullet> Establish a catch monitoring and control plan specialist; 
and
    <bullet> Be authorized for 10 years, from January 1, 2012, until 
December 31, 2021.
    NMFS is conducting public workshops for fishery participants to 
provide assistance in reviewing the proposed requirements of this new 
program. At each workshop, NMFS will provide an overview of the 
proposed Rockfish Program, discuss the key differences between the 
Rockfish Program and the Pilot Program, and provide information on the 
public comment process for the proposed rule. NMFS anticipates 
discussing key elements of the proposed Rockfish Program at the 
meeting, such as eligibility and the QS application process; 
cooperative and opt-out provisions; entry level longline fishery, 
sideboards, deliveries, and cooperative quota transfer provisions; 
monitoring and enforcement; and electronic reporting. Additionally, 
NMFS will answer questions from workshop participants. For further 
information on the proposed Rockfish Program, please visit the NMFS 
Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

Special Accommodations

    These workshops are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for special accommodations should be directed to 
Gwen Herrewig (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 working 
days before the workshop date.

    Dated: August 17, 2011.
Galen Tromble,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-21421 Filed 8-19-11; 8:45 am]
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