Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 37063

eggs, or progeny thereof acquired under

permit may be sold, donated, traded,

loaned, or transferred to any other

person unless such person has a permit

issued by the director of the Service.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 16

Fish, Imports, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements,

Transportation, Wildlife.

Accordingly, 50 CFR part 16 is

amended as described below:

PART 16—INJURIOUS WILDLIFE

1. The authority citation for part 16

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 18 U.S.C. 42.

2. Section 1613(a)(2) is revised to read

as follows:

§ 16.13 Importation of live or dead fish,

mollusks, and crustaceans, or their progeny

or eggs.

(a) * * *

(2) The importation, transportation, or

acquisition of any live fish or viable

eggs of the walking catfish, family

Clariidae; live mitten crabs, genus

Eriochei, or their viable eggs; and live

mollusks, veligers, or viable eggs of

zebra mussels, genus Dreissena, are

proibited except as provided under the

terms and conditions set forth in

§ 16.22.

* * * * *

Dated: May 5, 2000.

Donald J. Barry,

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and

Parks.

[FR Doc. 00–14804 Filed 6–12–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 99122347–9347–01; I.D.

060600C]

Fisheries off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast

Groundfish Fishery; Temporary

Closure for the Shore-based Whiting

Sector

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces a temporary

closure of the primary season for Pacific

whiting (whiting) south of 42° N. lat. at

noon June 8, 2000, and reimposition of

‘‘per trip’’ limits for whiting until 0001

hours June 15, 2000, at which time the

primary season south of 42° N. lat. will

resume. This action is authorized by

regulations implementing the Pacific

Coast Groundfish Fishery Management

Plan (FMP), which governs the

groundfish fishery off Washington,

Oregon, and California. This action is

intended to keep the harvest of whiting

at the 2000 allocation levels.

DATES: Effective from noon local time

(l.t.) June 8, 2000, until 2400 hours June

14, 2000. Comments will be accepted

through June 28, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to

William Stelle, Jr., Administrator,

Northwest Region (Regional

Administrator), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point

Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115–0070; or

Rodney R. McInnis, Acting Regional

Administrator, Southwest Region,

NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite

4200, Long Beach, CA 90802–4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Katherine King at 206–526–6145 or

Becky Renko at 206–526–6110.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a) (3) and

(4) established separate allocations for

the catcher/processor, mothership, and

shore-based sectors of the whiting

fishery, and authorized separate starting

dates for each sector’s primary season.

The primary season for the shore-based

sector is the period(s) when the largescale target fishery is conducted, and

thus when ‘‘per trip’’ limits are not in

effect. The regulations further divide the

shore-based allocation so that no more

than 5-percent of the shore-based

allocation for whiting may be taken and

retained south of 42° N. lat. before the

primary season begins north of 42° N.

lat. The primary season for the shorebased sector south of 42° N. lat. began

on April 1, 2000, earlier than the

northern season which begins on June

15, 2000, because whiting migrate from

south to north during the fishing year.

(The first large whiting landing south of

42° N. lat. occurred on April 20, 2000,

although the fishery could have started

on April 1, 1999.) The 5-percent cap is

intended to discourage effort shifts to

the south area early in the year. The

shore-based whiting allocation for 2000

is 83,790 metric tons (mt) and the 5-

percent cap on early fishing south of 42°

N. lat. is 4,190 mt. When the 5-percent

cap is reached, the 20,000-lb (9,072 kg)

trip limit that was in place before the

start of the southern primary season is

reimposed and remains in effect until

the start of the northern primary season

on June 15, 2000. However, the 20,000-

lb (9,072 kg) trip limit only applies if a

vessel does not fish inside of 100 fm

(183 m) in the Eureka area during the

fishing trip. A different trip limit of

10,000-lb (4,536 kg) of whiting is in

effect year-round (unless landings of

whiting are prohibited) if a vessel fishes

inside of 100 fm (183 m) at any time

during a fishing trip in the Eureka area.

This smaller limit is intended to

minimize incidental catch of chinook

salmon which are more likely to be

caught shallower than 100 fm (183 m)

in the Eureka area.

The best available information on

June 5, 2000, indicates that 2,797 mt of

whiting have been taken by the shorebased fishery south of 42° N. lat.

through May 27, 2000, and that 4,190 mt

are projected to be taken by noon June

8, 2000. Therefore, the 20,000-lb ( 9,072

kg) ‘‘per trip’’ limits announced in the

2000 annual management measures (65

FR 221, January 4, 2000) will resume

until the primary season begins north of

42° N. lat.

For the reasons stated above, and in

accordance with the regulations at 50

CFR 660.323(a)(4)(i)(B) and (iii)(D),

NMFS revises paragraph B. of Section

IV. of the 2000 annual management

measures (65 FR 221, as amended), by

adding a new sub-paragraph B. (3)(b)(iv)

as follows:

IV. NMFS Actions

B. * * *

(3) * * *

(b) * * *

(iv) Closure of shore-based sector

south of 42° N. lat. Effective noon June

8, 2000, to 2400 hours (12 midnight)

June 14, 2000 l.t., no more than 20,000-

lb (9,072 kg) may be taken and retained,

possessed or landed south of 42° N. lat.

If a vessel fishes shoreward of the 100

fm (183 m) contour in the Eureka area

(43°–40° 30′ N. lat.), the 10,000-lb (4,536

kg) trip limit applies, as announced in

the annual management measures at

paragraph IV, B (3)(c)(ii).

* * * * *

Classification

This action is authorized by the

regulations implementing the FMP. The

determination to take these actions is

based on the most recent data available.

The aggregate data upon which the

determinations are based are available

for public inspection at the office of the

Regional Administrator (see ADDRESSES)

during business hours. This action is

taken under the authority of 50 CFR

660.323(a)(4)(i)(B) and (iii)(D), and is

exempt from review under Executive

Order 12866.

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

37064 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 114 / Tuesday, June 13, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

Dated: June 7, 2000.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–14855 Filed 6–8–00; 2:59 pm]

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