41380 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 5, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

Dated: June 19, 2000.

David A. Drabkin,

Deputy Associate Administrator for

Acquisition Policy.

[FR Doc. 00–16766 Filed 7–03–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–61–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 050500G]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Texas

Closure

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Adjustment of the ending date

of the Texas closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces an

adjustment to the ending date of the

annual closure of the shrimp fishery in

the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off

Texas. The closure is normally from

May 15 to July 15 each year. For 2000,

the closure began on May 11, and will

end at 30 minutes after sunset on July

5. The Texas closure is intended to

prohibit the harvest of brown shrimp

during their major emigration from

Texas estuaries to the Gulf of Mexico so

the shrimp may reach a larger, more

valuable size and to prevent the waste

of brown shrimp that would be

discarded in fishing operations because

of their small size.

DATES: The EEZ off Texas is open to

trawl fishing from 30 minutes after

sunset, July 5, 2000, until 30 minutes

after sunset, May 15, 2001, or until

NMFS publishes further notice in the

Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Steve Branstetter, 727–570–5305; fax:

727–570–5583; e-mail:

Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf

of Mexico shrimp fishery is managed

under the Fishery Management Plan for

the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of

Mexico (FMP). The FMP was prepared

by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council and is

implemented by regulations at 50 CFR

part 622 under the authority of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

The EEZ off Texas is normally closed

to all trawling each year from 30

minutes after sunset on May 15 to 30

minutes after sunset on July 15. The

regulations at 50 CFR 622.34(h) describe

the area of the Texas closure and

provide for adjustments to the beginning

and ending dates by the Regional

Administrator, Southeast Region,

NMFS, under procedures and

restrictions specified in the FMP.

The beginning and ending dates of the

Texas closure are based on biological

sampling by Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department (TPWD). The closure date is

established based on projected times

that brown shrimp in Texas bays and

estuaries will reach a mean size of 90

mm, and begin strong emigrations out of

the bays and estuaries during maximum

duration ebb tides. The waters off of

Texas are re-opened to shrimping based

on projections indicating that brown

shrimp will reach a mean size of 112

mm, in concurrence with maximum

duration ebb tides. Biological data

collected by TPDW indicates that the

criteria to end the Texas closure will be

met on July 5, 2000. Accordingly, the

time and date for ending the Texas

closure is changed from 30 minutes after

sunset on July 15, 2000, to 30 minutes

after sunset on July 5, 2000.

Classification

This action is authorized by 50 CFR

622.34(h)(2) and is exempt from review

under Executive Order 12866.

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

Dated: June 29, 2000 .

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16942 Filed 6–29–00; 4:21 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 981224323–9226–02; I.D.

120198B]

RIN 0648–AL23

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Recordkeeping and

Reporting; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

SUMMARY: This document contains a

correction to the final rule for

recordkeeping and reporting that was

published in the Federal Register on

November 15, 1999.

DATES: Effective December 15, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patsy A. Bearden, 907–586–7008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A final

rule was published in the Federal

Register on November 15, 1999 (64 FR

61964), to revise recordkeeping and

reporting regulations. The requirement

that the operator of a catcher vessel is

required to make records available for

inspection upon the request of an

authorized officer was inadvertently

omitted from 50 CFR part 679.

Correction

In the final rule Revisions to

Recordkeeping and Reporting

Requirements published in 64 FR

61964, November 15, 1999, FR Doc. 99–

28294, on page 61974, in the third

column, remove § 679.5(a)(13)(i) and

add in its place the following:

§ 679.5 [Corrected]

(a) * * *

(13) * * *

(i) Inspection. The operator of a

catcher vessel or catcher/processor or

mothership or the manager of a

shoreside processor or the operator of a

buying station must make all logbooks,

reports, forms, and mothership-issued

fish tickets required under this section

available for inspection upon the

request of an authorized officer for the

time periods indicated in paragraph

(a)(13)(ii) of this section.

* * * * *

Dated: June 29, 2000.

Andrew A. Rosenberg,

Deputy Asst. Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16940 Filed 7–3–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F