40538 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 127 / Friday, June 30, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

Amendment 13 was under

development, and the Council expected

that Amendment 13 would authorize

future use of the emergency provisions

on a permanent basis. Accordingly, an

emergency rule with a request for public

comments was prepared in conjunction

with the annual specifications and

management measures for 2000. It was

filed with the Federal Register on

December 27, 1999, published on

January 4, 2000 (65 FR 221), and became

effective on January 1, 2000. A detailed

discussion on the management

measures, rebuilding plans, and

rationale for the emergency action is

included in the preamble to the

emergency rule/annual management

measures (65 FR 221, January 4, 2000)

and the environmental assessment/

regulatory impact review for that action,

and is not restated in this extension.

Public Comments

NMFS received a number of

comments on the emergency rule and

annual specifications and management

measures, and already has, or will,

respond to those comments

individually, with one exception. NMFS

received, as a comment, a copy of the

complaint that was filed in Federal

District Court in the Northern District of

California, in the case of Solomon v.

Daley, Civil No. 00–0383. NMFS will

respond to this comment in the context

of that lawsuit rather than in the

extension to the emergency rule.

Classification

This emergency rule has been

determined to be not significant for

purposes of Executive Order 12866.

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

Dated: June 27, 2000.

Andrew A. Rosenberg,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16638 Filed 6–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 635

[I.D. 061500D]

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

Fisheries; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Harpoon category closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS has determined that

the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Harpoon

category annual quota for the 2000

fishing year will be attained by June 26,

2000. Therefore, the 2000 Harpoon

category fishery will be closed effective

at 11:30 p.m. on June 26, 2000. This

action is being taken to prevent

overharvest of the Harpoon category

quota.

DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m. local time

on June 26, 2000, through May 31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat

Scida or Brad McHale, 978–281–9260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulations implemented under the

authority of the Atlantic Tunas

Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.)

governing the harvest of BFT by persons

and vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction

are found at 50 CFR part 635. Section

635.27(a) subdivides the U.S. quota

recommended by the International

Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) among the

various domestic fishing categories.

Harpoon Category Closure

NMFS is required, under § 635.28

(a)(1), to file with the Office of the

Federal Register for publication

notification of closure when a BFT

quota is reached or is projected to be

reached. On and after the effective date

and time of such notification, for the

remainder of the fishing year or for a

specified period as indicated in the

notice, fishing for, retaining, possessing,

or landing BFT under that quota

category is prohibited until the opening

of the subsequent quota period or until

such date as specified in the notice.

The proposed 2000 BFT quota

specifications issued pursuant to 50

CFR 635.27 would set a quota of 54.1 mt

of large medium and giant BFT to be

harvested from the regulatory area by

vessels permitted in the Harpoon

category during the 2000 fishing year

(65 FR 33513, May 24, 2000). NMFS

expects to issue final quota

specifications by early July 2000, and

based on comments received and the

international quota mandated by ICCAT,

does not anticipate changes to the

proposed Harpoon category quota.

Based on reported landings and effort,

NMFS projects that this quota will be

reached by June 26, 2000. Therefore,

fishing for, retaining, possessing, or

landing large medium or giant BFT by

vessels in the Harpoon category must

cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on June

26, 2000.

The intent of this closure is to prevent

overharvest of the quota proposed for

the Harpoon category. In the event the

Harpoon category landings amount to

less than the final Harpoon category

quota, NMFS would consider reopening

the fishery.

Classification

This action is taken under

§§ 635.27(a) and 635.28 (a)(1) and is

exempt from review under Executive

Order 12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801

et seq.

Dated: June 26, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16526 Filed 6–26–00; 4:35 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 991228352–0012–02; I.D.

062100A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Rockfish and Pacific

Ocean Perch in the Central and

Eastern Regulatory Areas of the Gulf

of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Modification of a closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is opening directed

fishing for Pacific ocean perch and

northern rockfish in the Central

Regulatory Area, and Pacific ocean

perch in the Eastern Regulatory Area of

the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) by catcher

vessels that are non-exempt under the

American Fisheries Act (AFA). This

action is necessary to allow non-exempt

catcher vessels to participate in these

fisheries consistent with regulations

implementing the AFA.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), July 4, 2000, until 2400

hours, A.l.t., December 31, 2000, or

until NMFS publishes further notice in

the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Smoker, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS

manages the groundfish fishery in the

GOA exclusive economic zone

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and