Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 18937 

under Executive Order 12866 and is not 

likely to have a significant adverse effect 

on the supply, distribution, or use of 

energy. The Administrator of the Office 

of Information and Regulatory Affairs 

has not designated it as a significant 

energy action. Therefore, it does not 

require a Statement of Energy Effects 

under Executive Order 13211. 

Technical Standards 

The National Technology Transfer 

and Advancement Act (NTTAA) (15 

U.S.C. 272 note) directs agencies to use 

voluntary consensus standards in their 

regulatory activities unless the agency 

provides Congress, through the Office of 

Management and Budget, with an 

explanation of why using these 

standards would be inconsistent with 

applicable law or otherwise impractical. 

Voluntary consensus standards are 

technical standards (e.g., specifications 

of materials, performance, design, or 

operation; test methods; sampling 

procedures; and related management 

systems practices) that are developed or 

adopted by voluntary consensus 

standards bodies. 

This proposed rule does not use 

technical standards. Therefore, we did 

not consider the use of voluntary 

consensus standards. 

Environment 

We have analyzed this proposed rule 

under Commandant Instruction 

M16475.1D and Department of 

Homeland Security Management 

Directive 5100.1, which guides the 

Coast Guard in complying with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321–4370f), 

and have made a preliminary 

determination that there are no factors 

in this case that would limit the use of 

a categorical exclusion under 2.B.2 of 

the Instruction. Therefore, we believe 

that this rule is categorically excluded, 

under figure 2–1, paragraph (34)(g) of 

the Instruction, from further 

environmental documentation. This rule 

fits the category selected from paragraph 

(34) (g), as it would establish a safety 

zone. A preliminary ‘‘Environmental 

Analysis Check List’’ is available in the 

docket where indicated under 

ADDRESSES. Comments on this section 

will be considered before we make the 

final decision on whether this rule 

should be categorically excluded from 

further environmental review. 

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165 

Harbors, Marine Safety, Navigation 

(water), Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Security measures, 

Waterways. 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Coast Guard proposes to 

amend 33 CFR part 165 as follows: 

PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION 

AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS 

1. The authority citation for part 165 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1226, 1231; 46 U.S.C. 

Chapter 701; 50 U.S.C. 191, 33 CFR 1.05–1(g), 

6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5; Pub. L. 107–295, 

116 Stat. 2064; Department of Homeland 

Security Delegation No. 0170.1. 

2. Add temporary § 165.T01–002 to 

read as follows: 

§ 165.T01–002 Safety Zone: Town of 

Weymouth Fourth of July Celebration 

Fireworks—Weymouth, Massachusetts. 

(a) Location. The following area is a 

safety zone: All navigable waters of the 

Weymouth Fore River within a 500 yard 

radius of the fireworks launch barge 

located at approximate position 42° 15.2 

N, 070° 56.7 W. 

(b) Effective Date. This section is 

effective from 8:30 p.m. EDT on June 30, 

2007 until 11:15 p.m. EDT on June 30, 

2007, with a rain date of July 1, 2007. 

(c) Definitions. (1) As used in this 

section, designated representative 

means a Coast Guard Patrol 

Commander, including a Coast Guard 

coxswain, petty officer, or other officer 

operating a Coast Guard vessel and a 

Federal, State, and local officer 

designated by or assisting the Captain of 

the Port (COTP). 

(2) [Reserved] 

(d) Regulations. (1) In accordance 

with the general regulations in section 

165.23 of this part, entry into or 

movement within this zone is 

prohibited unless authorized by the 

Captain of the Port Boston or the 

designated representative. 

(2) All vessel operators shall comply 

with the instructions of the COTP or the 

designated representative. 

Dated: April 5, 2007. 

J.L. McDonald, 

Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the 

Port, Boston, Massachusetts. 

[FR Doc. E7–7189 Filed 4–13–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 070321063–7063–01; I.D. 

031607E] 

RIN 0648–AV22 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Northeast Multispecies 

Fishery; 2007 Georges Bank Cod Fixed 

Gear Sector Operations Plan and 

Agreement and Allocation of Georges 

Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: Framework Adjustment (FW) 

42 to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) created 

the Georges Bank (GB) Cod Fixed Gear 

Sector (Fixed Gear Sector) and 

authorized allocation of up to 20 

percent of the annual GB cod total 

allowable catch (TAC) to the Fixed Gear 

Sector. Pursuant to that authorization, a 

representative of the Fixed Gear Sector 

has submitted an Operations Plan, 

Sector Agreement (Contract) and 

requested an allocation of GB cod to the 

Fixed Gear Sector for fishing year 2007 

(FY 2007). A Supplemental 

Environmental Assessment (EA) has 

also been prepared. This document 

provides interested parties an 

opportunity to comment on the 

proposed Sector Operations Plan and 

EA prior to final approval or 

disapproval of the Sector Operations 

Plan and allocation of GB cod TAC to 

the Fixed Gear Sector for FY 2007. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before May 1, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: Paper, disk, or CD-ROM 

comments should be sent to Patricia A. 

Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 

Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn 

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the 

outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on 

GB Cod Fixed Gear Sector 2007 

Operations Plan.’’

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

• E-mail: 

2007FixedGearSector@NOAA.gov. 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Copies of the Sector Agreement and 

the EA are available from the NE 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS
18938 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

Regional Office at the mailing address 

specified above. Written comments 

regarding the burden-hour estimates or 

other aspects of the collection-ofinformation requirements contained in 

the proposed rule may be submitted to 

the address above or by e-mail to DavidRostker@omb.eop.gov, or fax to (202) 

395–7285. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mark Grant, Fishery Management 

Specialist, phone (978) 281–9145, fax 

(978) 281–9135, e-mail 

Mark.Grant@NOAA.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Regional Administrator has made a 

preliminary determination that the 

Fixed Gear Sector Contract and 

Operations Plan is consistent with the 

goals of the FMP and applicable law and 

is in compliance with the regulations 

governing the development and 

operation of a sector as specified under 

50 CFR 648.87. The final rule 

implementing Amendment 13 (69 FR 

22906, April 27, 2004) specified a 

process for the formation of sectors 

within the NE multispecies fishery and 

the allocation of TAC for specific 

groundfish species (or days-at-sea 

(DAS)), implemented restrictions that 

apply to all sectors, and authorized the 

first sector of the FMP (GB Cod Hook 

Sector). 

FW 42 (71 FR 62156, October 23, 

2006) established the Fixed Gear Sector. 

The FW 42 regulations that apply to the 

Fixed Gear Sector specify that: (1) all 

vessels with a valid limited access NE 

multispecies DAS permit are eligible to 

participate in the Fixed Gear Sector, 

provided they have documented 

landings of GB cod through valid dealer 

reports submitted to NMFS during FY 

1996 through 2001 (regardless of gear 

fished); (2) membership in the Fixed 

Gear Sector is voluntary, and each 

member must remain in the Fixed Gear 

Sector for the entire fishing year and 

may not fish outside the NE 

multispecies DAS program during the 

fishing year, unless certain conditions 

are met; (3) vessels fishing in the Fixed 

Gear Sector (participating vessels) are 

confined to fishing in the GB Cod Hook 

Sector Area, which is that portion of the 

GB cod stock area north of 39°00′ N. lat. 

and east of 71°40′ W. long; and (4) 

participating vessels must comply with 

all pertinent Federal fishing regulations, 

unless specifically exempted by a Letter 

of Authorization, and the provisions of 

an approved Operations Plan. 

Although FW 42 established the Fixed 

Gear Sector, in order for GB cod to be 

allocated to the Fixed Gear Sector and 

the Fixed Gear Sector authorized to fish, 

the Fixed Gear Sector must submit an 

Operations Plan and Sector Contract to 

the Regional Administrator annually for 

approval. The Operations Plan and 

Sector Contract must contain certain 

elements, including a contract signed by 

all Fixed Gear Sector participants and a 

plan containing the management rules 

that the Fixed Gear Sector participants 

agree to abide by in order to avoid 

exceeding the allocated TAC. An 

additional analysis of the impacts of the 

Fixed Gear Sector’s proposed operations 

may be required in order to comply with 

the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Further, the public must be provided an 

opportunity to comment on the 

proposed Operations Plan and Sector 

Contract. The regulations require that, 

upon completion of the public comment 

period, the Regional Administrator will 

make a determination regarding 

approval of the Sector Contract and 

Operations Plan. If approved by the 

Regional Administrator, participating 

vessels would be authorized to fish 

under the terms of the Operations Plan 

and Sector Contract. 

The Fixed Gear Sector submitted an 

initial version of the Operations Plan 

and Sector Contract to NMFS on January 

22, 2007. The Fixed Gear Sector 

subsequently submitted additional 

iterations of the Operations Plan to 

clarify the Operations Plan and refine 

the analyses, with a final submission 

date of March 7, 2007. A Supplemental 

Environmental Assessment was also 

prepared. 

The Fixed Gear Sector would be 

overseen by a Board of Directors and a 

Sector Manager. The Sector Contract 

specifies, in accordance with 

Amendment 13, that the Sector’s GB cod 

TAC would be based upon the number 

of Fixed Gear Sector members and their 

historic landings of GB cod. The GB cod 

TAC is a ‘‘hard’’ TAC, meaning that, 

once the TAC is reached, Fixed Gear 

Sector vessels could not fish under a NE 

multispecies DAS, possess or land GB 

cod or other regulated species managed 

under the FMP (regulated species), or 

use gear capable of catching groundfish 

(unless fishing under charter/party or 

recreational regulations). 

The proposed 2007 Operations Plan 

proposes exemption from the following 

restrictions of the FMP: GB cod trip 

limit, the GB Seasonal Closure Area 

(when fishing with hook gear), the 

3,600–hook limit for longline gear in the 

GB Regulated Mesh Area (RMA), and 

the 2,000–hook limit in the Gulf of 

Maine (GOM) and Southern New 

England (SNE) RMAs. Justification for 

the proposed exemptions and analysis 

of the potential impacts of the 

Operations Plan are contained in the 

EA. A Regulatory Impact Review/Initial 

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) is 

summarized in the Classification section 

of this proposed rule. 

As of March 7, 2007, 19 prospective 

Fixed Gear Sector members had signed 

the 2007 Sector Contract. The GB cod 

TAC calculation is based upon the 

historic GB cod landings of the 

participating vessels, using all gear. The 

allocation percentage is calculated by 

dividing the sum of total landings of GB 

cod by Sector members for FY 1996 

through 2001, by the sum of the total 

accumulated landings of GB cod 

harvested by all NE multispecies vessels 

for the same time period (12,119,410 lb 

(5,497 mt)/113,278,842 lb (51,382.4 

mt)). The resulting number is 900 mt, or 

10.70 percent of the proposed fisherywide GB cod target TAC of 8,416 mt. If 

prospective members of the Fixed Gear 

Sector change their minds about 

participating in the Fixed Gear Sector 

after the publication of this proposed 

rule and prior to a final decision by the 

Regional Administrator, it is possible 

that the total number of participants in 

the Sector and the TAC for the Sector 

may be reduced from the numbers 

above, but no additional members may 

join the Fixed Gear Sector for FY 2007 

fishing year. 

The Sector Contract contains 

procedures for the enforcement of the 

Operations Plan, a schedule of 

penalties, and provides the authority to 

the Fixed Gear Sector Manager to issue 

stop fishing orders to members of the 

Fixed Gear Sector. Participating vessels 

would be required to land fish only in 

designated landing ports and would be 

required to provide the Fixed Gear 

Sector Manager with a copy of the 

Vessel Trip Report (VTR) within 48 hrs 

of offloading. Dealers purchasing fish 

from participating vessels would be 

required to provide the Fixed Gear 

Sector Manager with a copy of the 

dealer report on a weekly basis. On a 

monthly basis, the Fixed Gear Sector 

Manager would transmit to NMFS 

aggregate catch data from dealer slips 

and aggregate discard data from the 

VTRs. After 90 percent of the Fixed Gear 

Sector’s allocation has been harvested, 

the Fixed Gear Sector Manager would be 

required to provide NMFS with 

aggregate reports on a weekly basis. A 

total of 1/12 of the Fixed Gear Sector’s 

GB cod TAC, minus a reserve, would be 

allocated to each month of the fishing 

year. GB cod quota that is not landed 

during a given month would be rolled 

over into the following month. Once the 

aggregate monthly quota of GB cod is 

reached, for the remainder of the month, 

participating vessels may not fish under 

a NE multispecies DAS, possess or land 

GB cod or other regulated species, or 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 18939 

use gear capable of catching regulated 

NE multispecies. The harvest rules 

would not preclude vessels from fishing 

under the charter/party or recreational 

regulations, provided the vessel fishes 

under the applicable charter/party and 

recreational rules on separate trips. For 

each fishing trip, participating vessels 

would be required to fish under the NE 

multispecies DAS program regulations 

to account for any incidental groundfish 

species that they may catch while 

fishing for GB cod. In addition, 

participating vessels would be required 

to call the Sector Manager prior to 

leaving port. All legal-sized cod caught 

would be retained and landed and 

counted against the Fixed Gear Sector’s 

aggregate allocation. Participating 

vessels would not be allowed to fish 

with or have on board gear other than 

jigs, non-automated demersal longline, 

handgear, or sink gillnets. Participating 

Fixed Gear Sector vessels fishing with 

hook gear could use an unlimited 

number of hooks in the Sector Area and 

would be exempt from the GB Seasonal 

Closure Area during May. 

The EA prepared for the Fixed Gear 

Sector operations concludes that the 

biological impacts of the Fixed Gear 

Sector will be positive because the hard 

TAC and the use of DAS will provide 

two means of restricting both the 

landings and effort of the Fixed Gear 

Sector. Implementation would have a 

positive impact of essential fish habitat 

(EFH) and bycatch by allowing a 

maximum number of hook and gillnet 

vessels to remain active in those 

fisheries, rather than converting to (or 

leasing DAS to) other gear types that 

have greater impacts on EFH. The 

analysis of economic impacts of the 

Fixed Gear Sector concludes that the 

members would realize higher economic 

returns if the Fixed Gear Sector is 

implemented. The EA asserts that 

fishing in accordance with the Sector 

Contract rules enables more efficient 

harvesting of GB cod with hook and 

gillnet gear than would be possible if 

the vessels were fishing in accordance 

with the common pool (non-sector) 

rules. The social benefits of the Fixed 

Gear Sector would accrue to members as 

well as the Chatham and Harwichport, 

MA, communities, which are more 

dependent upon groundfish revenues 

than other communities. The 

supplemental EA concludes that the 

self-governing nature of the Fixed Gear 

Sector and the development of rules by 

the members enables stewardship of the 

cod resource by the Fixed Gear Sector. 

The cumulative impacts of the Fixed 

Gear Sector are expected to be positive 

due to a positive biological impact, 

positive impact on habitat, and a 

positive social and economic impact. In 

contrast, the cumulative impact of the 

no action alternative is estimated to be 

neutral, with negative social and 

economic impacts. 

Should the Regional Administrator 

approve the Sector Contract as 

proposed, a Letter of Authorization 

would be issued to each member of the 

Fixed Gear Sector exempting them, 

conditional upon their compliance with 

the Sector Contract, from the GB cod 

possession restrictions, the 3,600–hook 

limit in the GB RMA, the 2,000–hook 

limit in the GOM and SNE RMAs and 

the GB Seasonal Closure Area when 

using hook gear, as specified in 

§§ 658.86(b)(2), 648.80(a)(4)(v), 

648.80(a)(3)(v), 648.80(b)(2)(v) and 

648.81(g), respectively. 

Classification 

This proposed rule has been 

determined to be not significant for the 

purposes of Executive Order (E.O.) 

12866. 

This proposed rule does not contain 

policies with federalism or ‘‘takings’’

implications as those terms are defined 

in E.O. 13132 and E.O. 12630, 

respectively. 

An IRFA was prepared, as required by 

section 603 of the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act. Below is a summary of the IRFA, 

which describes the economic impact 

this proposed rule, if adopted, would 

have on small entities. A description of 

the action, why it is being considered, 

and the legal basis for this action are 

contained in the preamble to this 

proposed rule and in sections 1.0 and 

2.0 of the EA prepared for this action. 

The Small Business Administration size 

standard for small commercial fishing 

entities is $4 million in average annual 

receipts, and the size standard for small 

charter/party operators is $6.5 million 

in average annual receipts. While an 

entity may own multiple vessels, 

available data make it difficult to 

determine which vessels may be 

controlled by a single entity. For this 

reason, each vessel is treated as a single 

entity for purposes of size determination 

and impact assessment. All permitted 

and participating vessels in the 

groundfish fishery, including 

prospective Fixed Gear Sector members, 

are considered to be small entities 

because gross sales by any one entity 

(vessel) do not exceed this threshold. 

The number of prospective participants 

in the Fixed Gear Sector is 19, 

substantially less than the total number 

of active vessels in the groundfish 

fishery. Only these 19 vessels would be 

subject to the regulatory exemptions and 

operational restrictions proposed for the 

Fixed Gear Sector for FY 2007. 

Economic Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

The proposed alternative would 

allocate a GB cod TAC of 900 mt to the 

Fixed Gear Sector. Once the GB cod 

TAC is harvested, participating vessels 

would not be allowed to fish under a NE 

multispecies DAS, possess or land GB 

cod, or other regulated species managed 

under the NE multispecies FMP, or use 

gear capable of catching groundfish 

(unless fishing under recreational or 

charter/party regulations). Vessels 

intending to fish in the Fixed Gear 

Sector during the 2007 fishing year may 

only fish with hook gear or gillnet gear 

and may not fish for NE multispecies 

under a NE multispecies DAS during 

the 2007 fishing year until the Sector 

Operations Plan is approved. Under the 

proposed Operations Plan, members 

would be exempt from several 

restrictions of the FMP described in the 

preamble to this proposed rule and in 

the EA. 

The fixed gear fishermen and the 

Chatham and Harwichport, MA, 

communities are dependent upon GB 

cod and other groundfish. The 

Amendment 13 restrictions that reduced 

the GB cod trip limit had a 

disproportionate affect on these fixed 

gear fishermen. According to 

Amendment 13, Chatham’s overall 

community dependence on NE 

multispecies as a percentage of total 

fisheries revenues from federally 

permitted vessels averaged about 71 

percent and likely at least some of the 

active groundfish vessels in Chatham 

and Harwichport are even more than 

71% dependent on the multispecies 

fishery. Because the Fixed Gear Sector 

was implemented late in the 2006 FY 

and only one vessel participated, 

quantitative data on the precise 

economic impact of the Fixed Gear 

Sector does not exist. However, a 

qualitative assessment of the Fixed Gear 

Sector is possible. 

The proposed alternative would 

positively impact the 19 vessels that 

have voluntarily joined the Fixed Gear 

Sector, who are relatively dependent 

upon cod revenue compared to other 

participants in the groundfish fishery. 

The proposed alternative would 

indirectly benefit the communities of 

Chatham and Harwichport, MA, and to 

a lesser extent other Cape Cod, MA, 

communities involved in the groundfish 

fishery. Allocation of cod TAC to a 

sector and the development of 

alternative fishing restrictions would 

mitigate the impacts of Amendment 13. 

Specifically, the proposed Operations 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS
18940 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

Plan enables Fixed Gear Sector members 

to fish under a set of rules crafted by 

Fixed Gear Sector members in order to 

adapt to current economic and fishing 

conditions. The Fixed Gear Sector, by 

fishing under rules that are designed to 

meet their needs (as well as the 

conservation requirements of the FMP), 

is afforded a larger degree of flexibility 

and efficiency, which result in 

economic gains. For example, Fixed 

Gear Sector members are able to plan 

their fishing activity and income in 

advance with more certainty due to the 

fact that there is a cod TAC, which is 

apportioned to each month of the year. 

They are able to maximize their 

efficiency (revenue per trip), by 

targeting seasonal aggregations of cod, 

due to the exemption from trip limits 

and hook numbers. Thus, this proposed 

rule would enable Fixed Gear Sector 

members to remain economically viable 

by maximizing revenues and 

minimizing expenses in the short term. 

This would also help to maintain 

associated shoreside job opportunities. 

Economic Impacts of Alternatives to the 

Proposed Action 

Under the No Action alternative, all 

Fixed Gear Sector members would 

remain in the common pool of vessels 

and fish under all the rules 

implemented by Amendment 13 and 

subsequent Framework Adjustments, 

and there would be no allocation of GB 

cod to the Fixed Gear Sector. Because 

cod usually represents a high proportion 

of total fishing income for Cape Codbased gillnet and hookgear vessels, 

revenues for such vessel owners are 

very sensitive to regulations that impact 

how and when they can fish for cod, 

such as trip limits and restrictions on 

the number of hooks fished. Under the 

common pool rules implemented by FW 

42 (e.g., differential DAS counting) and 

Amendment 13 (restrictive daily trip 

limits for cod), it is likely that Fixed 

Gear Sector vessels would experience 

revenue losses. It is more likely under 

the No Action alternative that 

disruption to the Chatham/Harwichport 

communities would occur. 

Description of the Projected Reporting, 

Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance 

Requirements of the Proposed Rule 

This rule contains a collection-ofinformation requirement subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and 

which has been approved by OMB 

under control number 0648–0202. 

Public reporting burden for the 

Submission of a Plan of Operation for an 

Approved Sector Allocation is estimated 

to average 50 hr per response, and for 

the Annual Reporting Requirements for 

Sectors is estimated to average 6 hr per 

response, including the time for 

reviewing instructions, searching 

existing data sources, gathering and 

maintaining the data needed, and 

completing and reviewing the collection 

of information. Send comments 

regarding this burden estimate, or any 

other aspect of this data collection, 

including suggestions for reducing the 

burden, to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) and 

by e-mail to 

DavidlRostker@omb.eop.gov, or fax to 

(202) 395–7285. Nothwithstanding any 

other provision of the law, no person is 

required to respond to, nor shall any 

person be subject to a penalty for failure 

to comply with, a collection of 

information subject to the requirements 

of the PRA, unless that collection of 

information displays a currently valid 

OMB Control Number. 

Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act require publication of 

this notification to provide interested 

parties the opportunity to comment on 

proposed TAC allocations and plans of 

operation of sectors. 

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

Dated: April 11, 2007. 

Samuel D. Rauch III 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 07–1882 Filed 4–12–07; 10:41 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 070322064–7064–01; I.D. 

030607E] 

RIN 0648–AV20 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Northeast Multispecies 

Fishery; 2007 Georges Bank Cod Hook 

Sector Operations Plan and Agreement 

and Allocation of Georges Bank Cod 

Total Allowable Catch 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: Amendment 13 to the 

Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery 

Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 

13) authorized allocation of up to 20 

percent of the annual Georges Bank (GB) 

cod total allowable catch (TAC) to the 

GB Cod Hook Sector (Sector). Pursuant 

to that authorization, the Sector has 

submitted an Operations Plan and 

Sector Contract entitled, ‘‘Georges Bank 

Cod Hook Sector Fishing Year 2007–

2008 Operations Plan and Agreement’’

(together referred to as the Sector 

Agreement) and has requested an 

allocation of GB cod, consistent with 

regulations implementing Amendment 

13. A Supplemental Environmental 

Assessment has also been prepared. 

This document provides interested 

parties an opportunity to comment on 

the proposed Sector Agreement prior to 

final approval or disapproval of the 

Sector Operations Plan and allocation of 

GB cod TAC to the Sector for the 2007 

fishing year (FY). 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before May 1, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: Paper, disk, or CD-ROM 

comments should be sent to Patricia A. 

Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 

Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn 

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the 

outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on 

GB Cod Hook Sector Operations Plan.’’

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

• E-mail: gbhooksctr@noaa.gov. 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Copies of the Sector Agreement and 

the EA are available from the NE 

Regional Office at the mailing address 

specified above. Written comments 

regarding the burden-hour estimates or 

other aspects of the collection-ofinformation requirements contained in 

the proposed rule may be submitted to 

the address above or by e-mail to DavidRostker@omb.eop.gov, or fax to (202) 

395–7285. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Warren, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

phone (978) 281–9347, fax (978) 281–

9135, e-mail Thomas.Warren@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

announces that the Administrator, 

Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional 

Administrator), has made a preliminary 

determination that the Sector 

Agreement, which contains the Sector 

Contract and Operations Plan, is 

consistent with the goals of the FMP 

and applicable law and is in compliance 

with the regulations governing the 

development and operation of a sector 

as specified under 50 CFR 648.87. The 

final rule implementing Amendment 13 

(69 FR 22906, April 27, 2004) specified 

a process for the formation of sectors 

within the NE multispecies fishery and 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS