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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 18941 

the allocation of TAC for a specific 

groundfish species (or days-at-sea 

(DAS)), implemented restrictions that 

apply to all sectors, authorized the GB 

Cod Hook Sector, established the GB 

Cod Hook Sector Area (Sector Area), 

and specified a formula for the 

allocation of GB cod TAC to the Sector. 

The principal Amendment 13 

regulations applying to the Sector 

specify that: (1) all vessels with a valid 

limited access NE multispecies DAS 

permit are eligible to participate in the 

Sector, provided they have documented 

landings, through valid dealer reports 

submitted to NMFS, of GB cod during 

FY 1996 through 2001 when fishing 

with hook gear (i.e., jigs, demersel 

longline, or handgear); (2) membership 

in the Sector is voluntary, and each 

member is required to remain in the 

Sector for the entire fishing year and 

cannot fish outside the NE multispecies 

DAS program during the fishing year, 

unless certain conditions are met; (3) 

vessels fishing in the Sector 

(participating vessels) are confined to 

fishing in the 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 are 

required to comply with all pertinent 

Federal fishing regulations, unless 

specifically exempted by a Letter of 

Authorization issued by the Regional 

Administrator, and the provisions of an 

approved Operations Plan. 

While Amendment 13 authorized the 

Sector, in order for GB cod to be 

allocated to the Sector and the Sector 

authorized to fish, the 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 Sector participants and a 

plan containing the management rules 

that the Sector participants agree to 

abide by in order to avoid exceeding the 

allocated TAC. An additional analysis of 

the impacts of the Sector’s proposed 

operations may also 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 Sector was authorized for FY 

2006 and, based upon the GB cod 

landings history of its 37 members, was 

allocated 615 mt of cod, which is 10.03 

percent of the total FY 2006 GB cod 

TAC. 

On January 22, 2007, the Sector 

Manager submitted to NMFS the 

Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector Fishing 

Year 2007–2008 Operations Plan and 

Agreement. A supplemental EA entitled 

‘‘Approval of the Georges Bank Cod 

Hook Sector Operations Plan,’’ which 

analyzes the impacts of the proposed 

Sector Agreement, was also prepared. 

The proposed 2007 Sector Agreement 

and Operations Plan contains the same 

elements as the 2006 Sector Agreement. 

The Sector Agreement would be 

overseen by a Board of Directors and a 

Sector Manager. The Sector Agreement 

specifies, in accordance with 

Amendment 13, that the Sector’s GB cod 

TAC would be based upon the number 

of Sector members and their historic 

landings of GB cod. The GB cod TAC is 

a ‘‘hard’’ TAC, meaning that, once the 

TAC is reached, Sector vessels could not 

fish under a 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). Should the 

hard TAC be exceeded, the Sector’s 

allocation would be reduced by the 

overharvest in the following year. 

The proposed 2007 Operations Plan 

proposes an exemption from the 

following restrictions of the FMP: The 

GB cod trip limit; the GB and Southern 

New England (SNE) limit on the number 

of hooks fished; the GB seasonal 

closure; the DAS Leasing Program vessel 

size restrictions; Differential DAS in the 

Gulf of Maine Differential DAS Area and 

in the SNE Differential DAS Area (those 

portions of the differential areas which 

overlap the Sector Area); and the 

Western U.S./Canada Area 72–hr 

observer program notification. 

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 February 1, 2007, 35 prospective 

Sector members had signed the 2007 

Sector Contract. The GB cod TAC 

calculation is based upon the historic 

cod landings of the participating Sector 

vessels, regardless of gear used. The 

allocation percentage is calculated by 

dividing the sum of total landings of GB 

cod landed by Sector members in FY 

1996 through 2001, by the sum of the 

total accumulated landings of GB cod 

landed by all NE multispecies vessels 

for the same time period (10,738,834 lb 

(4,871.1 mt)/113,278,842 lb (51,382.42 

mt)). Based upon the 35 prospective 

Sector members, the Sector TAC of GB 

cod would be 798 mt (9.48 percent 

times the fishery-wide GB cod target 

TAC of 8,416 mt). The fishery-wide GB 

cod target TAC of 8,416 mt is less than 

the total GB cod target TAC proposed 

for FY 2007 (9,822 mt) because the 

9,822 mt includes Canadian catch. If 

prospective members of the Sector 

determine that they no longer want to 

participate in the sector after the 

publication of this document 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 

differ from the numbers above. The 

Sector Agreement contains procedures 

for the enforcement of the Sector rules, 

a schedule of penalties, and provides 

the authority to the Sector Manager to 

issue stop fishing orders to members of 

the Sector. Participating vessels would 

be required to land fish only in 

designated landing ports and would be 

required to provide the Sector Manager 

with a copy of the Vessel Trip Report 

(VTR) within 48 hr of offloading. 

Dealers purchasing fish from 

participating vessels would be required 

to provide the Sector Manager with a 

copy of the dealer report on a weekly 

basis. On a monthly basis, the Sector 

Manager would transmit to NMFS a 

copy of the VTRs and the aggregate 

catch information from these reports. 

After 90 percent of the Sector’s 

allocation has been harvested, the 

Sector Manager would be required to 

provide NMFS with aggregate reports on 

a weekly basis. A total of 1/12 of the 

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 could not 

fish under a NE multispecies DAS, 

possess or land GB cod or other 

regulated species, or use gear capable of 

catching regulated NE multispecies. 

Once the annual TAC of GB cod is 

reached, Sector members could not fish 

under a NE multispecies DAS, possess 

or land GB cod or other regulated 

species, or use gear capable of catching 

regulated NE multispecies for the rest of 

the fishing year. The harvest rules 

would not preclude vessels from fishing 

under the charter/party or recreational 

regulations, provided the vessel fishes 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS
18942 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

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 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 legalsized cod caught would be retained and 

landed and counted against the 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, 

or handgear. NE multispecies DAS used 

by participating vessels while 

conducting fishery research under an 

Exempted Fishing Permit during the FY 

2007 would be deducted from that 

Sector member’s individual DAS 

allocation. Similarly, all GB cod landed 

by a participating vessel while 

conducting research would count 

toward the Sector’s allocation of GB cod 

TAC. Participating vessels would be 

exempt from the GB Seasonal Closure 

Area during May. 

The EA prepared for the Sector 

operations concludes that the biological 

impacts of the 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 Sector. Implementation of the 

Sector would have a positive impact on 

essential fish habitat (EFH) and bycatch 

by allowing a maximum number of hook 

vessels to remain active in the hook 

fishery, rather than converting to (or 

leasing DAS to) other gear types that 

have greater impacts on EFH. The 

analysis of economic impacts of the 

Sector concludes that Sector members 

would realize higher economic returns 

if the Sector were implemented. The EA 

asserts that fishing in accordance with 

the Sector Agreement rules enables 

more efficient harvesting of GB cod with 

hook gear than would be possible if the 

vessels were fishing in accordance with 

the common pool (non-Sector) rules. 

The social benefits of the Sector would 

accrue to Sector members, as well as the 

Chatham and Harwichport, MA, 

communities, which are more 

dependent upon groundfish revenues 

than other communities. The EA 

concludes that the self-governing nature 

of the Sector and the development of 

rules by the Sector enables stewardship 

of the cod resource by Sector members. 

The cumulative impacts of the 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 Agreement as 

proposed, a Letter of Authorization 

would be issued to each member of the 

Sector exempting them, conditional 

upon their compliance with the Sector 

Agreement, from the GB cod possession 

restrictions, the GB Seasonal Closure 

Area, the Western U.S./Canada Area 72–

hr observer notification requirement, the 

DAS Leasing Program vessel size 

restrictions, differential DAS, and the 

limits on the number of hooks 

requirements as specified in 

§§ 648.86(b)(2), 648.81(g), 

648.85(a)(3)(ii)(C), 648.82(k)(4)(ix), 

648.82 (e)(2), 648.80(a)(4)(v), and 

648.80(b)(2)(v), 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 Initial Regulatory Flexibility 

Analysis (IRFA) was prepared as 

required by section 603 of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Below 

is a summary of the IRFA, which 

describes the economic impacts 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 the EA prepared 

for this action. The Small Business 

Administration (SBA) size standard for 

small commercial fishing entities is $ 4 

million in average annual receipts. All 

permitted and participating vessels in 

the groundfish fishery, including 

prospective Sector members, are 

considered to be small entities because 

average annual receipts by any one 

entity (vessel) do not exceed this 

threshold, and, therefore there is no 

disproportionate impact between large 

and small entities. The number of 

prospective participants in the Sector is 

35, substantially less than the total 

number of active vessels in the 

groundfish fishery. Only these 35 

vessels would be subject to the 

regulatory exemptions and operational 

restrictions proposed for the Sector for 

FY 2007. 

Economic Impacts of the Proposed 

Action 

The proposed alternative would 

allocate a GB cod TAC of 798 mt to the 

GB Cod Hook Sector. Once the GB cod 

TAC is harvested, participating vessels 

would not be allowed to fish under a 

DAS, possess or land GB cod, or other 

regulated species managed under the 

FMP, or use gear capable of catching 

groundfish (unless fishing under 

recreational or party/charter 

regulations). Vessels intending to fish in 

the Sector during FY 2007 may not fish 

for NE multispecies under a NE 

Multispecies DAS during FY 2007 until 

the Sector Operations Plan is approved, 

and Sector vessels may only fish with 

jigs, non-automated demersel longline, 

or handgear. 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 proposed alternative would 

positively impact the members of the 

Sector (35 vessels or less) that have 

voluntarily joined the Sector, who are 

relatively dependent upon groundfish 

revenue compared to other participants 

in the groundfish fishery. The proposed 

Alternative would indirectly benefit the 

communities of Chatham and 

Harwichport (Massachusetts), and to a 

lesser extent other Cape Cod 

communities involved in the groundfish 

fishery. During FY 2005, members of the 

Sector landed 275,743 lb (125,054 kg) of 

cod and 1,114,401 lb (505,397 kg) of 

haddock, generating approximately $ 

402,000, and $ 1,314,000 in revenue, 

respectively (assuming a dock-side price 

of $ 1.46 and $1.18 per lb, respectively). 

Sector members also landed various 

other species, which contributed 

slightly more to their revenue. In 

general, the operation of the Sector 

would continue to mitigate the negative 

economic impacts that result from the 

current suite of regulations that apply to 

the groundfish fishery (most recently 

Framework Adjustment 42)(October 23, 

2006; 71 FR 62156). The 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, 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) due to the exemption from trip 

limits and hook numbers. For some 

vessel owners in the Sector, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 72 / Monday, April 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 18943 

participation in the Sector enables their 

businesses to remain economically 

viable. 

Economic Impacts of Alternatives to the 

Proposed Action 

Under the No Action alternative, all 

Sector members would remain in the 

common pool of vessels and fish under 

all the rules implemented by 

Amendment 13 and subsequent 

Framework Adjustments. Under the 

regulatory scenario of the No Action 

alternative, Sector members would 

likely face increased economic 

uncertainty, a loss of efficiency, and 

revenue loss. Because cod usually 

represents a high proportion of total 

fishing income for hook gear vessels, 

revenues for Sector members are 

sensitive to regulations that impact how 

and when they can fish for cod, such as 

trip limits and hook gear restrictions. 

Sector members would be unnecessarily 

impacted by regulations designed to 

affect the catch of species of which hook 

gear catches very little (e.g., yellowtail 

flounder, because hook gear is more 

selective than other gear types). For 

example, under the No Action 

alternative, Sector members would be 

affected by the differential DAS 

counting requirement, one of the 

objectives of which is to protect 

yellowtail flounder. 

Description of the Projected Reporting, 

Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance 

Requirements of the Proposed Action 

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. 07–1883 Filed 4–12–07; 10:41 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 060511126–7082–04; I.D. 

050306E] 

RIN 0648–AT71 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Allocating Gulf of 

Alaska Fishery Resources 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this proposed 

rule for the Central Gulf of Alaska 

(GOA) rockfish fisheries to revise 

monitoring and enforcement (M&E) 

provisions related to catcher/processor 

vessels harvesting under the opt-out 

fishery, and to make changes to 

regulations governing the rockfish 

fisheries. This action is necessary to 

clarify procedures and to correct 

discrepancies in a November 20, 2006, 

final rule. This proposed rule is 

intended to promote the goals and 

objectives of the Fishery Management 

Plan for groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska 

(FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act), and other 

applicable law. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

April 30, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue 

Salveson, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Comments may be 

submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 

99802; 

• Hand delivery to the Federal 

Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room 

420A, Juneau, AK 99802; 

• Fax: (907) 586–7557; 

• E-mail: 0648–AT71– 

GOA68PR@noaa.gov. Include in the 

subject line of the email the following 

identifier: Rockfish Program correction 

0648–AT71. E-mail comments, with or 

without attachments, are limited to five 

megabytes; or 

• Webform at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

Copies of Amendment 68; the 

Environmental Assessment/Regulatory 

Impact Review/Initial Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) 

prepared for Amendment 68; and Final 

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA) 

prepared for Amendment 68 may be 

obtained from the NMFS Alaska Region, 

P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802, 

Attn: Ellen Sebastian, and on the NMFS 

Alaska Region website at http:// 

www.fakr.noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jason Anderson, 907 586 7228 or 

jason.anderson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

In January 2004 the U.S. Congress 

amended section 313(j) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act through the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 

2004 (Public Law 108 199, section 802). 

As amended, the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to 

establish a limited access privilege 

program for the Central GOA rockfish 

fisheries (Program), developed in 

coordination with the North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council). 

The Council recommended Amendment 

68 to the FMP for groundfish in the 

GOA on June 6, 2005, to make the 

Program effective. 

NMFS published a notice of 

availability for Amendment 68 on May 

15, 2006 (71 FR 27984). On June 7, 

2006, NMFS published a proposed rule 

to implement Amendment 68 and the 

Program (71 FR 33040). The Secretary 

approved Amendment 68 on August 11, 

2006. NMFS published a final rule to 

implement Amendment 68 on 

November 20, 2006 (71 FR 67210). 

The Program provides exclusive 

harvesting and processing privileges for 

a specific set of rockfish species and 

associated species harvested 

incidentally to those rockfish in the 

Central GOA an area between 147° W. 

longitude and 159° W. longitude. A 

detailed overview of the Program is 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with PROPOSALS