1690 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

docket number or RIN for this proposed 

rulemaking. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura Engleby, 727–824–5312, or Barb 

Zoodsma, 904–321–2806. Individuals 

who use telecommunications devices 

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service at 1–800–

877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

eastern time, Monday through Friday, 

excluding Federal holidays. 

Electronic Access: Regulations and 

background documents for the ALWTRP 

can be downloaded from the ALWTRP 

web site at http://www.nero.noaa.gov/ 

whaletrp/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On November 15, 2006, NMFS 

published a proposed rule to revise the 

regulations implementing the ALWTRP 

by expanding the southeast U.S. 

restricted area and modifying 

regulations pertaining to gillnetting 

within the southeast U.S. restricted area 

(71 FR 66482). That proposed rule 

allowed for a NMFS’ 30–day public 

comment period, which ended on 

December 15, 2006. 

NMFS subsequently received requests 

from the State of North Carolina and the 

Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) to 

extend the comment period. These 

requests stated that more time is 

necessary for the North Carolina public 

and members of the MMC to more fully 

review and provide comments on the 

proposed rule. Therefore, NMFS is 

reopening the public comment period 

for 15 additional days to allow 

additional time for these requesters and 

other interested parties to provide 

comments while ensuring permanent 

protections are in place for right whales 

before the end of the calving season. In 

this notice, NMFS is reopening the 

public comment period for 15 days from 

January 16, 2007 until January 31, 2007. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.; 

§ 229.32(f) also issued under 16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq. 

Dated: Januaary 8, 2007. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–367 Filed 1–12–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 300 

[Docket No. 061229343–6343–01; I.D. 

121406A] 

RIN 0648–AV03 

Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch 

Sharing Plan 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to approve 

and implement changes to the Pacific 

Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (Plan) for 

the International Pacific Halibut 

Commission′s (IPHC or Commission) 

regulatory Area 2A off Washington, 

Oregon, and California (Area 2A). NMFS 

proposes to implement the portions of 

the Plan and management measures that 

are not implemented through the IPHC, 

which includes the sport fishery 

management measures for Area 2A. 

NMFS also proposes to revise the Area 

2A non-treaty commercial fishery closed 

areas, codified at 50 CFR part 300, 

subpart E. These actions are intended to 

enhance the conservation of Pacific 

halibut, to provide greater angler 

opportunity where available, to protect 

yelloweye rockfish and other overfished 

groundfish species from incidental 

catch in the halibut fisheries, and to 

ensure consistency between Federal 

groundfish and halibut regulations and 

between State and Federal regulations. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed 

changes to the Plan and on the proposed 

domestic Area 2A halibut management 

measures must be received no later than 

5 p.m., local time on February 2, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Plan, 

Regulatory Impact Review (RIR)/Initial 

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), 

and/or Categorical Exclusion (CE) are 

available from D. Robert Lohn, Regional 

Administrator, Northwest Region, 

NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, 

Seattle, WA 98115–0070. Electronic 

copies of the Plan, including proposed 

changes for 2007, and of the CE and 

draft RIR/IRFA are also available at the 

NMFS Northwest Region website: 

http://www.nwr.noaa.gov, click on 

‘‘Groundfish & Halibut.’’

You may submit comments on the 

proposed Plan and domestic Area 2A 

halibut management measures or 

supporting documents, identified by I.D. 

121406A, by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: 

PHalibut2007.nwr@noaa.gov. Include 

the I.D. number 121406A in the subject 

line of the message. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: D. Robert Lohn, 

Administrator, Northwest Region, 

NMFS, Attn: Jamie Goen, 7600 Sand 

Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115–0070. 

• Fax: 206–526–6736, Attn: Jamie 

Goen. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jamie Goen or Yvonne deReynier 

(Northwest Region, NMFS), phone: 206–

526–6150, fax: 206–526–6736 or e-mail: 

jamie.goen@noaa.gov or 

yvonne.dereynier@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Northern Pacific Halibut Act (Halibut 

Act) of 1982, at 16 U.S.C. 773c, gives the 

Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 

general responsibility for implementing 

the provisions of the Halibut 

Convention between the United States 

and Canada (Halibut Convention). It 

requires the Secretary to adopt 

regulations as may be necessary to carry 

out the purposes and objectives of the 

Halibut Convention and the Halibut Act. 

Section 773c of the Halibut Act 

authorizes the regional fishery 

management councils to develop 

regulations governing the Pacific halibut 

catch in their corresponding U.S. 

Convention waters that are in addition 

to, but not in conflict with, regulations 

of the IPHC. Each year between 1988 

and 1995, the Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Pacific Council) 

had developed a catch sharing plan in 

accordance with the Halibut Act to 

allocate the total allowable catch (TAC) 

of Pacific halibut between treaty Indian 

and non-treaty harvesters and among 

non-treaty commercial and sport 

fisheries in Area 2A. 

In 1995, NMFS implemented the 

Pacific Council-recommended long-term 

Plan (60 FR 14651, March 20, 1995). In 

each of the intervening years between 

1995 and the present, minor revisions to 

the Plan have been made to adjust for 

the changing needs of the fisheries. The 

Plan allocates 35 percent of the Area 2A 

TAC plus 25,000 lb (11.3 mt) to 

Washington treaty Indian tribes in 

Subarea 2A–1 and 65 percent minus 

25,000 lb (11.3 mt) to non-Indian 

fisheries in Area 2A. The annual shift of 

25,000 lb (11.3 mt) from the non-tribal 

to the tribal fisheries has been made in 

response to a court order; 2007 is the 

final year that this shift must be made. 

The allocation to non-Indian fisheries is 


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divided into three shares, with the 

Washington sport fishery (north of the 

Columbia River) receiving 36.6 percent, 

the Oregon/California sport fishery 

receiving 31.7 percent, and the 

commercial fishery receiving 31.7 

percent. The commercial fishery is 

further divided into a directed 

commercial fishery that is allocated 85 

percent of the commercial allocation 

and an incidental catch in the salmon 

troll fishery that is allocated 15 percent 

of the commercial allocation. The 

directed commercial fishery in Area 2A 

is confined to southern Washington 

(south of 46°53.30′ N. lat.), Oregon, and 

California. North of 46°53.30′ N. lat. (Pt. 

Chehalis), the Plan allows for incidental 

halibut retention in the primary limited 

entry longline sablefish fishery when 

the overall Area 2A TAC is above 

900,000 lb (408.2 mt). The Plan also 

divides the sport fisheries into seven 

geographic subareas, each with separate 

allocations, seasons, and bag limits. 

The Area 2A TAC will be set by the 

IPHC at its annual meeting on January 

16–19, 2007, in Victoria, BC. NMFS 

requests public comments on the Pacific 

Council′s recommended modifications 

to the Plan and the proposed domestic 

fishing regulations by February 2, 2007. 

This allows the public the opportunity 

to consider the final Area 2A TAC 

before submitting comments on the 

proposed rule. The States of Washington 

and Oregon will conduct public 

workshops shortly after the IPHC 

meeting to obtain input on the sport 

season dates. After the Area 2A TAC is 

known and after NMFS reviews public 

comments and comments from the 

states, NMFS will issue a final rule for 

the Area 2A Pacific halibut fisheries 

concurrent with the IPHC regulations 

for the 2007 Pacific halibut fisheries. 

Pacific Council Recommended 

Changes to the Plan and Domestic 

Fishing Regulations 

Each year, the states (Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife 

(WDFW) and Oregon Department of 

Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)) and tribes 

consider whether changes to the Plan 

are needed or desired by their fishery 

participants. Fishery managers from the 

states hold public meetings before both 

the September and November Pacific 

Council meetings to get public input on 

revisions to the Plan. At the September 

2006 Pacific Council meeting, WDFW 

recommended several changes to the 

Plan and ODFW and the tribes 

announced that they had no proposals 

for revising the Plan in 2007. Following 

the meeting, the states again reviewed 

their proposals with the public and 

drafted their recommended revisions for 

review by the Pacific Council. 

At its November 13–17, 2006, meeting 

in Del Mar, CA, the Pacific Council 

considered the results of statesponsored workshops on the proposed 

changes to the Plan, NMFS-proposed 

changes to the Plan, and public 

comments, and made final 

recommendations for modifications to 

the Plan as follows: 

(1) Constrain the Washington North 

Coast subarea June fishery to two 

specific nearshore areas on the first 

Tuesday and Thursday following June 

17; 

(2) Reopen the Washington North 

Coast subarea June fishery in the entire 

north coast subarea on the first Saturday 

following June 17; 

(3) If sufficient quota remains, reopen 

the entire Washington North Coast 

subarea for one day on the first 

Thursday following June 24, otherwise, 

reopen the nearshore areas on the first 

Thursday following June 24 for up to 

four days per week (Thursday-Sunday) 

until the quota is taken; 

(4) Set aside 5 percent of the 

Washington South Coast subarea quota 

for the nearshore fishery once the 

primary fishery has closed; 

(5) Set the Washington South Coast 

subarea nearshore fishery as a 2–day per 

week fishery, open Fridays and 

Saturdays; 

(6) Implement additional closed areas 

(Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation 

Areas, or YRCAs) off the coast of 

Washington that would affect 

commercial and sport halibut fisheries; 

(7) Remove latitude/longitude 

coordinates from the Plan but refer to 

the regulations in which they are 

published to reduce duplication; 

(8) Remove language referring to 

salmon troll fishery July-September 

season; 

(9) Add a definition of the BonillaTatoosh line; and 

(10) Decrease the California 

possession limit on land from two daily 

limits to one daily limit statewide to 

conform with state regulation. 

Proposed Changes to the Plan 

NMFS is proposing to approve the 

Pacific Council recommendations and to 

implement the above-described changes 

by making the following changes to the 

Plan: 

In section (e) of the Plan, Non-Indian 

Commercial Fisheries, revise the last 

sentence of paragraph (1) to read as 

follows: 

The secondary management objective 

is to harvest the remaining troll quota as 

an incidental catch during the 

remainder of the salmon troll fishery. 

In section (e) of the Plan, Non-Indian 

Commercial Fisheries, revise paragraph 

(1)(iii) to read as follows: 

If the overall quota for the non-Indian, 

incidental commercial troll fishery has 

not been harvested by salmon trollers 

during the May/June fishery, additional 

landings of halibut caught incidentally 

during salmon troll fisheries will be 

allowed in July and will continue until 

the amount of halibut that was initially 

available as quota for the troll fishery is 

taken or until the end of the season date 

for commercial halibut fishing 

determined by the IPHC and 

implemented in IPHC regulation. 

Landing restrictions implemented for 

the May/June salmon troll fishery will 

apply for as long as this fishery is open. 

Notice of the July opening of this fishery 

will be announced on the NMFS hotline 

(206) 526–6667 or (800) 662–9825. 

Halibut retention in the salmon troll 

fishery will be allowed after June only 

if the opening has been announced on 

the NMFS hotline. 

In section (e) of the Plan, Non-Indian 

Commercial Fisheries, add paragraph 

(1)(v) to read as follows: 

Under the Pacific Coast groundfish 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.383, fishing 

with salmon troll gear is prohibited 

within the Salmon Troll Yelloweye 

Rockfish Conservation Area (YRCA). 

The Salmon Troll YRCA is an area off 

the northern Washington coast and is 

defined by straight lines connecting 

latitude and longitude coordinates. 

Coordinates for the Salmon Troll YRCA 

are specified in groundfish regulations 

at 50 CFR 660.390 and in salmon 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.405. 

In section (e) of the Plan, Non-Indian 

Commercial Fisheries, revise the fourth 

sentence of paragraph (2) to read as 

follows: 

Any such closed areas will be 

described annually in Federal halibut 

regulations published in the Federal 

Register and specifically defined at 50 

CFR 300.63(e). 

In section (e) of the Plan, Non-Indian 

Commercial Fisheries, add a third 

paragraph to paragraph (3) to read as 

follows: 

Under Pacific Coast groundfish 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.382, fishing 

with limited entry fixed gear is 

prohibited within the North Coast 

Commercial Yelloweye Rockfish 

Conservation Area (YRCA) and the NonTrawl Rockfish Conservation Area 

(RCA). The North Coast Commercial 

YRCA is an area off the northern 

Washington coast, overlapping the 

northern part of the North Coast 

Recreational YRCA. The Non-Trawl 

RCA is an area off the Washington coast. 

These closed areas are defined by 


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straight lines connecting latitude and 

longitude coordinates. Coordinates for 

the North Coast Commercial YRCA are 

specified in groundfish regulations at 50 

CFR 660.390. Coordinates for the NonTrawl RCA are specified in groundfish 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.393. 

In section (f) of the Plan, Sport 

Fisheries, revise the sixth sentence 

through the remainder of paragraph 

(1)(ii) to read as follows: 

The fishery will then reopen for two 

days on the first Tuesday and Thursday 

following June 17, in the following 

nearshore areas only: 

A. WDFW Marine Catch Area 4B, 

which is all waters west of the Sekiu 

River mouth, as defined by a line 

extending from 48°17.30′ N. lat., 

124°23.70′ W. long. north to 48°24.10′ 

N. lat., 124°23.70′ W. long., to the 

Bonilla-Tatoosh line, as defined by a 

line connecting the light on Tatoosh 

Island, WA, with the light on Bonilla 

Point on Vancouver Island, British 

Columbia (at 48°35.73′ N. lat., 

124°43.00′ W. long.) south of the 

International Boundary between the 

U.S. and Canada (at 48°29.62′ N. lat., 

124°43.55′ W. long.), and north of the 

point where that line intersects with the 

boundary of the U.S. territorial sea. 

B. Shoreward of the recreational 

halibut 30–fm boundary line, a modified 

line approximating the 30–fm depth 

contour from the Bonilla-Tatoosh line 

south to the Queets River. Coordinates 

for the closed area will be specifically 

defined annually in federal halibut 

regulations published in the Federal 

Register. 

The fishery will reopen for one day on 

the first Saturday following June 17 in 

the entire north coast subarea. If 

sufficient quota remains, the fishery 

would reopen, as a first priority, in the 

entire north coast subarea for one day 

on the first Thursday following June 24. 

If there is insufficient quota remaining 

to reopen the entire north coast subarea 

for another day, then the nearshore 

areas described above would reopen on 

the first Thursday following June 24, up 

to four days per week (ThursdaySunday), until the remaining subarea 

quota is projected to be taken. No sport 

fishing for halibut is allowed after 

September 30. If the fishery is closed 

prior to September 30, and there is 

insufficient quota remaining to reopen 

the nearshore areas for another fishing 

day, then any remaining quota may be 

transferred inseason to another 

Washington coastal subarea by NMFS 

via an update to the recreational halibut 

hotline. The daily bag limit in all 

fisheries is one halibut per person with 

no size limit. 

Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

North Coast Recreational Yelloweye 

Rockfish Conservation Area (YRCA). 

The North Coast Recreational YRCA is 

a C-shaped area off the northern 

Washington coast and is defined by 

straight lines connecting latitude and 

longitude coordinates. Coordinates for 

the North Coast Recreational YRCA are 

specified in groundfish regulations at 50 

CFR 660.390 and will be specifically 

defined annually in federal halibut 

regulations published in the Federal 

Register. 

In section (f) of the Plan, Sport 

Fisheries, revise the fifth sentence 

through the remainder of paragraph 

(1)(iii) to read as follows: 

The south coast subarea quota will be 

allocated as follows: 95 percent for the 

primary fishery, and 5 percent for the 

nearshore fishery, once the primary 

fishery has closed. The fishery will open 

on May 1. If May 1 falls on a Friday or 

Saturday, the fishery will open on the 

following Sunday. The primary fishery 

will be open Sunday through Thursday 

in all areas, except where prohibited, 

and the nearshore fishery will be open 

7 days per week in the area from 

47°25.00′ N. lat. south to 46°58.00′ N. 

lat. and east of 124°30.00′ W. long. The 

primary fishery will continue until 

September 30, or until 95% of the quota 

is achieved, whichever is earlier. 

Subsequent to this closure, if there is 

insufficient quota remaining to reopen 

the primary fishery for another fishing 

day, then any remaining quota may be 

used to accommodate incidental catch 

in the nearshore area from 47°25.00′ N. 

lat. south to 46°58.00′ N. lat. and east of 

124°30.00′ W. long. on Fridays, and 

Saturdays, until the remaining quota is 

projected to be taken. If the fishery is 

closed prior to September 30, and there 

is insufficient quota remaining to 

reopen the nearshore areas for another 

fishing day, then any remaining quota 

may be transferred inseason to another 

Washington coastal subarea by NMFS 

via an update to the recreational halibut 

hotline. The daily bag limit is one 

halibut per person, with no size limit. 

Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

South Coast Recreational YRCA. The 

South Coast Recreational YRCA is an 

area off the southern Washington coast 

and is defined by straight lines 

connecting latitude and longitude 

coordinates. Coordinates for the South 

Coast Recreational YRCA are specified 

in groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 

660.390 and will be specifically defined 

annually in Federal halibut regulations 

published in the Federal Register. 

In section (f) of the Plan, Sport 

Fisheries, replace the eighth sentence of 

paragraph (1)(v), including the 

coordinates, to read as follows: 

Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

Stonewall Bank YRCA. The Stonewall 

Bank YRCA is an area off central 

Oregon, near Stonewall Bank, and is 

defined by straight lines connecting 

latitude and longitude coordinates. 

Coordinates for the Stonewall Bank 

YRCA are specified in groundfish 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.390 and will 

be specifically defined annually in 

federal halibut regulations published in 

the Federal Register. 

In section (f) of the Plan, Sport 

Fisheries, revise paragraph (3) to read as 

follows: 

Possession limits. The sport 

possession limit on land in Washington 

is two daily bag limits, regardless of 

condition, but only one daily bag limit 

may be possessed on the vessel. The 

sport possession limit on land in Oregon 

is three daily bag limits, regardless of 

condition, but only one daily bag limit 

may be possessed on the vessel. The 

sport possession limit on land in 

California and on the vessel is one daily 

bag limit, regardless of condition. 

Proposed 2007 Sport Fishery 

Management Measures 

NMFS is proposing sport fishery 

management measures that are 

necessary to implement the Plan in 

2007. The 2007 TAC for Area 2A will 

be determined by the IPHC at its annual 

meeting on January 16–19, 2007, in 

Victoria, BC. Because the 2007 TAC has 

not yet been determined, these proposed 

sport fishery management measures use 

the IPHC′s preliminary 2007 Area 2A 

TAC recommendation of 1,020,000 lb 

(463 mt), which is lower than the 2006 

TAC of 1,380,000 lb (626 mt). The 

proposed sport fishery regulations are 

based on the preliminary 2007 Area 2A 

TAC of 1,020,000 lb (463 mt). Where 

season dates are not indicated, those 

dates will be provided in the final rule, 

following determination of the 2007 

TAC and consultation with the states 

and the public. In Section 25 of the 

annual domestic management measures, 

‘‘Sport Fishing for Halibut,’’ paragraph 

(4)(b) is proposed to read as follows: 

* * * * * 

(4)* * * 

(b) The sport fishing subareas, 

subquotas, fishing dates, and daily bag 

limits are as follows, except as modified 

under the inseason actions in 

§ 300.63(c). All sport fishing in Area 2A 

is managed on a ‘‘port of landing’’ basis, 

whereby any halibut landed into a port 

counts toward the quota for the area in 


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which that port is located, and the 

regulations governing the area of 

landing apply, regardless of the specific 

area of catch. 

(i) The area in Puget Sound and the 

U.S. waters in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

east of a line extending from 48°17.30′ 

N. lat., 124°23.70′ W. long. north to 

48°24.10′ N. lat., 124°23.70′ W. long., is 

not managed inseason relative to its 

quota. This area is managed by setting 

a season that is projected to result in a 

catch of 57,393 lb (26 mt). 

(A) The fishing season in eastern 

Puget Sound (east of 123°49.50′ W. 

long., Low Point) is (season dates will 

be provided by NMFS in the final rule) 

and the fishing season in western Puget 

Sound (west of 123°49.50′ W. long., Low 

Point) is (season dates will be provided 

by NMFS in the final rule), 5 days a 

week (Thursday through Monday). (The 

final determination of the season dates 

would be based on the allowable harvest 

level and projected 2007 catch rates 

after the 2007 TAC is set by the IPHC.) 

(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person. 

(ii)The quota for landings into ports in 

the area off the north Washington coast, 

west of the line described in paragraph 

(4)(b)(i) of this section and north of the 

Queets River (47°31.70′ N. lat.), is 

108,030 lb (49 mt). 

(A)The fishing seasons are: 

(1) Commencing on May 15 and 

continuing 3 days a week (Tuesday, 

Thursday, and Saturday) until 77,782 lb 

(35 mt) are estimated to have been taken 

and the season is closed by the 

Commission. 

(2) On June 19 and 21, the fishery will 

open only in the nearshore areas 

defined at the end of this paragraph. 

The fishery will open for one day on 

June 23 in the entire north coast 

subarea. If sufficient quota remains, the 

fishery would reopen, as a first priority, 

in the entire north coast subarea for one 

day on June 28. If there is insufficient 

quota remaining to reopen the entire 

north coast subarea on June 28, then the 

nearshore areas described below would 

reopen on June 28, up to four days per 

week (Thursday-Sunday), until the 

overall quota of 108,030 lb (49 mt) are 

estimated to have been taken and the 

area is closed by the Commission, or 

until September 30, whichever is 

earlier. After June 23, any fishery 

opening will be announced on the 

NMFS hotline at 800–662–9825. No 

halibut fishing will be allowed after 

June 23 unless the date is announced on 

the NMFS hotline. The nearshore areas 

for Washington’s North Coast fishery are 

defined as follows: 

(i) WDFW Marine Catch Area 4B, 

which is all waters west of the Sekiu 

River mouth, as defined by a line 

extending from 48°17.30′ N. lat., 

124°23.70′ W. long. north to 48°24.10′ 

N. lat., 124°23.70′ W. long., to the 

Bonilla-Tatoosh line, as defined by a 

line connecting the light on Tatoosh 

Island, WA, with the light on Bonilla 

Point on Vancouver Island, British 

Columbia (at 48°35.73′ N. lat., 

124°43.00′ W. long.) south of the 

International Boundary between the 

U.S. and Canada (at 48°29.62′ N. lat., 

124°43.55′ W. long.), and north of the 

point where that line intersects with the 

boundary of the U.S. territorial sea. 

(ii) Shoreward of the recreational 

halibut 30–fm boundary line, a modified 

line approximating the 30–fm depth 

contour from the Bonilla-Tatoosh line 

south to the Queets River. The 

recreational halibut 30–fm boundary 

line is defined by the following 

coordinates in the order listed: 

(1) 48°24.79′ N. lat., 124°44.07′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 48°24.80′ N. lat., 124°44.74′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 48°23.94′ N. lat., 124°44.70′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 48°23.51′ N. lat., 124°45.01′ W. 

long.; 

(5) 48°22.59′ N. lat., 124°44.97′ W. 

long.; 

(6) 48°21.75′ N. lat., 124°45.26′ W. 

long.; 

(7) 48°21.23′ N. lat., 124°47.78′ W. 

long.; 

(8) 48°20.32′ N. lat., 124°49.53′ W. 

long.; 

(9) 48°16.72′ N. lat., 124°51.58′ W. 

long.; 

(10) 48°10.00′ N. lat., 124°52.58′ W. 

long.; 

(11) 48°05.63′ N. lat., 124°52.91′ W. 

long.; 

(12) 47°56.25′ N. lat., 124°52.57′ W. 

long.; 

(13) 47°40.28′ N. lat., 124°40.07′ W. 

long.; 

and connecting back to 47°31.70′ N. 

lat., 124°37.03′ W. long. 

(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person. 

(C) Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

North Coast Recreational Yelloweye 

Rockfish Conservation Area (YRCA). It 

is unlawful for recreational fishing 

vessels to take and retain, possess, or 

land halibut taken with recreational gear 

within the North Coast Recreational 

YRCA. A vessel fishing in the North 

Coast Recreational YRCA may not be in 

possession of any halibut. Recreational 

vessels may transit through the North 

Coast Recreational YRCA with or 

without halibut on board. The North 

Coast Recreational YRCA is a C-shaped 

area off the northern Washington coast 

intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. 

The North Coast Recreational YRCA is 

defined by straight lines connecting the 

following specific latitude and 

longitude coordinates in the order 

listed: 

(1) 48°18.00′ N. lat.; 125°18.00′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 48°18.00′ N. lat.; 124°59.00′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 48°11.00′ N. lat.; 124°59.00′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 48°11.00′ N. lat.; 125°11.00′ W. 

long.; 

(5) 48°04.00′ N. lat.; 125°11.00′ W. 

long.; 

(6) 48°04.00′ N. lat.; 124°59.00′ W. 

long.; 

(7) 48°00.00′ N. lat.; 124°59.00′ W. 

long.; 

(8) 48°00.00′ N. lat.; 125°18.00′ W. 

long.; 

and connecting back to 48°18.00′ N. 

lat.; 125°18.00′ W. long. 

(iii) The quota for landings into ports 

in the area between the Queets River, 

WA (47°31.70′ N. lat.) and Leadbetter 

Point, WA (46°38.17′ N. lat.), is 42,739 

lb (19 mt). 

(A) The fishing season commences on 

May 1 and continues 5 days a week 

(Sunday through Thursday) in all waters 

(the primary fishery), except that in the 

area from 47°25.00′ N. lat. south to 

46°58.00′ N. lat. and east of 124°30.00′ 

W. long. (the Washington South coast, 

northern nearshore area), the fishing 

season commences on May 1 and 

continues 7 days a week. The south 

coast subarea quota will be allocated as 

follows: 40,602 lb (18 mt), 95 percent, 

for the primary fishery, and 2,137 lb (1.0 

mt), 5 percent, for the northern 

nearshore fishery, once the primary 

fishery has closed. The primary fishery 

will continue from May 1 until 40,602 

lb (18 mt) are estimated to have been 

taken and the season is closed by the 

Commission, or until September 30, 

whichever is earlier. Subsequent to this 

closure, if there is insufficient quota 

remaining to reopen the primary fishery 

for another fishing day, then any 

remaining quota may be used to 

accommodate incidental catch in the 

northern nearshore area from 47°25.00′ 

N. lat. south to 46°58.00′ N. lat. and east 

of 124°30.00′ W. long. on Fridays and 

Saturdays, until 42,739 lb (19 mt) is 

projected to be taken and the fishery is 

closed by the Commission. If the fishery 

is closed prior to September 30, and 

there is insufficient quota remaining to 

reopen the northern nearshore area for 

another fishing day, then any remaining 

quota may be transferred inseason to 

another Washington coastal subarea by 

NMFS via an update to the recreational 

halibut hotline. 


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(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person. 

(C) Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

South Coast Recreational YRCA. It is 

unlawful for recreational fishing vessels 

to take and retain, possess, or land 

halibut taken with recreational gear 

within the South Coast Recreational 

YRCA. A vessel fishing in the South 

Coast Recreational YRCA may not be in 

possession of any halibut. Recreational 

vessels may transit through the South 

Coast Recreational YRCA with or 

without halibut on board. The South 

Coast Recreational YRCA is an area off 

the southern Washington coast intended 

to protect yelloweye rockfish. The South 

Coast Recreational YRCA is defined by 

straight lines connecting the following 

specific latitude and longitude 

coordinates in the order listed: 

(1) 46°58.00′ N. lat., 124°48.00′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 46°55.00′ N. lat., 124°48.00′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 46°58.00′ N. lat., 124°49.00′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 46°55.00′ N. lat., 124°49.00′ W. 

long.; 

and connecting back to 46°58.00′ N. 

lat., 124°48.00′ W. long. 

(iv) The quota for landings into ports 

in the area between Leadbetter Point, 

WA (46°38.17′ N. lat.) and Cape Falcon, 

OR (45°46.00′ N. lat.), is 16,060 lb (7.3 

mt). 

(A) The fishing season commences on 

May 1, and continues 7 days a week 

until 11,242 lb (5 mt) are estimated to 

have been taken and the season is 

closed by the Commission or until July 

21, whichever is earlier. The fishery will 

reopen on August 3 and continue 3 days 

a week (Friday through Sunday) until 

16,060 lb (7 mt) have been taken and the 

season is closed by the Commission, or 

until September 30, whichever is 

earlier. Subsequent to this closure, if 

there is insufficient quota remaining in 

the Columbia River subarea for another 

fishing day, then any remaining quota 

may be transferred inseason to another 

Washington and/or Oregon subarea by 

NMFS via an update to the recreational 

halibut hotline. Any remaining quota 

would be transferred to each state in 

proportion to its contribution. 

(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person. 

(C) Pacific Coast groundfish may not 

be taken and retained, possessed or 

landed, except sablefish and Pacific cod 

when allowed by Pacific Coast 

groundfish regulations, if halibut are on 

board the vessel. 

(v) The quota for landings into ports 

in the area off Oregon between Cape 

Falcon (45°46.00′ N. lat.) and Humbug 

Mountain (42°40.50′ N. lat.), is 186,066 

lb (84 mt). 

(A) The fishing seasons are: 

(1) The first season (the ‘‘inside 40–

fm’’ fishery) commences May 1 and 

continues 7 days a week through 

October 31, in the area shoreward of a 

boundary line approximating the 40–fm 

(73–m) depth contour, or until the subquota for the central Oregon ‘‘inside 40–

fm’’ fishery (14,885 lb (6.8 mt)) or any 

inseason revised subquota is estimated 

to have been taken and the season is 

closed by the Commission, whichever is 

earlier. The boundary line 

approximating the 40–fm (73–m) depth 

contour between 45°46.00′ N. lat. and 

42°40.50′ N. lat. is defined by straight 

lines connecting all of the following 

points in the order stated: 

(1) 45°46.00′ N. lat., 124°04.49′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 45°44.34′ N. lat., 124°05.09′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 45°40.64′ N. lat., 124°04.90′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 45°33.00′ N. lat., 124°04.46′ W. 

long.; 

(5) 45°32.27′ N. lat., 124°04.74′ W. 

long.; 

(6) 45°29.26′ N. lat., 124°04.22′ W. 

long.; 

(7) 45°20.25′ N. lat., 124°04.67′ W. 

long.; 

(8) 45°19.99′ N. lat., 124°04.62′ W. 

long.; 

(9) 45°17.50′ N. lat., 124°04.91′ W. 

long.; 

(10) 45°11.29′ N. lat., 124°05.19′ W. 

long.; 

(11) 45°05.79′ N. lat., 124°05.40′ W. 

long.; 

(12) 45°05.07′ N. lat., 124°05.93′ W. 

long.; 

(13) 45°03.83′ N. lat., 124°06.47′ W. 

long.; 

(14) 45°01.70′ N. lat., 124°06.53′ W. 

long.; 

(15) 44°58.75′ N. lat., 124°07.14′ W. 

long.; 

(16) 44°51.28′ N. lat., 124°10.21′ W. 

long.; 

(17) 44°49.49′ N. lat., 124°10.89′ W. 

long.; 

(18) 44°44.96′ N. lat., 124°14.39′ W. 

long.; 

(19) 44°43.44′ N. lat., 124°14.78′ W. 

long.; 

(20) 44°42.27′ N. lat., 124°13.81′ W. 

long.; 

(21) 44°41.68′ N. lat., 124°15.38′ W. 

long.; 

(22) 44°34.87′ N. lat., 124°15.80′ W. 

long.; 

(23) 44°33.74′ N. lat., 124°14.43′ W. 

long.; 

(24) 44°27.66′ N. lat., 124°16.99′ W. 

long.; 

(25) 44°19.13′ N. lat., 124°19.22′ W. 

long.; 

(26) 44°15.35′ N. lat., 124°17.37′ W. 

long.; 

(27) 44°14.38′ N. lat., 124°17.78′ W. 

long.; 

(28) 44°12.80′ N. lat., 124°17.18′ W. 

long.; 

(29) 44°09.23′ N. lat., 124°15.96′ W. 

long.; 

(30) 44°08.38′ N. lat., 124°16.80′ W. 

long.; 

(31) 44°08.30′ N. lat., 124°16.75′ W. 

long.; 

(32) 44°01.18′ N. lat., 124°15.42′ W. 

long.; 

(33) 43°51.60′ N. lat., 124°14.68′ W. 

long.; 

(34) 43°42.66′ N. lat., 124°15.46′ W. 

long.; 

(35) 43°40.49′ N. lat., 124°15.74′ W. 

long.; 

(36) 43°38.77′ N. lat., 124°15.64′ W. 

long.; 

(37) 43°34.52′ N. lat., 124°16.73′ W. 

long.; 

(38) 43°28.82′ N. lat., 124°19.52′ W. 

long.; 

(39) 43°23.91′ N. lat., 124°24.28′ W. 

long.; 

(40) 43°20.83′ N. lat., 124°26.63′ W. 

long.; 

(41) 43°17.96′ N. lat., 124°28.81′ W. 

long.; 

(42) 43°16.75′ N. lat., 124°28.42′ W. 

long.; 

(43) 43°13.98′ N. lat., 124°31.99′ W. 

long.; 

(44) 43°13.71′ N. lat., 124°33.25′ W. 

long.; 

(45) 43°12.26′ N. lat., 124°34.16′ W. 

long.; 

(46) 43°10.96′ N. lat., 124°32.34′ W. 

long.; 

(47) 43°05.65′ N. lat., 124°31.52′ W. 

long.; 

(48) 42°59.66′ N. lat., 124°32.58′ W. 

long.; 

(49) 42°54.97′ N. lat., 124°36.99′ W. 

long.; 

(50) 42°53.81′ N. lat., 124°38.58′ W. 

long.; 

(51) 42°50.00′ N. lat., 124°39.68′ W. 

long.; 

(52) 42°49.14′ N. lat., 124°39.92′ W. 

long.; 

(53) 42°46.47′ N. lat., 124°38.65′ W. 

long.; 

(54) 42°45.60′ N. lat., 124°39.04′ W. 

long.; 

(55) 42°44.79′ N. lat., 124°37.96′ W. 

long.; 

(56) 42°45.00′ N. lat., 124°36.39′ W. 

long.; 

(57) 42°44.14′ N. lat., 124°35.16′ W. 

long.; 

(58) 42°42.15′ N. lat., 124°32.82′ W. 

long.; and 

(59) 42°40.50′ N. lat., 124°31.98′ W. 

long.; 

(2) The second season (spring season), 

which is for the ‘‘all-depth’’ fishery, is 


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open on (dates will be provided by 

NMFS in the final rule). The projected 

catch for this season is 128,386 lb (58 

mt). If sufficient unharvested catch 

remains for additional fishing days, the 

season will re-open. Dependent on the 

amount of unharvested catch available, 

the potential season re-opening dates 

will be: (dates will be provided by 

NMFS in the final rule). If NMFS 

decides inseason to allow fishing on any 

of these re-opening dates, notice of the 

re-opening will be announced on the 

NMFS hotline (206) 526–6667 or (800) 

662–9825. No halibut fishing will be 

allowed on the re-opening dates unless 

the date is announced on the NMFS 

hotline. (The final determination of the 

season dates would be based on the 

allowable harvest level and projected 

2007 catch rates and on a public 

meeting held by ODFW after the 2007 

TAC is set by the IPHC.) 

(3) If sufficient unharvested catch 

remains, the third season (summer 

season), which is for the ‘‘all-depth’’

fishery, will be open on (dates will be 

provided by NMFS in the final rule), or 

until the combined spring season and 

summer season quotas in the area 

between Cape Falcon and Humbug 

Mountain, OR, totaling 171,181 lb (78 

mt), are estimated to have been taken 

and the area is closed by the 

Commission, or October 31, whichever 

is earlier. NMFS will announce on the 

NMFS hotline in July whether the 

fishery will re-open for the summer 

season in August. No halibut fishing 

will be allowed in the summer season 

fishery unless the dates are announced 

on the NMFS hotline. Additional fishing 

days may be opened if a certain amount 

of quota remains after August 5 and 

September 2. If after August 5, greater 

than or equal to 60,000 lb (27.2 mt) 

remains in the combined all-depth and 

inside 40–fm (73–m) quota, the fishery 

may re-open every Friday through 

Sunday, beginning August 10 - 12, and 

ending October 26 - 28. If after 

September 2, greater than or equal to 

30,000 lb (13.6 mt) remains in the 

combined all-depth and inside 40–fm 

(73–m) quota, and the fishery is not 

already open every Friday through 

Sunday, the fishery may re-open every 

Friday through Sunday, beginning 

September 7 - 9, and ending October 26 

- 28. After September 2, the bag limit 

may be increased to two fish of any size 

per person, per day. NMFS will 

announce on the NMFS hotline whether 

the summer all-depth fishery will be 

open on such additional fishing days, 

what days the fishery will be open and 

what the bag limit is. 

(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person, unless 

otherwise specified. NMFS will 

announce on the NMFS hotline any bag 

limit changes. 

(C) During days open to all-depth 

halibut fishing, no Pacific Coast 

groundfish may be taken and retained, 

possessed or landed, except sablefish 

when allowed by Pacific Coast 

groundfish regulations, if halibut are on 

board the vessel. 

(D) When the all-depth halibut fishery 

is closed and halibut fishing is 

permitted only shoreward of a boundary 

line approximating the 40–fm (73–m) 

depth contour, halibut possession and 

retention by vessels operating seaward 

of a boundary line approximating the 

40–fm (73–m) depth contour is 

prohibited. 

(E) Recreational fishing for groundfish 

and halibut is prohibited within the 

Stonewall Bank YRCA. It is unlawful for 

recreational fishing vessels to take and 

retain, possess, or land halibut taken 

with recreational gear within the 

Stonewall Bank YRCA. A vessel fishing 

in the Stonewall Bank YRCA may not be 

in possession of any halibut. 

Recreational vessels may transit through 

the Stonewall Bank YRCA with or 

without halibut on board. The 

Stonewall Bank YRCA is an area off 

central Oregon, near Stonewall Bank, 

intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. 

The Stonewall Bank YRCA is defined by 

straight lines connecting the following 

specific latitude and longitude 

coordinates in the order listed: 

(1) 44°37.46 N. lat.; 124°24.92 W. 

long.; 

(2) 44°37.46 N. lat.; 124°23.63 W. 

long.; 

(3) 44°28.71 N. lat.; 124°21.80 W. 

long.; 

(4) 44°28.71 N. lat.; 124°24.10 W. 

long.; 

(5) 44°31.42 N. lat.; 124°25.47 W. 

long.; 

and connecting back to 44°37.46 N. 

lat.; 124°24.92 W. long. 

(vi) The area south of Humbug 

Mountain, Oregon (42°40.50′ N. lat.) and 

off the California coast is not managed 

inseason relative to its quota. This area 

is managed on a season that is projected 

to result in a catch of 6,067 lb (2.8 mt). 

(A) The fishing season will commence 

on May 1 and continue 7 days a week 

until October 31. 

(B) The daily bag limit is one halibut 

of any size per day per person. 

Area 2A Non-Treaty Commercial 

Fishery Closed Areas 

Since 2003, large closed areas have 

applied to commercial vessels operating 

in the directed non-treaty commercial 

fishery for halibut in Area 2A. The Area 

2A non-treaty commercial fishery closed 

areas implement the Plan and 

previously appeared in the annual 

halibut management measures 

published in the Federal Register. 

Beginning in 2006, this section was 

codified into regulatory language at 50 

CFR part 300, subpart E. Coordinates for 

the boundary lines approximating the 

30–fm and 100–fm depth contours for 

the closed areas are being revised to to 

better approximate depth contours. 

Therefore, NMFS is proposing new 

coordinates for these boundary lines in 

this proposed rule. 

Classification 

NMFS has prepared an RIR/IRFA and 

a CE on the proposed changes to the 

Plan and annual domestic Area 2A 

halibut management measures. Copies 

of these documents are available from 

NMFS (see ADDRESSES). 

NMFS prepared an IRFA that 

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 at the beginning of this 

section in the preamble and in the 

SUMMARY section of the preamble. The 

IRFA is available from NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES). A summary of the IRFA 

follows: 

A fish-harvesting business is 

considered a ‘‘small’’ business by the 

Small Business Administration (SBA) if 

it has annual receipts not in excess of 

$4.0 million. For related fish-processing 

businesses, a small business is one that 

employs 500 or fewer persons. For 

wholesale businesses, a small business 

is one that employs not more than 100 

people. For marinas and charter/party 

boats, a small business is one with 

annual receipts not in excess of $6.5 

million. All of the businesses that 

would be affected by this action are 

considered small businesses under 

Small Business Administration 

guidance. 

The proposed changes to the Plan, 

which allocates the catch of Pacific 

halibut among users in Washington, 

Oregon and California, would: constrain 

the Washington North Coast subarea 

June fishery to two specific nearshore 

areas on the first Tuesday and Thursday 

following June 17; reopen the 

Washington North Coast subarea June 

fishery in the entire north coast subarea 

on the first Saturday following June 17; 

if sufficient quota remains, reopen the 

entire Washington North Coast subarea 

for one day on the first Thursday 

following June 24, otherwise, reopen the 

nearshore areas on the first Thursday 

following June 24 for up to four days per 

week (Thursday-Sunday) until the quota 


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is taken; set aside 5 percent of the 

Washington South Coast subarea quota 

for the nearshore fishery once the 

primary fishery has closed; set the 

Washington South Coast subarea 

nearshore fishery as a 2–day per week 

fishery, open Fridays and Saturdays; 

implement additional closed areas 

(Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation 

Areas, or YRCAs) off the coast of 

Washington that would affect 

commercial and sport halibut fisheries; 

remove latitude/longitude coordinates 

from the Plan but refer to where in the 

regulations they are published to reduce 

duplication; remove language referring 

to salmon troll fishery July-September 

season; add a definition of the BonillaTatoosh line; and decrease the 

California possession limit on land from 

two daily limits to one daily limit 

statewide to conform with state 

regulation. NMFS also proposes to 

implement the portions of the Plan and 

management measures that are not 

implemented through the IPHC, which 

includes the sport fishery management 

measures for Area 2A and to revise Area 

2A non-treaty commercial fishery closed 

areas specified at 50 CFR 300.63. These 

actions are intended to enhance the 

conservation of Pacific halibut, to 

provide greater angler opportunity 

where available, to protect yelloweye 

rockfish and other overfished 

groundfish species from incidental 

catch in the halibut fisheries, and to 

ensure consistency between Federal 

groundfish and halibut regulations and 

between State and Federal regulations. 

As mentioned in the preamble, 

WDFW and ODFW held state meetings 

and crafted alternatives to adjust 

management of the sport halibut 

fisheries in their respective states. These 

alternatives were then narrowed down 

by the states and brought to the Council 

at the Council’s September and 

November 2006 meetings. Generally, by 

the time the alternatives reach the 

Council, and because they have been 

through the state public review process, 

they are narrowed down into the 

proposed action and status quo. There 

were no alternatives that could have 

similarly improved angler enjoyment of 

and participation in the fisheries while 

simultaneously protecting halibut and 

co-occurring groundfish species from 

overharvest. 

In 1995, NMFS implemented the Plan, 

when the TAC was 520,000 pounds (236 

mt). In each of the intervening years 

between 1995 and the present, minor 

revisions to the Plan have been made to 

adjust for the changing needs of the 

fisheries, even though the TAC reached 

levels of over 1,000,000 pounds (454 

mt), with a peak of 1,480,000 pounds 

(671 mt) in 2004. Since 2004, there has 

been very little change in the total 

allowable catch and sector allocations. 

In 2005, the Area 2A Halibut TAC set 

by the IPHC was 1.33 million pounds 

(603 mt) and for 2006 it was 1.38 

million pounds (626 mt). However, 

preliminary estimates of the 2007 TAC 

are lower than the TAC levels since 

2001. The preliminary 2007 Area 2A 

TAC of 1.02 million pounds (463 mt) is 

lower than previous years due to the 

IPHC’s new stock assessment 

information, revised selectivity 

assumptions and revised harvest policy. 

This is a 26–percent decline from the 

2006 TAC. As this is a sizable decline, 

there may be changes to the regulations 

described in this proposed rule due to 

IPHC recommendations at their annual 

meeting in January 2007 or as an 

outcome of the state public workshops 

held after the IPHC meeting. 

Expectations are that any proposed 

changes in the regulations will be ones 

that seek to mitigate the adverse impacts 

of the decline of the TAC in order to 

maximize available fishing 

opportunities and benefits to fishing 

communities. 

Six hundred sixty two vessels were 

issued IPHC licenses to retain halibut in 

2006. IPHC issues licenses for: the 

directed commercial fishery in Area 2A, 

including licenses issued to retain 

halibut caught incidentally in the 

primary sablefish fishery (298 licenses 

in 2006); incidental halibut caught in 

the salmon troll fishery (224 licenses in 

2006); and the charterboat fleet (140 

licenses in 2006). No vessel may 

participate in more than one of these 

three fisheries per year. Individual 

recreational anglers and private boats 

are the only sectors that are not required 

to have an IPHC license to retain 

halibut. 

Specific data on the economics of 

halibut charter operations is 

unavailable. However, in January 2004, 

the Pacific States Marine Fisheries 

Commission (PSMFC) completed a 

report on the overall West Coast 

charterboat fleet. In surveying 

charterboat vessels concerning their 

operations in 2000, the PSMFC 

estimated that there were about 315 

charterboat vessels in operation off 

Washington and Oregon. In 2000, IPHC 

licensed 130 vessels to fish in the 

halibut sport charter fishery. Comparing 

the total charterboat fleet to the 130 and 

140 IPHC licenses in 2000 and 2006, 

respectively, approximately 41 to 44 

percent of the charterboat fleet could 

participate in the halibut fishery. The 

PSMFC has developed preliminary 

estimates of the annual revenues earned 

by this fleet and they vary by size class 

of the vessels and home state. Small 

charterboat vessels range from 15 to 30 

ft (4.572 to 9.144 m), and typically carry 

5 to 6 passengers. Medium charterboat 

vessels range from 31 to 49 ft (9.44 to 

14.93 m) in length and typically carry 

19 to 20 passengers. (Neither state has 

large vessels of greater than 49 ft (14.93 

m) in their fleet.) Average annual 

revenues from all types of recreational 

fishing, whalewatching and other 

activities ranged from $7,000 for small 

Oregon vessels to $131,000 for medium 

Washington vessels. Estimates from the 

RIR show the recreational halibut 

fishery generated approximately $2.5 

million in personal income to West 

Coast communities, while the non-tribal 

commercial halibut fishery generated 

approximately $1.8 million in income 

impacts. Because these estimated 

impacts for the entire halibut fishery 

overall are less than the SBA criteria for 

individual businesses, these data 

confirm that charterboat and 

commercial halibut vessels qualify as 

small entities under the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (RFA). 

These changes are authorized under 

the Pacific Halibut Act, implementing 

regulations at 50 CFR 300.60 through 

300.65, and the Pacific Council process 

of annually evaluating the utility and 

effectiveness of Area 2A Pacific halibut 

management under the Plan. Given the 

TAC, the proposed sport management 

measures implement the Plan by 

managing the recreational fishery to 

meet the differing fishery needs of the 

various areas along the coast according 

to the Plan’s objectives. The proposed 

commercial management measures will 

allow the fishery access to a portion of 

the Area 2A TAC while protecting 

overfished rockfish species that cooccur with halibut. The measures will 

be very similar to last year′s 

management measures. The changes to 

the Plan and domestic management 

measures are minor changes and are 

intended to increase flexibility in 

management and opportunity to harvest 

available quota. There are no large 

entities involved in the halibut fisheries; 

therefore, none of these changes to the 

Plan and domestic management 

measures will have a disproportionate 

negative effect on small entities versus 

large entities. 

These changes do not include any 

reporting or recordkeeping 

requirements. These changes will also 

not duplicate, overlap or conflict with 

other laws or regulations. Consequently, 

these changes to the Plan and annual 

domestic Area 2A halibut management 

measures are not expected to meet any 

of the RFA tests of having a 

‘‘significant’’ economic impact on a 


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‘‘substantial number’’ of small entities. 

Nonetheless, NMFS has prepared a 

IRFA. Through this proposed rule, 

NMFS is requesting comments on these 

conclusions. 

This action has been determined to be 

not significant for purposes of Executive 

Order 12866. 

Pursuant to Executive Order 13175, 

the Secretary recognizes the sovereign 

status and co-manager role of Indian 

tribes over shared Federal and tribal 

fishery resources. At section 302(b)(5), 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

establishes a seat on the Pacific Council 

for a representative of an Indian tribe 

with federally recognized fishing rights 

from California, Oregon, Washington, or 

Idaho. 

The U.S. Government formally 

recognizes that the 12 Washington 

Tribes have treaty rights to fish for 

Pacific halibut. In general terms, the 

quantification of those rights is 50 

percent of the harvestable surplus of 

Pacific halibut available in the tribes′ 

usual and accustomed (U and A) fishing 

areas (described at 50 CFR 300.64). Each 

of the treaty tribes has the discretion to 

administer their fisheries and to 

establish their own policies to achieve 

program objectives. Accordingly, tribal 

allocations and regulations, including 

the proposed changes to the Plan, have 

been developed in consultation with the 

affected tribe(s) and, insofar as possible, 

with tribal consensus. 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 300 

Fishing, Fisheries, and Indian 

fisheries. 

Dated: January 9, 2007. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 300 is proposed 

to be amended as follows: 

PART 300—INTERNATIONAL 

FISHERIES REGULATIONS 

1. The authority citation for part 300 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq. 

2. In § 300.63, paragraphs (e), (f) and 

(g) are revised to read as follows: 

§ 300.63 Catch sharing plan and domestic 

management measures in Area 2A. 

* * * * * 

(e) Area 2A Non-Treaty Commercial 

Fishery Closed Areas. 

(1) Non-treaty commercial vessels 

operating in the directed commercial 

fishery for halibut in Area 2A are 

required to fish outside of a closed area, 

known as the Rockfish Conservation 

Area (RCA), that extends along the coast 

from the U.S./Canada border south to 

40°10′ N. lat. Between the U.S./Canada 

border and 46°16′ N. lat., the eastern 

boundary of the RCA is the shoreline. 

Between 46°16′ N. lat. and 40°10′ N. lat., 

the RCA is defined along an eastern 

boundary approximating the 30–fm (55–

m) depth contour. Coordinates for the 

30–fm (55–m) boundary are listed at 

§ 300.63 (f). Between the U.S./Canada 

border and 40°10′ N. lat., the RCA is 

defined along a western boundary 

approximating the 100–fm (183–m) 

depth contour. Coordinates for the 100–

fm (183–m) boundary are listed at 

§ 300.63 (g). 

(2) Non-treaty commercial vessels 

operating in the incidental catch fishery 

during the sablefish fishery north of Pt. 

Chehalis, WA, in Area 2A are required 

to fish outside of a closed area. Under 

Pacific Coast groundfish regulations at 

50 CFR 660.382, fishing with limited 

entry fixed gear is prohibited within the 

North Coast Commercial Yelloweye 

Rockfish Conservation Area (YRCA). It 

is unlawful to take and retain, possess, 

or land halibut taken with limited entry 

fixed gear within the North Coast 

Commercial YRCA. The North Coast 

Commercial Yelloweye Rockfish 

Conservation Area YRCA is an area off 

the northern Washington coast, 

overlapping the northern part of North 

Coast Recreational YRCA, and is 

defined by straight lines connecting 

latitude and longitude coordinates. 

Coordinates for the North Coast 

Commercial YRCA are specified in 

groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 

660.390. 

(3) Non-treaty commercial vessels 

operating in the incidental catch fishery 

during the salmon troll fishery in Area 

2A are required to fish outside of a 

closed area. Under the Pacific Coast 

groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 

660.383, fishing with salmon troll gear 

is prohibited within the Salmon Troll 

Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Area 

(YRCA). It is unlawful for commercial 

salmon troll vessels to take and retain, 

possess, or land fish within the Salmon 

Troll YRCA. The Salmon Troll YRCA is 

an area off the northern Washington 

coast and is defined by straight lines 

connecting latitude and longitude 

coordinates. Coordinates for the Salmon 

Troll YRCA are specified in groundfish 

regulations at 50 CFR 660.390 and in 

salmon regulations at 50 CFR 660.405. 

(f) The 30–fm (55–m) depth contour 

between 46°16′ N. lat. and 40°10′ N. lat. 

is defined by straight lines connecting 

all of the following points in the order 

stated: 

(1) 46°16.00′ N. lat., 124°13.05′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 46°16.00′ N. lat., 124°13.04′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 46°07.00′ N. lat., 124°07.01′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 45°55.95′ N. lat., 124°02.23′ W. 

long.; 

(5) 45°54.53′ N. lat., 124°02.57′ W. 

long.; 

(6) 45°50.65′ N. lat., 124°01.62′ W. 

long.; 

(7) 45°48.20′ N. lat., 124°02.16′ W. 

long.; 

(8) 45°46.00′ N. lat., 124°01.86′ W. 

long.; 

(9) 45°43.46′ N. lat., 124°01.28′ W. 

long.; 

(10) 45°40.48′ N. lat., 124°01.03′ W. 

long.; 

(11) 45°39.04′ N. lat., 124°01.68′ W. 

long.; 

(12) 45°35.48′ N. lat., 124°01.90′ W. 

long.; 

(13) 45°29.81′ N. lat., 124°02.45′ W. 

long.; 

(14) 45°27.97′ N. lat., 124°01.90′ W. 

long.; 

(15) 45°27.22′ N. lat., 124°02.66′ W. 

long.; 

(16) 45°24.20′ N. lat., 124°02.94′ W. 

long.; 

(17) 45°20.60′ N. lat., 124°01.74′ W. 

long.; 

(18) 45°20.25′ N. lat., 124°01.85′ W. 

long.; 

(19) 45°16.44′ N. lat., 124°03.22′ W. 

long.; 

(20) 45°13.63′ N. lat., 124°02.69′ W. 

long.; 

(21) 45°11.05′ N. lat., 124°03.59′ W. 

long.; 

(22) 45°08.55′ N. lat., 124°03.47′ W. 

long.; 

(23) 45°02.81′ N. lat., 124°04.64′ W. 

long.; 

(24) 44°58.06′ N. lat., 124°05.03′ W. 

long.; 

(25) 44°53.97′ N. lat., 124°06.92′ W. 

long.; 

(26) 44°48.89′ N. lat., 124°07.04′ W. 

long.; 

(27) 44°46.94′ N. lat., 124°08.25′ W. 

long.; 

(28) 44°42.72′ N. lat., 124°08.98′ W. 

long.; 

(29) 44°38.16′ N. lat., 124°11.48′ W. 

long.; 

(30) 44°33.38′ N. lat., 124°11.54′ W. 

long.; 

(31) 44°28.51′ N. lat., 124°12.04′ W. 

long.; 

(32) 44°27.65′ N. lat., 124°12.56′ W. 

long.; 

(33) 44°19.67′ N. lat., 124°12.37′ W. 

long.; 

(34) 44°10.79′ N. lat., 124°12.22′ W. 

long.; 

(35) 44°09.22′ N. lat., 124°12.28′ W. 

long.; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with PROPOSALS
1698 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

(36) 44°08.30′ N. lat., 124°12.30′ W. 

long.; 

(37) 44°00.22′ N. lat., 124°12.80′ W. 

long.; 

(38) 43°51.56′ N. lat., 124°13.18′ W. 

long.; 

(39) 43°44.26′ N. lat., 124°14.50′ W. 

long.; 

(40) 43°33.82′ N. lat., 124°16.28′ W. 

long.; 

(41) 43°28.66′ N. lat., 124°18.72′ W. 

long.; 

(42) 43°23.12′ N. lat., 124°24.04′ W. 

long.; 

(43) 43°20.83′ N. lat., 124°25.67′ W. 

long.; 

(44) 43°20.48′ N. lat., 124°25.90′ W. 

long.; 

(45) 43°16.41′ N. lat., 124°27.52′ W. 

long.; 

(46) 43°14.23′ N. lat., 124°29.28′ W. 

long.; 

(47) 43°14.03′ N. lat., 124°28.31′ W. 

long.; 

(48) 43°11.92′ N. lat., 124°28.26′ W. 

long.; 

(49) 43°11.02′ N. lat., 124°29.11′ W. 

long.; 

(50) 43°10.13′ N. lat., 124°29.15′ W. 

long.; 

(51) 43°09.26′ N. lat., 124°31.03′ W. 

long.; 

(52) 43°07.73′ N. lat., 124°30.92′ W. 

long.; 

(53) 43°05.93′ N. lat., 124°29.64′ W. 

long.; 

(54) 43°01.59′ N. lat., 124°30.64′ W. 

long.; 

(55) 42°59.72′ N. lat., 124°31.16′ W. 

long.; 

(56) 42°53.75′ N. lat., 124°36.09′ W. 

long.; 

(57) 42°50.00′ N. lat., 124°38.39′ W. 

long.; 

(58) 42°49.37′ N. lat., 124°38.81′ W. 

long.; 

(59) 42°46.42′ N. lat., 124°37.69′ W. 

long.; 

(60) 42°46.07′ N. lat., 124°38.56′ W. 

long.; 

(61) 42°45.29′ N. lat., 124°37.95′ W. 

long.; 

(62) 42°45.61′ N. lat., 124°36.87′ W. 

long.; 

(63) 42°44.27′ N. lat., 124°33.64′ W. 

long.; 

(64) 42°42.75′ N. lat., 124°31.84′ W. 

long.; 

(65) 42°40.50′ N. lat., 124°29.67′ W. 

long.; 

(66) 42°40.04′ N. lat., 124°29.20′ W. 

long.; 

(67) 42°38.09′ N. lat., 124°28.39′ W. 

long.; 

(68) 42°36.73′ N. lat., 124°27.54′ W. 

long.; 

(69) 42°36.56′ N. lat., 124°28.40′ W. 

long.; 

(70) 42°35.77′ N. lat., 124°28.79′ W. 

long.; 

(71) 42°34.03′ N. lat., 124°29.98′ W. 

long.; 

(72) 42°34.19′ N. lat., 124°30.58′ W. 

long.; 

(73) 42°31.27′ N. lat., 124°32.24′ W. 

long.; 

(74) 42°27.07′ N. lat., 124°32.53′ W. 

long.; 

(75) 42°24.21′ N. lat., 124°31.23′ W. 

long.; 

(76) 42°20.47′ N. lat., 124°28.87′ W. 

long.; 

(77) 42°14.60′ N. lat., 124°26.80′ W. 

long.; 

(78) 42°13.67′ N. lat., 124°26.25′ W. 

long.; 

(79) 42°10.90′ N. lat., 124°24.56′ W. 

long.; 

(80) 42°07.04′ N. lat., 124°23.35′ W. 

long.; 

(81) 42°02.16′ N. lat., 124°22.59′ W. 

long.; 

(82) 42°00.00′ N. lat., 124°21.81′ W. 

long.; 

(83) 41°55.75′ N. lat., 124°20.72′ W. 

long.; 

(84) 41°50.93′ N. lat., 124°23.76′ W. 

long.; 

(85) 41°42.53′ N. lat., 124°16.47′ W. 

long.; 

(86) 41°37.20′ N. lat., 124°17.05′ W. 

long.; 

(87) 41°24.58′ N. lat., 124°10.51′ W. 

long.; 

(88) 41°20.73′ N. lat., 124°11.73′ W. 

long.; 

(89) 41°17.59′ N. lat., 124°10.66′ W. 

long.; 

(90) 41°04.54′ N. lat., 124°14.47′ W. 

long.; 

(91) 40°54.26′ N. lat., 124°13.90′ W. 

long.; 

(92) 40°40.31′ N. lat., 124°26.24′ W. 

long.; 

(93) 40°34.00′ N. lat., 124°27.39′ W. 

long.; 

(94) 40°30.00′ N. lat., 124°31.32′ W. 

long.; 

(95) 40°28.89′ N. lat., 124°32.43′ W. 

long.; 

(96) 40°24.77′ N. lat., 124°29.51′ W. 

long.; 

(97) 40°22.47′ N. lat., 124°24.12′ W. 

long.; 

(98) 40°19.73′ N. lat., 124°23.59′ W. 

long.; 

(99) 40°18.64′ N. lat., 124°21.89′ W. 

long.; 

(100) 40°17.67′ N. lat., 124°23.07′ W. 

long.; 

(101) 40°15.58′ N. lat., 124°23.61′ W. 

long.; 

(102) 40°13.42′ N. lat., 124°22.94′ W. 

long.; and 

(103) 40°10.00′ N. lat., 124°16.65′ W. 

long.; 

(g) The 100–fm (183–m) depth 

contour used between the U.S. border 

with Canada and 40°10′ N. lat. is 

defined by straight lines connecting all 

of the following points in the order 

stated: 

(1) 48°15.00′ N. lat., 125°41.00′ W. 

long.; 

(2) 48°14.00′ N. lat., 125°36.00′ W. 

long.; 

(3) 48°09.50′ N. lat., 125°40.50′ W. 

long.; 

(4) 48°08.00′ N. lat., 125°38.00′ W. 

long.; 

(5) 48°05.00′ N. lat., 125°37.25′ W. 

long.; 

(6) 48°02.60′ N. lat., 125°34.70′ W. 

long.; 

(7) 47°59.00′ N. lat., 125°34.00′ W. 

long.; 

(8) 47°57.26′ N. lat., 125°29.82′ W. 

long.; 

(9) 47°59.87′ N. lat., 125°25.81′ W. 

long.; 

(10) 48°01.80′ N. lat., 125°24.53′ W. 

long.; 

(11) 48°02.08′ N. lat., 125°22.98′ W. 

long.; 

(12) 48°02.97′ N. lat., 125°22.89′ W. 

long.; 

(13) 48°04.47′ N. lat., 125°21.75′ W. 

long.; 

(14) 48°06.11′ N. lat., 125°19.33′ W. 

long.; 

(15) 48°07.95′ N. lat., 125°18.55′ W. 

long.; 

(16) 48°09.00′ N. lat., 125°18.00′ W. 

long.; 

(17) 48°11.31′ N. lat., 125°17.55′ W. 

long.; 

(18) 48°14.60′ N. lat., 125°13.46′ W. 

long.; 

(19) 48°16.67′ N. lat., 125°14.34′ W. 

long.; 

(20) 48°18.73′ N. lat., 125°14.41′ W. 

long.; 

(21) 48°19.67′ N. lat., 125°13.70′ W. 

long.; 

(22) 48°19.70′ N. lat., 125°11.13′ W. 

long.; 

(23) 48°22.95′ N. lat., 125°10.79′ W. 

long.; 

(24) 48°21.61′ N. lat., 125°02.54′ W. 

long.; 

(25) 48°23.00′ N. lat., 124°49.34′ W. 

long.; 

(26) 48°17.00′ N. lat., 124°56.50′ W. 

long.; 

(27) 48°06.00′ N. lat., 125°00.00′ W. 

long.; 

(28) 48°04.62′ N. lat., 125°01.73′ W. 

long.; 

(29) 48°04.84′ N. lat., 125°04.03′ W. 

long.; 

(30) 48°06.41′ N. lat., 125°06.51′ W. 

long.; 

(31) 48°06.00′ N. lat., 125°08.00′ W. 

long.; 

(32) 48°07.08′ N. lat., 125°09.34′ W. 

long.; 

(33) 48°07.28′ N. lat., 125°11.14′ W. 

long.; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 1699 

(34) 48°03.45′ N. lat., 125°16.66′ W. 

long.; 

(35) 47°59.50′ N. lat., 125°18.88′ W. 

long.; 

(36) 47°58.68′ N. lat., 125°16.19′ W. 

long.; 

(37) 47°56.62′ N. lat., 125°13.50′ W. 

long.; 

(38) 47°53.71′ N. lat., 125°11.96′ W. 

long.; 

(39) 47°51.70′ N. lat., 125°09.38′ W. 

long.; 

(40) 47°49.95′ N. lat., 125°06.07′ W. 

long.; 

(41) 47°49.00′ N. lat., 125°03.00′ W. 

long.; 

(42) 47°46.95′ N. lat., 125°04.00′ W. 

long.; 

(43) 47°46.58′ N. lat., 125°03.15′ W. 

long.; 

(44) 47°44.07′ N. lat., 125°04.28′ W. 

long.; 

(45) 47°43.32′ N. lat., 125°04.41′ W. 

long.; 

(46) 47°40.95′ N. lat., 125°04.14′ W. 

long.; 

(47) 47°39.58′ N. lat., 125°04.97′ W. 

long.; 

(48) 47°36.23′ N. lat., 125°02.77′ W. 

long.; 

(49) 47°34.28′ N. lat., 124°58.66′ W. 

long.; 

(50) 47°32.17′ N. lat., 124°57.77′ W. 

long.; 

(51) 47°30.27′ N. lat., 124°56.16′ W. 

long.; 

(52) 47°30.60′ N. lat., 124°54.80′ W. 

long.; 

(53) 47°29.26′ N. lat., 124°52.21′ W. 

long.; 

(54) 47°28.21′ N. lat., 124°50.65′ W. 

long.; 

(55) 47°27.38′ N. lat., 124°49.34′ W. 

long.; 

(56) 47°25.61′ N. lat., 124°48.26′ W. 

long.; 

(57) 47°23.54′ N. lat., 124°46.42′ W. 

long.; 

(58) 47°20.64′ N. lat., 124°45.91′ W. 

long.; 

(59) 47°17.99′ N. lat., 124°45.59′ W. 

long.; 

(60) 47°18.20′ N. lat., 124°49.12′ W. 

long.; 

(61) 47°15.01′ N. lat., 124°51.09′ W. 

long.; 

(62) 47°12.61′ N. lat., 124°54.89′ W. 

long.; 

(63) 47°08.22′ N. lat., 124°56.53′ W. 

long.; 

(64) 47°08.50′ N. lat., 124°57.74′ W. 

long.; 

(65) 47°01.92′ N. lat., 124°54.95′ W. 

long.; 

(66) 47°01.08′ N. lat., 124°59.22′ W. 

long.; 

(67) 46°58.48′ N. lat., 124°57.81′ W. 

long.; 

(68) 46°56.79′ N. lat., 124°56.03′ W. 

long.; 

(69) 46°58.01′ N. lat., 124°55.09′ W. 

long.; 

(70) 46°55.07′ N. lat., 124°54.14′ W. 

long.; 

(71) 46°59.60′ N. lat., 124°49.79′ W. 

long.; 

(72) 46°58.72′ N. lat., 124°48.78′ W. 

long.; 

(73) 46°54.45′ N. lat., 124°48.36′ W. 

long.; 

(74) 46°53.99′ N. lat., 124°49.95′ W. 

long.; 

(75) 46°54.38′ N. lat., 124°52.73′ W. 

long.; 

(76) 46°52.38′ N. lat., 124°52.02′ W. 

long.; 

(77) 46°48.93′ N. lat., 124°49.17′ W. 

long.; 

(78) 46°41.50′ N. lat., 124°43.00′ W. 

long.; 

(79) 46°34.50′ N. lat., 124°28.50′ W. 

long.; 

(80) 46°29.00′ N. lat., 124°30.00′ W. 

long.; 

(81) 46°20.00′ N. lat., 124°36.50′ W. 

long.; 

(82) 46°18.40′ N. lat., 124°37.70′ W. 

long.; 

(83) 46°18.03′ N. lat., 124°35.46′ W. 

long.; 

(84) 46°17.00′ N. lat., 124°22.50′ W. 

long.; 

(85) 46°16.00′ N. lat., 124°20.62′ W. 

long.; 

(86) 46°13.52′ N. lat., 124°25.49′ W. 

long.; 

(87) 46°12.17′ N. lat., 124°30.74′ W. 

long.; 

(88) 46°10.63′ N. lat., 124°37.96′ W. 

long.; 

(89) 46°09.29′ N. lat., 124°39.01′ W. 

long.; 

(90) 46°02.40′ N. lat., 124°40.37′ W. 

long.; 

(91) 45°56.45′ N. lat., 124°38.00′ W. 

long.; 

(92) 45°51.92′ N. lat., 124°38.50′ W. 

long.; 

(93) 45°47.20′ N. lat., 124°35.58′ W. 

long.; 

(94) 45°46.40′ N. lat., 124°32.36′ W. 

long.; 

(95) 45°46.00′ N. lat., 124°32.10′ W. 

long.; 

(96) 45°41.75′ N. lat., 124°28.12′ W. 

long.; 

(97) 45°36.95′ N. lat., 124°24.47′ W. 

long.; 

(98) 45°31.84′ N. lat., 124°22.04′ W. 

long.; 

(99) 45°27.10′ N. lat., 124°21.74′ W. 

long.; 

(100) 45°20.25′ N. lat., 124°18.54′ W. 

long.; 

(101) 45°18.14′ N. lat., 124°17.59′ W. 

long.; 

(102) 45°11.08′ N. lat., 124°16.97′ W. 

long.; 

(103) 45°04.39′ N. lat., 124°18.35′ W. 

long.; 

(104) 45°03.83′ N. lat., 124°18.60′ W. 

long.; 

(105) 44°58.05′ N. lat., 124°21.58′ W. 

long.; 

(106) 44°47.67′ N. lat., 124°31.41′ W. 

long.; 

(107) 44°44.54′ N. lat., 124°33.58′ W. 

long.; 

(108) 44°39.88′ N. lat., 124°35.00′ W. 

long.; 

(109) 44°32.90′ N. lat., 124°36.81′ W. 

long.; 

(110) 44°30.34′ N. lat., 124°38.56′ W. 

long.; 

(111) 44°30.04′ N. lat., 124°42.31′ W. 

long.; 

(112) 44°26.84′ N. lat., 124°44.91′ W. 

long.; 

(113) 44°17.99′ N. lat., 124°51.04′ W. 

long.; 

(114) 44°12.92′ N. lat., 124°56.28′ W. 

long.; 

(115) 44°00.14′ N. lat., 124°55.25′ W. 

long.; 

(116) 43°57.68′ N. lat., 124°55.48′ W. 

long.; 

(117) 43°56.66′ N. lat., 124°55.45′ W. 

long.; 

(118) 43°56.47′ N. lat., 124°34.61′ W. 

long.; 

(119) 43°42.73′ N. lat., 124°32.41′ W. 

long.; 

(120) 43°30.92′ N. lat., 124°34.43′ W. 

long.; 

(121) 43°20.83′ N. lat., 124°39.39′ W. 

long.; 

(122) 43°17.45′ N. lat., 124°41.16′ W. 

long.; 

(123) 43°07.04′ N. lat., 124°41.25′ W. 

long.; 

(124) 43°03.45′ N. lat., 124°44.36′ W. 

long.; 

(125) 43°03.91′ N. lat., 124°50.81′ W. 

long.; 

(126) 42°55.70′ N. lat., 124°52.79′ W. 

long.; 

(127) 42°54.12′ N. lat., 124°47.36′ W. 

long.; 

(128) 42°50.00′ N. lat., 124°45.33′ W. 

long.; 

(129) 42°44.00′ N. lat., 124°42.38′ W. 

long.; 

(130) 42°40.50′ N. lat., 124°41.71′ W. 

long.; 

(131) 42°38.23′ N. lat., 124°41.25′ W. 

long.; 

(132) 42°33.02′ N. lat., 124°42.38′ W. 

long.; 

(133) 42°31.90′ N. lat., 124°42.04′ W. 

long.; 

(134) 42°30.08′ N. lat., 124°42.67′ W. 

long.; 

(135) 42°28.28′ N. lat., 124°47.08′ W. 

long.; 

(136) 42°25.22′ N. lat., 124°43.51′ W. 

long.; 

(137) 42°19.23′ N. lat., 124°37.91′ W. 

long.; 

(138) 42°16.29′ N. lat., 124°36.11′ W. 

long.; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with PROPOSALS
1700 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 9 / Tuesday, January 16, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

(139) 42°13.67′ N. lat., 124°35.81′ W. 

long.; 

(140) 42°05.66′ N. lat., 124°34.92′ W. 

long.; 

(141) 42°00.00′ N. lat., 124°35.27′ W. 

long.; 

(142) 41°47.04′ N. lat., 124°27.64′ W. 

long.; 

(143) 41°32.92′ N. lat., 124°28.79′ W. 

long.; 

(144) 41°24.17′ N. lat., 124°28.46′ W. 

long.; 

(145) 41°10.12′ N. lat., 124°20.50′ W. 

long.; 

(146) 40°51.41′ N. lat., 124°24.38′ W. 

long.; 

(147) 40°43.71′ N. lat., 124°29.89′ W. 

long.; 

(148) 40°40.14′ N. lat., 124°30.90′ W. 

long.; 

(149) 40°37.35′ N. lat., 124°29.05′ W. 

long.; 

(150) 40°34.76′ N. lat., 124°29.82′ W. 

long.; 

(151) 40°36.78′ N. lat., 124°37.06′ W. 

long.; 

(152) 40°32.44′ N. lat., 124°39.58′ W. 

long.; 

(153) 40°30.00′ N. lat., 124°38.13′ W. 

long.; 

(154) 40°24.82′ N. lat., 124°35.12′ W. 

long.; 

(155) 40°23.30′ N. lat., 124°31.60′ W. 

long.; 

(156) 40°23.52′ N. lat., 124°28.78′ W. 

long.; 

(157) 40°22.43′ N. lat., 124°25.00′ W. 

long.; 

(158) 40°21.72′ N. lat., 124°24.94′ W. 

long.; 

(159) 40°21.87′ N. lat., 124°27.96′ W. 

long.; 

(160) 40°21.40′ N. lat., 124°28.74′ W. 

long.; 

(161) 40°19.68′ N. lat., 124°28.49′ W. 

long.; 

(162) 40°17.73′ N. lat., 124°25.43′ W. 

long.; 

(163) 40°18.37′ N. lat., 124°23.35′ W. 

long.; 

(164) 40°15.75′ N. lat., 124°26.05′ W. 

long.; 

(165) 40°16.75′ N. lat., 124°33.71′ W. 

long.; 

(166) 40°16.29′ N. lat., 124°34.36′ W. 

long.; and 

(167) 40°10.00′ N. lat., 124°21.12′ W. 

long.; 

[FR Doc. E7–420 Filed 1–12–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 665 

[Docket No. 061227341–6341–01; I.D. 

120406A] 

RIN 0648–AU99 

Fisheries in the Western Pacific; 

Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: This proposed rule would 

permanently remove the 7–day delay in 

effectiveness when closing the Hawaiibased shallow-set longline fishery as a 

result of reaching interaction limits for 

sea turtles. This action would allow 

immediate closure of the fishery, and 

would enhance protection of sea turtles. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule 

must be received by January 31, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by ‘‘AU99’’ by any of the 

following methods: 

• E-mail: AU99Swordfish@noaa.gov. 

Include ‘‘AU99’’ in the subject line of 

the message. 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: William L. Robinson, 

Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands 

Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani Blvd. 

1110, Honolulu, HI 96814. 

In accordance with the Endangered 

Species Act, a Biological Opinion, dated 

February 23, 2004, was prepared for the 

longline fishery, which operates under 

the Fishery Management Plan for the 

Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific 

Region (FMP). Copies of the Biological 

Opinion are available from William L. 

Robinson (see ADDRESSES). 

Copies of the regulatory amendment 

may be obtained from Kitty M. Simonds, 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (WPFMC), 1164 Bishop St. 

1400, Honolulu, HI 96813. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob 

Harman, NMFS PIR, 808–944–2271. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access 

This Federal Register document is 

also accessible via the World Wide Web 

at the Office of the Federal Register: 

www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. 

Background 

The Hawaii-based pelagic longline 

fishery for swordfish, tunas, and related 

species is managed under the Fishery 

Management Plan for Pelagic Fisheries 

of the Western Pacific Region (Pelagics 

FMP). The Pelagics FMP was developed 

by the WPFMC under the authority of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

Regulations governing fishing by U.S. 

vessels in accordance with the Pelagics 

FMP appear at 50 CFR part 665 and 

subpart H of 50 CFR part 600. 

The regulations at § 665.33(b)(1) 

establish maximum annual limits on the 

numbers of interactions that occur 

between longline fishing operations and 

sea turtles. These limits apply to 

physical interactions experienced by 

vessels registered under Hawaii longline 

limited-access permits while engaged in 

shallow-set longline fishing. There are 

calendar-year annual limits on physical 

interactions for two species of sea 

turtles, one for leatherback sea turtles 

set at 16, and one for loggerhead sea 

turtles set at 17. 

NMFS is required by the 2004 

Biological Opinion to maintain 100–

percent observer coverage in the Hawaii 

shallow-set longline fishery. 

Interactions with turtles are monitored 

using data from scientific observers 

placed by NMFS aboard all vessels 

engaged in shallow-set longline fishing. 

The current regulations at 

§ 665.33(b)(2) prescribe that as soon as 

the physical interaction limit for either 

of the two turtle species has been 

determined to have been reached in a 

given year, the shallow-set component 

of the Hawaii-based longline fishery 

must be closed by NMFS for the 

remainder of the calendar year, after 

giving permit holders at least seven days 

advance notice. Once that component of 

the fishery is closed, no vessel 

registered under a Hawaii longline 

limited-access permit may engage in 

shallow-set longline fishing north of the 

Equator. 

The 7–day delay was intended to give 

NMFS adequate time to notify permit 

holders and vessel operators of the 

fishery closure. Based on the best 

information available on fishing activity 

levels and anticipated turtle interaction 

rates at the time when the regulations 

were first implemented, the 7–day delay 

in effectiveness offered by the advance 

notice provision was thought to provide 

adequate protection to sea turtles, while 

also providing adequate notice of the 

fishery closure to vessels at sea. At the 

time when the current regulations were 

implemented, NMFS observers placed 

aboard longline vessels were not issued 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with PROPOSALS