24536 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 85 / Thursday, May 3, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

‘‘Environmental Analysis Check List’’ is 

available in the docket where indicated 

under ADDRESSES. 

List of Subjects in 33 CFR Part 165 

Harbors, Marine safety, Navigation 

(water), Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements, Security measures, 

Waterways. 

■ For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, the Coast Guard amends 33 

CFR part 165 as follows: 

PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION 

AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 165 

continues to read as follows: 

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

Chapter 701; 50 U.S.C. 191, 195; 33 CFR 

1.05–1(g), 6.04–1, 6.04–6, and 160.5; Pub. L. 

107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of 

Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1. 

■ 2. Add § 165.T08–826 to read as 

follows: 

§ 165.T08–826 Cumberland River, TNregulated navigation area. 

(a) The following is a Regulated 

Navigation Area (RNA): all waters of the 

Cumberland River (CMR) from MM 126 

CMR to MM 127 CMR. 

(b) Within the RNA described in 

paragraph (a), vessels are restricted to 

the right descending bank (RDB) of the 

Cumberland River and tows cannot be 

wider than 80 feet or longer than 800 

feet, excluding the length of the tow 

boat. 

(c) This rule is effective from 4:40 

p.m. on March 31, 2007 through 11:30 

a.m. August 2, 2007. 

Dated: 17 April, 2007. 

J.R. Whitehead, 

Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, 

Eighth Coast Guard District. 

[FR Doc. E7–7951 Filed 5–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

48 CFR Parts 3001, 3002 and 3033 

[Docket No. DHS–2007–0001] 

RIN 1601–AA42 

Department of Homeland Security 

Acquisition Regulation: Board of 

Contract Appeals Change 

AGENCY: Department of Homeland 

Security. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) has adopted as final, 

without change, an interim rule 

amending the Homeland Security 

Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) to 

reflect a statutorily-mandated 

jurisdictional change for the agency 

Board of Contract Appeals (BCA). 

Specifically, BCA jurisdiction for DHS 

has transferred from the U.S. 

Department of Transportation Board of 

Contract Appeals to the Civilian Board 

of Contract Appeals. This rule also 

adopts as final, without change, several 

non-substantive amendments to DHS 

acquisition regulations in order to 

reflect organizational changes. 

DATES: This rule is effective May 3, 

2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Anne Terry, Department of Homeland 

Security, Office of the Chief 

Procurement Officer, Acquisition 

Policy, (202) 447–5253. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

II. Discussion of Public Comments 

III. Regulatory Analyses 

A. Executive Order 12866 Assessment 

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

I. Background 

DHS published an interim rule at 72 

FR 1296 on January 11, 2007, to provide 

notice of HSAR changes that reflect a 

statutorily-mandated jurisdictional 

change for the agency Board of Contract 

Appeals (BCA). Specifically, BCA 

jurisdiction for DHS transferred from 

the U.S. Department of Transportation 

Board of Contract Appeals to the newly 

established Civilian Board of Contract 

Appeals (CBCA). In the National 

Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2006, Congress established the 

CBCA and terminated every agency 

BCA, except for those within the armed 

services, the Tennessee Valley 

Authority, and the U.S. Postal Service. 

See Public Law 109–163, section 847. 

Through January 5, 2007, the U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s BCA 

handled DHS contract appeals. As of 

January 6, 2007, the CBCA handles DHS 

contract appeals. This rule also provides 

technical amendments to correct 

organizational information reflected in 

the HSAR. 

II. Discussion of Public Comments 

DHS received one public comment on 

the interim rule. The comment, 

however, did not address matters within 

the scope of the interim rule. DHS has 

adopted the interim rule as a final rule 

without change. 

III. Regulatory Analyses 

A. Executive Order 12866 Assessment 

DHS has determined that this final 

rule is neither a major rule under 5 

U.S.C. 804 nor a significant regulatory 

action under Executive Order 12866, 

Regulatory Planning and Review. It 

therefore does not require an assessment 

of potential costs and benefits under 

section 6(a)(3) of that Order, and the 

Office of Management and Budget has 

not reviewed it. 

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act 

Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act 

(5 U.S.C. 601–612), the term ‘‘small 

entities’’ comprises small businesses, 

not-for-profit organizations that are 

independently owned and operated and 

are not dominant in their fields, and 

governmental jurisdictions with 

populations of less than 50,000. This 

final rule is not expected to have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities 

within the meaning of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 3001, 

3002, and 3033 

Government procurement. 

Authority and Issuance 

■ Accordingly, for the reasons stated in 

the preamble, the interim rule amending 

48 CFR parts 3001, 3002, and 3033 that 

was published at 72 FR 1296 on January 

11, 2007, is adopted as a final rule 

without change. 

Dated: April 25, 2007. 

Elaine C. Duke, 

Chief Procurement Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–8420 Filed 5–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 

Safety Administration 

49 CFR Part 107 

[Docket No. PHMSA–2006–25589 (HM– 

208F)] 

RIN 2137–AE11 

Hazardous Materials Transportation; 

Miscellaneous Revisions to 

Registration and Fee Assessment 

Program 

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration 

(PHMSA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: PHMSA is amending the 

statutorily mandated registration and fee 

assessment program for persons who 

transport or offer for transportation 

certain categories and quantities of 

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 85 / Thursday, May 3, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 24537 

hazardous materials. In this final rule, 

we are eliminating the 24-hour, sevendays-per-week telephonic expedited 

registration option because it is no 

longer necessary now that there is an 

internet option. In addition, we are 

adopting an explicit exception from 

registration requirements for Indian 

Tribes. We are not increasing 

registration fees in this final rule. 

DATES: This final rule is effective June 

30, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Deborah Boothe, Office of Hazardous 

Materials Standards, (202) 366–8553, or 

David Donaldson, Office of Hazardous 

Materials Planning and Analysis, (202) 

366–4484, Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration, U.S. 

Department of Transportation. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

On August 15, 2006, the Pipeline and 

Hazardous Materials Safety 

Administration (PHMSA) published a 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 

to amend the statutorily mandated 

registration and fee assessment program 

for persons who transport or offer for 

transportation certain categories and 

quantities of hazardous materials. (71 

FR 46884) In the NPRM, PHMSA 

proposed to: 

—Increase the fee to $1,975 (plus a $25 

administrative fee) for registration 

year 2007–2008 for those registrants 

not qualifying as a small business or 

not for profit organizations; 

—Increase the fee to $2,975 (plus a $25 

administrative fee) for registration 

year 2008–2009 and following for 

those registrants not qualifying as 

small businesses or not for profit 

organizations; 

—Eliminate the 24-hour, seven-daysper-week telephonic expedited 

registration option; 

—Incorporate Indian Tribes into the list 

of entities specifically excepted from 

the registration requirements; and 

—Raise the current $1,000 baseline 

penalty assessment for offerors and 

carriers of hazardous materials (other 

than small businesses) that fail to 

register and pay a registration fee. 

II. Registration Fee Increase 

The Hazardous Materials and 

Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants 

program, as mandated by 49 U.S.C. 

5116, provides Federal financial and 

technical assistance to States and Indian 

tribes to ‘‘develop, improve, and carry 

out emergency plans’’ within the 

National Response System and the 

Emergency Planning and Community 

Right-To-Know Act of 1986 (Title III), 42 

U.S.C. 11001 et seq. The grants are used 

to develop, improve, and implement 

emergency plans; to train public sector 

hazardous materials emergency 

response employees to respond to 

accidents and incidents involving 

hazardous materials; to determine flow 

patterns of hazardous materials within a 

State and between States; and to 

determine the need within a State for 

regional hazardous materials emergency 

response teams. The HMEP grants 

program is funded by registration fees 

collected from persons who offer for 

transportation or transport certain 

hazardous materials in intrastate, 

interstate, or foreign commerce. 

Congress reauthorized the Federal 

hazardous materials transportation law 

(Federal hazmat law; 49 U.S.C. 5101 et 

seq.) in 2005 through the ‘‘Hazardous 

Materials Transportation Safety and 

Security Reauthorization Act of 2005’’ 

(Title VII of the Safe, Accountable, 

Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 

Act—A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA– 

LU), Public Law 109–59, 119 Stat. 1144, 

August 10, 2005). The Act made 

available $28.3 million for the HMEP 

grants program and lowered the 

maximum registration fee from $5,000 

to $3,000. Consistent with SAFETEA– 

LU, the Administration’s Fiscal Year 

2007 budget proposal to Congress 

requested $28,000,000 in support of 

HMEP activity. The August 2006 NPRM 

proposed to increase registration fees to 

meet the Administration’s FY 2007 

request for funding the HMEP. 

Section 2 of the Continuing 

Appropriations Resolution, 2007 (Pub. 

L. 109–289, division B), as amended by 

Public Laws 109–369 and 109–383, 

(‘‘Revised Continuing Appropriation 

Resolution, 2007’’), limited obligations 

for the HMEP grants program to the FY 

2006 level of $14.3 million. Therefore, 

we are not adopting the proposed fee 

increase in this final rule. The 

Administration’s FY 2008 budget 

requested $28.3 million to fund the 

HMEP grants program. Depending on 

available and appropriated funding for 

the FY 2008 program, we may initiate a 

future rulemaking to adjust the 

registration fee for FY 2008. 

III. Discussion of Comments and 

Regulatory Changes 

PHMSA received more than 900 

written comments to the NPRM from 

emergency response organizations, state 

and local emergency planning 

organizations, industry associations 

representing a broad spectrum of 

businesses that offer or transport 

hazardous materials, and individuals 

engaged in agricultural retailing, 

petroleum distribution, and petroleum 

marketing. Most of these comments 

addressed the proposed increase in 

registration fees. Only one commenter 

addressed the proposal to raise the 

baseline penalty assessment. One 

commenter addressed the proposal in 

the NPRM to eliminate the expedited 

registration option; no commenters 

addressed the proposed exception from 

registration for Indian tribes. 

A. Baseline Penalty Assessment 

We considered raising the current 

$1,000 baseline penalty assessment for 

offerors and carriers of hazardous 

materials (other than small businesses) 

that fail to register and pay a registration 

fee. We proposed to adjust the baseline 

penalty assessment to keep it 

proportional to the increased 

registration fee. Only one commenter, 

National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC), 

addressed this proposal. NTTC urged 

the agency not to distinguish among 

violators on the basis of size. 

PHMSA decided to not adjust the 

civil penalty in this proceeding. We may 

revisit this issue in a later rulemaking 

proceeding. 

B. Expedited Registration Process 

Since the beginning of the registration 

program in 1992, we have provided a 

24-hour, seven-days-a-week expedited 

telephonic registration option. Persons 

using this option are provided a 

temporary registration number and must 

pay an additional $50 expedited 

processing fee. With the addition of the 

Internet registration option in 2000, the 

number of registrants using the 

expedited registration option has 

steadily decreased. Only 194 persons, 

out of a total of 35,005 registrants, used 

the expedited telephonic registration 

option during calendar year 2006. In the 

NPRM, we proposed to discontinue the 

expedited registration option. 

PHMSA received one comment on the 

proposal. The Petroleum Transportation 

and Storage Association (PTSA) 

suggested that expedited telephonic 

registration should be retained as an 

option in case the on-line capability is 

unavailable, as has sometimes 

happened. 

The addition of the internet 

registration option has made the 

telephonic expedited registration option 

obsolete. The internet registration 

option is faster and more efficient. It is 

no longer cost-effective for PHMSA to 

continue maintaining a registration 

option so few persons use. Moreover, 

the Internet option is more cost-effective 

for registrants since there is no 

additional fee for the Internet service. 

We understand PTSA’s concern about 

possible system down times and 

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24538 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 85 / Thursday, May 3, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

consequent unavailability of the system 

to registrants; however, we do not agree 

that this infrequent occurrence warrants 

retaining the 24-hour, seven days-perweek expedited telephonic registration 

option. Further, we have enhanced the 

internet payment procedures to 

minimize the difficulties previously 

encountered in verifying payments. 

Therefore, we are adopting the proposal 

to eliminate the expedited telephonic 

registration option for those required to 

register and pay a registration fee. 

C. Indian Tribes Exception 

Section 107.606(a) of the Hazardous 

Materials Regulations (HMR) lists the 

entities excepted from the registration 

requirements set out in section 5108 of 

the Federal hazmat law. SAFETEA–LU 

amended section 5108(i)(2)(B) to add 

Indian tribes to the list of entities 

specifically excepted from the 

registration requirements. In the NPRM, 

we proposed to incorporate this specific 

exception into the HMR. As a matter of 

policy, PHMSA has not been enforcing 

the registration requirements against 

Indian tribes. We did not receive any 

comments on this proposal; therefore, 

we are adopting it as proposed. 

IV. Rulemaking Analyses and Notices 

A. Statutory/Legal Authority for This 

Rulemaking 

This final rule is published under the 

authority of the Federal hazardous 

materials transportation law (Federal 

hazmat law; 49 U.S.C. 5101 et seq., as 

amended by Pub. L. 109–59) and 49 

U.S.C. 44701. Section 5108 of the 

Federal hazmat law authorizes the 

Secretary of Transportation to establish 

a registration program to collect fees to 

fund HMEP grants. 

B. Executive Order 12866 and DOT 

Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

This final rule is not a significant 

regulatory action under section 3(f) of 

Executive Order 12866 and, therefore, 

was not subject to review by the Office 

of Management and Budget. This final 

rule is considered non-significant under 

the Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

of the Department of Transportation (44 

FR 11034). Neither of the provisions 

adopted in this final rule will result in 

additional costs to the regulated 

community. 

C. Executive Order 13132 

This final rule has been analyzed in 

accordance with the principles and 

criteria established in Executive Order 

13132 (‘‘Federalism’’). This final rule 

does not preempt State, local, and 

Indian tribe requirements, and it does 

not have substantial direct effects on the 

States, the relationship between the 

national government and the States, or 

the distribution of power and 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. Therefore, the 

consultation and funding requirements 

of Executive Order 13132 do not apply. 

D. Executive Order 13175 

This final rule has been analyzed in 

accordance with the principles and 

criteria established in Executive Order 

13175 (‘‘Consultation and Coordination 

with Indian Tribal Governments’’). 

Because this final rule does not have 

adverse tribal implications and does not 

impose direct compliance costs, the 

funding and consultation requirements 

of Executive Order 13175 do not apply. 

E. Regulatory Flexibility Act, Executive 

Order 13272, and DOT Procedures and 

Policies 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 

U.S.C. 601–611) requires each agency to 

analyze regulations and assess their 

impact on small businesses and other 

small entities to determine whether the 

rule is expected to have a significant 

impact on a substantial number of small 

entities. Although the entities affected 

by this rule are mostly small businesses, 

neither of the provisions adopted in this 

final rule will result in additional costs 

to the regulated community. PHMSA 

certifies this rule will not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

F. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 

1995 

This final rule does not impose 

unfunded mandates under the 

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 

1995. It does not result in costs of 

$120.7 million or more, in the aggregate, 

to any of the following: State, local, or 

Native American tribal governments, or 

the private sector. 

G. Paperwork Reduction Act 

Under 49 U.S.C. 5108(i), the 

information management requirements 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) do not apply to this 

final rule. 

H. Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 

A regulation identifier number (RIN) 

is assigned to each regulatory action 

listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal 

Regulations. The Regulatory Information 

Service Center publishes the Unified 

Agenda in April and October of each 

year. The RIN number contained in the 

heading of this document may be used 

to cross-reference this action with the 

Unified Agenda. 

I. National Environmental Policy Act 

The National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 

U.S.C. 4321–4347), requires Federal 

agencies to evaluate the consequences of 

their actions on the environment. 

PHMSA has concluded there are no 

significant environmental impacts 

associated with this final rule. This rule 

makes only minor revisions to the 

registration fee and assessment program, 

with no resulting effects on the human 

environment. 

J. Privacy Act 

Anyone is able to search the 

electronic form of all comments 

received into any of our dockets by the 

name of the individual submitting the 

comments (or signing the comment, if 

submitted on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 

65, Number 70; Pages 19477–78) or you 

may visit http://dms.dot.gov. 

List of Subjects in 49 CFR Part 107 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Hazardous materials 

transportation, Penalties, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements. 

■ In consideration of the foregoing, 49 

CFR part 107 is amended as follows: 

PART 107—HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 

PROGRAM PROCEDURES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 107 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 5101–5128, 44701; 

Pub. L. 101–410 Section 4 (28 U.S.C. 2461 

note); Pub. L. 104–121 Sections 212–213; 

Pub. L. 104–134 Section 30001; 49 CFR 1.45, 

1.53. 

■ 2. In § 107.606, redesignate 

paragraphs (a)(4), (a)(5), and (a)(6), as 

(a)(5), (a)(6), and (a)(7) respectively, add 

new paragraph (a)(4), and revise newly 

redesignated paragraph (a)(5) to read as 

follows: 

§ 107.606 Exceptions. 

(a) * * * 

(4) An Indian tribe. 

(5) An employee of any of those 

entities in paragraphs (a)(1) through 

(a)(4) of this section with respect to the 

employee’s official duties. 

* * * * * 

§ 107.616 [Amended] 

■ 3. In § 107.616, make the following 

changes: 

■ a. Amend the first sentence in 

paragraph (a) by removing the phrase 

‘‘Except as provided in paragraph (d) of 

this section,’’. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 85 / Thursday, May 3, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 24539 

■ b. Remove paragraph (d). 

Issued in Washington, DC on April 25, 

2007, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 

part 1. 

Thomas J. Barrett, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E7–8394 Filed 5–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No.070430095–7095–01; I.D. 

042707D] 

RIN 0648–AV56 

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in 

the Western Pacific; West Coast 

Salmon Fisheries; 2007 Management 

Measures 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule; annual management 

measures for the ocean salmon fishery; 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS establishes fishery 

management measures for the 2007 

ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, 

Oregon, and California and the 2008 

salmon seasons opening earlier than 

May 1, 2008. Specific fishery 

management measures vary by fishery 

and by area. The measures establish 

fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear, 

recreational fishing days and catch 

limits, possession and landing 

restrictions, and minimum lengths for 

salmon taken in the U.S. exclusive 

economic zone (EEZ)(3–200 nm) off 

Washington, Oregon, and California. 

The management measures are intended 

to prevent overfishing and to apportion 

the ocean harvest equitably among 

treaty Indian, non-treaty commercial, 

and recreational fisheries. The measures 

are also intended to allow a portion of 

the salmon runs to escape the ocean 

fisheries in order to provide for 

spawning escapement and to provide for 

inside fisheries (fisheries occurring in 

state internal waters). 

DATES: Effective from 0001 hours Pacific 

Daylight Time, May 1, 2007, until the 

effective date of the 2008 management 

measures, as published in the Federal 

Register. Comments must be received by 

May 18, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

management measures may be sent to D. 

Robert Lohn, Regional Administrator, 

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand 

Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115– 

0070, fax: 206–526–6376; or to Rod 

McInnis, Regional Administrator, 

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West 

Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long 

Beach, CA 90802–4213, fax: 562–980– 

4018. Comments can also be submitted 

via e-mail at the 

2007oceansalmonregs.nwr@noaa.gov 

address, or through the internet at the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments, 

and include docket number and/or RIN 

number in the subject line of the 

message. 

Copies of the supplemental Finding of 

No Significant Impact (FONSI) and its 

supporting Environmental Assessment 

and other documents cited in this 

document are available from Dr. Donald 

O. McIsaac, Executive Director, Pacific 

Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE 

Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, 

OR 97220–1384, and are posted on its 

website (www.pcouncil.org). 

Send comments regarding the 

reporting burden estimate or any other 

aspect of the collection-of-information 

requirements in these management 

measures, including suggestions for 

reducing the burden, to one of the 

NMFS addresses listed above and to 

David Rostker, Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB), by email at David— 

Rostker@omb.eop.gov, or by fax at 

(202)395–7285. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah McAvinchey at 206–526–4323, or 

Eric Chavez at 562–980–4064. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The ocean salmon fisheries in the EEZ 

off Washington, Oregon, and California 

are managed under a ‘‘framework’’ 

fishery management plan entitled the 

Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery 

Management Plan (Salmon FMP). 

Regulations at 50 CFR part 660, subpart 

H, provide the mechanism for making 

preseason and inseason adjustments to 

the management measures, within limits 

set by the Salmon FMP, by notification 

in the Federal Register. 

These management measures for the 

2007 and pre-May 2008 ocean salmon 

fisheries were recommended by the 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

(Council) at its April 2 to 6, 2007, 

meeting. 

Schedule Used to Establish 2007 

Management Measures 

The Council announced its annual 

preseason management process for the 

2007 ocean salmon fisheries in the 

Federal Register on December 22, 2006 

(71 FR 76958) and on their website at 

(www.pcouncil.org). This notice 

announced the availability of Council 

documents as well as the dates and 

locations of Council meetings and 

public hearings comprising the 

Council’s complete schedule of events 

for determining the annual proposed 

and final modifications to ocean salmon 

fishery management measures. The 

agendas for the March and April 

Council meetings were published in the 

Federal Register prior to the actual 

meetings. 

In accordance with the Salmon FMP, 

the Council’s Salmon Technical Team 

(STT) and staff economist prepared a 

series of reports for the Council, its 

advisors, and the public. The first of the 

reports was prepared in February when 

the scientific information necessary for 

crafting management measures for the 

2007 and pre-May 2008 ocean salmon 

fishery first became available. The first 

report, ‘‘Review of 2006 Ocean Salmon 

Fisheries’’ (REVIEW), summarizes 

biological and socio-economic data for 

the 2006 ocean salmon fisheries and 

assesses how well the Council’s 2006 

management objectives were met. The 

second report, ‘‘Preseason Report I 

Stock Abundance Analysis for 2007 

Ocean Salmon Fisheries’’ (PRE I), 

provides the 2007 salmon stock 

abundance projections and analyzes the 

impacts on the stocks and Council 

management goals if the 2006 

regulations and regulatory procedures 

were applied to the projected 2007 stock 

abundances. The completion of PRE I is 

the initial step in evaluating the full 

suite of preseason options. 

The Council met in Sacramento, CA 

from March 5 to 9, 2007, to develop 

2007 management options for proposal 

to the public. The Council proposed 

three options of commercial and 

recreational fisheries management for 

analysis and public comment. These 

options consisted of various 

combinations of management measures 

designed to protect weak stocks of coho 

and Chinook salmon and to provide for 

ocean harvests of more abundant stocks. 

After the March Council meeting, the 

Council’s STT and staff economist 

prepared a third report, ‘‘Preseason 

Report II Analysis of Proposed 

Regulatory Options for 2007 Ocean 

Salmon Fisheries,’’ which analyzes the 

effects of the proposed 2007 

management options. This report was 

made available to the Council, its 

advisors, and the public. 

Public hearings, sponsored by the 

Council, to receive testimony on the 

proposed options were held on March 

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