4192 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 19 / Wednesday, January 29, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

Species

Historic range

Vertebrate population where endangered or threatened

Status When listed Critical

habitat

Special

rules Common name Scientific name

* * * * * * *

Snake, copperbelly

water.

Nerodia

erythrogaster

neglecta.

U.S.A. (IL, IN, KY,

MI, OH).

Indiana north of 40

degrees north latitude, Michigan,

Ohio.

T 607 NA NA

* * * * * * *

Dated: January 16, 1997.

John G. Rogers,

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

[FR Doc. 97–2056 Filed 1–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 960502124–6190–02; I.D.

012497B]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Scallop Fishery;

Closure in Registration Area E

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the scallop

fishery in Scallop Registration Area E

(Prince William Sound) east of 146°

West long. This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the scallop total

allowable catch (TAC) in this area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), January 24, 1997, until

2400 hrs, A.l.t., June 30, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Furuness, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

scallop fishery in the exclusive

economic zone off Alaska is managed by

NMFS according to the Fishery

Management Plan for Scallop Fishery

off Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act. Fishing for scallops is

governed by regulations appearing at

subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 and 50

CFR part 679.

In accordance with § 679.62(b), the

1996–1997 scallop TAC for Scallop

Registration Area E was established by

the Final 1996–1997 Harvest

Specifications of Scallops (61 FR 38099,

July 23, 1996) and a reduced TAC was

apportioned (62 FR 2043, January 15,

1997) as 17,300 lb (7,847 kg) of shucked

scallop meat in the part of Registration

Area E east of 146° West long.

In accordance with § 679.62(c), the

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined that the scallop TAC for

Scallop Registration Area E east of 146°

West long. has been reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting the

taking and retention of scallops in

Scallop Registration Area E east of 146°

West long. from 1200 hrs, A.l.t., January

24, 1997, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., June

30, 1997.

Classification

This action is required by § 679.62

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

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

Dated: January 24, 1997.

George H. Darcy,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–2229 Filed 1–24–97; 3:50 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961126333–6333–01; I.D.

012497A]

[Docket No. 960129018–6018–01: I.D.

122396A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical

Area 610; Pacific Cod for Processing

by the Inshore Component in the

Western and Central Regulatory Areas

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure and correction.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for pollock in Statistical Area

610 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This

action is necessary to prevent exceeding

the interim specification for pollock in

this area. NMFS is also correcting a

typographical mistake in FR Doc. 96–

33290 (I.D. 122396A) published on

December 31, 1996.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), January 26, 1997, until

superseded by the Final 1997 Harvest

Specifications for Groundfish.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Sloan, 907–581–2062.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

under authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act. Fishing by U.S.

vessels is governed by regulations

implementing the FMP at subpart H of

50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.

The interim specification of pollock

total allowable catch in Statistical Area

610 was established by Interim 1997

Harvest Specifications (61 FR 64299,

December 4, 1996) as 9,075 metric tons

(mt), determined in accordance with

§ 679.20(c)(2)(i).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the 1997 interim

specification of pollock in Statistical

Area 610 soon will be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 8,875 mt, and is setting

aside the remaining 200 mt as bycatch

to support other anticipated groundfish

fisheries. In accordance with

§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional

Administrator finds that this directed

fishing allowance will soon be reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for pollock in Statistical

Area 610 until superseded by the Final

1997 Harvest Specifications for

Groundfish.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

for applicable gear types may be found

in the regulations at § 679.20(e).

Correction

In a directed fishing opening, FR Doc

96–33290, published December 31, 1996

(61 FR 69050), the first line of the