Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 53247

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ernest R. Franke, Remedial Project

Manager, US EPA, Region 6, 1445 Ross

Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75202–2733,

(214) 665–8521.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The site to

be deleted from the NPL is the Frit

Industries Site, Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.

A Notice of Intent to Delete for this site

was published in the Federal Register

on July 25, 1997 (62 FR 40029). The

closing date for public comment was

August 25, 1997. The EPA received no

comments during the comment period.

The EPA identifies sites which appear

to present a significant risk to public

health, welfare, or the environment and

maintains the NPL as a list of the most

serious of those sites. Sites on the NPL

may be the subject of remedial response

actions financed using the Hazardous

Substance Response Trust Fund (Fund).

Any site deleted from the NPL remains

eligible for Fund-financed remedial

actions in the unlikely event that

conditions at the site warrant such

action. Section 300.425(e)(3) of the NCP,

provides that in the event of a

significant release from a site deleted

from the NPL, the site shall be restored

to the NPL without application of the

Hazard Ranking System. Deletion of a

site from the NPL does not affect

responsible party liability or impede

Agency efforts to recover costs

associated with response actions.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300

Environmental protection, Hazardous

waste, Intergovernmental relations,

Superfund.

Dated: September 30, 1997.

Jerry Clifford,

Acting Regional Administrator, Region 6.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 40 CFR part 300, is amended

as follows:

PART 300—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for part 300

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1321(c)(2); 42 U.S.C.

9601–9657; E.O.12777, 56 FR 54757, 3 CFR,

1991 Comp., 351; E.O. 12580; 52 FR 2923, 3

CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 FR

2923, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp.; p.193.

Appendix B—[Amended]

2. Table 1 of Appendix B to part 300

is amended by removing the site for

‘‘Frit Industries, Walnut Ridge,

Arkansas’’.

[FR Doc. 97–27022 Filed 10–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 285

[I.D. 100697B]

Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Recreational

Fishery Adjustments

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Quota adjustment; fishery

reopening; catch limit adjustment.

SUMMARY: NMFS adjusts the Angling

category subquota for large school/small

medium Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT)

fishery by transferring 10 mt from the

Angling category subquota for school

ABT, for a revised Angling category

subquota of 161 mt for the large school/

small medium size classes. NMFS

reopens the Angling category fishery for

large school and small medium ABT in

the northern area (New Jersey and states

north). The daily catch limit for the

reopening is two large school ABT and

one small medium ABT per vessel. This

action is being taken to ensure

reasonable fishing opportunities in the

northern area without risking

overharvest of this category.

DATES: The quota and catch limit

adjustments, and fishery reopening are

effective October 10, 1997, until 11:30

pm, October 19, 1997, or any prior date

of closure or adjustment as necessary, to

be published in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chris Rogers, 301–713–2347, or Mark

Murray-Brown, 978–281–9260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulations implemented under the

authority of the Atlantic Tunas

Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.)

governing the harvest of ABT by persons

and vessels subject to U.S. jurisdiction

are found at 50 CFR part 285. Section

285.22 subdivides the U.S. quota

recommended by the International

Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas among the various

domestic fishing categories.

Under the implementing regulations

at 50 CFR 285.22(f), the Assistant

Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA

(AA), has the authority to make

adjustments to quotas involving

transfers between categories after

considering certain factors. The AA is

authorized to make adjustments to

quotas involving transfers between

categories if, during a single year quota

period, it is determined, based on

landing statistics, present year catch

rates, effort, and other available

information, that any category, is not

likely to take its entire quota as

previously allocated for that year.

Given that determination, the AA may

transfer inseason any portion of the

quota of any fishing category to any

other fishing category or to the reserve

after considering the following factors:

(1) The usefulness of information

obtained from catches of the particular

category of the fishery for biological

sampling and monitoring the status of

the stock, (2) the catches of the

particular gear segment to date and the

likelihood of closure of that segment of

the fishery if no allocation is made, (3)

the projected ability of the particular

gear segment to harvest the additional

amount of Atlantic bluefin tuna before

the anticipated end of the fishing

season, and (4) the estimated amounts

by which quotas established for other

gear segments of the fishery might be

exceeded.

Angling Category Quota Adjustment

Implementing regulations for the

Atlantic tuna fisheries at § 285.22

provide for a quota of 108 mt of school

ABT and 151 mt of large school/small

medium ABT to be harvested from the

regulatory area by vessels fishing under

the Angling category quota during

calendar year 1997 (62 FR 35107, June

30, 1997). The school ABT quota is

further subdivided into 51 mt for the

waters off Delaware and states south

and 57 mt for the waters off New Jersey

and states north. The large school/small

medium ABT quota is further

subdivided into 71 mt for the waters off

Delaware and states south and 80 mt for

the waters off New Jersey and states

north.

Based on preliminary catch estimates,

NMFS closed the large school/small

medium ABT fishery for the southern

area on July 20, 1997 (62 FR 35447, July

1, 1997) and for the northern area on

October 1, 1997 (62 FR 50887,

September 29, 1997). Information

collected by NMFS from dockside and

telephone surveys through September

28, 1997, indicates that about 11 mt of

school ABT and 8 mt of large school/

small medium ABT remain of the

northern area subquotas. In order to

provide for a reasonable opportunity to

harvest the Angling category quota and

collect scientific information needed to

monitor the ABT stock, NMFS has

determined that a reopening is

warranted.

After considering the previously cited

factors for making transfers between

categories, the risk of overharvest of

school bluefin which are subject to an
53248 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

ICCAT-recommended limit, the current

availability of fish in each size class,

and the regional distribution of catch to

date, the AA has determined that 10 mt

of the remaining northern area school

ABT quota should be transferred to the

northern area large school/small

medium Angling category fishery. Thus,

the Angling category subquota for large

school/small medium ABT is adjusted

to 161 mt and the northern area Angling

category subquota for large school/small

medium ABT is adjusted to 90 mt.

Fishery Reopening

Given the revised quota, availability

of fish, and recent information on catch

and effort in the northern area Angling

category fishery (waters off New Jersey

and states north), NMFS projects that

the remaining quota for large school and

small medium ABT could be landed in

less than 2 weeks. Therefore, NMFS

reopens the Angling category for large

school and small medium ABT in the

northern area from October 10 until

October 19, 1997. Fishing for, retaining,

possessing, or landing any large school

or small medium ABT, measuring 47

inches to less than 73 inches (69 cm to

less than 185 cm), must cease at 11:30

p.m. local time on October 19, 1997.

The northern area fishery for school

ABT was previously closed for the 1997

season (62 FR 50887, September 29,

1997) and remains closed.

Catch Limit Adjustment

Implementing regulations for the

Atlantic tuna fisheries at § 285.24 allow

for adjustments to the daily catch limits

in order to provide for improved

scientific monitoring of the catch spread

over the longest possible period of time.

The Assistant Administrator for

Fisheries, NOAA, may increase or

reduce the per angler catch limit for any

size class bluefin tuna or may change

the per angler limit to a per boat limit

or a per boat limit to a per angler limit.

For the duration of the reopening, the

daily catch limit is adjusted to two large

school ABT (measuring 47 inches to less

than 59 inches; 120 cm to less than 150

cm)) and one small medium ABT

(measuring 150 cm to less than 185 cm)

per Angling category vessel. Anglers

aboard Charter/Headboat and General

category vessels, when authorized to

engage in recreational fishing for large

school and small medium ABT, are

subject to the same rules as anglers

aboard Angling category vessels.

Further Adjustments

Depending on the level of fishing

effort and catch rates of ABT, NMFS

may determine that a subsequent catch

limit adjustment or revised closure date

is necessary during this period. A

revised closure date or adjustment to the

daily catch limit, if any, shall be

announced through publication in the

Federal Register. In addition, anglers

may call the Highly Migratory Species

Information Line at 301–713–1279 or

508–281–9305 for updates on quota

monitoring, closures, and catch limit

adjustments.

Fishermen are reminded that all ABT

taken under the Angling category quota

must be reported within 24 hours of

landing using the Catch Reporting

System (1–888–USA-TUNA). Note that

the fishery for school, large school, and

small medium ABT in the southern area

closed effective August 11, 1997 (62 FR

44423, August 21, 1997), and is

therefore not affected by this reopening

and catch limit adjustment. In addition,

landing cards submitted to NMFS

indicate that the full quota has not yet

been attained in the Angling category

fishery for trophy class ABT (73 inches

(205 cm) and greater), and that fishery

remains open in both the northern and

southern areas until further notice.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

285.20, 285.22, and 285.24 and is

exempt from review under E.O. 12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.

Dated: October 7, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–27071 Filed 10–8–97; 10:49 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F