384 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 2 / Friday, January 3, 1997 / Proposed Rules

subarea would likely be reached by the

end of May. If the 1997 TAC is greater

than 1996, the Plan stipulates that the

second priority (after a 5-days-per-week

season in May) is to reopen the fishery

on July 1 and continue through at least

July 4. The next priority in the Plan, if

the TAC is sufficient, is to increase the

May season to 7 days per week and

continue into June.

Washington South Coast Subarea

The proposed sport regulations for

this subarea are the same as 1996 with

a May 1 opening and continuing 7 days

per week until 1,000 lb (0.45 mt) remain

in the quota, and then would reopen as

a nearshore fishery until the remaining

quota is taken, or September 30,

whichever occurs first. The Plan does

not stipulate any change in the

structuring of this season if the 1997

TAC is greater than 1996.

Columbia River Subarea

The proposed sport regulations for

this subarea are the same as 1996 with

a May 1 opening and continuing 7-days

per week until the quota is reached or

September 30, whichever occurs first.

The Plan does not stipulate any change

in the structuring of this season if the

1997 TAC is greater than 1996.

Oregon Central Coast Subarea

The proposed changes to the Plan

would change the structuring for the

May and August seasons in this area to

fixed-seasons. With an Area 2A TAC of

520,000 lb (235.9 mt), the May opening

would be a 5-day fishery with a 3-day

season from May 8 through May 10, and

a 2-day season on May 16 and 17. If

sufficient quota remains after this

season for additional days fishing, the

open dates would be May 31, then May

30, then May 29. The 30–fathom fishery

would open on May 18 and continue

until July 31 or attainment of quota for

this season. The August coastwide

unrestricted-depth fishery (Cape Falcon

to Oregon/California border) would be a

2-day season on August 1 and 2. If

sufficient quota remains after this

season for additional days fishing, the

open dates would be August 16, then

August 15, then August 14. If the 1997

TAC is greater than 1996, the May

season may be more than 5 days, and

the fishery would be open 3 days per

week as described in the above

proposed changes to the Plan. The final

determination of the season dates will

be based on the allowable harvest level,

estimated catch rates, and

recommendations developed in a public

workshop sponsored by ODFW after the

1997 TAC is set by the IPHC.

Oregon South Coast Subarea

The proposed sport regulations for the

first and second seasons are the same as

1996 with the first season opening May

16 and continuing 3 days per week until

80 percent of the quota is taken, then

switching to a nearshore water fishery

until the subarea quota is taken or July

31, whichever is earlier. The third

coastwide (Cape Falcon to OR/CA

border) unrestricted depth season would

be a 2-day season on August 1 and 2. If

sufficient quota remains after this

season for additional days fishing, the

open dates would be August 16, then

August 15, then August 14. The Plan, as

proposed to be changed (described

above), does not stipulate any change in

the structuring of the seasons if the 1997

TAC is greater than 1996. The final

determination of the season opening

dates will be based on recommendations

developed in a public workshop

sponsored by ODFW after the 1997 TAC

is set by the IPHC.

California Subarea

The proposed sport regulations for

this subarea are the same as 1996 with

a May 1 opening and continuing 7-days

per week until September 30. The Plan

does not stipulate any change in the

structuring of this season if the 1997

TAC is greater than 1996.

NMFS requests public comments on

the Council’s recommended

modifications to the Plan and the

proposed sport fishing regulations. The

Area 2A TAC will be set by the IPHC at

its annual meeting on January 27–30,

1997. Comments on the proposed

changes to the Plan are requested by

January 19, 1997 so that final changes to

the Plan can be approved before the

IPHC meeting. Comments on the

proposed sport regulations are requested

by February 15, 1997, after the IPHC

annual meeting, so that the public will

have the opportunity to consider the

final Area 2A TAC before submitting

comments on the proposed sport fishing

regulations. 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 final rules for

the Area 2A Pacific halibut sport fishery

concurrent with the IPHC regulations

for the 1997 Pacific halibut fisheries.

Copies of the Plan are available from

NMFS (see ADDRESSES).

Classification

The proposed revisions to the Plan

and sport regulations are not significant

and fall within the scope of the 1995

Environmental Assessment/Regulatory

Impact Review prepared by the Council,

which also applies to this action.

The Assistant General Counsel for

Legislation and Regulation of the

Department of Commerce certified to

the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the

Small Business Administration that this

proposed action, if adopted, would not

have a significant economic impact on

a substantial number of small entities as

follows:

The proposed revisions to the Catch

Sharing Plan would not change the allocation

of the total allowable catch of Pacific halibut

between treaty and non-Indian fisheries, and

among non-Indian commercial and sport

fisheries in International Pacific Commission

Statistical Area 2A (off Washington, Oregon,

and California). The proposed revisions,

recommended by the Pacific Fishery

Management Council, would affect only the

non-Indian sports fishery and are intended to

allow users to better utilize allocations in the

sport fisheries off Oregon.

Many of the proposed sport fishing

regulations are similar to those implemented

in 1996 and are based on the Area 2A 1996

total allowable catch of 520,000 pounds

(235.9 metric tons) of Pacific halibut. If the

International Pacific Halibut Commission

determines that the 1997 total allowable

catch for Area 2A is greater than the 1996

amount, the fishing seasons and open fishing

dates could be adjusted to provide for an

increased sport fishery harvest. Any increase

in the 1997 total allowable catch would have

a positive economic impact on the sport

fisheries.

Therefore, a regulatory flexibility

analysis was not prepared.

This action has been determined to be

not significant for purposes of E.O.

12866.

Dated: December 27, 1996.

Nancy Foster,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–6 Filed 1–2–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 120696E]

South Atlantic Fishery Management

Council; Public Hearings; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service, (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public hearings; correction.

SUMMARY: This document corrects the

notice announcing hearings on Draft

Amendment 8 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the SnapperGrouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 2 / Friday, January 3, 1997 / Proposed Rules 385

(FMP), published on December 20,

1996, at 61 FR 67294.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Buchanan, 803–571–4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

document that is the subject of these

corrections announced that the South

Atlantic Fishery Management Council

(Council) will convene 10 public

hearings on Draft Amendment 8 to the

FMP.

Need for Correction

As published, the summary paragraph

is incomplete and the Council is adding

some additional information regarding

the availability of staff members to

answer questions about the document

before each public hearing.

Correction of Publication

Accordingly, the publication on

December 20, 1996, of the public

hearing document (I.D. 120696E), which

was the subject of FR DOC 96–29500, is

corrected as follows:

On page 67294, in the third column,

the SUMMARY paragraph is corrected to

read: ‘‘The South Atlantic Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

convene 10 public hearings on Draft

Amendment 8 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the SnapperGrouper Fishery of the South Atlantic

Region (FMP) and its associated

analyses of regulatory and

environmental impacts, including a

draft supplemental environmental

impact statement (DSEIS). Due to the

complexity of the public hearing

document, Council staff members will

be available at the respective hearing

locations from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (one

hour before the start of the public

hearings) to answer questions the public

may have about the document’’.

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

Dated: December 27, 1996.

George H. Darcy,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–29 Filed 1–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F