61700 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 223 / Wednesday, November 19, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

(b) An operator may comply with any

of the requirements of paragraph (c) of

this section through participation in a

public service program, such as a onecall system, but such participation does

not relieve the operator of responsibility

for compliance with this section.

However, an operator must perform the

duties of paragraph (c)(3) of this section

through participation in a one-call

system, if that one-call system is a

qualified one-call system. In areas that

are covered by more than one qualified

one-call system, an operator need only

join one of the qualified one-call

systems if there is a central telephone

number for excavators to call for

excavation activities, or if the one-call

systems in those areas communicate

with one another. An operator’s

pipeline system must be covered by a

qualified one-call system where there is

one in place. For the purposes of this

section, a one-call system is considered

a ‘‘qualified one-call system’’ if it meets

the requirements of section (b)(1) or

(b)(2) or this section.

(1) The state has adopted a one-call

damage prevention program under

§ 198.37 of this chapter; or

(2) The one-call system:

(i) Is operated in accordance with

§ 198.39 of this chapter;

(ii) Provides a pipeline operator an

opportunity similar to a voluntary

participant to have a part in

management responsibilities; and

(iii) Assesses a participating pipeline

operator a fee that is proportionate to

the costs of the one-call system’s

coverage of the operator’s pipeline.

(c) * * *

(2) Provides for notification of the

public in the vicinity of the pipeline

and actual notification of persons

identified in paragraph (c)(1) of this

section of the following as often as

needed to make them aware of the

damage prevention program:

* * * * *

Issued in Washington, D.C. on November

13, 1997.

Kelley S. Coyner,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–30290 Filed 11–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 970730185–7206–02; I.D.

111297D]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Closure

of the Recreational Red Snapper

Component

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS closes the recreational

fishery for red snapper in the exclusive

economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of

Mexico. NMFS has determined that the

annual recreational quota for red

snapper will have been reached by

November 26, 1997. This closure is

necessary to protect the red snapper

resource.

DATES: Closure is effective 12:01 a.m.,

local time, November 27, 1997, through

December 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Sadler, 813–570–5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef

fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico is

managed under the Fishery

Management Plan for the Reef Fish

Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP).

The FMP was prepared by the Gulf of

Mexico Fishery Management Council

and is implemented under the authority

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act by

regulations at 50 CFR part 622. Those

regulations set the recreational quota for

red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico at

4.47 million lb (2.03 million kg) for the

current fishing year, January 1 through

December 31, 1997.

Under 50 CFR 622.43(a), NMFS is

required to close the recreational fishery

for red snapper when its quota is

reached, or is projected to be reached,

by publishing a notification to that

effect in the Federal Register. Based on

current statistics, NMFS has determined

that the recreational quota for red

snapper will have been reached by

November 26, 1997. Accordingly, the

recreational fishery in the EEZ in the

Gulf of Mexico for red snapper is closed

effective 12:01 a.m., local time,

November 27, 1997, through December

31, 1997.

During the closure, the bag and

possession limits for red snapper in or

from the EEZ in the Gulf of Mexico are

zero. In addition, in the Gulf of Mexico

on board a vessel for which a

commercial vessel permit for Gulf reef

fish has been issued, the bag and

possession limits for red snapper are

zero, without regard to where the red

snapper were harvested.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

622.43(a) and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: November 13, 1997.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–30294 Filed 11–14–97; 10:41

am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 961227373–6373–01; I.D.

111297A]

Fisheries off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast

Groundfish Fishery; Trip Limit

Changes

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces further

routine management measures adjusting

the Pacific Coast groundfish limited

entry fisheries for the Sebastes complex

and its components, canary and

yellowtail rockfish, and the Dover sole,

thornyhead, trawl-caught sablefish

(DTS) complex and all its components.

These actions are authorized by

regulations implementing the Pacific

Coast Groundfish Fishery Management

Plan (FMP), which governs the

groundfish fishery off Washington,

Oregon, and California. These changes

are intended to keep landings close to

the 1997 harvest guidelines and

allocations for these species.

DATES: Effective from 0001 hours (local

time) November 16, 1997, including

trawl vessels operating in the B platoon.

These changes remain in effect, unless

modified, superseded or rescinded,

until the effective date of the 1998

annual specifications and management

measures for the Pacific Coast

groundfish fishery, which will be