Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 7947

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On December 12, 1996, RSPA

published a direct final rule, 61 FR

65364–65365, titled ‘‘Reporting of Drug

and Alcohol Testing Results.’’ In that

publication, RSPA stated that if it did

not receive adverse comments by

February 10, 1997, it would publish a

confirmation notice within 15 days.

RSPA received no adverse comments.

Therefore, this document confirms that

the direct final rule cited above will

become effective on April 11, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marvin Fell, (202) 366–6205, regarding

the subject matter of this document, or

the Dockets Unit (202) 366–4453, for

copies of this document or other

information in the docket.

Issued in Washington, DC February 13,

1997.

Richard B. Felder,

Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

[FR Doc. 97–4202 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 217

[I.D. 011696D]

RIN 0648–AH89

Sea Turtle Conservation; Restrictions

to Shrimp Trawling Activities;

Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule; correction

SUMMARY: This document contains a

correction to a final rule that was

published on December 19, 1996. This

correction specifies the correct

longitude of the eastern boundary of the

Gulf Shrimp Fishery-Sea Turtle

Conservation Area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 1, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Charles A. Oravetz, 813–570–5312, or

Barbara A. Schroeder, 301–713–1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Need for Correction

On December 19, 1996 (61 FR 66933),

NMFS published a final rule that

modified the gear requirements for the

participants in the shrimp trawl fishery

in the southeastern United States to

protected threatened and endangered

species of sea turtle from incidental

capture and mortality in that fishery.

The final rule, among other things,

added a definition to 50 CFR 217.12 for

the ′′Gulf Shrimp Fishery-Sea Turtle

Conservation Area (Gulf SFSTCA)′′. The

text of that definition, however,

contained a typographical error in the

longitude specification of a boundary.

Correction of Publication

Accordingly, the publication on

December 19, 1996, of the final rule (I.D.

011696D), which was the subject of FR

Doc. 96–66933, is corrected as follows:

§ 217.12 [Corrected]

On page 66944, in the second column,

in § 217.12 the definition for ‘‘Gulf

Shrimp Fishery-Sea Turtle Conservation

Area (Gulf SFSTCA)’’ is corrected to

read as follows:

Gulf Shrimp Fishery-Sea Turtle

Conservation Area (Gulf SFSTCA)

means the offshore waters extending to

10 nautical miles (18.5 km) offshore

along the coast of the States of Texas

and Louisiana from the South Pass of

the Mississippi River (west of 89°08.5′

W. long.) to the U.S.-Mexican border.

* * * * *

Dated: February 13, 1997.

Charles Karnella

Acting Director, Office of Operations,

Management and Information, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–4262 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Parts 217 and 222

[Docket No. 960730211–7020–02; I.D.

072296B]

RIN 0648–AJ03

North Atlantic Right Whale Protection;

Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Interim final rule; correction.

SUMMARY: This document corrects the

preamble to an interim final rule (I.D.

072296B) published in the Federal

Register of February 13, 1997, regarding

North Atlantic Right Whale Protection.

This correction clarifies the exceptions

to the requirements of the rule.

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 20, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Margot Bohan, NMFS/FPR, 301–713–

2322; Doug Beach, NMFS/Northeast

Regional Office, 508–281–9254; or

Kathy Wang, NMFS/Southeast Regional

Office, 813–570–5312.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Need for Correction

As published, a comma was

inadvertently left out of the paragraph

describing the exceptions to the

requirements of the rule in the

SUMMARY. This error changed the

meaning of two of the exceptions by

appearing to combine them into one

exception.

Correction

Accordingly, the publication of the

interim final rule FR Doc. 97–3632, that

published on February 13, 1997 (62 FR

6729) is corrected as follows:

On page 6729, in the third column, in

the eighth line from the end of the

SUMMARY, insert a comma after the

word ‘‘provided.’’

Dated: February 18, 1997.

Rolland A. Schmitten,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–4348 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961121323–7027–02; I.D.

111396C]

RIN 0648–AJ05

Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area;

Increase Halibut Quota Share Use

Limits in Area 4

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues a final rule to

increase halibut quota share (QS) use

limits for halibut QS holders in the

Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program

in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands

(BSAI) regulatory areas. This action is

necessary to increase individual harvest

limits of IFQ halibut in the BSAI and is

intended to improve the profits for IFQ

halibut fishermen operating in the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 24, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final rule and

the Environmental Assessment/

Regulatory Impact Review/Final

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/

RIR/FRFA) for this action may be

obtained from Fisheries Management

Division, Attn: Lori Gravel, Alaska

Region, NMFS, Room 453, 709 West 9th

Street, Juneau, AK 99801, or P.O. Box

21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
7948 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Hale, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The fixed gear halibut fishery is

managed by the IFQ Program, a limited

access system for fixed gear Pacific

halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and

sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria)

fisheries in and off Alaska. The North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

(Council), under authority of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act and

the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982

(Halibut Act), recommended the IFQ

Program, which NMFS implemented in

1995. The IFQ Program was designed to

reduce excessive fishing capacity, while

maintaining the social and economic

character of the fixed gear fishery and

the Alaskan coastal communities where

many of these fishermen are based. To

this end, various constraints were

placed on QS and IFQ that limit

consolidation of QS and ensure that

active fishermen, rather than investment

speculators, retain harvesting privileges.

Use limits on BSAI sablefish QS are

written into the Fishery Management

Plan (FMP) for the Groundfish Fishery

of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Area. This action does not effect any

change in sablefish QS use limits.

Because the halibut fishery is managed

by the International Pacific Halibut

Commission (IPHC), except for

management measures that allocate

harvesting privileges among U.S.

fishermen, no FMP for halibut exists.

The Halibut Act provides NMFS, in

consultation with the Council, with

authority to implement such allocation

measures through a regulatory

amendment.

This action increases halibut QS use

limit in Area 4 from one-half percent to

1 1/2 percent of the 1996 QS pool and

expresses that limit as a set number of

QS units: 495,044 halibut QS units. For

consistency, regulations at 50 CFR

679.42(f)(1) and (2) also are revised to

express halibut use limits for all IFQ

regulatory areas as a fixed number of QS

units.

More information on this regulatory

change may be found in the proposed

rule for this action published at 61 FR

63812 on December 2, 1996. NMFS

received no comments on this action

during the public comment period. One

change was made in the action as

published in the proposed rule. The

number of QS representing the halibut

use limit for Areas 2C, 3A, and 3B was

incorrect and has been changed to the

correct number of QS representing the

halibut use limit in these areas.

Classification

This final rule has been determined to

be not significant for purposes of E.O.

12866.

A supplemental FRFA has been

prepared as part of the RIR, which

describes the impact this final rule

would have on small entities.

Approximately 500 halibut QS holders

in regulatory areas 4A–4D would benefit

from an increase in the Area 4 QS use

limit, either as QS buyers or sellers.

Area 4E would not be affected by this

action, because all the halibut QS in this

area is assigned to the CDQ Program.

Under this action, 32 QS holders would

be allowed to increase their holdings

above the current limit to the new limit.

Because blocked QS are limited by

block and vessel category restrictions,

unblocked QS units are more likely to

be transferred. The unblocked halibut

QS units in regulatory areas 4A-D equal

approximately 2.1 million lb (952 mt) of

halibut worth more than $4.6 million in

ex-vessel value. This action will have a

significant positive impact on a

substantial number of small businesses.

The action is not likely to lead to a

reduction in the gross revenues received

by the small business sector of the fleet;

rather, it would significantly improve

the profitability of operations for

fishermen wishing to harvest IFQ

halibut in remote areas of the western

Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 679

Alaska fisheries, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: February 13, 1997.

C. Karnella,

Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR Part 679 is amended

as follows:

PART 679—FISHERIES IN THE

EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OFF

ALASKA

1. The authority citation for 50 CFR

Part 679 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., 1801 et

seq.

2. In § 679.42, paragraphs (f)(1)

through (f)(3) are revised to read as

follows:

§ 679.42 Limitations on use of QS and IFQ.

* * * * *

(f) * * *

(1) IFQ regulatory area 2C. 599,799

units of halibut QS.

(2) IFQ regulatory areas 2C, 3A, and

3B. 1,502,823 units of halibut QS.

(3) IFQ regulatory areas 4A, 4B, 4C,

4D, and 4E. 495,044 units of halibut QS.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 97–4157 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

021397A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Interim Closure of

Flatfish Fisheries in Statistical Area

516 of the Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands Management Area

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Inseason adjustment; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS has determined that an

interim closure of directed fishing for

rock sole, flathead sole, and ‘‘other

flatfish’’ by vessels using trawl gear is

necessary in Statistical Area 516 of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (BSAI). Red king crab

bycatch rates are unexpectedly high in

certain areas of Bristol Bay and closure

of Statistical Area 516 is necessary to

prevent the take of an excessive share of

the bycatch limitation Zone 1 red king

crab bycatch allowance specified for the

rock sole/flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’

fishery category.

DATES: 1200 hrs, Alaska local time

(A.l.t.), February 14, 1997, until 1200

hrs, A.l.t., March 15, 1997. Comments

must be received at the following

address no later than 4:30 p.m., A.l.t.,

March 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to

Ronald J. Berg, Chief, Fisheries

Management Division, Alaska Region,

NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK

99802, Attn. Lori Gravel, or be delivered

to the fourth floor of the Federal

Building, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau,

Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (FMP) prepared by the

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council under authority of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed by

regulations implementing the FMP at