8406 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 648

Fisheries, Fishing, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: February 19, 1997.

Rolland A. Schmitten

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR part 648 is amended

to read as follows:

PART 648—FISHERIES OF THE

NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

1. The authority citation for part 648

continues to read as follows:

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

2. In § 648.80, paragraph (a)(2)(iii) is

revised and paragraph (a)(10) is added

to read as follows:

§ 648.80 Regulated mesh areas and

restrictions on gear and methods of fishing

* * * * *

(a) * * *

(2) * * *

(iii) Other gear and mesh exemptions.

The minimum mesh size for any trawl

net, sink gillnet, Scottish seine,

midwater trawl, or purse seine on a

vessel or used by a vessel when fishing

in the GOM/GB Regulated Mesh Area

while not under the NE multispecies

DAS program, but when under one of

the exemptions specified in paragraphs

(a)(3), (a)(4), (a)(6), (a)(8), (a)(9), (d), (e),

(h), and (i) of this section, is set forth in

the respective paragraph specifying the

exemption. Vessels that are not fishing

under one of these exemptions, or under

the small dredge exemption specified in

§ 648.54 and (a)(10) of this section,

under the scallop state waters

exemption specified in § 648.54, or

under a NE multispecies DAS, are

prohibited from fishing in the GOM/GB

regulated mesh area.

* * * * *

(10) Scallop Dredge Fishery

Exemption within the Gulf of Maine

(GOM) Small Mesh Northern Shrimp

Fishery Exemption Area. Vessels with a

limited access scallop permit that have

declared out of the DAS program as

specified in § 648.10, or have used up

their DAS allocations, and vessels

issued a general scallop permit may fish

in the GOM Small Mesh Northern

Shrimp Fishery Exemption Area when

not under a NE multispecies DAS

providing the vessel complies with the

requirements specified in paragraph

(a)(10)(i) of this section. The GOM

Scallop Dredge Fishery Exemption Area

is equivalent to the area defined in

paragraph (a)(3) of this section and

designated as the Small Mesh Northern

Shrimp Fishery Exemption Area.

(i) Requirements. (A) A vessel fishing

in the GOM Scallop Dredge Fishery

Exemption Area specified in paragraph

(a)(10) of this section, may not fish for,

possess on board, or land any species of

fish other than Atlantic sea scallops.

(B) The combined dredge width in use

by or in possession on board vessels

fishing in the GOM Scallop Dredge

Fishery Exemption Area shall not

exceed 10.5 ft (3.2 m) measured at the

widest point in the bail of the dredge.

(C) The exemption does not apply to

areas closed to meet the Mid-coast

closure fishery mortality reduction

targets as specified in § 648.81(g).

(ii) [Reserved]

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 97–4590 Filed 2–20–97; 2:27 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 960502124–6190–02; I.D.

021997E]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Scallop Fishery;

Registration Area D

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the scallop

fishery in all districts of Scallop

Registration Area D (Yakutat) other than

District 16. This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the scallop 1997 total

allowable catch (TAC) in this area.

EFFECTIVE DATES: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), February 20, 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 the Scallop

Fishery Off Alaska (FMP), which was

prepared by the North Pacific Fishery

Management Council under authority of

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Fishing for scallops is governed by

regulations appearing at subpart F of 50

CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.

In accordance with § 679.62(b), the

1997 scallop TAC for all districts of

Scallop Registration Area D, other than

District 16, was established by the Final

1996 Harvest Specifications of Scallops

(61 FR 38099, July 23, 1996) as 250,000

lb (113,430 kg) shucked meat.

In accordance with § 679.62(c), the

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined that the scallop TAC for

all districts of Scallop Registration Area

D, other than District 16, has been

reached. Consequently, NMFS is

prohibiting the taking and retention of

scallops in all districts of Scallop

Registration Area D, other than District

16.

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: February 19, 1997.

Gary Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–4586 Filed 2–20–97; 2:28 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

021997A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Offshore Component

Pollock in the Bering Sea Subarea

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for pollock by vessels catching

pollock for processing by the offshore

component in the Bering Sea subarea

(BS) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands Management Area (BSAI). This

action is necessary to prevent exceeding

the first seasonal allowance of the

pollock total allowable catch (TAC)

apportioned to vessels harvesting

pollock for processing by the offshore

component in the BS.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), February 20 1997, until

1200 hrs, A.l.t., April 15, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Ham, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by the NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 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

subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 and CFR

part 679.