[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 14994-14996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6198]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 111213751-2012-02]
RIN 0648-XB038


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation 
of Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is correcting a temporary rule that published on February 
29, 2012, reallocating the projected unused amounts of pollock directed 
fishing allowances from the Aleut Corporation and the Community 
Development Quota from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea 
subarea directed fisheries. There are errors in the table for the 
pollock allocation in the Aleutian Island subarea and the Bogoslof 
District.

DATES: Effective March 14, 2012 through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 
2012, and is applicable beginning February 29, 2012.

[[Page 14995]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-586-7269.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Need for Correction

    NMFS published a reallocation of the projected unused amount of 
pollock directed fishing allowances from the Aleut Corporation and from 
the Community Development Quota from the Aleutian Islands subarea to 
the Bering Sea subarea directed fisheries, in the Federal Register on 
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 (77 FR 12214). In Table 3, titled Final 
2012 and 2013 Allocations of Pollock TACS to the Directed Pollock 
Fisheries and to the CDQ Directed Fishing Allowances, there is an error 
on page 12215 in row 16 of the third column. The 2012 A season directed 
fishing allowance for the Aleut Corporation is incorrectly specified as 
``15,500'' metric tons (mt), instead of the correct number of ``5,000'' 
mt. This correction is necessary because the incorrectly specified 
number exceeds the Aleut Corporation's annual 2012 directed fishing 
allowance of 5,000 mt of pollock.
    There is also an error on page 12215, row 17, in columns two and 
six. The 2012 and 2013 Bogoslof District incidental catch allowances 
(ICAs) were incorrectly specified as ``150'' mt instead of the correct 
``500'' mt. These corrections are necessary to provide sufficient ICAs.
    The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA), finds good 
cause to waive the requirement to provide prior notice and opportunity 
for public comment pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(B) as such requirement is impracticable and contrary to the 
public interest. This correction notice makes only minor changes and 
does not change operating practices in the fisheries. Corrections 
should be made as soon as possible to avoid confusion for participants 
in the fisheries.
    The AA also finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the 
effective date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). This finding is 
based upon the reasons provided above for waiver of prior notice and 
opportunity for public comment.

Correction

    In rule FR Doc. 2012-4836 published on February 29, 2012, (72 FR 
12214) make the following corrections:
    1. On page 12215, in Table 3, row 16 (the row beginning ``Aleut 
Corporation), column 3, the entry ``15,500'' is corrected to read 
``5,000''.
    2. Also, in row 17 (the row beginning ``Bogoslof District ICA''), 
in columns two and six, the entry ``150'' is corrected to read ``500''.
    The following table is corrected and reprinted in its entirety:

     Table 3--Final 2012 and 2013 Allocations of Pollock Tacs to the Directed Pollock Fisheries and to the CDQ Directed Fishing Allowances (DFA) \1\
                                                              [Amounts are in metric tons]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   2012 A season \1\       2012  B                     2013 A season \1\       2013  B
                                                              --------------------------  season \1\              --------------------------  season \1\
                 Area and sector                      2012                              -------------     2013                              ------------
                                                  Allocations    A season   SCA harvest    B season   Allocations    A season   SCA harvest    B season
                                                                   DFA       limit \2\       DFA                       DFA       limit \2\       DFA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bering Sea subarea..............................    1,212,400          n/a          n/a          n/a    1,201,900          n/a          n/a          n/a
CDQ DFA.........................................      121,900       48,760       34,132       73,140      120,190       48,076       33,653       72,114
ICA \1\.........................................       32,400          n/a          n/a          n/a       32,451          n/a          n/a          n/a
AFA Inshore.....................................      529,050      211,620      148,134      317,430      524,629      209,852      146,896      314,778
AFA Catcher/Processors \3\......................      423,240      169,296      118,507      253,944      419,703      167,881      117,517      251,822
Catch by C/Ps...................................      387,265      154,906          n/a      232,359      384,029      153,611          n/a      230,417
Catch by CVs \3\................................       35,975       14,390          n/a       21,585       35,675       14,270          n/a       21,405
Unlisted C/P Limit \4\..........................        2,116          846          n/a        1,270        2,099          839          n/a        1,259
AFA Motherships.................................      105,810       42,324       29,627       63,486      104,926       41,970       29,379       62,956
Excessive Harvesting Limit \5\..................      185,168          n/a          n/a          n/a      183,620          n/a          n/a          n/a
Excessive Processing Limit \6\..................      317,430          n/a          n/a          n/a      314,778          n/a          n/a          n/a
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Bering Sea DFA........................    1,058,100      423,240      296,268      634,860    1,049,259      419,703      293,792      629,555
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aleutian Islands subarea \1\....................        6,600          n/a          n/a          n/a       19,000          n/a          n/a          n/a
CDQ DFA.........................................            0            0          n/a            0        1,900          760          n/a        1,140
ICA.............................................        1,600          800          n/a          800        1,600          800          n/a          800
Aleut Corporation...............................        5,000        5,000          n/a            0       15,500       15,500          n/a            0
Bogoslof District ICA \7\.......................          500          n/a          n/a          n/a          500          n/a          n/a          n/a
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the BS subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and the ICA (3 percent), is allocated as a
  DFA as follows: inshore sector--50 percent, catcher/processor sector (C/P)--40 percent, and mothership sector--10 percent. In the BS subarea, 40
  percent of the DFA is allocated to the A season (January 20-June 10) and 60 percent of the DFA is allocated to the B season (June 10-November 1).
  Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(2)(i) and (ii), the annual AI pollock TAC, after subtracting first for the CDQ directed fishing allowance (10
  percent) and second the ICA (1,600 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a directed pollock fishery. In the AI subarea, the A season is
  allocated 40 percent of the ABC and the B season is allocated the remainder of the directed pollock fishery.
\2\ In the BS subarea, no more than 28 percent of each sector's annual DFA may be taken from the SCA before April 1. The remaining 12 percent of the
  annual DFA allocated to the A season may be taken outside of SCA before April 1 or inside the SCA after April 1. If less than 28 percent of the annual
  DFA is taken inside the SCA before April 1, the remainder will be available to be taken inside the SCA after April 1.
\3\ Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4), not less than 8.5 percent of the DFA allocated to listed catcher/processors shall be available for harvest
  only by eligible catcher vessels delivering to listed catcher/processors.
\4\ Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(4)(iii), the AFA unlisted catcher/processors are limited to harvesting not more than 0.5 percent of the
  catcher/processors sector's allocation of pollock.
\5\ Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(6), NMFS establishes an excessive harvesting share limit equal to 17.5 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
  pollock DFAs.
\6\ Pursuant to Sec.   679.20(a)(5)(i)(A)(7), NMFS establishes an excessive processing share limit equal to 30.0 percent of the sum of the non-CDQ
  pollock DFAs.

[[Page 14996]]

 
\7\ The Bogoslof District is closed by the final harvest specifications to directed fishing for pollock. The amounts specified are for ICA only and are
  not apportioned by season or sector.
Note: Seasonal or sector apportionments may not total precisely due to rounding.


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

    Dated: March 9, 2012.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-6198 Filed 3-13-12; 8:45 am]
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