88842 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 

TABLE 6—FINAL 2024 SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS AND ALLOCATION OF PACIFIC COD TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH

AMOUNTS IN THE GOA; ALLOCATIONS IN THE WESTERN GOA AND CENTRAL GOA SECTORS, AND THE EASTERN

GOA INSHORE AND OFFSHORE PROCESSING COMPONENTS—Continued 

[Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton] 

Regulatory area and sector 

Annual 

allocation 

(mt) 

A Season B Season 

Sector 

percentage of 

annual non-jig 

TAC 

Seasonal 

allowances 

(mt) 

Sector 

percentage of 

annual non-jig 

TAC 

Seasonal 

allowances 

(mt) 

All Pot CV and Pot CP ................................................. 4,251 17.83% 2,726 9.98% 1,525 

Total ....................................................................... 15,442 64.16% 9,901 35.84% 5,541 

Eastern GOA ........................................................................ ........................ Inshore (90% of Annual TAC) Offshore (10% of Annual TAC) 

2,203 1,983 220 

1Trawl catcher vessels participating in Rockfish Program cooperatives receive 3.81 percent, or 588 mt, of the annual Central GOA TAC (see 

table 28c to 50 CFR part 679), which is deducted from the Trawl CV B season allowance (see table 13. Final 2024 Apportionments of Rockfish 

Secondary Species in the Central GOA and table 28c to 50 CFR part 679). 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

part 679, which was issued pursuant to 

section 304(b), and is exempt from 

review under Executive Order 12866. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there 

is good cause to waive prior notice and 

an opportunity for public comment on 

this action, as notice and comment 

would be impracticable and contrary to 

the public interest, as it would prevent 

NMFS from responding to the most 

recent fisheries data in a timely fashion, 

and would allow for harvests that 

exceed the appropriate allocation for 

pollock and Pacific cod based on the 

best scientific information available. 

NMFS was unable to publish a notice 

providing time for public comment 

because the most recent, relevant data 

only became available as of December 

14, 2023. 

Without this inseason adjustment, 

NMFS could not allow the fishery for 

pollock and Pacific cod in the GOA to 

be harvested in an expedient manner 

and in accordance with the regulatory 

schedule. Under § 679.25(c)(2), 

interested persons are invited to submit 

written comments on this action to the 

above address until January 10, 2024. 

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

Dated: December 19, 2023. 

Everett Wayne Baxter, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28324 Filed 12–22–23; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 230224–0053; RTID 0648– 

XD578] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of 

Pacific Cod in the Western Regulatory 

Area of the Gulf of Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating the 

projected unused amount of Pacific cod 

from vessels using pot gear to catcher 

vessels using trawl gear, catcher vessels 

using hook-and-line gear, and vessels 

using jig gear in the Western Regulatory 

Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This 

action is necessary to allow the 2023 

total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific 

cod to be harvested. 

DATES: Effective December 21, 2023, 

through 2400 hours, Alaska local time 

(A.l.t.), December 31, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Obren Davis, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

GOA according to the Fishery 

Management Plan for Groundfish of the 

Gulf of Alaska (FMP) prepared by the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council under authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

Regulations governing fishing by U.S. 

vessels in accordance with the FMP 

appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 

and 50 CFR part 679. 

The 2023 Pacific cod TAC specified 

for vessels using pot gear in the Western 

Regulatory Area of the GOA is 1,716 mt, 

as established by the final 2023 and 

2024 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the GOA (88 FR 13238, 

March 2, 2023) and one reallocation (88 

FR 76141, November 6, 2023). 

The 2023 Pacific cod TAC specified 

for catcher vessels using trawl gear in 

the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA 

is 1,526 metric tons (mt), as established 

by the final 2023 and 2024 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the GOA 

(88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023) and one 

reallocation (88 FR 76141, November 6, 

2023). 

The 2023 Pacific cod TAC specified 

for catcher vessels using hook-and-line 

gear in the Western Regulatory Area of 

the GOA is 291 mt, as established by the 

final 2023 and 2024 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the GOA 

(88 FR 13238, March 2, 2023) and one 

reallocation (88 FR 76141, November 6, 

2023). 

The 2023 Pacific cod TAC specified 

for vessels using jig gear in the Western 

Regulatory Area of the GOA is 131 mt, 

as established by the final 2023 and 

2024 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the GOA (88 FR 13238, 

March 2, 2023). 

The Administrator, Alaska Region, 

NMFS, (Regional Administrator) has 

determined vessels using pot gear will 

not be able to harvest 232 mt of the 2023 

Pacific cod TAC allocated to those 

vessels under § 679.20(a)(12)(i)(A)(5). 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 679.20(a)(12)(ii)(B), NMFS apportions 

232 mt of Pacific cod from vessels using 

pot gear to the annual amount specified 

for catcher vessels using trawl gear, 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 88843 

catcher vessels using hook-and-line 

gear, and vessels using jig gear. 

The harvest specifications for 2023 

Pacific cod included in the final 2023 

and 2024 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the Western Regulatory 

Area of the GOA (88 FR 13238, March 

2, 2023) and one reallocation (88 FR 

76141, November 6, 2023) is revised as 

follows: 1,484 mt to vessels using pot 

gear, 1,531 mt to catcher vessels using 

trawl gear, 516 mt to catcher vessels 

using hook-and-line gear, and 132 mt to 

vessels using jig gear. 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

part 679, which was issued pursuant to 

section 304(b), and is exempt from 

review under Executive Order 12866. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there 

is good cause to waive prior notice and 

an opportunity for public comment on 

this action, as notice and comment 

would be impracticable and contrary to 

the public interest. This requirement is 

impracticable and contrary to the public 

interest as it would prevent NMFS from 

responding to the most recent fisheries 

data in a timely fashion and would 

allow for harvests that exceed the 

originally specified apportionment of 

the Pacific cod TAC. NMFS was unable 

to publish a notice providing time for 

public comment because the most 

recent, relevant data only became 

available as of December 20, 2023. 

The Assistant Administrator for 

Fisheries, NOAA 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. 

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

Dated: December 20, 2023. 

Everett Wayne Baxter, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28465 Filed 12–21–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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