60118 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 10, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 635 

[I.D. 100300B] 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species 

Fisheries; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Adjustment of General category 

daily retention limit on previously 

designated restricted fishing days. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has determined that 

the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General 

category restricted fishing day (RFD) 

schedule should be adjusted; i.e., 

certain RFDs should be waived in order 

to allow for maximum utilization of the 

General category subquota for the 

October—December fishing period. 

Therefore, NMFS increases the daily 

retention limit from zero to one large 

medium or giant BFT on the following 

previously designated RFDs for 2000: 

October 7, 10, 14, and 15. 

DATES: Effective October 4, 2000. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat 

Scida or Brad McHale, 978–281–9260. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations implemented under the 

authority of the Atlantic Tunas 

Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.) 

and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 

et seq.) governing the harvest of BFT by 

persons and vessels subject to U.S. 

jurisdiction are found at 50 CFR part 

635. General category effort controls 

(including time-period subquotas and 

RFDs) are specified annually under 50 

CFR 635.23(a) and 635.27(a). The 2000 

General category effort controls were 

specified on July 7, 2000 (65 FR 42883, 

July 12, 2000). 

Adjustment of Daily Retention Limit for 

Selected Dates 

Under 50 CFR 635.23(a)(4), NMFS 

may increase or decrease the daily 

retention limit of large medium and 

giant BFT over a range from zero (on 

RFDs) to a maximum of three per vessel 

to allow for maximum utilization of the 

quota for BFT. Catch rates have 

continued to vary this season, and 

NMFS recognizes that at this time of 

year they can be very dependent on 

weather conditions. In addition, due to 

the temporal and geographical nature of 

the fishery, certain gear types and areas 

are more productive at various times 

during the fishery. Based on a review of 

dealer reports, daily landing trends, the 

availability of BFT on the fishing 

grounds, and weather conditions, NMFS 

has determined that adjustment to the 

RFD schedule, and, therefore, an 

increase of the daily retention limit for 

certain previously designated RFDs, is 

necessary. Therefore, NMFS adjusts the 

daily retention limit for October 7, 10, 

14, and 15, 2000, to one large medium 

or giant BFT per vessel. NMFS has 

selected these days in order to give 

adequate advance notice to fishery 

participants and NMFS enforcement. 

The intent of this adjustment is to 

allow for maximum utilization of the 

General category subquotas for the 

October—December fishing period 

(specified under 50 CFR 635.27(a)) by 

General category participants in order to 

help achieve optimum yield in the 

General category fishery, to collect a 

broad range of data for stock monitoring 

purposes, and to be consistent with the 

objectives of the Fishery Management 

Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and 

Sharks. For these same reasons, NMFS 

has already adjusted the General 

category daily retention limit for ten 

previously scheduled RFDs in July and 

August (65 FR 46654, July 31, 2000), 

and six previously scheduled RFDs in 

September (65 FR 54970, September 12, 

2000). The remaining previously 

scheduled RFD (which has not been 

waived) corresponds to a market closure 

in Japan, and could promote better exvessel prices. 

Classification 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

635.23(a)(4) and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 

et seq. 

Dated: October 4, 2000. 

Bruce C. Morehead, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 00–25958 Filed 10–4–00; 4:45 pm] 

BILLING CODE: 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 991228354–0078–02; I.D. 

100300A] 

RIN 0648-AM49 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and 

Butterfish Fisheries; 2000 

Specifications Adjustment 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Inseason adjustment of Loligo 

squid annual specifications; 

announcement of a limited directed 

fishery and subsequent closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

Regional Administrator, Northeast 

Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), 

is increasing the annual specifications 

for Loligo squid, including allowable 

biological catch (ABC), initial optimum 

yield (IOY), domestic annual harvest 

(DAH) and domestic annual processing 

(DAP), from 13,000 metric tons (mt) to 

15,000 mt. The regulations governing 

the Atlantic mackerel, squid and 

butterfish fisheries require notice to 

provide interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on the 

adjustments. NMFS also announces that 

the Period III directed Loligo squid 

commercial fishery in the exclusive 

economic zone (EEZ) is reopened until 

0001 hours October 26, 2000, as a result 

of this adjustment. 

DATES: The Period III directed Loligo 

squid commercial fishery in the EEZ is 

reopened effective October 7, 2000, 

through October 25, 2000. Effective 

0001 hours, October 26, 2000, the 

directed fishery for Loligo squid will 

close through December 31, 2000. 

Comments on the Loligo squid inseason 

adjustment notice must be received by 

November 9, 2000. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to 

Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, Northeast 

Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark on the 

outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on 

Adjustment of Loligo Squid Annual 

Specifications.’’ 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst, 978– 

281–9273, fax 978–281–9135, e-mail 

paul.h.jones@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

28, 2000, NMFS published final 2000 


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Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 10, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 60119 

initial specifications for the Atlantic 

mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries 

at 65 FR 16341. The Loligo squid 

specifications were established as 

follows: 26,000 mt maximum optimum 

yield (Max OY); 13,000 mt ABC, IOY, 

DAH and DAP; 0 mt joint venture 

processing (JVP); and 0 mt total 

allowable level of foreign fishing 

(TALFF). The final rule also specified 

that the Loligo squid IOY of 13,000 mt 

be subdivided into three, 4-month quota 

periods (Period I (Jan-Apr)—5,460 mt, 

Period II (May-Aug)—2,340 mt, and 

Period III (Sep-Dec)—5,200 mt). This 

quota is made available to the directed 

fishery until 95 percent of the annual 

allocation is landed. When landings 

reach that level, the directed fishery is 

closed and incidental landings only are 

allowed, with a limit of 2,500 lb (1.13 

mt) per trip. 

The most recent assessment of the 

Loligo stock (29th Northeast Regional 

Stock Assessment Workshop, August 

1999 (SAW–29)) concluded that the 

stock was approaching an overfished 

condition and overfishing was 

occurring. The control rule adopted in 

Amendment 8 to the FMP assumes a 

linear relationship between biomass 

levels and fishing mortality rate (F), and 

implies that, at the current biomass 

levels, F should be reduced to near zero. 

However, SAW–29 projections 

indicated that the control rule is overly 

conservative, and that, given the nature 

of the stock, the biomass can rebuild in 

a relatively short time, even at fishing 

mortality rates approaching FMSY. 

Consistent with this advice, the initial 

specifications for 2000 were set at 90 

percent of FMSY, or 13,000 mt. 

The most recent data from the NMFS 

research survey for Loligo squid indicate 

that abundance of this species has 

increased significantly since the most 

recent assessment was conducted 

(SAW–29). Estimates of biomass based 

on NMFS’ Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center autumn 1999 and spring 2000 

survey indices for Loligo squid indicate 

that the stock is currently at, or near, the 

biomass level that produces maximum 

sustainable yield (Bmsy). 

Section 648.21(e) allows the Regional 

Administrator, in consultation with the 

Council, to recommend inseason 

adjustments to the annual specifications 

during the fishing year by publishing 

notification in the Federal Register and 

providing a 30-day public comment 

period. Accordingly, based on the new 

survey data, the Council requested that 

NMFS process an inseason action to 

adjust the annual specifications for 

Loligo squid, including ABC, IOY, DAH 

and DAP, from 13,000 mt to 15,000 mt. 

Given the short-lived nature of this 

species (1 year) and the most recent 

survey information, the 2,000-mt 

increase is justified. Quota Periods I and 

II are closed to directed fishing when 90 

percent of each allocation is harvested, 

directed fishing for the remainder of the 

year is ended when 95 percent of the 

annual DAH is reached. Due to overages 

in Period I and II in 2000, only 

approximately 720 mt will be available 

for harvest by the directed fishery for 

the remainder of this fishing year, even 

with the 2,000-mt adjustment. However, 

the additional allocation will provide 

the industry with an additional fishing 

opportunity in Period III and keep 

vessels from fishing for other, less 

robust species. Max OY remains at 

26,000 mt, and JVP and TALFF remain 

at 0 mt. 

2000 Final Specifications 

The following table contains the final 

adjusted specifications for the 2000 

Atlantic mackerel, Loligo and Illex 

squids, and butterfish fisheries. 

TABLE 1. FINAL ANNUAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR ATLANTIC MACKEREL, SQUID, AND BUTTERFISH FOR THE FISHING YEAR

JANUARY 1 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2000. 

Metric Tons (mt) 

Specifications 

Squid Atlantic 

Mackerel Butterfish 

Loligo Illex 

MAX OY 26,000 24,000 N/A1 16,000 

ABC 15,000 24,000 347,000 7,200 

IOY 15,000 24,000 75,0002 5,900 

DAH 15,00 24,000 75,0003 5,900 

DAP 15,00 24,000 50,000 5,900 

JVP 0 0 10,0004 0 

TALFF 0 0 0 0 

1Not applicable. 

2OY may be increased during the year, but the total ABC will not exceed 347,000 mt. 

3Includes 15,000 mt of Atlantic mackerel recreational allocation. 

4JVP may be increased up to 15,000 mt at discretion of the Regional Administrator. 


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60120 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 196 / Tuesday, October 10, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 

Reopening of the Period III Loligo Squid 

Commercial Fishery 

Section 648.22 requires the closure of 

the directed Loligo squid fishery in the 

EEZ when 95 percent of the total annual 

DAH Loligo squid has been harvested. 

NMFS is further required to notify, in 

advance of the closure, the Executive 

Directors of the Mid-Atlantic, New 

England, and South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Councils; mail notification 

of the closure to all holders of Loligo 

squid permits at least 72 hours before 

the effective date of the closure; provide 

adequate notice of the closure to 

recreational participants in the fishery; 

and publish notification of the closure 

in the Federal Register. 

NMFS issued a notification in the 

Federal Register on September 6, 2000 

(65 FR 53940), announcing that the 

directed fishery for Loligo squid in the 

EEZ would close on September 7, 2000. 

This inseason adjustment will reopen 

the fishery effective 0001 hours, October 

7, 2000. Based on the rate of fishing in 

the Loligo fishery in prior years, NMFS 

has determined that 95 percent of the 

total annual DAH for Loligo squid will 

be harvested by October 25, 2000. 

Therefore, vessels issued a commercial 

Federal fisheries permit for the Loligo 

squid fishery may land Loligo squid 

effective 0001 hours, October 7, 2000, 

through October 25, 2000. Effective 

0001 hours, October 26, 2000, the 

directed fishery for Loligo squid will 

close and vessels issued Federal permits 

for Loligo squid may not retain or land 

more than 2,500 lb (1.13 mt) of Loligo 

per trip. The directed fishery will 

reopen effective 0001 hours, January 1, 

2001, which is the beginning of the 

Period I quota for the 2001 fishing year. 

Classification 

This action is required by 50 CFR part 

648 and is exempt from review under 

E.O. 12866. 

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

Dated: October 3, 2000. 

Richard W. Surdi, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 00–25939 Filed 10–4–00; 4:45 pm] 

BILLING CODE: 3510–22 –S 


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