67310 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 99122347-9347-01; I.D.

071900A]

Fisheries off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast

Groundfish Fishery; Whiting Closure

for the Catcher/Processor Sector

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces closure of

the 2000 catcher/processor fishery for

Pacific whiting (whiting) at 6 p.m. local

time (l.t.) November 6, 2000, because

the allocation for the catcher/processor

sector will be reached by that time. This

action is intended to keep the harvest of

whiting within the 2000 allocation

levels.

DATES: Effective from 6 p.m. l.t.

November 6, 2000, until the start of the

2001 primary season for the catcher/

processor sector, unless modified,

superseded or rescinded. Comments

will be accepted through November 24,

2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Donna

Darm,, Acting Regional Administrator,

Northwest Region (Regional

Administrator), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point

Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or

Rebecca Lent, Regional Administrator,

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,

CA 90802-4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Becky Renko at 206-526-6110.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

action is authorized by regulations

implementing the Pacific Coast

Groundfish Fishery Management Plan

(FMP), which governs the groundfish

fishery off Washington, Oregon, and

California. On January 4, 2000 (65 FR

221), the levels of allowable biological

catch (ABC), the optimum yield (OY)

and the commercial OY (the OY minus

the tribal allocation) for U.S. harvests of

whiting were announced in the Federal

Register. For 2000, the whiting ABC and

OY are 232,000 mt (mt), the tribal

whiting allocation is 32,500 mt, and the

commercial OY is 199,500 mt.

Regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4)

divide the commercial OY into separate

allocations for the catcher/processor (34

percent), mothership (24 percent), and

shore-based (42 percent) sectors of the

whiting fishery. The 2000 commercial

whiting allocations are 67,830 mt for the

catcher/processor sector, 47,880 mt for

the mothership sector, and 83,790 mt for

the shoreside sector. The catcher/

processor sector is composed of vessels

that harvest and process whiting. The

mothership sector is composed of

motherships, and catcher vessels that

harvest whiting for delivery to

motherships. Motherships are vessels

that process, but do not harvest,

whiting. The shoreside sector is

composed of vessels that harvest

whiting for delivery to shoreside

processors.

Regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(3)(i)

describe the primary season for catcher/

processors as the period(s) when at-sea

processing is allowed and the fishery is

open for the catcher/processor sector.

When each sector’s allocation is

reached, the primary season for that

sector is ended.

NMFS Action

This action announces achievement of

the allocation for the catcher/processor

sector only. The best available

information on November 1, 2000,

indicated that the 67,830 mt catcher/

processor allocation would be reached

by 6 p.m. l.t. on November 6, 2000, at

which time the primary season the

catcher/processor sector ends.

For the reasons stated here and in

accordance with the regulations at 50

CFR 660.323(a)(4)(iii)(A), NMFS herein

announces:

Effective 6 p.m. l.t. on November 6,

2000, further taking and retaining,

receiving or at-sea processing of whiting

by a catcher/processor is prohibited. No

additional unprocessed whiting may be

brought on board after at-sea processing

is prohibited, but a catcher/processor

may continue to process whiting that

was on board before at-sea processing

was prohibited.

Classification

This action is authorized by the

regulations implementing the FMP. The

determination to take this action is

based on the most recent data available.

The aggregate data upon which the

determination is based are available for

public inspection at the Office of the

Regional Administrator (see ADDRESSES)

during business hours. This action is

taken under the authority of 50 CFR

660.323(a)(4)(iii)(A) and is exempt from

review under Executive Order 12866.

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

Dated: November 3, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–28812 Filed 11–6–00; 4:01 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 000211040-0040-01; I.D.

102400C]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Management Area; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Reallocation; correction.

SUMMARY: This document corrects the

reallocation of Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands management area (BSAI) Pacific

cod from trawl catcher/processors and

vessels using jig gear to vessels using

hook-and-line or pot gear.

DATES: Effective November 1, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

document corrects the reallocation of

Pacific cod in the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands from trawl catcher/

processors and vessels using jig gear to

vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear.

Correction

In the final rule Pacific Cod in the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

Management Area; published on

November 1, 2000 (65 FR 65272), FR

Doc. 00-28023, an error was made in

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

On page 65273, in the third column,

the tenth line is corrected to read as

follows: ‘‘processors, 81,958 mt to

catcher/processor vessels using’’.

Dated: November 3, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–28842 Filed 11–08–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S