Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 223 / Friday, November 17, 2000 / Rules and Regulations 69483

Dated: November 13, 2000.

Penelope D. Dalton,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

Dated: November 8, 2000.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 00–29423 Filed 11–14–00; 4:05 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F, 4310–55–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 000831250-0250-01; 102500C]

Fisheries off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Coastal Pelagic

Species Fisheries; Closure of Directed

Fishery for Pacific Mackerel;

Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Correction to the action closing

the directed fishery for Pacific mackerel.

SUMMARY: This document contains a

correction to the Pacific mackerel

closure which was published on

November 1, 2000.

DATES: Effective November 17, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James J. Morgan, Southwest Region,

NMFS, 562-980-4036.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The directed fishery for Pacific

mackerel was closed at 12:01 a.m. on

October 27, 2000, by publication of a

document in the Federal Register on

November 1, 2000 (65 FR 65272). The

document contains an error that

requires correction.

Correction

In rule FR DOC. 00-28109, on page

65272, in the issue of Wednesday,

November 1, 2000 (65 FR 65272), make

the following correction:

On page 65272, in the third column,

under the heading SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION, the last sentence is

corrected to read as follows:

‘‘For the reasons stated here and in

accordance with the FMP and its

implementing regulations at 50 CFR

660.509, the directed fishery for Pacific

mackerel will be closed October 27,

2000, after which time no more than 20

percent by weight of a landing of Pacific

sardine, northern anchovy, jack

mackerel, or market squid may consist

of Pacific mackerel.’’

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

Dated: November 9, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–29415 Filed 11–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA)

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 000714206-0307-02; I.D.

061400A]

RIN 0648-AM53

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Western Alaska

Community Development Quota

Program

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce. ACTION: Final rule.

ACTION: Final rule

SUMMARY: NMFS issues a final rule that

reduces observer experience

requirements for some catcher vessels

and reduces observer coverage

experience requirements for some

shoreside processors participating in the

Western Alaska Community

Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries.

This action is necessary to reduce costs

associated with the observer coverage

requirements in the CDQ fisheries. It is

intended to further the objectives of the

Fishery Management Plan for the

Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea

and Aleutian Islands Area (FMP).

DATES: Effective December 18, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Regulatory

Impact Review (RIR) prepared for this

action may be obtained from Sue

Salveson, Assistant Regional

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries

Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O.

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668,

Attn: Lori Gravel, or by calling the

Alaska Region, NMFS, at 907-586-7228.

Send comments on any ambiguity or

unnecessary complexity arising from the

language used in this final rule to the

Regional Administrator at the same

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alan Kinsolving, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

NMFS manages fishing for groundfish

by U.S. vessels in the exclusive

economic zone of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands management area

(BSAI) according to the FMP. The North

Pacific Fishery Management Council

(Council) prepared the FMP under

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

Regulations governing fishing by U.S.

vessels and implementing the FMP

appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and 679.

Through the CDQ program, NMFS

allocates a portion of the BSAI

groundfish, prohibited species, halibut,

and crab total allowable catch (TAC) to

65 eligible Western Alaska

communities. Unlike open access

fisheries, the program makes individual

vessels, processors, and CDQ groups

accountable for their catch of groundfish

and prohibited species. Because of this,

the catch monitoring observer coverage

and observer training standards are

more stringent as compared to many

other fisheries. CDQ observers receive

more training and must have more

experience than regular NMFS-certified

observers. Observer coverage levels in

the CDQ fisheries are also higher than

those for most of the non-CDQ fisheries.

In most cases, at least one of the CDQ

observers on a vessel or in a processing

plant also must be qualified as a ‘‘lead’’

CDQ observer. Lead qualification is

gear-specific and is gained by having

prior experience with the same gear

type as the CDQ vessel on which the

lead observer is deployed, or prior

experience in a shoreside plant if the

lead CDQ observer is deployed at a

shoreside plant.

NMFS has reviewed the observer

coverage and experience requirements

and determined that, in some cases, the

observer coverage or training

requirements could be reduced without

affecting the ability of NMFS to collect

the data necessary to monitor and

manage the CDQ fishery.

On July 24, 2000, NMFS published a

proposed rule to implement these

reductions (65 FR 45579). The proposed

rule included a full description of

observer coverage and training

requirements in the CDQ fisheries, and

the rationale for reducing those

requirements. The proposed rule also

solicited public comment for 30 days.

No comments were received, and NMFS

is publishing this final rule without

changing the regulatory text of the

proposed rule.

This final rule implements the

following reductions in observer

coverage and experience requirements:

1. Elimination of the requirement for

a lead CDQ observer on all catcher