3916 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 16 / Monday, January 26, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 

Species 

Historic range 

Vertebrate 

population where 

endangered or 

threatened 

Status When 

listed 

Critical 

habitat 

Special 

rules Common name Scientific name 

*******

* * * * * 

Dated: January 9, 2015. 

Stephen Guertin, 

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01348 Filed 1–23–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 131021878–4158–02] 

RIN 0648–XD728 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of 

Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is reallocating the 

projected unused amounts of the 

Community Development Quota pollock 

directed fishing allowances from the 

Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering 

Sea subarea. This action is necessary to 

provide opportunity for harvest of the 

2015 total allowable catch of pollock, 

consistent with the goals and objectives 

of the Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area. 

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local 

time (A.l.t.), January 26, 2015, until the 

effective date of the final 2015 and 2016 

harvest specifications for Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands (BSAI) groundfish, 

unless otherwise modified or 

superseded through publication of a 

notification in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Whitney, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

BSAI exclusive economic zone 

according to the Fishery Management 

Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea 

and Aleutian Islands Management Area 

(FMP) prepared by the North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council (Council) 

under authority of the MagnusonStevens 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. 

In the Aleutian Islands subarea, the 

portion of the 2015 pollock total 

allowable catch (TAC) allocated to the 

Community Development Quota (CDQ) 

directed fishing allowance (DFA) is 

1,900 metric tons (mt) as established by 

the final 2014 and 2015 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the 

BSAI (79 FR 12108, March 4, 2014), and 

as adjusted by an inseason adjustment 

(80 FR 188, January 5, 2015). 

As of January 15, 2015, the 

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 

(Regional Administrator) has 

determined that 1,900 mt of pollock 

CDQ DFA in the Aleutian Islands 

subarea will not be harvested. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(4), NMFS 

reallocates 1,900 mt of pollock CDQ 

DFA from the Aleutian Islands subarea 

to the 2015 Bering Sea subarea 

allocations. The 1,900 mt of pollock 

CDQ DFA is added to the 2015 Bering 

Sea CDQ DFA. As a result, the 2015 

harvest specifications for pollock in the 

Aleutian Islands subarea included in the 

final 2014 and 2015 harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the 

BSAI (79 FR 12108, March 4, 2014) are 

revised as follows: 0 mt to CDQ DFA. 

Furthermore, pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5), 

Table 3 of the final 2014 and 2015 

harvest specifications for groundfish in 

the BSAI (79 FR 12108, March 4, 2014), 

as adjusted by the inseason adjustment 

(80 FR 188, January 5, 2015), is revised 

to make 2015 pollock allocations 

consistent with this reallocation. This 

reallocation results in adjustments to 

the 2015 CDQ pollock allocations 

established at § 679.20(a)(5). 

TABLE 3—FINAL 2015 ALLOCATIONS OF POLLOCK TACS TO THE DIRECTED POLLOCK FISHERIES AND TO THE CDQ 

DIRECTED FISHING ALLOWANCES (DFA) 1

[Amounts are in metric tons] 

Area and sector 2015 Allocations 

2015 A season 1 2015 B season 1

A season DFA SCA harvest limit 2 B season DFA 

Bering Sea subarea TAC 1 ...................................................... 1,310,000 n/a n/a n/a 

CDQ DFA ................................................................................. 132,900 53,160 37,212 79,740 

ICA1 ......................................................................................... 47,160 n/a n/a n/a 

AFA Inshore ............................................................................. 565,920 226,368 158,458 339,552 

AFA Catcher/Processors 3 ....................................................... 452,736 181,094 126,766 271,642 

Catch by C/Ps .................................................................. 414,253 165,701 n/a 248,552 

Catch by CVs 3 ................................................................. 38,483 15,393 n/a 23,090 

Unlisted C/P Limit 4 ........................................................... 2,264 905 n/a 1,358 

AFA Motherships ..................................................................... 113,184 45,274 31,692 67,910 

Excessive Harvesting Limit 5 .................................................... 198,072 n/a n/a n/a 

Excessive Processing Limit 6 ................................................... 339,552 n/a n/a n/a 

Total Bering Sea DFA ............................................................. 1,131,840 452,736 316,915 679,104 

Aleutian Islands subarea ABC ................................................. 29,659 n/a n/a n/a 

Aleutian Islands subarea TAC 1 ............................................... 19,000 n/a n/a n/a 

CDQ DFA ................................................................................. 0 0 n/a 0 

ICA ........................................................................................... 2,400 1,200 n/a 1,200 

Aleut Corporation ..................................................................... 15,100 12,259 n/a 2,841 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 16 / Monday, January 26, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 3917 

TABLE 3—FINAL 2015 ALLOCATIONS OF POLLOCK TACS TO THE DIRECTED POLLOCK FISHERIES AND TO THE CDQ 

DIRECTED FISHING ALLOWANCES (DFA) 1—Continued 

[Amounts are in metric tons] 

Area and sector 2015 Allocations 

2015 A season 1 2015 B season 1

A season DFA SCA harvest limit 2 B season DFA 

Area harvest limit: 541 ............................................................. 8,898 n/a n/a n/a 

542 .................................................................................... 4,449 n/a n/a n/a 

543 .................................................................................... 1,483 n/a n/a n/a 

Bogoslof District ICA7 .............................................................. 100 n/a n/a n/a 

1Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(A), the BS subarea pollock, after subtracting the CDQ DFA (10 percent) and the ICA (4.0 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 § 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 (2,400 mt), is allocated to the Aleut Corporation for a pollock directed 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 pollock directed 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. 

3Pursuant to § 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. 4Pursuant to § 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. 5Pursuant to § 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. 6Pursuant to § 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. 7Pursuant to § 679.20(a)(5)(iii)(B)(6), NMFS establishes harvest limits for pollock in the A season in Area 541 no more than 30 percent, in 

Area 542 no more than 15 percent, and in Area 543 no more than 5 percent of the Aleutian Islands pollock ABC. 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. 

Classification 

This action responds to the best 

available information recently obtained 

from the fishery. 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 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 

delay the reallocation of AI pollock. 

Since the pollock fishery opens January 

20, 2015, it is important to immediately 

inform the industry as to the final 

Bering Sea subarea pollock allocations. 

Immediate notification is necessary to 

allow for the orderly conduct and 

efficient operation of this fishery; allow 

the industry to plan for the fishing 

season and avoid potential disruption to 

the fishing fleet as well as processors; 

and provide opportunity to harvest 

increased seasonal pollock allocations 

while value is optimum. NMFS was 

unable to publish a notice providing 

time for public comment because the 

most recent, relevant data only became 

available as of January 15, 2014. 

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. 

This action is required by § 679.20 

and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

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

Dated: January 21, 2015. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01302 Filed 1–23–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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