3496 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 

coast subzone’s hook-and-line gear 

quota has been harvested until a closure 

of the subzone’s commercial sector of 

the hook-and-line component has been 

effected or the fishing year ends, king 

mackerel in or from the EEZ may be 

possessed on board or landed from a 

permitted vessel in amounts not 

exceeding 500 lb (227-kg) per day. 

NMFS has projected that 75 percent of 

the hook-and-line gear quota for Gulf 

group king mackerel from the southern 

Florida west coast subzone will be 

harvested by January 24, 2015. 

Accordingly, a 500-lb (227-kg) trip limit 

applies to vessels in the hook-and-line 

component of the commercial sector for 

king mackerel in or from the EEZ in the 

southern Florida west coast subzone 

effective 12:01 a.m., local time, January 

24, 2015. The 500-lb (227-kg) trip limit 

will remain in effect until the 

component closes or until the end of the 

current fishing year (June 30, 2015), 

whichever occurs first. 

From November 1 through March 31, 

the southern subzone encompasses an 

area of the EEZ south of a line extending 

due west of the Lee and Collier County, 

FL, boundary on the Florida west coast, 

and south of a line extending due east 

of the Monroe and Miami-Dade County, 

FL, boundary on the Florida east coast, 

which includes the EEZ off Collier and 

Monroe Counties, FL. From April 1 

through October 31, the southern 

subzone is reduced to the EEZ off 

Collier County, and the EEZ off Monroe 

County becomes part of the Atlantic 

migratory group area. 

Classification 

The Regional Administrator, 

Southeast Region, NMFS, has 

determined this temporary rule is 

necessary for the conservation and 

management of Gulf migratory group 

king mackerel and is consistent with the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act and other 

applicable laws. 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

622.385(a)(2)(ii)(B) and 622.385(a)(2)(iii) 

and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

These measures are exempt from the 

procedures of the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act because the temporary rule is issued 

without opportunity for prior notice and 

comment. 

This action responds to the best 

scientific information available. The 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 

NOAA (AA), finds that the need to 

immediately implement this trip limit 

reduction for the hook-and-line 

component of the commercial sector 

constitutes good cause to waive the 

requirements to provide prior notice 

and opportunity for public comment 

pursuant to the authority set forth in 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(B), because prior notice 

and opportunity for public comment on 

this temporary rule is unnecessary and 

contrary to the public interest. Such 

procedures are unnecessary because the 

commercial trip limit for hook-and-line 

gear at 50 CFR 622.385(a)(2)(ii)(B) has 

already has been subject to notice and 

comment, and all that remains is to 

notify the public of the trip limit 

reduction. They are contrary to the 

public interest because there is a need 

to immediately implement this action to 

protect the king mackerel resource, 

since the capacity of the fishing fleet 

allows for rapid harvest of the quota. 

Prior notice and opportunity for public 

comment on this action would require 

time and would potentially result in a 

harvest well in excess of the established 

quota. 

For the aforementioned reasons, the 

AA also finds good cause to waive the 

30-day delay in effectiveness of this 

action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). 

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

Dated: January 20, 2015. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01151 Filed 1–20–15; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 131021878–4158–02] 

RIN 0648–XD725 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of 

Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area 

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 jig gear to catcher 

vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters) 

length overall using hook-and-line or 

pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands management area. This action is 

necessary to allow the A season 

apportionment of the 2015 total 

allowable catch of Pacific cod to be 

harvested. 

DATES: Effective January 20, 2015, 

through 2400 hours, Alaska local time 

(A.l.t.), December 31, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Josh 

Keaton, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) 

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 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 A season apportionment of the 

2015 Pacific cod total allowable catch 

(TAC) specified for vessels using jig gear 

in the BSAI is 1,871 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 inseason adjustment (80 FR 188, 

January 5, 2015). 

The 2015 Pacific cod total allowable 

catch (TAC) allocated to catcher vessels 

less than 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using 

hook-and-line or pot gear in the BSAI is 

4,438 mt as established by the final 2014 

and 2015 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the BSAI (79 FR 12108, 

March 4, 2014), inseason adjustment (80 

FR 188, January 5, 2015), 

The Administrator, Alaska Region, 

NMFS, (Regional Administrator) has 

determined that jig vessels will not be 

able to harvest 1,700 mt of the A season 

apportionment of the 2015 Pacific cod 

TAC allocated to those vessels under 

§ 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(A)(1). Therefore, in 

accordance with § 679.20(a)(7)(iv)(C), 

NMFS apportions 1,700 mt of Pacific 

cod from the A season jig gear 

apportionment to the annual amount 

specified for catcher vessels less than 60 

feet (18.3 meters(m)) length overall 

(LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear. 

The harvest specifications for Pacific 

cod included in the final 2014 and 2015 

harvest specifications for groundfish in 

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

and inseason adjustment (80 FR 188, 

January 5, 2015) are revised as follows: 

171 mt to the A season apportionment 

and 1,418 mt to the annual amount for 

vessels using jig gear, and 6,138 mt to 

catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) 

LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear. 

Classification 

This action responds to the best 

available information recently obtained 

from the fishery. The Assistant 

Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 3497 

(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 Pacific cod 

specified from jig vessels to catcher 

vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA 

using hook-and-line or pot gear. Since 

the fishery is currently open, it is 

important to immediately inform the 

industry as to the revised allocations. 

Immediate notification is necessary to 

allow for the orderly conduct and 

efficient operation of this fishery, to 

allow the industry to plan for the fishing 

season, and to avoid potential 

disruption to the fishing fleet as well as 

processors. 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, 2015. 

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 16, 2015. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01081 Filed 1–20–15; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with RULES