[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11771-11772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6458]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961126334-7025-02; I.D. 031097B]


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska, Pacific Cod 
in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Apportionment of reserve; modification of closure.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is apportioning the reserves of Pacific cod and opening 
directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels catching Pacific cod for 
processing by the inshore component for 24 hours in the Western 
Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary 
to allow for an opportunity to harvest the remaining total allowable 
catch (TAC) and to account for previous harvest of the TAC in the 
Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Opening 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 10, 
1997, and closing 1200 hrs, A.l.t., March 11, 1997 until 2400 hrs, 
December 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Pearson, 907-486-6919.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive 
economic zone is managed by NMFS according to the Fishery Management 
Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North 
Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Fishing by U.S. 
vessels is governed by regulations implementing the FMP at subpart H of 
50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.
    The initial total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod in the 
Western Regulatory Area of the GOA was established by the Final 1997 
Harvest Specifications of Groundfish for the GOA (62 FR 8179, February 
24, 1997) as 19,380 metric tons (mt). Directed fishing for Pacific cod 
for processing by the inshore component in the Western Regulatory Area 
of the GOA was closed on March 3, 1997, under Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(iv)(C) 
and 679.20(d)(1)(iii) in order to prevent exceeding the initial TAC and 
to provide for amounts anticipated to be needed for incidental catch in 
other fisheries (62 FR 10222, March 6, 1997).
    The reserve of Pacific cod in the Western Regulatory Area of the 
GOA was created as a management buffer to prevent exceeding the TAC and 
to provide greater assurance that Pacific cod could be retained as 
bycatch throughout the fishing year by the Final 1997 Harvest 
Specifications for Groundfish of the GOA (62 FR 8179, February 24, 
1997).
    The Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, (Regional Administrator), 
has determined that the initial TAC for Pacific cod in the Western 
Regulatory Area needs to be supplemented from the Pacific cod reserve 
for that area in order to continue operations and account for prior 
harvest. Therefore, in accordance with Sec. 679.20(b)(2), NMFS is 
apportioning 4,845 mt of Pacific cod from the reserves to the TAC in 
the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.
    Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(6)(iii) the apportionment of the Pacific 
cod reserve in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA is allocated to 
vessels catching Pacific cod for processing by the inshore and offshore 
components as 4,361 mt and 484 mt respectively. This action brings the 
total allocation of the 1997 Pacific cod TAC for vessels catching 
Pacific cod for processing by the inshore and offshore components to 
21,803 mt and 2,422 mt, respectively.
    NMFS has determined that as of March 6, 1997, 2,230 mt remain in 
the directed fishing allowance. Therefore, the Regional Administrator 
is establishing a new directed fishing allowance of 21,503 mt, and is 
setting aside the remaining 300 mt as bycatch to support other 
anticipated groundfish fisheries.
    In accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(i), the Regional 
Administrator, has determined that the 1997 directed fishing allowance 
of Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component in the Western 
Regulatory Area of the GOA has not been reached. Therefore, NMFS is 
terminating the previous closure and is opening directed fishing for 
Pacific cod by vessels catching Pacific cod for processing by the 
inshore component in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA effective 
1200 hrs, A.l.t., March 10, 1997.
    In accordance with Sec. 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional 
Administrator finds that this directed fishing allowance will soon be 
reached. Current information shows the catching capacity of vessels 
catching Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component has 
recently averaged 1,400 mt per day, but is highly variable. 
Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by 
vessels catching Pacific cod for processing by the inshore component in 
the Western Regulatory Area in the GOA effective 1200 hrs, A.l.t., 
March 11, 1997.

[[Page 11772]]

    Maximum retainable bycatch amounts for applicable gear types may be 
found in the regulations at Sec. 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR 679.20 and is exempt from review 
under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: March 10, 1997.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-6458 Filed 3-11-97; 9:45 am]
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