Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 45 / Friday, March 7, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 10479

analysis of these specifications and a

discussion of current Council actions

that may affect the 1997 specifications

of maximum optimum yield for Loligo

and Illex squid and ABC for Atlantic

mackerel are contained in the proposed

rule and are not repeated here.

The following table contains the final

initial specifications for the 1997

Atlantic mackerel, Loligo and Illex

squids, and butterfish fisheries.

FINAL INITIAL ANNUAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR ATLANTIC MACKEREL, SQUID, AND BUTTERFISH FOR THE FISHING YEAR

JANUARY 1 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 1997

[mt]

Specifications

Squid Atlantic

mackerel Butterfish

Loligo Illex

Max OY1 .......................................................................................................................... 2 36,000 3 30,000 N/A 16,000

ABC 4 ................................................................................................................................ 21,000 19,000 5 1,178,000 7,200

IOY .................................................................................................................................... 21,000 19,000 90,000 5,900

DAH .................................................................................................................................. 21,000 19,000 6 90,000 5,900

DAP .................................................................................................................................. 21,000 19,000 50,000 5,900

JVP ................................................................................................................................... .................... .................... 25,000 ....................

TALFF ............................................................................................................................... .................... .................... .................... ....................

1 Maximum optimum yield (Max OY) equals Maximum Sustainable Yield.

2 26,000 mt if overfishing threshold in Amendment 6 is approved.

3 24,000 mt if overfishing threshold in Amendment 6 is approved.

4 IOY can increase to this amount.

5 383,000 if overfishing definition in Council’s resubmission of measures disapproved in Amendment 5 is approved.

6 Contains 15,000 estimated recreational catch.

NMFS also announces that four

special conditions imposed in previous

years continue to be imposed on the

1997 Atlantic mackerel fishery as

follows: (1) Joint ventures would be

allowed south of 37°30′ N. latitude, but

river herring bycatch may not exceed

0.25 percent of the over-the-side

transfers of Atlantic mackerel; (2) the

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS

(Regional Administrator) should ensure

that impacts on marine mammals are

reduced in the prosecution of the

Atlantic mackerel fishery; (3) the

mackerel OY may be increased during

the year, but the total should not exceed

ABC; and (4) applications from a

particular nation for a joint venture for

1997 will not be decided on until the

Regional Administrator determines,

based on an evaluation of performances,

that the nation’s purchase obligations

for previous years have been fulfilled.

Classification

The Regional Administrator has

determined that this final rule is

necessary for the conservation and

management of the Atlantic mackerel,

squid, and butterfish fisheries and that

it is consistent with the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act and other applicable

law.

This action is authorized by 50 CFR

part 648, and these final initial

specifications are exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

The Assistant General Counsel for

Legislation and Regulation of the

Department of Commerce certified to

the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the

Small Business Administration that this

rule would not have a significant

economic impact on a substantial

number of small entities. The reasons

were discussed in the proposed rule

published December 11, 1996 (61 FR

65192). No comments were received

regarding this certification. As a result,

a regulatory flexibility analysis was not

prepared.

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

Dated: March 3, 1997.

Nancy Foster,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–5694 Filed 3–6–97; 8:45 am]

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7012–02; I.D.

022897D]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Species in the Rock

Sole/Flathead Sole/‘‘Other Flatfish’’

Fishery Category by Vessels Using

Trawl Gear in Bycatch Limitation Zone

1

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing directed

fishing for species in the rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery

category by vessels using trawl gear in

Bycatch Limitation Zone 1 (Zone 1) of

the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (BSAI). This action is

necessary to prevent exceeding the 1997

bycatch allowance of C. bairdi Tanner

crab apportioned to the trawl rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery

category in Zone 1.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 4, 1997, until 2400

hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area

(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 bycatch allowance of red king

crab for the BSAI trawl rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery

category, which is defined at

§ 679.21(e)(3)(iv)(B)(2), was established

by the Final 1997 Harvest Specifications

of Groundfish (62 FR 7168, February 18,

1997) as 394,736 animals.

In accordance with § 679.21(e)(7)(ii),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS, has determined that the 1997

bycatch allowance of C. bairdi Tanner

crab apportioned to the trawl rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery in
10480 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 45 / Friday, March 7, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

Zone 1 has been caught. Consequently,

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for

species in the rock sole/flathead sole/

‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery category by

vessels using trawl gear in Zone 1.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

for applicable gear types may be found

in the regulations at § 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

This action is required by 50 CFR

679.21 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: March 3, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–5697 Filed 3–4–97; 3:06 pm]

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