10752 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 46 / Monday, March 10, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

Point Latitude Longitude

184 ............ 40°11.05′ N. 70°45.8′ W.

185 ............ 40°12.75′ N. 70°55.05′ W.

186 ............ 40°10.7′ N. 71°10.25′ W.

187 ............ 39°57.9′ N. 71°28.7′ W.

188 ............ 39°55.6′ N. 71°41.2′ W.

189 ............ 39°55.85′ N. 71°45.0′ W.

190 ............ 39°53.75′ N. 71°52.25′ W.

191 ............ 39°47.2′ N. 72°01.6′ W.

192 ............ 39°33.65′ N. 72°15.0′ W.

to 70

Offshore Boundary

to 182

49 .............. 40°02.75′ N. 70°16.1′ W.

50 .............. 40°00.7′ N. 70°18.6′ W.

51 .............. 39°59.8′ N. 70°21.75′ W.

52 .............. 39°59.75′ N. 70°25.5′ W.

53 .............. 40°03.85′ N. 70°28.75′ W.

54 .............. 40°00.55′ N. 70°32.1′ W.

55 .............. 39°59.15′ N. 70°34.45′ W.

56 .............. 39°58.9′ N. 70°38.65′ W.

57 .............. 40°00.1′ N. 70°45.1′ W.

58 .............. 40°00.5′ N. 70°57.6′ W.

59 .............. 40°02.0′ N. 71°01.3′ W.

60 .............. 39°59.3′ N. 71°18.4′ W.

61 .............. 40°00.7′ N. 71°19.8′ W.

62 .............. 39°57.5′ N. 71°20.6′ W.

63 .............. 39°53.1′ N. 71°36.1′ W.

64 .............. 39°52.6′ N. 71°40.35′ W.

65 .............. 39°53.1′ N. 71°42.7′ W.

66 .............. 39°46.95′ N. 71°49.0′ W.

67 .............. 39°41.15′ N. 71°57.1′ W.

68 .............. 39°35.45′ N. 72°02.0′ W.

69 .............. 39°32.65′ N. 72°06.1′ W.

70 .............. 39°29.75′ N. 72°09.8′ W.

to 192

(2) Duration—(i) Mobile Gear. From

June 16 through November 26, no

fishing vessel with mobile gear or

person on a fishing vessel with mobile

gear may fish, or be in Restricted Gear

Area III unless transiting. Vessels may

transit this area provided that all mobile

gear is on board the vessel while inside

the area.

(ii) Lobster pot gear. From January 1

through April 30, no fishing vessel with

lobster pot gear or person on a fishing

vessel with lobster pot gear may fish,

and no lobster pot gear may be deployed

or remain, in Restricted Gear Area III.

(d) Restricted Gear Area IV. (1)

Restricted Gear Area IV is defined by

straight lines connecting the following

points in the order stated:

Point Latitude Longitude

Inshore Boundary

193 ............ 40°13.60′ N. 68°40.60′ W.

194 ............ 40°11.60′ N. 68°53.00′ W.

195 ............ 40°14.00′ N. 69°04.70′ W.

196 ............ 40°14.30′ N. 69°05.80′ W.

197 ............ 40°05.50′ N. 69°09.00′ W.

198 ............ 39°57.30′ N. 69°25.10′ W.

199 ............ 40°00.40′ N. 69°35.20′ W.

200 ............ 40°01.70′ N. 69°35.40′ W.

201 ............ 40°01.70′ N. 69°37.40′ W.

202 ............ 40°00.50′ N. 69°38.80′ W.

Point Latitude Longitude

203 ............ 40°01.30′ N. 69°45.00′ W.

204 ............ 40°02.10′ N. 69°45.00′ W.

205 ............ 40°07.60′ N. 70°04.50′ W.

206 ............ 40°07.80′ N. 70°09.20′ W.

to 119

Offshore Boundary

to 193

69 .............. 40°07.90′ N. 68°36.00′ W.

70 .............. 40°07.20′ N. 68°38.40′ W.

71 .............. 40°06.90′ N. 68°46.50′ W.

72 .............. 40°08.70′ N. 68°49.60′ W.

73 .............. 40°08.10′ N. 68°51.00′ W.

74 .............. 40°05.70′ N. 68°52.40′ W.

75 .............. 40°03.60′ N. 68°57.20′ W.

76 .............. 40°03.65′ N. 69°00.00′ W.

77 .............. 40°04.35′ N. 69°00.50′ W.

78 .............. 40°05.20′ N. 69°00.50′ W.

79 .............. 40°05.30′ N. 69°01.10′ W.

80 .............. 40°08.90′ N. 69°01.75′ W.

81 .............. 40°11.00′ N. 69°03.80′ W.

82 .............. 40°11.60′ N. 69°05.40′ W.

83 .............. 40°10.25′ N. 69°04.40′ W.

84 .............. 40°09.75′ N. 69°04.15′ W.

85 .............. 40°08.45′ N. 69°03.60′ W.

86 .............. 40°05.65′ N. 69°03.55′ W.

87 .............. 40°04.10′ N. 69°03.90′ W.

88 .............. 40°02.65′ N. 69°05.60′ W.

89 .............. 40°02.00′ N. 69°08.35′ W.

90 .............. 40°02.65′ N. 69°11.15′ W.

91 .............. 40°00.05′ N. 69°14.60′ W.

92 .............. 39°57.80′ N. 69°20.35′ W.

93 .............. 39.56.75′ N. 69°24.40′ W.

94 .............. 39°56.50′ N. 69°26.35′ W.

95 .............. 39.56.80′ N. 69°34.10′ W.

96 .............. 39°57.85′ N. 69°35.05′ W.

97 .............. 40°00.65′ N. 69°36.50′ W.

98 .............. 40°00.90′ N. 69°37.30′ W.

99 .............. 39°59.15′ N. 69°37.30′ W.

100 ............ 39°58.80′ N. 69°38.45′ W.

102 ............ 39°56.20′ N. 69°40.20′ W.

103 ............ 39°55.75′ N. 69°41.40′ W.

104 ............ 39°56.70′ N. 69°53.60′ W.

105 ............ 39°57.55′ N. 69°54.05′ W.

106 ............ 39°57.40′ N. 69°55.90′ W.

107 ............ 39°56.90′ N. 69°57.45′ W.

108 ............ 39°58.25′ N. 70°03.00′ W.

110 ............ 39°59.20′ N. 70°04.90′ W.

111 ............ 40°00.70′ N. 70°08.70′ W.

112 ............ 40°03.75′ N. 70°10.15′ W.

115 ............ 40°05.20′ N. 70°10.90′ W.

116 ............ 40°02.45′ N. 70°14.1′ W.

119 ............ 40°02.75′ N. 70°16.1′ W.

to 206

(2) Duration—(i) Mobile Gear. From

June 16 through September 30, no

fishing vessel with mobile gear or

person on a fishing vessel with mobile

gear may fish, or be in Restricted Gear

Area IV unless transiting. Vessels may

transit this area provided that all mobile

gear is on board the vessel while inside

the area.

[FR Doc. 97–5478 Filed 3–5–97; 10:22 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

030497A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Inshore Component

Pollock in the Aleutian Islands Subarea

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Inseason adjustment; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues an inseason

adjustment closing directed fishing for

pollock by vessels catching pollock for

processing by the inshore component in

the Aleutian Islands subarea (AI) of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (BSAI). An adjustment

to the normal time of closure is

necessary to prevent the underharvest of

pollock by vessels catching pollock for

processing by the inshore component in

the AI of the BSAI.

DATES: 2400 hrs, Alaska local time

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

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

must be received no later than 1630 hrs,

A.l.t., March 19, 1997 (see ADDRESSES).

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to

Ronald J. Berg, Chief, Fisheries

Management Division, Alaska Region,

NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK

99802, Attn. Lori Gravel, or be delivered

to the fourth floor of the Federal

Building, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau,

AK.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Furuness, 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 Groundfish 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.

In accordance with § 679.20(c)(3)(iii),

the allocation of the pollock total

allowable catch for vessels catching

pollock for processing by the inshore

component in the AI was established by

the Final 1997 Harvest Specifications

for Groundfish of the BSAI (62 FR 7168,

February 18, 1997) as 9,065 metric tons

(mt).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 46 / Monday, March 10, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 10753

determined that the allocation of the

pollock total allowable catch for vessels

catching pollock for processing by the

inshore component in the AI will soon

be reached. Therefore, the Regional

Administrator is establishing a directed

fishing allowance of 8,565 mt, and is

setting aside the remaining 500 mt as

bycatch to support other anticipated

groundfish fisheries. In accordance with

§ 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional

Administrator finds that this directed

fishing allowance will soon be reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for pollock by vessels

catching pollock for processing by the

inshore component in the AI.

Current information shows the

catching capacity of vessels catching

pollock for processing by the inshore

component is in excess of 1,400 mt per

day.

Section 679.23(b) specifies that the

time of all openings and closures of

fishing seasons other than the beginning

and end of the calendar fishing year is

1200 hrs, A.l.t. The Regional

Administrator has determined that the

remaining portion of the allocation to

the inshore component would be

underharvested if a 1200 hrs closure

were allowed to occur.

In accordance with § 679.25(a)(1)(i),

NMFS is adjusting the season for

pollock by vessels catching pollock for

processing by the inshore component in

the AI subarea of the BSAI by closing

directed fishing at 2400 hrs, A.l.t.,

March 4, 1997. NMFS is taking this

action to prevent the underharvest of

the pollock allocation to vessels

catching pollock for processing by the

inshore component in the AI of the

BSAI as authorized by

§ 679.25(a)(2)(i)(C). In accordance with

§ 679.25(a)(2)(iii), NMFS has

determined that closing the season at

2400 hrs, A.l.t., on March 4, 1997, is the

least restrictive management adjustment

to harvest the pollock allocated to

vessels catching pollock for processing

by the inshore component in the AI of

the BSAI and will allow other fisheries

to continue in noncritical areas and time

periods.

The Assistant Administrator for

Fisheries, NOAA, finds for good cause

that providing prior notice and public

comment or delaying the effective date

of this action is impracticable and

contrary to the public interest. Without

this inseason adjustment, the pollock

allocation for vessels catching pollock

for processing by the inshore

component in the AI of the BSAI would

be underharvested, resulting in an

economic loss of more than 600,000

dollars. Under § 679.25(c)(2), interested

persons are invited to submit written

comments on this action to the above

address until March 19, 1997.

Classification

This action is required by § 679.25

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

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

Dated: March 4, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–5764 Filed 3–4–97; 4:43 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F