13352 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 12, 1997, until 1200

hrs, A.l.t., March 14, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patty Britza, 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 allowance for the pollock TAC

apportioned for vessels catching pollock

for processing by the offshore

component in the AI was established by

the Final 1997 Harvest Specifications

for Groundfish (62 FR 7168, February

18, 1997) as 16,835 metric tons (mt).

The Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

established a directed fishing allowance

of 14,835 mt, and set aside the

remaining 2,000 mt as bycatch to

support other anticipated groundfish

fisheries. The fishery for pollock by

vessels catching pollock for processing

by the offshore component in the AI of

the BSAI was closed to directed fishing

under § 679.20(d)(1)(iii) on February 27,

1997, in order to reserve amounts

anticipated to be needed for incidental

catch in other fisheries (62 FR 9379,

March 3, 1997).

NMFS has determined that as of

March 10, 1997, 5,257 mt remain in the

directed fishing allowance. Therefore,

NMFS is terminating the previous

closure and is opening directed fishing

for pollock by vessels catching pollock

for processing by the offshore

component in the AI of the BSAI

effective 1200 hrs, A.l.t., March 12,

1997.

In accordance with § 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 pollock for processing by the

offshore component is in excess of 2,200

mt per day.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing

for pollock by vessels catching pollock

for processing by the offshore

component in the AI of the BSAI at 1200

hrs, A.l.t., March 14, 1997.

All other closures remain in full force

and effect.

Classification

This action is required by § 679.20

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

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

Dated: March 13, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–6966 Filed 3–14–97; 4:34 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

031497C]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Atka Mackerel in the

Central Aleutian District of the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for Atka mackerel in the Central

Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands management area

(BSAI). This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the 1997 total

allowable catch (TAC) of Atka mackerel

in this area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 15, 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.

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

the TAC of Atka mackerel for the

Central Aleutian District was

established by the Final 1997 Harvest

Specifications of Groundfish for the

BSAI (62 FR 7168, February 18, 1997) as

19,500 metric tons (mt).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the TAC for Atka

mackerel specified for the Central

Aleutian District will soon be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 18,500 mt and is setting

aside the remaining 1,000 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 Atka mackerel in the

Central Aleutian District.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

may be found in the regulations at

§ 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

This action is required by § 679.20

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

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

Dated: March 14, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7028 Filed 3–17–97; 2:51 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961126334–7025–02; I.D.

031497D]

Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive

Zone Off Alaska; Deep-Water Species

Fishery by Vessels Using Trawl Gear in

the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for species that comprise the

deep-water species fishery by vessels

using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska

(GOA). This action is necessary because

the first seasonal bycatch allowance of

Pacific halibut apportioned to the deepwater species fishery in the GOA has

been caught.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 15, 1997, until 1200

hrs, A.l.t., April 1, 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 MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 54 / Thursday, March 20, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 13353

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 prohibited species bycatch

mortality allowance of Pacific halibut

for the GOA trawl deep-water species

fishery, which is defined at

§ 679.21(d)(3)(iii)(B), was established by

the Final 1997 Harvest Specifications of

Groundfish for the GOA (62 FR 8179,

February 24, 1997) for the first season,

the period January 20, 1997, through

March 31, 1997, as 100 mt.

In accordance with § 679.21(d)(7)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the first seasonal

apportionment of the 1997 Pacific

halibut bycatch mortality allowance

specified for the trawl deep-water

species fishery in the GOA has been

caught. Consequently, the Regional

Administrator is closing directed fishing

for the deep-water species fishery by

vessels using trawl gear in the GOA. The

species and species groups that

comprise the deep-water species fishery

are: All rockfish of the genera Sebastes

and Sebastolobus, Greenland turbot,

Dover sole, rex sole, arrowtooth

flounder, and sablefish.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

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 14, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7027 Filed 3–17–97; 2:51 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F