Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 49 / Thursday, March 13, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 11771

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 11, 1997, until 2400

hrs, A.l.t., 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 MagnusonStevens 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 final specification of the

allocation of Pacific cod for processing

by the inshore component in the Central

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

31,457 metric tons (mt), determined in

accordance with § 679.20(a)(6)(iii).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the allocation for

Pacific cod by vessels catching Pacific

cod for processing by the inshore

component in the Central Regulatory

Area will soon be reached. Therefore,

the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 26,457 mt, and is setting

aside the remaining 5,000 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 Pacific cod by

vessels catching Pacific cod for

processing by the inshore component in

the Central Regulatory Area.

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

679.20 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: March 10, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–6457 Filed 3–11–97; 9:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

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.

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 MagnusonStevens 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

§ 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 § 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 § 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 § 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 § 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.
11772 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 49 / Thursday, March 13, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

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

679.20 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]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P