Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 59 / Thursday, March 27, 1997 / Rules and Regulations 14651

§ 648.104(b)(1) by 30-minute intervals of

latitude and longitude and 2-week

intervals, respectively, based on data

specified in paragraph (a) of this section

to prevent discarding of sublegal sized

summer flounder in excess of 10

percent, by weight.

* * * * *

22. In § 648.106, the introductory text

is revised to read as follows:

§ 648.106 Sea Turtle conservation.

This section will be suspended during

the effectiveness of any temporary

regulations issued to regulate incidental

take of sea turtles in the summer

flounder fishery under authority of the

ESA under parts 217, 222, 227 of this

title. Such suspensions and temporary

regulations will be issued by

publication in the Federal Register and

will be effective for a specified period

of time, not to exceed 1 year.

* * * * *

PART 648—[NOMENCLATURE

CHANGE]

23. In part 648, all references to

‘‘Regional Director’’ are revised to read

‘‘Regional Administrator.’’

[FR Doc. 97–7714 Filed 3–24–97; 4:22 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 960807218–6244–02; I.D.

032097F]

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Closure

of the Commercial Red Snapper

Component

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS closes the commercial

fishery for red snapper in the exclusive

economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of

Mexico. NMFS has projected that the

initial portion of the annual commercial

quota for red snapper will be reached on

March 25, 1997. This closure is

necessary to protect the red snapper

resource.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Closure is effective

12:01 a.m., local time, March 26, 1997,

through September 14, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Sadler, 813–570–5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef

fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico is

managed under the Fishery

Management Plan for the Reef Fish

Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP).

The FMP was prepared by the Gulf of

Mexico Fishery Management Council

and is implemented through regulations

at 50 CFR part 622 under the authority

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Those regulations set the commercial

quota for red snapper in the Gulf of

Mexico at 4.65 million lb (m lb) (2.11

million kg (m kg)) for the current fishing

year, January 1 through December 31,

1997. The 1997 commercial quota is

split between two seasons, the first

beginning on February 1 with a quota of

3.06 m lb (1.39 m kg) and the second

beginning on September 15 with a quota

equal to the unharvested balance of the

annual commercial quota.

Under 50 CFR 622.43(a), NMFS is

required to close the commercial fishery

for a species or species group when the

quota for that species or species group

is reached, or is projected to be reached,

by publishing notification to that effect

in the Federal Register. Based on

current statistics, NMFS has projected

that the available commercial quota of

3.06 m lb (1.39 m kg) for red snapper

will be reached on March 25, 1997.

Accordingly, the commercial fishery in

the EEZ in the Gulf of Mexico for red

snapper is closed effective 12:01 a.m.,

local time, March 26, 1997, through

September 14, 1997. The operator of a

vessel with a valid reef fish permit

having red snapper on board must land

and sell such red snapper prior to 12:01

a.m., local time, March 26, 1997.

During the closure, the bag limit

applies to all harvests of red snapper in

or from the EEZ in the Gulf of Mexico.

The daily bag limit for red snapper is

five per person. From 12:01 a.m., local

time, March 26, 1997, through

September 14, 1997, the sale or

purchase of red snapper taken from the

EEZ is prohibited. This prohibition does

not apply to sale or purchase of red

snapper that were harvested, landed

ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m.,

local time, March 26, 1997, and were

held in cold storage by a dealer or

processor.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

622.43(a) and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: March 20, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7716 Filed 3–21–97; 4:50 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

032097A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Yellowfin Sole by

Vessels Using Trawl Gear in Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing directed

fishing for yellowfin sole by vessels

using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands management area

(BSAI). This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the first seasonal

apportionment of the 1997 Pacific

halibut bycatch allowance specified for

the trawl yellowfin sole fishery

category.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 22, 1997, through

1200 hrs, A.l.t., April 1, 1997.

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 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 first seasonal apportionment of

the 1997 halibut bycatch allowance

specified for the trawl yellowfin sole

fishery in the BSAI, which is defined at

§ 679.21(e)(3)(iv)(B)(1), was established

by the Final 1997 Harvest Specifications

of Groundfish for the BSAI (62 FR 7168,

February 18, 1997) as 210 mt.

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

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS, has determined that the first

seasonal apportionment of the 1997

halibut bycatch allowance specified for

the trawl yellowfin sole fishery in the

BSAI has been caught. Consequently,

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for

yellowfin sole by vessels using trawl

gear in the BSAI.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

for applicable gear types may be found

in the regulations at § 679.20(e) and (f).
14652 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 59 / Thursday, March 27, 1997 / Rules and Regulations

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 20, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7715 Filed 3–21–97; 4:50 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 961107312–7021–02; I.D.

032497A]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Ocean Perch

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 closing directed

fishing for Pacific ocean perch 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 Pacific ocean

perch in this area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), March 24, 1997, until 2400

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

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 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 TAC of Pacific ocean perch 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

3,170 metric tons (mt). See

§ 679.20(c)(3)(iii).

In accordance with § 679.20 (d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the TAC of Pacific

ocean perch specified for the Central

Aleutian District will soon be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 2,170 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 Pacific ocean perch

in the Central Aleutian District.

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 § 679.20

and is exempt from review under E.O.

12866.

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

Dated: March 24, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7821 Filed 3–24–97; 4:22 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F