[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 30147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14741]



[[Page 30147]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 971229312-7312-01; I.D. 052898A]


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Whiting Closure for the Mothership 
Sector

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Fishing restrictions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the end of the 1998 mothership fishery for 
whiting at 9 p.m. local time (l.t.) May 31, 1998, because the 
allocation for the mothership sector will be reached by that time. This 
action is intended to keep the harvest of whiting at levels announced 
by NMFS on January 6, 1998.

DATES: Effective from 9 p.m. l.t. May 31, 1998, until the start of the 
1999 primary season for the mothership sector, unless modified, 
superseded or rescinded, which will be published in the Federal 
Register. Comments will be accepted through June 18, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit comment to William Stelle, Jr., Administrator, 
Northwest Region (Regional Administrator), NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way 
NE., Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or William Hogarth, Regional 
Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine King at 206-526-6145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by regulations 
implementing the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP), which governs the groundfish fishery off Washington, Oregon, and 
California. On January 6, 1998 (63 FR 419), regulations were published 
announcing the annual management measures for Pacific Coast whiting. 
The regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4) (62 FR 27519, May 20, 1997) 
established separate allocations for the catcher/processor, mothership, 
and shore-based sectors of the whiting fishery. Each allocation is a 
harvest guideline, which, when reached, results in the end of the 
primary season for that sector. The catcher/processor sector is 
composed of catcher/processors, which are vessels that harvest and 
process whiting. The mothership sector is composed of motherships and 
catcher vessels that harvest whiting for delivery to motherships. 
Motherships are vessels that process, but do not harvest, whiting. The 
shoreside sector is composed of vessels that harvest whiting for 
delivery to shore-based processors. The allocations, which are based on 
the 1998 commercial harvest guideline for whiting of 207,000 metric 
tons (mt), are: 70,400 mt (34 percent) for the catcher/processor 
sector; 49,700 mt (24 percent) for the mothership sector; and 86,900 mt 
(42 percent) for the shoreside sector.
    The best available information on May 28, 1998, indicates that 
33,841 mt of whiting had been taken by the mothership sector through 
May 26, 1998, and that the 49,700-mt mothership allocation would be 
reached by 9 p.m. l.t. May 31, 1998. Accordingly, the primary season 
for the mothership sector ends at 9 p.m. l.t. May 31, 1998, at which 
time further at-sea processing and receipt of whiting by a mothership, 
or taking and retaining, possessing or landing of whiting by a catcher 
boat in the mothership sector, are prohibited. The regulations at 50 
CFR 600.323(a)(3)(i) describe the primary season for vessels delivering 
to motherships as the period(s) when at-sea processing is allowed and 
the fishery is open for the mothership sector.
    Attainment of the catcher/processor and shore-based sector 
allocations is not announced at this time.

NMFS Action

    For the reasons stated above, and in accordance with the 
regulations at 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4)(iii)(B), NMFS herein announces:
    Effective 9 p.m. l.t. May 31, 1998-(1) Further receiving or at-sea 
processing of whiting by a mothership is prohibited. No additional 
unprocessed whiting may be brought on board after at-sea processing is 
prohibited, but a mothership may continue to process whiting that was 
on board before at-sea processing was prohibited; and (2) whiting may 
not be taken and retained, possessed, or landed by a catcher vessel 
participating in the mothership sector.

Classification

    This action is authorized by the regulations implementing the FMP. 
The determination to take this action is based on the most recent data 
available. The aggregate data upon which the determination is based are 
available for public inspection a the Office of the Regional 
Administrator (see ADDRESSES) during business hours. This action is 
taken under the authority of 50 CFR 660.323(a)(4)(iii)(B) and is exempt 
from review under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: May 29, 1998.
George H. Darcy,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-14741 Filed 5-29-98; 4:43 pm]
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