3532 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Proposed Rules

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Frank Bruno, Regulatory Affairs Group

(WO–630), Bureau of Land

Management, Mail Stop 401LS, 1849

‘‘C’’ Street, N.W., Washington, DC

20240; telephone (202) 452–0352

(Commercial or FTS).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM

published the proposed rule on October

23, 1996, at 61 FR 54977–54978. The

comment period closed on November

22, 1996, and we received only one

public comment letter. Because of the

National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

Environmental Impact Statement

planning project that is currently

underway, BLM decided to withdraw

the proposed rule, and will take no

further action on the proposal.

Dated: January 15, 1998.

Sylvia V. Baca,

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and

Minerals Management

[FR Doc. 98–1597 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 980113013–8013–01; I.D.

122397I]

RIN 0648–AK56

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Western Pacific

Pelagic Fisheries; Control Date

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed

rulemaking; consideration of a control

date.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

persons who, after November 13, 1997,

enter the pelagic longline fishery in

American Samoa will not necessarily be

assured of eligibility for continuing

participation in the fishery if, in the

future, the Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) prepares

and NMFS approves a program limiting

entry or effort. This notice also

announces that vessels greater than 50

ft (15.2 m) in length that are registered

for use with Federal general longline

permits after November 13, 1997, would

not be assured of being allowed to use

longline gear to fish for pelagic

management unit species within 100

nautical miles (nm) from the coast lines

of American Samoa. This notice does

not commit the Council to limit effort,

nor does it prevent any other date from

being selected for eligibility to

participate in the fishery. The Council

also may use other criteria to limit

fishing effort associated with the

proposed area closure around American

Samoa.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by

February 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 1400,

Honolulu, HI 92813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Kitty Simonds, Executive Director,

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council, (909) 522–8220, or Mr. Alvin

Katekaru, Fishery Management

Specialist, Pacific Islands Area Office,

NMFS (808) 973–2985.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

pelagic fishery in American Samoa is

undergoing rapid change. Prior to 1995

it was largely a troll-based fishery. In

late 1995 four vessels known locally as

‘‘alia’’ catamarans (about 30 ft (9.1 m)

long powered by small gas outboard

engines) began to fish for albacore using

monofilament longline gear. During

1995, this artisanal-scale fishing

operation landed 54,902 lb (24.903

metric tons (mt)) of albacore, a 97–

percent increase in landings over the

previous year. In 1996, 13 alias

participated in the fishery and landed

232,721 lb (105.56 mt) of albacore. The

number of longline vessels registered for

the fishery increased to 32 in 1997,

including four vessels ranging in length

from 65 to 109 ft (19.8 to 33.2 m). In

1996, a total of 99,990 hooks were set

in the fishery. By the third quarter of

1997, a total of 175,081 hooks had been

set in the fishery.

In June 1997, fishermen in American

Samoa formed a small boat working

group to discuss possible management

approaches to prevent destabilization

and overcapitalization in the fishery. At

the 94th meeting held in November

1997, after consulting with the group,

Council members from American Samoa

presented the Council with two

recommendations: (1) Establish a

‘‘control date’’ (potential cut-off date)

for permit eligibility if the Council

decides to develop a limited entry

program and (2) prepare a regulatory

amendment under the framework

process of the Fishery Management Plan

for Pelagic Species Fisheries in the

Western Pacific Region to establish a

100–nm area around American Samoa

closed to longline fishing by vessels

longer than 50 ft (15.2 m) that were not

already in the fishery. Vessels greater

than 50 ft (15.2 m) in length registered

with a general longline permit after the

control date would not be allowed to

continue to fish within the closed area.

The Council approved the establishment

of a control date (November 13, 1997)

for a limited entry program and directed

staff to prepare a regulatory amendment

to establish a 100–nm area closed to

longline fishing.

This decision by the Council rescinds

the earlier control date for this fishery

of January 1, 1991, published in the

Federal Register on March 28, 1991 (56

FR 1289).

The Council believes that there is a

risk of speculative entry into the fishery

while the Council further evaluates the

potential benefits and costs of limited

entry alternatives and the proposed

regulatory amendment for area closure,

including enforcement concerns. The

control date is designed to discourage

speculative entry during this period of

analysis. The control date does not

commit the Council or NMFS to any

particular management regime or

criteria for entry into the American

Samoa longline fishery. Fishermen are

not guaranteed future participation in

this fishery, regardless of their entry

date or level of participation before or

after the control date. The Council may

choose a different control date or it may

choose a management regime that does

not involve a control date. Other

criteria, such as documentation of

commercial landings and sales, may be

used to determine eligibility for

participation in the fishery. At its 95th

meeting in April 1998, the Council may

also consider prohibiting other U.S.

pelagic non-longline fishing vessels

(purse-seiners, trollers, and pole-andline bait boats) greater than 50 ft (15.2

m) from fishing within 100–nm of the

land masses of American Samoa. The

Council also may choose to take no

further action to control entry or access

to the fishery or to establish a closed

longline fishing area.

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

Dated: January 14, 1998.

Rolland A. Schmitten,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–1546 Filed 1–22–98; 8:45 am]

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