35162 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 124 / Monday, June 29, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

and approximately 2.3 mt of large

medium/giant BFT (subquota of 5 mt)

were landed. Updates to these estimates

will be used to effect any further

inseason adjustments as necessary.

NMFS has determined that a catch limit

adjustment is warranted to ensure

reasonable fishing opportunities in all

geographic areas without risking

overharvest.

The daily catch limit for the southern

area is adjusted as follows: No more

than one BFT per angler, with a

maximum of three fish per vessel, from

the school size class may be retained

each day per Angling category vessel. In

addition, one BFT per vessel per day

may be landed from the large school or

small medium size class. This catch

limit adjustment is effective June 26

through July 27, 1998, whereupon the

catch limit will revert to one BFT from

the school, large school, or small

medium size class per vessel per day.

These catch limits have been selected

based on catch rates for the 1997 fishing

season. Therefore, NMFS will continue

to monitor the Angling category fishery

closely through the Automated Catch

Reporting System and the Large Pelagic

Survey. Depending on the level of

fishing effort and catch rates of BFT,

NMFS may determine that an interim

closure or additional catch limit

adjustment is necessary to enhance

scientific data collection from all

geographic areas. Closures or

subsequent adjustments to the daily

catch limit, if any, shall be announced

through publication in the Federal

Register. In addition, anglers may call

the Atlantic Tunas Information Line at

888–USA-TUNA (888–872–8862), 301–

713–1279, or 978–281–9305 for updates

on quota monitoring and catch limit

adjustments. Anglers aboard Charter/

Headboat vessels, when engaged in

recreational fishing for school, large

school, and small medium BFT, are

subject to the same rules as anglers

aboard Angling category vessels. All

BFT landed under the Angling category

quota must be reported within 24 hours

of landing to the NMFS Automated

Catch Reporting System by phoning

888–USA-TUNA (888–872–8862), or in

North Carolina, to a reporting station.

For information about the North

Carolina Harvest Tagging Program,

including reporting station locations,

call 800–338–7804.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

285.24(d)(3) and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.

Dated: June 23, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–17166 Filed 6–23–98; 5:02 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[Docket No. 980319068–8155–02; I.D.

021998A]

RIN 0648–AK59

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in

the Western Pacific; Western Pacific

Bottomfish Fishery; Fishing

Moratorium

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: NMFS is extending the

current moratorium on harvesting

seamount groundfish from the Hancock

Seamount in the Northwestern

Hawaiian Islands until August 31, 2004.

The fishery has been under a

moratorium since 1986. This action is

being taken in response to a

recommendation by the Western Pacific

Fishery Management Council (Council),

which heard reports from its Bottomfish

Plan Team and Scientific and Statistical

Committee that revealed that armorhead

(Pentaceros richardsoni), an overfished

seamount species, has not recovered.

The intent of this action is to allow the

protection provided for this resource to

continue.

DATES: Effective September 1, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Request for information

relevant to this action should be sent to

William T. Hogarth, Administrator,

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West

Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long

Beach, CA 90802.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James J. Morgan or Svein Fougner,

Assistant Regional Administrator for

Sustainable Fisheries, (562) 980–4030,

or Al Katekaru, Pacific Islands Area

Office, (808) 973–2985.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A

proposed rule was published in the

Federal Register on March 26, 1998 (63

FR 14675) requesting public comments

on extending the moratorium on

harvesting seamount groundfish from

Hancock Seamount in the Northwestern

Hawaiian Islands until August 31, 2004.

There were no comments received

during the public comment period

ending May 11, 1998.

This resource was overfished by

foreign vessels before the Magnuson

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act was implemented; it has never been

the target of domestic fishermen. The

original Fishery Management Plan for

the Bottomfish and Seamount

Groundfish Fisheries of the Western

Pacific Region, implemented in 1986,

established a moratorium on fishing for

bottomfish and seamount groundfish (51

FR 27413, July 31, 1986). Periodic

reviews of the stocks indicated that no

recovery had occurred. Therefore, on

August 17, 1992 (57 FR 36907), the

moratorium was extended to August 31,

1998. Armorhead was listed as

overfished in the September 1997

‘‘Report to Congress Status of Fisheries

of the United States.’’

The last U.S. research cruise of

Hancock Seamount was conducted in

1993; however, the Japanese trawl fleet

continues to harvest armorhead on

neighboring seamounts outside the

exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

According to bottom trawl catch and

effort statistics provided by the National

Research Institute of the Far Seas

Fisheries, the most current (1995)

spawning potential ratio (SPR) for the

armorhead stock is 1.8 percent at all

seamounts outside the EEZ. These

seamounts comprise 95 percent of the

trawl grounds and 91 percent of the

total historic seamount-wide catch in

the Japanese trawl fishery. Based on the

low SPR value, it is inferred that the

status of the Hancock Seamount

armorhead stock is similarly depressed

and well under the current 20 percent

SPR definition for an overfished stock.

At its April 21, 1997, meeting, the

Council heard reports from its

Bottomfish Plan Team and Scientific

and Statistical Committee on the status

of seamount groundfish resources. On

the basis of those reports, and in

accordance with the framework

procedures at 50 CFR 660.67, the

Council recommended that the

moratorium be extended for at least

another 6 years (i.e., August 31, 2004).

The Council recognizes that the stocks

extend outside the EEZ and that the

moratorium will not ensure recovery of

the resource within the EEZ; however,

the action is in accordance with U.S.

responsibilities under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act. The Council also has

taken action to convene a panel of

international experts to explore possible

international management of the

Emperor and Hawaiian Ridge Seamount

armorhead fishery under the aegis of the

United Nations Agreement Relating to
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 124 / Monday, June 29, 1998 /Rules and Regulations 35163

Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly

Migratory Fish Stocks.

Classification

This final rule has been determined to

be not significant for purposes of E.O.

12866.

The Assistant General Counsel for

Legislation and Regulation of the

Department of Commerce certified to

the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the

Small Business Administration that this

rule, would not have a significant

economic impact on a substantial

number of small entities. No comments

were received regarding this

certification. As a result, a regulatory

flexibility analysis was not prepared.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660

Administrative practice and

procedure, American Samoa, Fisheries,

Fishing, Guam, Hawaiian Natives,

Indians, Northern Mariana Islands,

Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements.

Dated: June 23, 1998.

David L. Evans,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR part 660 is amended

as follows:

PART 660—FISHERIES OFF WEST

COAST STATES AND IN THE

WESTERN PACIFIC

1. The authority citation for part 660

continues to read as follows:

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

2. Section 660.68 is revised to read as

follows:

§ 660.68 Fishing moratorium on Hancock

Seamount.

Fishing for bottomfish and seamount

groundfish on the Hancock Seamount is

prohibited through August 31, 2004.

[FR Doc. 98–17274 Filed 6–26–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F