38760 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 138 / Monday, July 20, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 971208297–8054–02; I.D.

071398E]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Ocean Perch

in the Central Regulatory Area of the

Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the

Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of

Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary

to prevent exceeding the 1998 total

allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean

perch in this area.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), July 14, 1998, until 2400

hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Furuness, 907–486-6919.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS

manages the groundfish fishery in the

GOA exclusive economic zone

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. Regulations governing

fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance

with the FMP appear at subpart H of 50

CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679.

In accordance with § 679.20(c)(3)(ii),

the Final 1998 Harvest Specifications of

Groundfish for the GOA (63 FR 12027,

March 12, 1998) established the amount

of the 1998 TAC of Pacific ocean perch

in the Central Regulatory Area of the

Gulf of Alaska as 6,600 metric tons (mt).

The directed fishery for Pacific ocean

perch in the Central Regulatory Area

was closed under § 679.20(d)(1)(iii) on

July 6, 1998, (63 FR 37071, July 9, 1998)

and reopened on July 12, 1998, (to be

published on July 16, 1998).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the 1998 TAC for

Pacific ocean perch will be reached.

Therefore, the Regional Administrator is

establishing a directed fishing

allowance of 5,600 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 has been reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch

in the Central Regulatory Area of the

GOA.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

may be found in the regulations at

§ 679.20(e) and (f).

Classification

This action responds to the best

available information recently obtained

from the fishery. It must be

implemented immediately to prevent

overharvesting the 1998 TAC of Pacific

ocean perch for the Central Regulatory

Area of the GOA. A delay in the

effective date is impracticable and

contrary to the public interest. Further

delay would only result in overharvest.

NMFS finds for good cause that the

implementation of this action should

not be delayed for 30 days. Accordingly,

under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a delay in the

effective date is hereby waived.

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: July 14, 1998.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–19160 Filed 7–14–98; 4:04 pm]

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