Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 148 / Monday, August 3, 1998 /Rules and Regulations 41205

(h) The provisions of this paragraph

do not apply to repeaters that transmit

on the 1.2 cm or shorter wavelength

bands. Before establishing a repeater

within 16 km (10 miles) of the Arecibo

Observatory or before changing the

transmitting frequency, transmitter

power, antenna height or directivity of

an existing repeater, the station licensee

must give notification thereof at least 20

days in advance of planned operation to

the Interference Office, Arecibo

Observatory, Post Office Box 995,

Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00613, in writing

or electronically, of the technical

parameters of the proposal. Licensees

who choose to transmit information

electronically should e-mail to:

prcz@naic.edu

(1) * * *

(2) If an objection to the proposed

operation is received by the FCC from

the Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo,

Puerto Rico, within 20 days from the

date of notification, the FCC will

consider all aspects of the problem and

take whatever action is deemed

appropriate. The licensee will be

required to make reasonable efforts in

order to resolve or mitigate any

potential interference problem with the

Arecibo Observatory.

[FR Doc. 98–20528 Filed 7–31–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 630

[I.D. 072398A]

North Atlantic Swordfish Fishery;

Closure

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS has projected that the

driftnet directed fishery quota of 41.6

metric tons (mt) dressed weight (dw) for

the 1998 North Atlantic swordfish

season (opens August 1, 1998) will be

reached on or before August 12, 1998.

Consequently, NMFS closes the driftnet

directed fishery for the North Atlantic

swordfish management unit, effective

11:30 p.m. on August 14, 1998. All

swordfish must be offloaded by driftnet

vessels by the time of the closure.

DATES: The closure is effective at 11:30

p.m. local time on August 14, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill

Stevenson, (301) 713–2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The North

Atlantic swordfish fishery is managed

under the Fishery Management Plan for

Atlantic Swordfish and its

implementing regulations at 50 CFR part

630 under the authority of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act (16

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and the Atlantic

Tunas Convention Act (ATCA) (16

U.S.C. 971 et seq.). Regulations issued

under the authority of ATCA carry out

the recommendations of International

Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas.

The regulations governing the

Atlantic swordfish fisheries at 50 CFR

630.24 provide for a specified annual

quota to be landed by the driftnet

directed fishery. NMFS is required,

under § 630.25(a)(1), to monitor the

catch and landings statistics and, on the

basis of these statistics, to project a date

when the catch will equal the quota,

and to publish a Federal Register

document announcing the closure at

least 14 days in advance.

The North Atlantic swordfish driftnet

fishery was closed on December 5, 1996,

under an emergency rule to protect the

endangered northern right whale. That

fishery remained closed through

November 26, 1997, while NMFS

considered fishery management

alternatives to reduce bycatch in the

fishery and to address other fishery

management issues. On December 1,

1997 (62 FR 63467), NMFS

implemented a temporary time/area

closure under the authority of the

Endangered Species Act to avoid the

likelihood that this fishery would

jeopardize the continued existence of

the northern right whale. As a result of

these rulemakings, the driftnet fishery

has not operated in the North Atlantic

Ocean for swordfish since the summer

of 1996.

Closure of the Fishery

The average daily landings of

swordfish in the driftnet fishery in the

first semiannual season of 1996 were

greater than 14,000 lb dw (6.4 mt dw).

However, NMFS considered a number

of factors that are likely to slow the

daily catch rates in the 1998 fishery.

Based on previous landings and other

factors, it is expected that the driftnet

directed harvest quota of 41.6 mt dw for

the entire directed fishery (which opens

on August 1, 1998) would be reached on

or about August 12, 1998. To allow for

travel time from the fishing grounds and

time for offloading, NMFS announces

that the directed fishery for swordfish is

closed at 11:30 p.m. on August 14, 1998.

All vessels must be in port and

offloaded on or before this closing date.

This notice provides more than a 14 day

period during which swordfish vessel

owners can plan their fishing and sale

of landings prior to the closure

deadline.

During the closure of the directed

swordfish driftnet fishery, on board a

vessel using or having on board a

driftnet, a person may not fish for

swordfish from the north Atlantic stock,

and no more than 2 swordfish, caught

incidentally while fishing for other

species, may be possessed in the North

Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of

Mexico and Caribbean Sea, north of 5°

N. latitude, or landed in an Atlantic,

Gulf of Mexico, or Caribbean state.

Driftnets are not permitted for use in the

South Atlantic swordfish fishery.

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

630.24 and 50 CFR 630.25 (a) and is

exempt from review under E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: July 28, 1998.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–20538 Filed 7–28–98; 4:33 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F