Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 87 / Friday, May 5, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 22303

INTERSTATE COMMERCE

COMMISSION

49 CFR Parts 1002, 1011, 1160, 1161,

1162 and 1163

[Ex Parte No. 55 (Sub-No. 94); Ex Parte

No. 55 (Sub-No. 86)]

Revision of Application Procedures

and Corresponding Regulations;

Revision of Licensing Application

Forms and Corresponding Regulations

AGENCY: Interstate Commerce

Commission.

ACTION: Policy statement.

SUMMARY: The Commission is

announcing that it no longer will accept

the ‘‘old’’ standard licensing application

form, Authority Application Form OP–1

(Approved by OMB, 3120–0047, Expires

10/1/93), and henceforth will accept

only new Forms OP–1, OP–1(P), OP–

1(W) and OP–1(FF) (Approved by OMB,

3120–0047, Expires 12/97). The

Commission will reject applications

submitted on the ‘‘old’’ form. The

Commission is taking this action in

order for the public and the Commission

to realize the efficiencies available

through use of the shorter and more

accurate new forms.

In addition, the Commission is

announcing that the new forms have

been revised slightly to correct minor

errors and to make them easier for the

public to use. The ‘‘new revised’’ forms

are now available from the Commission.

Because no substantive revisions are

involved, the Commission will continue

to accept both the ‘‘new’’ forms and the

‘‘new revised’’ forms.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This policy statement is

effective June 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Suzanne O’Malley (Office of Public

Assistance) 202–927–7597. [TDD for the

hearing impaired: 202–927–5721.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a

decision served December 9, 1994, the

Commission adopted revised

regulations, as well as new forms, to

implement the Trucking Industry

Regulatory Reform Act (TIRRA), Title II

of the Hazardous Materials

Transportation Act Amendments of

1994, Pub.L. 103–311 (August 26, 1994).

The revised regulations (which further

streamline and simplify the licensing

process and establish a new fee

schedule) and the new forms became

effective on January 1, 1995. The new

forms have been available since then;

however, as a transition measure, the

Commission has continued to accept the

old forms. Nevertheless, applications

submitted on the old Form OP–1 have

been processed under the revised

licensing standards and procedures that

took effect on January 1, 1995.

The old forms request a considerable

amount of information that no longer is

relevant to the licensing standards as

revised by TIRRA. Thus, the old forms

are burdensome to the public and the

Commission, which now have had

ample opportunity to become familiar

with the revised forms and procedures.

In order for the public and the

Commission to benefit fully from the

efficiencies offered by the new forms,

the Commission no longer will accept

applications filed on the old form, and

will reject them. The filing fees

accompanying applications filed on old

forms will be returned, along with the

rejected application. In addition, the

Commission will forward two copies of

an appropriate new form to the sender

of the rejected application.

In addition, since January 1, 1995,

when the new forms began to be used,

several minor technical corrections and

improvements to the forms have been

made. The new revised forms are

available from all Commission Regional

Offices and from the Commission’s

Office of Public Assistance in

Washington, DC.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. 553 and 559; 16 U.S.C.

1456; and 49 U.S.C. 10101, 10305, 10321,

10921, 10922, 10923, 10924, 10928, and

11102.

Decided: May 1, 1995.

By the Commission, Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

Vernon A. Williams,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 95–11132 Filed 5–4–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7035–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 663

[Docket No. 941265–4365; I.D. 041995A]

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery;

Miscellaneous Management Measures

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Modification of annual

specifications and management

measures, and inseason adjustment of

commercial trip landing and

recreational bag limits.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces

adjustments to the annual specifications

and management measures to increase

the harvest guideline for sablefish and

provide conversion factors for lingcod.

NMFS also announces inseason

adjustments to increase the commercial

trip limits for trawl-caught sablefish and

yellowtail rockfish, and to reduce the

recreational bag limit for rockfish off

Washington State. These actions are

authorized by the Pacific Coast

Groundfish Fishery Management Plan

which governs the harvest of groundfish

in the U.S. exclusive economic zone off

the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and

California. These actions are intended to

correct an error in the calculation for the

sablefish harvest guideline, enable the

1995 harvest guidelines for yellowtail

rockfish and the limited entry allocation

for trawl-caught sablefish to be reached,

to reduce fishing effort in the

recreational fishery for black rockfish off

Washington State, and to accommodate

traditional fishing and marketing

practices in the lingcod fishery.

DATES: Effective May 1, 1995, until the

effective date of the 1996 annual

specifications and management

measures, which will be published in

the Federal Register. Comments will be

accepted until May 17, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments on these actions

should be sent to Mr. William Stelle, Jr.,

Director, Northwest Region, National

Marine Fisheries Service, 7600 Sand

Point Way NE., BIN C15700, Bldg. 1,

Seattle, WA 98115–0070; or Ms. Hilda

Diaz-Soltero, Director, Southwest

Region, National Marine Fisheries

Service, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite

4200, Long Beach, CA 90802–4213.

Information relevant to these actions has

been compiled in aggregate form and is

available for public review during

business hours at the office of the

Director, Northwest Region, NMFS

(Regional Director).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William L. Robinson 206–526–6140; or

Rodney R. McInnis 310–980–4040.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

January 4, 1995, NMFS filed 1995

Annual Specifications and Mangement

Measures for Pacific Coast Groundfish

Fishery with the Office of the Federal

Register (60 FR 2331–2344, January 9,

1995). At its April 1995 meeting in

Portland, OR, the Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council)

considered the best available scientific

information, the advice of its advisory

committees, and public testimony

before recommending to NMFS the

following actions adjusting these annual

specifications and measures for

implementation by May 1, 1995, the

beginning of the next period for

cumulative trip limits in the Pacific
22304 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 87 / Friday, May 5, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

groundfish commercial fishery. A

cumulative trip limit is the maximum

amount that may be taken and retained,

possessed, or landed per vessel in a

calendar month, without a limit on the

number of landings or trips.

1. Increase of the Harvest Guideline

for Sablefish. At its October 1994

meeting, the Council recommended the

annual specifications for the 1995

groundfish fishery. These specifications

include the acceptable biological catch

(ABC), harvest guidelines, and limited

entry and open access allocations for

certain species. After the specifications

were announced, an error was

discovered in the calculation of the

sablefish harvest guideline.

At its October 1994 meeting, the

Council was advised that the 1994

sablefish harvest guideline of 7,000

metric tons (mt) north of the Conception

subarea (36° N. lat.) would be exceeded

by 700 mt. In response, the Council

reduced the 1995 harvest guideline by

700 mt, from 7,800 mt to 7,100 mt, to

compensate for the 1994 overage. This

projected overage subsequently was

found to be incorrect due to an error in

calculation. The best available

information at the April 1995 Council

meeting indicated that landings in 1994

were 7,274 mt, less than 4 percent above

the 7,000 mt harvest guideline for

sablefish north of the Conception

subarea (36° N. lat.). This is within the

acceptable range allowed for other

species. Therefore, at its April 1995

meeting, the Council recommended that

the 700–mt deduction to the 1995

harvest guideline be eliminated,

increasing the harvest guideline to 7,800

mt. This increase to the harvest

guideline results in proportional

increases to the limited entry allocation

(which includes trawl and nontrawl

allocations) and to the open access

allocation. The 700–mt increase to the

harvest guideline results in: A 43–mt

increase to the open access allocation

(from 420 mt to 463 mt); a 657–mt

increase to the limited entry allocation

(from 5,900 mt to 6,557 mt); a 383 mt

increase (58 percent) to the limited

entry trawl allocation (from 3,420 mt to

3,803 mt); and a 274–mt increase (42

percent) for the limited entry nontrawl

allocation (from 2,480 mt to 2,754 mt).

No change is made to the tribal treaty

allocation of 780 mt which was

calculated before the 700–mt deduction

to the harvest guideline had been made.

2. Increase of the Limited Entry Trip

Limit for Trawl-Caught Sablefish. The

best available information through

March 18, 1995, projected that the trawl

fishery would land 3,234 mt of sablefish

in 1995, 566 mt (15 percent) below the

revised 3,803–mt limited entry

allocation for the trawl fishery. So that

the trawl allocation could be reached,

the Council recommended that the

limited entry cumulative trip limit for

trawl-caught sablefish be increased by

about 15 percent, from 6,000 lb (2,722

kg) to 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) per vessel per

month coastwide. Sablefish often are

caught with thornyheads and Dover

sole, which are managed together as the

‘‘DTS complex.’’ NMFS expects that

increasing the trip limit will not only

ensure that the trawl allocation is

reached, but also will help divert effort

from shortspine thornyheads, whose

trip limit was reduced on April 1, 1995

(60 FR 16811, April 3, 1995). No change

is made to the cumulative trip limit for

the DTS complex. Also, no change is

made to the nontrawl sablefish fishery,

which is expected to achieve its

allocation by the end of the year.

3. Increase of the Limited Entry Trip

Limits for Yellowtail Rockfish.

Yellowtail rockfish are a component of

the Sebastes complex, which includes

most species of rockfish caught off

Washington, Oregon, and California.

The best available information through

March 18, 1995, projected the catch of

yellowtail rockfish in the Vancouver,

Columbia, and Eureka areas to be 4,607

mt in 1995 (3,661–mt landed catch plus

946–mt discards), 32 percent below the

6,740–mt combined harvest guideline

for these areas. (The Vancouver-Eureka

area is divided into northern and

southern subareas at Cape Lookout, OR

(45°20′15′′ N. lat.), with northern and

southern harvest guidelines, but

projections for each subarea separately

cannot be determined this early in the

year.) Therefore, to allow full

achievement of the harvest guidelines

for yellowtail rockfish, the Council

recommended that the monthly

cumulative trip limits be increased by

about 30 percent, from 14,000 lb (6,350

kg) to 18,000 lb (8,165 kg) north of Cape

Lookout, and from 30,000 lb (13,608 kg)

to 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) between Cape

Lookout and Cape Mendocino (40°30′ N.

lat., which is the southern boundary of

the Eureka subarea). South of Cape

Mendocino, there is no separate trip

limit for yellowtail rockfish, which is

counted toward the 100,000–lb (45,359

kg) cumulative monthly trip limit for

the Sebastes complex (which includes

yellowtail rockfish). Even though the

harvest guidelines for the Sebastes

complex were not projected to be

reached, no change is made to the

cumulative trip limits for the Sebastes

complex because an increase in

yellowtail landings will result in

increased landings of the entire

complex.

4. Reduction of the Recreational Bag

Limit for Rockfish off Washington. At

the March 1995 Council meeting in San

Francisco, CA, the Council was advised

that the State of Washington had

recently decided to reduce its

recreational bag limit for rockfish, and

would be requesting the same change in

Federal waters on the same date, May 1,

1995. The current Federal bag limit,

which is consistent with the previous

State limit, is 15 rockfish per day south

of Leadbetter Point (46°38′10′′ N. lat.) or

12 rockfish per day north of Leadbetter

Point. The requested change is 10

rockfish per day in Federal waters off

Washington State. This reduction in the

bag limit is intended to reduce the

harvest of rockfish (in numbers of fish)

by about 10 percent, and would have

the largest effect on black rockfish

which generally comprise more than 75

percent of the recreational rockfish

catch off Washington State.

Off Washington, black rockfish are

harvested predominantly in the

recreational fishery. (The commercial

fishery for black rockfish off

Washington already has been restricted

by the regulations at 50 CFR

663.23(b)(1)(iii).) Black rockfish appear

to be the only nearshore coastal species

sufficiently abundant to support a

recreational fishery at the current

magnitude. Although there is no

separate harvest guideline for black

rockfish at this time and the suggested

level of removal is more conservative

than for most other rockfish species, the

reduction in the bag limit is intended to

avoid a resource conservation problem

in the future, as well as to maintain

reasonable concentrations of black

rockfish in nearshore areas accessible to

the recreational fishery. This change

also would be more consistent with the

bag limits for black rockfish caught off

Oregon (15 rockfish per day, of which

only 10 may be black rockfish). The

Council concurred with the State of

Washington’s request, and

recommended that the Federal bag limit

for rockfish off Washington be reduced

to 10 rockfish for consistency with state

regulations.

5. Lingcod Length and Weight

Conversions. A Federal trip limit for

commercially caught lingcod was

implemented for the first time in

January 1995 of 20,000 lb (9,072 kg)

cumulative per month. A 22–inch (56

cm, total length) size limit also was

implemented for the commercial and

recreational fisheries, which previously

had applied only to the recreational

fishery off California. After the trip and

size limits were announced, it became

apparent that some fishing operations

had traditionally landed dressed lingcod
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 87 / Friday, May 5, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 22305

‘‘headed-and-gutted.’’ Other individuals

asked to land lingcod eviscerated with

the head left on. ‘‘Heading’’ lingcod is

not allowed under the annual

management measures, which prohibit

retention of fish subject to a size limit

if the total length cannot be determined

(paragraph IV.A.(6) at 60 FR 2341,

January 9, 1995). Therefore, to avoid

disruption of traditional fishing and

marketing practices, a length for

‘‘headed’’ lingcod is needed which

corresponds to the 22–inch (56–cm) size

limit. Similarly, trip limits apply to the

round weight of fish, so a conversion to

a round-weight equivalent is needed for

lingcod that have been gutted, or

headed-and-gutted, before landing.

The Council recommended that the

size limit for lingcod that are ‘‘headsoff’’ be 18 inches (46 cm) based on a

published scientific report by the

Washington Department of Fisheries.

(Washington State has adopted this size

limit for lingcod that are ‘‘heads-off’’;

Oregon and California have not yet

adopted a size for lingcod with the head

removed.) The Council also

recommended that the following

product recovery ratios (PRRs) for

lingcod that is headed-and-gutted or

only eviscerated, taken from an Alaska

Sea Grant Report, be used if the State of

landing has no conversion factors.

(Currently, only Washington has a

conversion factor for headed-and-gutted

lingcod, which is the same as the

conversion factor being adopted in this

document.) A Product Recovery Rate

(PRR) of 1.5 is used to convert the

20,000–lb (9,072 kg) round weight,

cumulative trip limit for lingcod to

13,333 lb (6,048 kg) for headed and

gutted lingcod. A PRR of 1.1 is used to

convert the 20,000–lb (9,072 kg) round

weight, cumulative trip limit to 18,183

lb (8,246 kg) for lingcod that are gutted

with the heads left on.

NMFS Actions

NMFS concurs with the Council’s

recommendations, and, for the reasons

stated above, announces the following

changes to the 1995 fishery

specifications and management

measures published at 60 FR 2331–

2344, January 9, 1995:

1. Sablefish Harvest Guideline. The

weights (in thousands of metric tons) for

sablefish in Table 1 (60 FR 2333) are

revised so that: The sablefish harvest

guideline for the area north of 36° N. lat.

(the Vancouver, Columbia, Eureka, and

Monterey statistical subareas) is

increased from 7.1 to 7.8; the limited

entry allocation is increased from 5.90

to 6.557; and the open access allocation

is increased from 0.42 to 0.463. Also,

footnote f/ to Table 1 is revised to read

as follows: ‘‘f/ The 7,800 mt sablefish

harvest guideline is the 8,700 mt ABC

north of the Conception subarea (north

of 36° N. lat.) reduced by 900 mt for

estimated discards. The 7,800–mt

harvest guideline is reduced by 780 mt

for the treaty tribes before dividing the

remaining 7,020 mt between the limited

entry (6,557 mt) and open access (463

mt) fisheries. The limited entry

allocation is further allocated 58 percent

to the trawl fishery (3,803 mt), and 42

percent to the nontrawl fishery (2,754

mt), both of which are harvest

guidelines. (See the section on trawl and

nontrawl sablefish management for

1995).’’ The ‘‘note’’ under paragraph

IV.E.(3)(a) (at 60 FR 2342) describing the

limited entry gear allocations is revised

to incorporate these new numbers.

2. Increase to the Limited Entry Trip

Limit for Trawl-Caught Sablefish.

Paragraphs IV.E.(3)(b)(ii)(A) and (B)

announcing trip limits for the DTS

complex (60 FR 2342), as modified for

shortspine thornyheads (60 FR 16811,

April 3, 1995), are revised as follows:

IV.E.(3)(b)(ii)(A) North of Cape

Mendocino. The cumulative trip limit

for the DTS complex taken and retained

north of Cape Mendocino is 35,000 lb

(15,876 kg) per vessel per month.

Within this cumulative limit, no more

than 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) may be

sablefish, and no more than 15,000 lb

(6,804 kg) may be thornyheads. No more

than 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) of the

thornyheads may be shortspine

thornyheads.

IV.E.(3)(b)(ii)(B) South of Cape

Mendocino. The cumulative trip limit

for the DTS complex taken and retained

south of Cape Mendocino is 50,000 lb

(22,680 kg) per vessel per month.

Within this cumulative limit, no more

than 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) may be

sablefish, and no more than 15,000 lb

(6,804 kg) may be thornyheads. No more

than 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) of the

thornyheads may be shortspine

thornyheads.

3. Increase to the Limited Entry Trip

Limits for Yellowtail Rockfish.

Paragraphs IV.C.(2)(a)(i) and (ii)

announcing trip limits for the Sebastes

complex (including bocaccio,

yellowtail, and canary rockfish) (60 FR

2342) are revised as follows:

IV.C.(2)(a)(i) North of Cape Lookout.

The cumulative trip limit for the

Sebastes complex taken and retained

north of Cape Lookout is 35,000 lb

(15,876 kg) per vessel per month.

Within this cumulative trip limit for the

Sebastes complex, no more than 18,000

lb (8,165 kg) may be yellowtail rockfish

taken and retained north of Cape

Lookout, and no more than 6,000 lb

(2,722 kg) may be canary rockfish.

IV.C.(2)(a)(ii) Cape Lookout to Cape

Mendocino. The cumulative trip limit

for the Sebastes complex taken and

retained between Cape Lookout and

Cape Mendocino is 50,000 lb (22,680 kg)

per vessel per month. Within this

cumulative trip limit for the Sebastes

complex, no more than 40,000 lb

(18,144 kg) may be yellowtail rockfish

taken and retained between Cape

Lookout and Cape Mendocino, and no

more than 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) may be

canary rockfish.

4. Rockfish Recreational Bag Limit.

Paragraph IV.J.(3) announcing the

recreational bag limits in Federal waters

off the State of Washington (60 FR 2344)

is revised as follows:

IV.J.(3) Washington. The bag limits for

each person engaged in recreational

fishing seaward of the State of

Washington are: Three lingcod per day

no smaller than 22 inches (56 cm) total

length; and 10 rockfish per day.

5. Size Limits. Paragraph IV.A.(6)(60

FR 2341) is revised as follows:

IV.A.(6) Size Limits and Length

Measurement. Total length is measured

from the tip of the snout (mouth closed)

to the tip of the tail (pinched together)

without mutilation of the fish or the use

of additional force to extend the length

of the fish. No fish subject to a size limit

may be retained, if it is in such

condition that its length has been

extended or cannot be determined by

these methods or by the methods in

paragraphs IV.E.(3)(d) for sablefish and

IV.G.(1)(a) for lingcod.

6. Lingcod Size and Weight

Conversions. New paragraphs

IV.G.(1)(a) and (b) are added to

paragraph IV.G.(1) (60 FR 2343) as

follows:

IV.G.(1)(a) Size Conversion. For

lingcod with the head removed, the

minimum size limit, which corresponds

to 22 inches (56 cm) total length for

whole fish, is 18 inches (46 cm)

measured from the origin of the first

dorsal fin (where the front dorsal fin

meets the dorsal surface of the body

closest to the head) to the tip of the

upper lobe of the tail; the dorsal fin and

tail must be left intact.

IV.G.(1)(b) Weight Conversion. The

PRR established by the state where the

fish is or will be landed will be used to

convert the processed weight to round

weight for purposes of applying the trip

limit. (The states’ PRRs may differ and

fishers should contact fishery

enforcement officials in the state where

the fish will be landed to determine that

state’s official PRR.) If a state does not

have a PRR for lingcod that is headed

and gutted, or only gutted, the following

PRRs will be used. To determine the
22306 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 87 / Friday, May 5, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

round weight, multiply the processed

weight times the PRR.

(i) Headed and gutted. The PRR for

headed and gutted lingcod is 1.5.

Therefore, the cumulative trip limit for

headed and gutted lingcod is 13,333.3 lb

(6,048 kg) processed weight per vessel

per month, which corresponds to 20,000

lb (9,072 kg) round weight. (The State of

Washington currently uses a PRR of

1.5.)

(ii) Gutted, with the head on. The PRR

for lingcod that has only been

eviscerated is 1.1. Therefore, the

cumulative trip limit for gutted lingcod

is 18,182 lb (8,246 kg) processed weight

per vessel per month, which

corresponds to 20,000 lb (9,072 kg)

round weight.

7. Introductory Text is Added to

paragraph IV.J.(60 FR 2344) to Clarify

that Length Measurement is the Same in

the Recreational and Commercial

Fisheries.

IV.J. Recreational Fishery. Length

measurement for lingcod is explained at

paragraphs IV.A.(6) and IV.G.(1)(a).

Classification

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 at the

office of the Regional Director,

Northwest Region, (see ADDRESSES)

during business hours. There was an

opportunity for public comment at the

April Council meeting. Supporting

documents were available for public

inspection prior to, and at, the Council

meeting. The Secretary therefore finds

good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to

waive the requirements for publication

of a general notice of proposed

rulemaking. Most actions taken in this

rule relieve restrictions and therefore,

according to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1), are not

subject to the 30-day delayed

effectiveness requirement of the

Administrative Procedure Act. The only

action that does not relieve a restriction

is the reduction in the rockfish bag limit

off the State of Washington. This action,

however, is being implemented by the

State of Washington on May 1, 1995,

and NMFS finds that it is necessary to

have consistent state and Federal bag

limits. NMFS finds that need for

consistency is good cause to waive the

30-day delay in effectiveness under 5

U.S.C. 553(d)(3). This action is taken

under the authority of 50 CFR 663.21(a)

and 50 CFR 663.23(c)(1)(i)(C), (1)(i)(E),

and (3)(B), and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

Dated: May 1, 1995.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director of Office of Fisheries Conservation

and Management, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 95–11128 Filed 5–2–95; 2:44 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 675

[Docket No. 950206040–5040–01; I.D.

042195B]

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands Area; Yellowfin Sole

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed

fishery for yellowfin sole by vessels

using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands management area

(BSAI). This action is necessary to

prevent exceeding the first seasonal

bycatch allowance of Pacific halibut

apportioned to the trawl yellowfin sole

fishery category in the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), May 1, 1995, until 12 noon,

A.l.t., August 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area

(FMP) prepared by the North Pacific

Fishery Management Council under

authority of the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed by

regulations implementing the FMP at 50

CFR parts 620 and 675.

The first seasonal bycatch allowance

of Pacific halibut for the BSAI trawl

yellowfin sole fishery, which is defined

at § 675.21(b)(1)(iii)(B)(1), was

established as 280 metric tons by the

final 1995 initial specifications (60 FR

8479, February 14, 1995).

The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined, in accordance with

§ 675.21(c)(1)(iii), that the first seasonal

bycatch allowance of Pacific halibut

apportioned to the trawl yellowfin sole

fishery in the BSAI has been caught.

Therefore, NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for yellowfin sole by vessels

using trawl gear in the BSAI.

Directed fishing standards for

applicable gear types may be found in

the regulations at § 675.20(h).

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

675.21 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: May 1, 1995.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–11069 Filed 5–1–95; 4:00 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 675

[Docket No. 950206040–5040–01; I.D.

050195B]

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands Area; Greenland

Turbot/Arrowtooth Flounder/Sablefish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed

fishery for species in the Greenland

turbot/arrowtooth flounder/sablefish

fishery category by vessels using trawl

gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands management area (BSAI). This

action is necessary to prevent exceeding

the 1995 Pacific halibut bycatch

mortality allowance apportioned to the

trawl Greenland turbot/arrowtooth

flounder/sablefish fishery category in

the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), May 3, 1995, until 12

midnight, A.l.t., December 31, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area

(FMP) prepared by the North Pacific

Fishery Management Council under

authority of the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed by

regulations implementing the FMP at 50

CFR parts 620 and 675.

The 1995 Pacific halibut bycatch

mortality allowance apportioned to the

trawl Greenland turbot/arrowtooth

flounder/sablefish fishery category,

which is defined at § 675.21(b)(1)(iii)(C),

was established as 120 metric tons by

the 1995 final specifications (60 FR

8479, February 14, 1995).

The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined, in accordance with