Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 16, 2001 / Rules and Regulations 27043

determines that the boundaries of a

closed area are not appropriate, or

similar situations occur.

On April 30, 2001, NMFS received a

verified report of 13 northern right

whales, including 4 cow-calf pairs, in

the proximity of 42° 16′N. lat. and 69°

28′W. long. On May 2, 2001, NMFS

received a verified sighting of six

northern right whales, including two

cow-calf pairs, in the proximity of 42°

12′N. lat. and 69° 30′W. long. These

positions lie northeast of Cape Cod in an

area called Wilkinson Basin.

The AA, through this action, restricts

lobster and gillnet gear set in the waters

bounded by: 42° 30′ N. lat. 69° 15′ W.

long. (NE corner); 42° 05′ N. lat. 69° 15′

W. long. (SE corner); 42° 30′ N. lat. 69°

40′ W. long. (NW corner); and 42° 05′ N.

lat. 69° 40′W. long. (SW corner), as

follows: (1) All gillnet gear must be

removed from these waters within 48

hours of filing of this document in the

Federal Register, and no new gear may

be set in this area; (2) for all lobster trap

gear set within this area at least 50

percent of the vertical lines in the water

must be removed within 48 hours of

filing of this document in the Federal

Register, and no new gear may be set in

this area. The restrictions will remain in

effect through May 30, 2001, unless

terminated sooner or extended by the

AA, through another notification in the

Federal Register. This restriction will be

announced to state officials and

fishermen through e-mail, phone

contact, NOAA website, and other

media immediately upon filing with the

Federal Register.

In addition, the AA requests

voluntary compliance from gillnet and

lobster fishermen, with the same

restrictions as mentioned here, for the

precautionary area, which surrounds the

restricted area, in the waters bounded

by: 42° 36′ N. lat., 69° 10′W. long. (NE

corner); 41° 55′ N. lat., 69° 10′ W. long.

(SE corner); 42° 36′N. lat., 69° 45′ W.

long. (NW corner); and 41° 55′N. lat.,

69° 45′W. long. (SW corner). Voluntary

compliance with the measures in this

precautionary area is urged for the same

time period as the restricted area

defined above.

Authority

This action is authorized by section

118 of the Marine Mammal Protection

Act and regulations at 50 CFR

229.32(g)(2).

Dated: May 10, 2001.

William T. Hogarth,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12326 Filed 5–11–01; 1:07 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 010208032–1109–02; I.D.

050801D]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United

States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery;

Commercial Quota Harvested for North

Carolina

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest;

closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the

Atlantic bluefish commercial quota

available to the State of North Carolina

has been harvested. Vessels issued a

commercial Federal fisheries permit for

the Atlantic bluefish fishery may not

land Atlantic bluefish in North Carolina

for the remainder of calendar year 2001,

unless additional quota becomes

available through a transfer. Regulations

governing the Atlantic bluefish fishery

require publication of this notification

to advise the State of North Carolina

that the quota has been harvested and to

advise Federal vessel permit holders

and Federal dealer permit holders that

no commercial quota is available for

landing Atlantic bluefish in North

Carolina.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, May 15,

2001, through 2400 hours, December 31,

2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Myles A. Raizin, Fishery Policy Analyst,

(978) 281–9273.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulations governing the Atlantic

bluefish fishery are found at 50 CFR part

648. The regulations require annual

specification of a commercial quota that

is apportioned on a percentage basis

among the coastal states from North

Carolina through Maine. The process to

set the annual commercial quota and the

percent allocated to each state is

described in § 648.160.

The initial total commercial quota for

Atlantic bluefish for the 2001 calendar

year was set equal to 9,583,010 lb

(4,348,008 kg)(66 FR 23625, May 9,

2001). The percent allocated to vessels

landing Atlantic bluefish in North

Carolina is 32.0608 percent, or

3,072,386 lb (1,394,005 kg).

Section 648.161(b) requires the

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS

(Regional Administrator) to monitor

state commercial quotas and to

determine when a state’s commercial

quota is harvested. NMFS will then

publish a notification in the Federal

Register advising a state and notifying

Federal vessel and dealer permit holders

that, effective upon a specific date, the

state’s commercial quota has been

harvested and no commercial quota is

available for landing Atlantic bluefish in

that state. The Regional Administrator

has determined, based upon dealer

reports and other available information,

that the State of North Carolina has

attained its quota for 2001.

The regulations at § 648.4(b) provide

that Federal permit holders agree as a

condition of the permit not to land

Atlantic bluefish in any state that the

Regional Administrator has determined

no longer has commercial quota

available. Therefore, effective 0001

hours, May 15, 2001, further landings of

Atlantic bluefish in North Carolina by

vessels holding Atlantic bluefish

commercial Federal fisheries permits

are prohibited for the remainder of the

2001 calendar year, unless additional

quota becomes available through a

transfer and is announced in the

Federal Register. Effective 0001 hours,

May 15, 2001, federally permitted

dealers are also advised that they may

not purchase Atlantic bluefish from

federally permitted vessels that land in

North Carolina for the remainder of the

calendar year, or until additional quota

becomes available through a transfer.

Classification

This action is required by 50 CFR part

648 and is exempt from review under

Executive Order 12866.

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

Dated: May 10, 2001.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–12325 Filed 5–11–01; 1:07 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 010112013–1013–01; I.D.

043001B]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish Fisheries

by Vessels Using Hook-and-Line Gear

in the Gulf of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and