Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 30, 2001 / Rules and Regulations 29241

2. In § 660.402, the definition ‘‘Pacific

Coast Salmon Plan’’ is added in

alphabetical order to read as follows:

§ 660.402 Definitions.

* * * * *

Pacific Coast Salmon Plan (PCSP or

Salmon FMP) means the Fishery

Management Plan, as amended, for

commercial and recreational ocean

salmon fisheries in the Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ)(3 to 200 nautical

miles offshore) off Washington, Oregon,

and California. The Salmon FMP was

first developed by the Council and

approved by the Secretary in 1978. The

Salmon FMP was amended on October

31, 1984, to establish a framework

process to develop and implement

fishery management actions. Other

names commonly used include: Pacific

Coast Salmon Fishery Management

Plan, West Coast Salmon Plan, West

Coast Salmon Fishery Management

Plan.

* * * * *

3. In § 660.408, the first two sentences

in paragraph (c)(1)(ii), paragraph

(c)(1)(v) and paragraph (c)(1)(v)(A), and

the last sentence in paragraph (c)(1)(vi)

are revised; paragraph (c)(1)(viii) is

redesignated as paragraph (c)(1)(ix), and

paragraph (c)(1)(ix) is redesignated as

paragraph (c)(1)(x) and a new paragraph

(c)(1)(viii) is added to read as follows:

§ 660.408 Annual actions.

* * * * *

(c) * * *

(1) * * *

(ii) Deviations from allocation

schedule. The initial allocation may be

modified annually in accordance with

paragraphs (c)(1)(iii) through (viii) of

this section. These deviations from the

allocation schedule provide flexibility

to account for the dynamic nature of the

fisheries and better achieve the

allocation objectives and fishery

allocation priorities in paragraphs

(c)(1)(ix) and (x) of this section. ***

* * * * *

(v) Recreational allocation. The

recreational allowable ocean harvest of

chinook and coho derived during the

preseason allocation process will be

distributed among the four major

recreational subareas as described in the

coho and chinook distribution sections

below. The Council may deviate from

subarea quotas to meet recreational

season objectives, based on agreement of

representatives of the affected ports

and/or in accordance with section

6.5.3.2 of the Pacific Coast Salmon Plan,

regarding certain selective fisheries.

Additionally, based upon the

recommendation of the recreational

Salmon Advisory Subpanel

representatives for the area north of

Cape Falcon, the Council will include

criteria in its preseason salmon

management recommendations to guide

any inseason transfer of coho among the

recreational subareas to meet

recreational season duration objectives.

(A) Coho distribution. The preseason

recreational allowable ocean harvest of

coho north of Cape Falcon will be

distributed to provide 50 percent to the

area north of Leadbetter Point and 50

percent to the area south of Leadbetter

Point. In years with no fishery in

Washington State management area 4B,

the distribution of coho north of

Leadbetter Point will be divided to

provide 74 percent to the subarea

between Leadbetter Point and the

Queets River (Westport), 5.2 percent to

the subarea between Queets River and

Cape Flattery (La Push), and 20.8

percent to the area north of the Queets

River (Neah Bay). In years when there

is an Area 4B (Neah Bay) fishery under

state management, 25 percent of the

numerical value of that fishery shall be

added to the recreational allowable

ocean harvest north of Leadbetter Point

prior to applying the sharing

percentages for Westport and La Push.

The increase to Westport and La Push

will be subtracted from the Neah Bay

ocean share to maintain the same total

harvest allocation north of Leadbetter

Point. Each of the four recreational port

area allocations will be rounded, to the

nearest hundred fish, with the largest

quotas rounded downward, if necessary,

to sum to the preseason recreational

allowable ocean harvest of coho north of

Cape Falcon.

* * * * *

(vi) Inseason trades and transfers. * *

* Inseason trades or transfers may vary

from the guideline ratio of four coho to

one chinook to meet the allocation

objectives in paragraph (c)(1)(ix) of this

section.

* * * * *

(viii) Selective fisheries. Deviations

from the initial gear and port area

allocations may be allowed to

implement selective fisheries for

marked salmon stocks as long as the

deviations are within the constraints

and process specified in section 6.5.3.2

of the Pacific Coast Salmon Plan.

* * * * *

4. In § 660.410, the section heading

and paragraphs (a) and (b)(1) are revised

to read as follows:

§ 660.410 Conservation objectives.

(a) The conservation objectives are

summarized in Table 3-1 of the Pacific

Coast Salmon Plan.

(b) * * *

(1) A comprehensive technical review

of the best scientific information

available provides conclusive evidence

that, in the view of the Council, the

Scientific and Statistical Committee,

and the Salmon Technical Team,

justifies modification of a conservation

objective; except that the 35,000 natural

spawner floor for Klamath River fall

chinook may be changed only by

amendment.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 01–13431 Filed 5–29–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[Docket No. 010112013–1013–01; I.D.

052301F]

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic

Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by the

Offshore Component in the Western

Regulatory Area in 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 cod by the offshore

component in the Western Regulatory

Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This

action is necessary to prevent exceeding

the Pacific cod A season allowance

specified for the offshore component in

the Western Regulatory Area.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), May 24, 2001, until 2400

hrs, A.l.t., June 10, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Smoker, 907–586–7228.

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.

The 2001 A season Pacific cod TAC

apportioned to vessels catching Pacific

cod for processing by the offshore

component in the Western Regulatory

Area of the GOA is 1,098 metric tons

29242 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 30, 2001 / Rules and Regulations

(mt) as established by the Final 2001

Harvest Specifications and Associated

Management Measures for the

Groundfish Fisheries Off Alaska (66 FR

7276, January 22, 2001). The fishery by

vessels catching Pacific cod for

processing by the offshore component in

the Western Regulatory Area was closed

under § 679.20(d)(1)(i) on April 26,

2001 (66 FR 21691, May 1, 2001) and

reopened on May 18, 2001 (66 FR

28132, May 22, 2001).

In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i),

the Administrator, Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Administrator), has

determined that the 2001 A season

Pacific cod TAC apportioned to vessels

catching Pacific cod for processing by

the offshore component in the Western

Regulatory Area of the GOA will soon

be reached. Therefore, the Regional

Administrator is establishing a directed

fishing allowance of 1,088 mt, and is

setting aside the remaining 10 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 will soon be reached.

Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

directed fishing for the Pacific cod TAC

apportioned to vessels catching Pacific

cod for processing by the offshore

component in the Western 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. The Assistant

Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA,

finds that the need to immediately

implement this action to prevent

exceeding the Pacific cod A season

allowance specified for the offshore

component in the Western Regulatory

Area of the GOA constitutes good cause

to waive the requirement to provide

prior notice opportunity for public

comment pursuant to the authority set

forth at 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) and 50 CFR

679.20(b)(3)(iii)(A), as such procedures

would be unnecessary and contrary to

the public interest. Similarly, the need

to implement these measures in a timely

fashion to prevent exceeding the Pacific

cod A season allowance in the Western

Regulatory Area of the GOA constitutes

good cause to find that the effective date

of this action cannot 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 § 679.20

and is exempt from review under

Executive Order 12866.

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

Dated: May 24, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service

[FR Doc. 01–13517 Filed 5–24–01; 3:13 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S