[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 18 (Monday, January 28, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4758-4759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 08-343]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 070227048-7091-02]
RIN 0648-XF04


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Prohibition on the Possession of Yellowtail 
Flounder in the U.S./Canada Management Area

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; possession prohibition.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that 100 percent of the Georges Bank (GB) 
yellowtail flounder Total Allowable Catch (TAC) has been harvested, and 
that the Administrator, Northeast (NE) Region, NMFS (Regional 
Administrator), is prohibiting the harvest, possession, and landing of 
GB yellowtail flounder by all federally permitted vessels within the 
entire U.S./Canada Management Area, and maintaining the Eastern U.S./
Canada Area closure to limited access NE multispecies days-at-sea (DAS) 
vessels for the remainder of the 2007 fishing year (through April 30, 
2008). This action is being taken under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
is required by the regulations implementing Amendment 13 to the NE 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and is intended to prevent 
over-harvest of the TAC for GB yellowtail flounder during the 2007 
fishing year.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours local time January 24, 2008, through April 
30, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Grant, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9145, fax (978) 281-9135.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the GB yellowtail 
flounder landing limit within the U.S./Canada Management Area are found 
at Sec.  648.85(a)(3)(iv)(C) and (D). The regulations authorize vessels 
issued a valid Federal limited access NE multispecies permit and 
fishing under a NE multispecies DAS to fish in the U.S./Canada 
Management Area, as defined at Sec.  648.85(a)(1), under specific 
conditions. The TAC for GB yellowtail flounder for the 2007 fishing 
year is 900 mt. The regulations at Sec.  648.85(a)(3)(iv)(D) authorize 
the Regional Administrator to increase or decrease the trip limit in 
the U.S./Canada Management Area to prevent over-harvesting or under-
harvesting the TAC allocation . The regulations at Sec.  
648.85(a)(3)(iv)(C)(3) require the Regional Administrator to prohibit 
the harvesting, possession, and the landing of GB yellowtail flounder 
by all federally permitted vessels within the entire U.S./Canada 
Management Area and close the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to all limited 
access NE multispecies DAS vessels for the remainder of the 2007 
fishing year when 100 percent of the GB yellowtail flounder TAC is 
projected to be caught.
    Based upon the reduced 2007 TAC for GB yellowtail flounder (a 43-
percent reduction from 2006), the GB yellowtail flounder trip limit was 
initially set at 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per trip to prevent over-harvest 
during the 2007 fishing year, and to prevent a premature closure of the 
Eastern U.S./Canada Area, which could result in reduced opportunities 
to fish for GB cod and GB haddock in the Eastern U.S./Canada Area. On 
November 27, 2007, the GB yellowtail flounder trip limit was increased 
to 7,500 lb (3,402 kg) because the 3,000-lb trip (1,361-kg) limit was 
projected to result in under-harvest of the TAC. The 7,500-lb (3,402-
kg) trip limit resulted in an unpredicted high rate of GB yellowtail 
flounder landings, markedly different from the historical fishing 
patterns that formed the basis of the projection. On January 10, 2008, 
the GB yellowtail flounder trip limit was decreased to 1,500 lb (680 
kg) from 7,500 lb (3,402 kg) because the rapid catch rate observed 
since implementing the 7,500-lb (3,402-kg) GB yellowtail flounder trip 
limit (33 percent of the TAC was caught between December 6, 2007, and 
January 3, 2008) was projected to result in the TAC being achieved on 
January 23, 2008.
    Based on Vessel Monitoring System data and other available 
information, as of January 17, 2008, 100 percent of the GB yellowtail 
flounder TAC has been caught. Based on this information, the Regional 
Administrator, in accordance with the regulations at Sec.  
648.85(a)(3)(iv)(C)(3), is prohibiting the harvesting, possession, and 
the landing of GB yellowtail flounder by all federally permitted 
vessels within the entire U.S./Canada Management Area, and closes the 
Eastern U.S./Canada Area to all limited access NE multispecies DAS 
vessels for the remainder of the 2007 fishing year effective 0001 hours 
local time January 24, 2008, through April 30, 2008.

Classification

    This action is authorized by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) and (d)(3), there is good cause 
to waive prior notice and opportunity for public comment, as well as 
the delayed effectiveness for this action, because prior notice and 
comment, and a delayed effectiveness, would be impracticable and 
contrary to the public interest. This action prohibits the harvest, 
possession, and landing of GB yellowtail flounder by all federally 
permitted vessels within the entire U.S./Canada Management Area and 
closes the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to limited access NE multispecies 
DAS vessels for the remainder of the 2007 fishing year (through April 
30, 2008). This action is being taken to prevent the GB yellowtail 
flounder TAC from being exceeded during the 2007 fishing year. This 
action is required by the regulations at 50 CFR 648.85(a)(3)(iv)(C)(3) 
and is non-discretionary. Since 100 percent of the GB yellowtail 
flounder TAC is projected to have been harvested as of January 17, 
2008, there is insufficient time to allow for public notice, comment, 
and delayed effectiveness before the TAC will be exceeded.
    It was not possible to take this action earlier to provide more 
time for public comment because of the rapidly increasing GB yellowtail 
flounder harvest rate, the reduced GB yellowtail flounder TAC, and the 
ability of NMFS to monitor the harvest (the estimate that 100 percent 
of the GB yellowtail flounder TAC had been harvested was not available 
until January 17, 2008). Exceeding the 2007 TAC for GB yellowtail 
flounder would increase mortality of this overfished stock beyond that 
evaluated during the development of Amendment 13 to the FMP, resulting 
in decreased revenue for the NE multispecies fishery, increased 
economic impacts to vessels operating in the U.S./Canada Management 
Area, a reduced chance of achieving optimum yield in the groundfish 
fishery, and unnecessary delays to the rebuilding of this overfished 
stock.
    The potential of prohibiting the harvest, possession, and landing 
of GB yellowtail flounder by all federally

[[Page 4759]]

permitted vessels within the entire U.S./Canada Management Area, and 
closure of the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to limited access NE 
multispecies DAS vessels, for the remainder of the 2007 fishing year 
was announced to the public when the 1,500-lb (680-kg) trip limit was 
implemented on January 10, 2008. The public is able to obtain 
information on the rate of harvest of the GB yellowtail flounder TAC 
via the Northeast Regional Office website (http://www.nero.noaa.gov), 
which provides at least some advanced notice of a potential action to 
prevent the TAC for GB yellowtail flounder from being exceeded during 
the 2007 fishing year. Further, the Regional Administrator's authority 
to prohibit the harvest, possession, and landing of GB yellowtail 
flounder by all federally permitted vessels within the entire U.S./
Canada Management Area, and close the Eastern U.S./Canada Area to 
limited access NE multispecies DAS vessels for the remainder of the 
2007 fishing year, to ensure the shared U.S./Canada stocks of fish are 
not exceeded was considered and open to public comment during the 
development of Amendment 13 and Framework 42 to the FMP. Therefore, any 
negative effect the waiving of public comment and delayed effectiveness 
may have on the public is mitigated by these factors.

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

    Dated: January 23, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 08-343 Filed 1-23-08; 2:50 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S