7136 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 7, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

not subject to a 30-day delay in effective

date and is being made effective

immediately.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 642

Fisheries, Fishing, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: February 1, 1995.

Nancy Foster,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR part 642 is amended

as follows:

PART 642—COASTAL MIGRATORY

PELAGIC RESOURCES OF THE GULF

OF MEXICO AND SOUTH ATLANTIC

1. The authority citation for part 642

continues to read as follows:

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

2. In § 642.7, new paragraph (y) is

added to read as follows:

§ 642.7 Prohibitions.

* * * * *

(y) In the Florida west coast

subzone—

(1) Exceed the trip/possession limit

for king mackerel, as specified in

§ 642.32(b)(1); or

(2) Transfer king mackerel at sea, as

specified in § 642.32(b)(4).

3. In subpart B, new § 642.32 is added

to read as follows:

§ 642.32 Opening of the commercial king

mackerel fishery for Gulf group king

mackerel.

(a) Other provisions of this part 642

notwithstanding, the commercial fishery

for king mackerel for vessels fishing

under an annual vessel permit specified

in § 642.4(a)(1) with hook-and-line gear

in the Florida west coast subzone is

opened under a revised quota of 732,500

lb (332,256 kg) for the 1994–95 fishing

year.

(b) During the opening of the

commercial fishery for Gulf group king

mackerel specified in paragraph (a) of

this section—

(1) King mackerel in or from the EEZ

in the Florida west coast subzone may

not be possessed aboard or landed from

a vessel in a day in quantities exceeding

125 fish. A person who fishes in the

EEZ may not combine this trip/

possession limit with any trip or

possession limit applicable to state

waters;

(2) The provisions of § 642.24(a)(4)

regarding sale of fish after a closure do

not apply to king mackerel harvested by

vessels fishing under an annual vessel

permit specified in § 642.4(a)(1) with

hook-and-line gear in the Florida west

coast subzone.

(3) The provisions of § 642.26(b)

regarding fishing for, retention of, and

sale of fish after a closure do not apply

to king mackerel harvested by vessels

fishing under an annual vessel permit

specified in § 642.4(a)(1) with hook-andline gear in the Florida west coast

subzone; and

(4) A person for whom the trip/

possession limit specified in paragraph

(b)(1) of this section applies may not

transfer at sea from one vessel to

another a king mackerel—

(i) Taken in the EEZ, regardless of

where such transfer takes place; or

(ii) In the EEZ, regardless of where

such king mackerel was taken.

(c) The Assistant Administrator will

close the commercial fishery for king

mackerel for vessels fishing with hookand-line gear in the Florida west coast

subzone when he determines that the

revised quota specified in paragraph (a)

of this section has been reached or is

projected to be reached. The Assistant

Administrator will file a notification of

that date with the Office of the Federal

Register.

(d) For the purposes of this section,

the Florida west coast subzone extends

from the Alabama/Florida boundary

(87°31′06′′ W. long.) to the Dade/

Monroe County, FL, boundary (25°20.4′

N. lat.).

[FR Doc. 95–2893 Filed 2–1–95; 4:58 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

50 CFR Part 672

[Docket No. 941249–4349; I.D. 020295A]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska;

Pollock in Statistical Area 61

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed

fishery for pollock in Statistical Area 61

in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action

is necessary to prevent exceeding the

interim specification for pollock in this

area.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), February 2, 1995, until 12

noon A.l.t., April 1, 1995, unless

superseded by the final 1995

specifications in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew N. Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive

economic zone is managed by the NMFS

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 Magnuson

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act. Fishing by U.S. vessels is governed

by regulations implementing the FMP at

50 CFR parts 620 and 672.

The interim specification of pollock

total allowable catch in Statistical Area

61 was established by interim

specifications (59 FR 65990, December

22, 1994) as 7,595 metric tons (mt),

determined in accordance with

§ 672.20(c)(1)(ii)(A).

The Director of the Alaska Region,

NMFS (Regional Director), has

determined, in accordance with

§ 672.20(c)(2)(ii), that the 1995 interim

specification of pollock in Statistical

Area 61 soon will be reached. The

Regional Director established a directed

fishing allowance of 6,095 mt, and has

set aside the remaining 1,500 mt as

bycatch to support other anticipated

groundfish fisheries. Because of the low

directed fishing allowance and high

interest in the fishery, there will be

insufficient time to collect and analyze

catch data and take appropriate action

to ensure the directed fishing allowance

is not reached. Therefore, based on the

best available information, the Regional

Director has determined that the

directed fishing allowance will be

reached by 12 noon A.l.t., February 2,

1995. Consequently, NMFS is

prohibiting directed fishing for pollock

in Statistical Area 61.

Directed fishing standards for

applicable gear types may be found in

the regulations at § 672.20(g).

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

672.20 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: February 2, 1995.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–2979 Filed 2–2–95; 3:12 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F