Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 8479

could result in industry’s exceeding

these allocations.

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 7, 1995.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 95–3484 Filed 2–8–95; 4:37 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Parts 611, 675, and 676

[Docket No. 950206040–5040–01; I.D.

111494A]

Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea

and Aleutian Islands; Foreign Fishing;

Limited Access Management of

Federal Fisheries In and Off of Alaska;

Final 1995 Harvest Specifications of

Groundfish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Final 1995 specifications of

groundfish and associated management

measures; final rule; technical

amendment; closures.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces final 1995

harvest specifications of total allowable

catches (TACs), initial apportionments

of TACs for each category of groundfish,

and associated management measures in

the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (BSAI). This action is

necessary to establish harvest limits and

associated management measures for

groundfish during the 1995 fishing year.

In addition, this action implements a

technical amendment to update a

directed fishery standard and the

definition of a fishery category to reflect

a change in a BSAI TAC category that

resulted from the annual specification

process. The technical amendment is

necessary to incorporate a change in a

groundfish TAC category to

accommodate other regulations that

limit bycatch amounts of prohibited

species or groundfish species closed to

directed fishing. NMFS also is closing

specified fisheries consistent with the

final 1995 groundfish specifications and

fishery bycatch allowances of prohibited

species. These measures are intended to

conserve and manage the groundfish

resources in the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The final 1995 harvest

specifications are effective on February

8, 1995, through 2400 Alaska local time

(A.l.t.) on December 31, 1995, or until

changed by subsequent notification in

the Federal Register. The closures to

directed fishing are effective on

February 8, 1995, through 2400 A.l.t.,

December 31, 1995. The amendments to

§§ 675.20 and 675.21 are effective on

February 8, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments on directed

fishing closures should be sent to

Ronald J. Berg, Chief, Fisheries

Management Division, Alaska Region,

NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK

99802–1668 (Attn: Lori Gravel). The

final Environmental Assessment

prepared for the 1995 Total Allowable

Catch Specifications may be obtained

from the same address, or by calling

907–586–7229. The final Stock

Assessment and Fishery Evaluation

(SAFE) report is available from the

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council, P.O. Box 103136, Anchorage,

AK 99510 (907–271–2809).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen R. Varosi, NMFS, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Groundfish fisheries in the BSAI are

governed by Federal regulations at 50

CFR part 675 that implement the

Fishery Management Plan for the

Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea

and Aleutian Island area (FMP). Other

applicable regulations are found at 50

CFR 611.93 (foreign fishing) and 50 CFR

part 676 (Limited Access Management

of Federal Fisheries In and Off of

Alaska). The FMP was prepared by the

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council (Council) and approved by

NMFS under the Magnuson Fishery

Conservation and Management Act.

The FMP and implementing

regulations require NMFS, after

consultation with the Council, to

specify annually the apportionments of

prohibited species catch (PSC) limits

among fisheries and seasons

(§ 675.21(b)), the TAC, initial TAC

(ITAC), initial domestic annual harvest

(DAH), and initial total allowable level

of foreign fishing (TALFF) for each

target species and the ‘‘other species’’

category (§ 675.20(a)(2)). The sum of the

TACs must be within the optimum yield

(OY) range of 1.4 million to 2.0 million

metric tons (mt) (§ 675.20(a)(2)).

Specifications set forth in Tables 1–9 of

this action satisfy these requirements.

For 1995, the sum of TACs is 2,000,000

mt.

The proposed BSAI groundfish

specifications and specifications for

prohibited species bycatch allowances

for the groundfish fishery of the BSAI

were published in the Federal Register

on December 14, 1994 (59 FR 64383).

Comments were invited through January

9, 1995. No written comments were

received within the comment period.

Public consultation with the Council

occurred during the Council meeting in

Anchorage, AK, held on December 5–10,

1994. Council recommendations and

biological and economic data that were

available at the Council’s December

meeting were considered in

implementing the final 1995

specifications.

Interim Specifications

Regulations under § 675.20(a)(7)(i)

authorize one-fourth of each proposed

ITAC and apportionment thereof, onefourth of each PSC allowance, and the

first proposed seasonal allowance of

pollock to be in effect on January 1 on

an interim basis and to remain in effect

until superseded by final initial

specifications. NMFS published the

interim 1995 specifications in the

Federal Register on December 14, 1994

(59 FR 64346) and corrected January 30,

1995 (60 FR 5762). The final 1995 initial

groundfish harvest specifications and

prohibited species bycatch allowances

contained in this action supersede the

interim 1995 specifications.

TAC Specifications and Acceptable

Biological Catch (ABC)

The specified TAC for each species is

based on the best available biological

and socioeconomic information. The

Council, its Advisory Panel (AP), and its

Scientific and Statistical Committee

(SSC) reviewed current biological

information about the condition of

groundfish stocks in the BSAI at their

September and December 1994

meetings. This information was

compiled by the Council’s BSAI

Groundfish Plan Team and is presented

in the final 1995 Stock Assessment and

Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report for the

BSAI groundfish fisheries, dated

November 1994. The Plan Team

annually produces such a document as

the first step in the process of specifying

TACs. The SAFE report contains a

review of the latest scientific analyses

and estimates of each species’ biomass

and other biological parameters. From

these data and analyses, the Plan Team

estimates an acceptable biological catch

(ABC) for each species category.

A summary of the preliminary ABCs

for each species for 1995 and other

biological data from the September 1994

draft SAFE report were provided in the

discussion supporting the proposed

1995 specifications. The Plan Team’s

recommended ABCs were reviewed by

the SSC, AP, and Council at their
8480 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

September 1994 meetings. Based on the

SSC’s comments concerning technical

methods and new biological data not

available in September, the Plan Team

revised its ABC recommendations in the

final SAFE report, dated November

1994. The revised ABC

recommendations were again reviewed

by the SSC, AP, and Council at their

December 1994 meetings. While the SSC

endorsed most of the Plan Team’s

recommendations for 1995 ABCs set

forth in the final SAFE report, the SSC

recommended revisions to ABC

amounts calculated for Bogoslof

pollock, Greenland turbot, and Atka

mackerel. The Council adopted the

SSC’s recommendations for the 1995

ABCs. The final ABCs are listed in Table

1.

The Council developed its TAC

recommendations based on the final

ABCs as adjusted for other biological

and socioeconomic considerations,

including maintaining the total TAC in

the required OY range of 1.4–2.0 million

mt. None of the Council’s recommended

TACs for 1995 exceeds the final 1995

ABC for each species category.

Therefore, NMFS finds that the

recommended TACs are consistent with

the biological condition of groundfish

stocks. The final TACs and overfishing

levels for groundfish in the BSAI area

for 1995 are given in Table 1 of this

action.

Apportionment of TAC

As required by § 675.20 (a)(3) and

(a)(7)(i), each species’ TAC initially is

reduced by 15 percent (special

provisions apply to the hook-and-line

and pot gear allocation for sablefish);

this is the ITAC for the species. The sum

of these reductions is the reserve. The

reserve is not designated by species or

species group, and any amount of the

reserve may be reapportioned to a target

species or the ‘‘other species’’ category

during the year, providing that such

reapportionments do not result in

overfishing.

The ITAC for each target species and

the ‘‘other species’’ category at the

beginning of the year is apportioned

between the DAH and TALFF, if any.

Each DAH amount is further

apportioned between two categories of

U.S. fishing vessels. The DAP category

includes U.S. vessels that process their

catch on board or deliver it to U.S. fish

processors. The joint venture processors

(JVP) category includes U.S. fishing

vessels working in joint ventures with

foreign processing vessels authorized to

receive catches in the U.S. exclusive

economic zone.

In consultation with the Council, the

initial amounts of DAP and JVP are

determined by the Director, Alaska

Region, NMFS (Regional Director).

Consistent with the final 1991–94 initial

specifications, the Council

recommended that 1995 DAP

specifications be set equal to ITAC and

that zero amounts of groundfish be

allocated to JVP and TALFF. In making

this recommendation, the Council

considered the capacity of DAP

harvesting and processing operations

and anticipated that 1995 DAP

operations will harvest the full TAC

specified for each BSAI groundfish

species category. The ABCs, TACs,

ITACs, OFLs, and initial

apportionments of groundfish in the

BSAI for 1995 are set out in Table 1.

TABLE 1. FINAL 1995 ACCEPTABLE BIOLOGICAL CATCH (ABC), TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH (TAC), INITIAL TAC (ITAC),

AND OVERFISHING LEVELS OF GROUNDFISH IN THE BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AREAS 1 2

Species ABC TAC ITAC DAP3 4 Over fishing

level

Pollock:

Bering Sea (BS) ........................................................................................ 1,250,000 1,250,000 1,062,500 1,500,000

Aleutian Islands (AI) .................................................................................. 56,600 56,600 48,110 60,400

Bogoslof District ........................................................................................ 22,100 1,000 850 22,100

Pacific cod ........................................................................................................ 328,000 250,000 212,500 390,000

Sablefish BS ..................................................................................................... 1,600 1,600 1,360 .......................

AI ...................................................................................................................... 2,200 2,200 1,870 4,900

Atka mackerel total ........................................................................................... 125,000 80,000 68,000 335,000

Western AI ................................................................................................ 55,600 16,500 14,025 .......................

Central AI .................................................................................................. 55,900 50,000 42,500 .......................

Eastern AI/BS ............................................................................................ 13,500 13,500 11,475 .......................

Yellowfin sole ................................................................................................... 277,000 190,000 161,500 319,000

Rock sole .......................................................................................................... 347,000 60,000 51,000 388,000

Greenland turbot total ...................................................................................... 7,000 7,000 5,950 27,200

BS .............................................................................................................. 4,669 4,669 3,969 .......................

AI ............................................................................................................... 2,331 2,331 1,981 .......................

Arrowtooth flounder .......................................................................................... 113,000 10,227 8,693 138,000

Flathead sole .................................................................................................... 138,000 30,000 25,500 167,000

Other flatfish 5 ................................................................................................... 117,000 19,540 16,609 137,000

Pacific ocean perch.

BS .............................................................................................................. 1,850 1,850 1,573 2,910

AI ............................................................................................................... 10,500 10,500 8,925 15,900

Other red rockfish 6.

BS .............................................................................................................. 1,400 1,260 1,070 1,400

Sharpchin/Northern.

AI ............................................................................................................... 5,670 5,103 4,338 5,670

Shortraker/Rougheye.

AI ............................................................................................................... 1,220 1,098 933 1,220

Other rockfish 7:

BS .............................................................................................................. 365 329 280 365

AI ............................................................................................................... 770 693 589 770

Squid ................................................................................................................ 3,110 1,000 850 3,110

Other Species 8 ................................................................................................ 27,600 20,000 17,000 136,000
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 8481

TABLE 1. FINAL 1995 ACCEPTABLE BIOLOGICAL CATCH (ABC), TOTAL ALLOWABLE CATCH (TAC), INITIAL TAC (ITAC),

AND OVERFISHING LEVELS OF GROUNDFISH IN THE BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AREAS 1 2—Continued

Species ABC TAC ITAC DAP3 4 Over fishing

level

Totals ..................................................................................................... 2,836,985 2,000,000 1,700,000 3,655,945

1Amounts are in metric tons. These amounts apply to the entire Bering Sea (BS) and Aleutian Islands (AI) area unless otherwise specified.

With the exception of pollock and for the purpose of these specifications, the BS includes the Bogoslof district. 2Zero amounts of groundfish are specified for Joint Venture Processing (JVP) and Total Allowable Level of Foreign Fishing (TALFF).

3Except for the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to hook-and-line and pot gear, 0.15 of each TAC is put into a reserve. For the portion of

the sablefish TAC allocated to vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear, .20 of the allocated TAC is reserved for use by Community Development

Quota participants. The ITAC for each species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves. 4 DAP = domestic annual processing = ITAC.

5 ‘‘Other flatfish’’ includes all flatfish species except for Pacific halibut (a prohibited species) and all other flatfish species that have a separate

specified TAC amount. 6 ‘‘Other red rockfish’’ includes shortraker, rougheye, sharpchin, and northern.

7 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, sharpchin, northern, shortraker and

rougheye. 8 ‘‘Other species’’ includes sculpins, sharks, skates, eulachon, smelts, capelin, and octopus.

The SSC’s revisions to the ABCs

recommended by the Plan Team for

Bogoslof pollock, Greenland turbot, and

Atka mackerel are discussed below.

Bogoslof pollock. The Plan Team

indicated in the final 1995 SAFE report

that the current estimate of biomass of

Aleutian Basin pollock (442,000 mt) is

the best estimate, assuming that no

recruitment to the stock has occurred

and that the natural mortality rate (M)

is 0.2. Reassessment of the Bogoslof area

hydroacoustic survey with new

threshold levels of abundance has not

changed previous conclusions that this

stock has continued to decrease since

1988. The Plan Team lacks conclusive

data that Bogoslof pollock are an

independent stock that is self

sustaining. Recruitment to the Aleutian

Basin is most likely coming from

another area from the surrounding

continental shelf. To the extent that this

recruitment may not be the progeny of

Bogoslof spawners, the Plan Team

assumed no recruitment will occur in

1995, and projected a biomass for 1995

of 442,000 mt using M=0.2. The Plan

Team then calculated the F0.35

exploitation rate of 0.26 to derive an

ABC of 115,000. However, the SSC

continued the policy of adjusting the

exploitation rate downward by M/4, or

.05, in proportion to the ratio of current

biomass to optimal biomass. This leads

to an ABC of 22,100. Due to lack of

recruitment predicted for 1995, the

Council recommended a TAC of 1,000

mt to provide for bycatch in other

groundfish operations. That

recommendation is adopted in these

final specifications (Table 1).

Greenland turbot. The Plan Team

used the stock synthesis model to

estimate the ABC, which was updated

with 1994 catch and survey data.

Similar to last year, the Plan Team used

a more conservative exploitation rate of

F0.40 and an increased slope survey

catchability coefficient of 0.75, due to

the lack of recruitment. These

parameters resulted in a conservative

ABC of 18,500 mt. Continued poor

recruitment and stock abundance levels

lead the SSC to recommend a

continuation of the present 7,000 mt

ABC for this species. The SSC further

recommended that the ABC be split into

two apportionments: Two-thirds to the

eastern Bering Sea, and one-third to the

Aleutian Islands. This resulted in ABCs

of 4,669 mt and 2,331 mt, respectively.

This recommendation is intended to

spread fishing effort over a larger area to

avoid localized depletion. The Council

concurred with the SSC’s

recommendation for ABC and set the

TAC equal to ABC. That

recommendation is adopted in these

final specifications.

Atka mackerel. The Plan Team was

not able to assess the current Atka

mackerel stock level and the magnitude

of the incoming year classes because

data from the 1994 trawl survey and age

composition of the 1993 fishery were

not available. As a result, the Plan

Team’s recommended ABC (245,000 mt)

was unchanged from 1994. Since 1992,

the SSC has been apprehensive about

possible environmental problems that

may result from an increased catch of

the magnitude implied by the Plan

Team’s estimate of ABC. Atka mackerel

is a prey species of northern fur seals (a

depleted species under the Marine

Mammal Protection Act) and Steller sea

lions (a threatened species under the

Endangered Species Act). During their

migrations, northern fur seals feed

heavily on Atka mackerel as they move

through the Aleutian passes. Therefore,

since 1992, the SSC has recommended

phasing in the Plan Team’s estimate of

ABC over a 6-year period by adopting

the Plan Team’s biomass estimate

(832,000 mt for 1995), and raising the

exploitation rate in steps. These

incremental steps are as follows: (M)(1/

6) in 1992, (M)(2/6) in 1993, (M)(3/6) in

1994, (M)(4/6) in 1995, (M)(5/6) in 1996,

and M in 1997. However, due to current

uncertainty about the stock status, the

SSC recommends that the stairstep be

frozen at the level used to reduce the

calculated ABC for 1994. According to

this revised schedule, the recommended

ABC for 1995 is (0.30/

2)(832,000)=125,000 mt. The main

purpose of this approach is to postpone

a large ABC increase until data are

available to evaluate the phase-in

policy.

The Council recommended an 80,000

mt TAC for Atka mackerel in the BSAI

in 1995. Based on the authority

provided by Amendment 28 to the FMP,

the Council recommended the following

apportionment of the TAC for Atka

mackerel among the Aleutian Islands

(AI) management districts and the

Bering Sea relative to survey biomass

distribution estimates: 16,500 mt in the

western AI district; 50,000 mt in the

central AI district; and 13,500 mt in the

eastern AI district and Bering Sea

combined. These recommendations are

adopted in these final specifications

(Table 1).

Apportionment of the Pollock TAC to

the Inshore and Offshore Components

Regulations at § 675.20(a)(2)(iii)

require that the 1995 pollock ITAC

specified for the BSAI be allocated 35

percent to vessels catching pollock for

processing by the inshore component

and 65 percent to vessels catching

pollock for processing by the offshore

component. Definitions of these

components are found at § 675.2. The

1995 ITAC specifications are consistent

with these requirements (Table 2).

Seasonal Allowances of Pollock TAC

Under § 675.20(a)(2)(ii), the TAC of

pollock for each subarea or district of
8482 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

the BSAI area is divided, after

subtraction of reserves (§ 675.20(a)(3)),

into two allowances. The first allowance

will be available for directed fishing

from January 1 to April 15 (roe season).

The second allowance will be available

from August 15 through the end of the

fishing year (non-roe season).

The Council recommended that the

1995 seasonal allowances of pollock be

set at the same relative levels as in 1993

and 1994 with 45 percent of the pollock

ITAC specified for each management

subarea or district during the roe season

and 55 percent during the non-roe

season. Although the Council is

authorized under § 675.20(a)(7)(ii) to

recommend seasonal allowances of the

1995 CDQ pollock reserve, it did not

take such action at its December 1994

meeting. Therefore, NMFS is limiting

the 1995 fishery to 45 percent of the

CDQ reserve during the roe season,

consistent with the seasonal split

recommended by the Council for the

inshore/offshore pollock fisheries (Table

2).

When specifying seasonal allowances

of the pollock TAC, the Council and

NMFS consider the factors as specified

in Section 14.4.10 of the FMP and

discussed in the proposed specifications

(59 FR 64383), December 14, 1994).

A discussion of these factors relative

to the roe and non-roe seasonal

allowances (45 and 55 percent of the

TAC, respectively) was presented in the

final 1993 specifications for BSAI

groundfish (58 FR 8703, February 17,

1993). Considerations under these

factors remain unchanged from 1993

and 1994, given that the relative

seasonal allowances for 1993, 1994, and

1995 are the same.

Apportionment of Pollock TAC to the

Nonpelagic Trawl Gear Fishery

Regulations under § 675.24(c)(2)

authorize NMFS, in consultation with

the Council, to limit the amount of

pollock TAC that may be taken in the

directed fishery for pollock using

nonpelagic trawl gear. This authority is

intended to reduce the amount of

halibut and crab bycatch that occurs in

nonpelagic trawl operations.

The Council did not recommend

limiting the amount of pollock TAC that

may be taken in the 1995 directed

fishery for pollock by vessels using

nonpelagic trawl gear, given that

regulations at § 675.7 appear to limit

effectively the bycatch of halibut and

crab when directed fishing for pollock

with nonpelagic trawl gear is closed.

NMFS concurs with the Council’s

recommendation, and no limit on the

amount of pollock TAC that may be

taken in the directed fishery for pollock

using nonpelagic trawl gear is specified.

TABLE 2.—SEASONAL ALLOWANCES OF THE INSHORE AND OFFSHORE COMPONENT ALLOCATIONS OF POLLOCK TACS 1 2

Subarea TAC ITAC 3 Roe season 4 Non-roe season 5

Bering Sea:

Inshore ...................................................................................................... ....................... 371,875 167,344 204,531

Offshore ..................................................................................................... ....................... 690,625 310,781 379,844

1,250,000 1,062,500 478,125 584,375

Aleutian Islands:

Inshore ...................................................................................................... ....................... 16,838 16,838 (6)

Offshore ..................................................................................................... ....................... 31,272 31,272 (6)

56,600 48,110 48,110 (6)

Bogoslof:

Inshore ...................................................................................................... ....................... 298 298 (6)

Offshore ..................................................................................................... ....................... 552 552 (6)

1,000 850 850 (6)

1TAC = total allowable catch.

2Based on an offshore component allocation of 0.65(TAC) and an inshore component allocation of 0.35(TAC).

3 ITAC = initial TAC = 0.85 of TAC.

4 January 1 through April 15—based on a 45/55 split (roe = 45 percent).

5August 15 through December 31—based on a 45/55 split (non-roe = 55 percent).

6 Remainder.

Apportionment of the Pollock TAC to

the Western Alaska Community

Development Quota

Regulations at § 675.20(a)(3)(ii)

require one-half of the pollock TAC

placed in the reserve for each subarea or

district, or 7.5 percent of each TAC, be

assigned to a Community Development

Quota (CDQ) reserve for each subarea or

district. The 1995 CDQ reserve amounts

for each subarea are as follows:

BSAI subarea Pollock

CDQ

Bering Sea .............................. 93,750 mt

Aleutian Islands ...................... 4,245 mt

Bogoslof .................................. 75 mt

Total ................................. 98,070 mt

Under regulations governing the CDQ

program at § 675.27, NMFS may allocate

the 1995 pollock CDQ reserves to

eligible Western Alaska communities or

groups of communities that have an

approved community development plan

(CDP). NMFS has approved six CDP’s

and associated percentages of the CDQ

reserve for each CDP recipient for 1994–

95 (58 FR 61031, November 19, 1993).

Table 3 lists the approved CDP

recipients, and each recipient’s

allocation of the 1995 pollock CDQ

reserve for each subarea.

TABLE 3.—APPROVED SHARES (PERCENTAGES) AND RESULTING ALLOCATIONS AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES (METRIC

TONS) OF THE 1995 POLLOCK CDQ RESERVE SPECIFIED FOR THE BERING SEA (BS) AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (AI)

SUBAREAS, AND THE BOGOSLOF DISTRICT (BD) AMONG APPROVED CDP RECIPIENTS

CDP recipient Percent Area Allocation Roe-season

allowance1

Aleutian Pribilof .................................................................................................................. 18 BS 16,875 7,594
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 8483

TABLE 3.—APPROVED SHARES (PERCENTAGES) AND RESULTING ALLOCATIONS AND SEASONAL ALLOWANCES (METRIC

TONS) OF THE 1995 POLLOCK CDQ RESERVE SPECIFIED FOR THE BERING SEA (BS) AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (AI)

SUBAREAS, AND THE BOGOSLOF DISTRICT (BD) AMONG APPROVED CDP RECIPIENTS—Continued

CDP recipient Percent Area Allocation Roe-season

allowance1

Island Community ....................................................................................................... ................... AI 764 ...................

Development Assn ..................................................................................................... ................... BD 14 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 17,653 ...................

Bristol Bay Economic ......................................................................................................... 20 BS 18,750 8,437

Development Corp ...................................................................................................... ................... AI 849 ...................

................... BD 15 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 19,614 ...................

Central Bering Sea ............................................................................................................ 8 BS 7,500 3,375

Fishermen’s Assn ....................................................................................................... ................... AI 340 ...................

................... BD 6 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 7,846 ...................

Coastal Villages ................................................................................................................. 27 BS 25,312 11,390

Fishing Coop .............................................................................................................. ................... AI 1,146 ...................

................... BD 20 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 26,478 ...................

Norton Sound ..................................................................................................................... 20 BS 18,750 8,438

Fisheries Development ...................................................................................................... ................... AI 849 ...................

Assn ................................................................................................................................... ................... BD 15 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 19,614 ...................

Yukon Delta Fisheries ....................................................................................................... 7 BS 6,563 2,953

Development Assn ..................................................................................................... ................... AI 297 ...................

................... BD 5 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ ................... .................. 6,865 ...................

Total ........................................................................................................................ 100 .................. 98,070 42,182

1 No more than 45 percent of a CDP recipient’s 1995 pollock allocation may be harvested during the pollock roe season, January 1 through

April 15.

Allocation of the Pacific Cod TAC

Under § 675.20(a)(2)(iv), 2 percent of

the Pacific cod ITAC is allocated to

vessels using jig gear, 44 percent to

vessels using hook-and-line or pot gear,

and 54 percent to vessels using trawl

gear. At its December 1994 meeting, the

Council recommended a seasonal

apportionment of the portion of the

Pacific cod TAC allocated to the hookand-line gear fisheries. The seasonal

apportionments are intended to provide

for the harvest of Pacific cod when flesh

quality and market conditions are

optimum and Pacific halibut bycatch

rates are low. The Council’s

recommendations for seasonal

apportionments are based on: (1)

Seasonal distribution of Pacific cod

relative to prohibited species

distributions, (2) expected variations in

prohibited species bycatch rates

experienced in the Pacific cod fisheries

throughout the year, and (3) economic

effects of any seasonal apportionment of

Pacific cod on the hook-and-line and

pot gear fisheries. The seasonal

allocation of the Pacific cod ITAC is

specified in Table 4.

TABLE 4.—1995 GEAR SHARES OF THE BSAI PACIFIC COD INITIAL TAC

Gear Percent

TAC

Share ITAC

(mt)

Seasonal apportionment

Date Percent Amount (mt)

Jig ...................................................................................................... 2 4,250 Jan 1 ................. 100 4,250

Hook-and-line/pot gear ..................................................................... 44 93,500 Jan 1–Apr 30 .... 73 1 68,000

................... ................... May 1–Aug 31 .. 19 18,000

................... ................... Sep 1–Dec 31 ... 8 7,500

Trawl gear ......................................................................................... 54 114,750 Jan 1 ................. 100 114,750

Total ....................................................................................... 100 212,500 ........................... ................... ...................

1Any portion of the first seasonal apportionment that is not harvested by the end of the first season will become available on September 1, the

beginning of the third season.

Sablefish Gear Allocation and CDQ

Allocations for Sablefish

Regulations at § 675.24(c)(1) require

that sablefish TACs for BSAI subareas

be divided between trawl and hook-andline/pot gear types. Gear allocations of

TACs are specified in the following

proportions: Bering Sea subarea: Trawl

gear—50 percent; hook-and-line/pot

gear—50 percent, and Aleutian Islands

subarea: trawl gear—25 percent; hookand-line/pot gear—75 percent. In

addition, regulations under § 676.24(b)

require NMFS to withhold 20 percent of

the hook-and-line and pot gear sablefish

allocation as sablefish CDQ reserve. To

accommodate the CDQ reserve and

allow for the issuance of 1995 sablefish

individual fishing quotas (IFQs), NMFS

is releasing reserves to make the full

amount of the 1995 sablefish TACs

available early in the fishing year. Gear

allocations and CDQ shares of sablefish

TACs are specified in Table 5.
8484 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

TABLE 5.—1995 GEAR AND CDQ SHARES OF BSAI SABLEFISH TAC

Area (mt) Gear Percent of

TAC

Share of

TAC (mt)

Share of

ITAC (mt) 1

Share of

CDQ

BS ............................................................. Trawl ......................................................... 50 800 800 N/A

Hook-and-line/Pot 2 ................................... 50 800 640 160

AI ............................................................... Trawl ......................................................... 25 550 550 N/A

Hook-and-line/Pot ..................................... 75 1,650 1,320 330

Total ............................................... ................................................................... ................... 3,800 3,310 490

1 Reserve added to ITAC.

2For the portion of the sablefish TAC allocated to vessels using hook-and-line gear or pot gear, 20 percent of the allocated TAC is reserved

for use by CDQ participants. The ITAC for each species is the remainder of the TAC after the subtraction of these reserves.

Sablefish CDP Allocations

On November 25, 1994, NMFS

approved the 1995–97 Community

Development Plans (CDPs) for the 1995–

97 sablefish CDQ program. The

percentages of CDQ fixed gear sablefish

allocation for each approved CDP were

published in the Federal Register on

December 2, 1994 (59 FR 61877). The

resulting 1995 allocations of sablefish to

the approved CDPs are listed in Table 6.

TABLE 6.—APPROVED SHARES (PERCENTAGES) AND RESULTING ALLOCATIONS (MT) OF THE 1995 SABLEFISH CDQ RESERVE SPECIFIED FOR THE BERING SEA (BS) AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS (AI) SUBAREAS AMONG APPROVED CDP RECIPIENTS

CDP recipient

Sablefish

Amount (mt)

Area Percent

Atka Fishermen’s Association ................................................................................................................... BS ............ 0 0

AI ............. 0 0

Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp ................................................................................................. BS ............ 0 0

AI ............. 25 82.5

Coastal Villages Fishing Cooperative ........................................................................................................ BS ............ 0 0

AI ............. 25 82.5

Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation ................................................................................. BS ............ 25 40

AI ............. 30 99

Pribilof Island Fishermen ........................................................................................................................... BS ............ 0 0

AI ............. 0 0

Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association ..................................................................................... BS ............ 75 120

AI ............. 10 33

Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development Association ................................................................ BS ............ 0 0

AI ............. 10 33

Total ................................................................................................................................................ BS ............ 100 160

AI ............. 100 330

Allocation of Prohibited Species Catch

(PSC) Limits for Crab, Halibut, and

Herring

PSC limits of red king crab and C.

bairdi Tanner crab in Bycatch

Limitation Zones (50 CFR 675.2) of the

Bering Sea subarea, and for Pacific

halibut throughout the BSAI specified

under § 675.21(a). The PSC limits are:

—Zone 1 trawl fisheries, 200,000 red

king crabs;

—Zone 1 trawl fisheries, 1 million C.

bairdi Tanner crabs;

—Zone 2 trawl fisheries, 3 million C.

bairdi Tanner crabs;

—BSAI trawl fisheries, 3,775 mt

mortality of Pacific halibut;

—BSAI nontrawl fisheries, 900 mt

mortality of Pacific halibut; and

—BSAI trawl fisheries, 1,861 mt Pacific

herring.

The PSC limit of Pacific herring

caught while conducting any trawl

operation for groundfish in the BSAI is

1 percent of the annual eastern Bering

Sea herring biomass. The best estimate

of 1995 herring biomass is 186,100 mt.

This amount was derived using 1994

survey data and an age-structured

biomass projection model developed by

the Alaska Department of Fish and

Game. Therefore, the herring PSC limit

for 1995 is 1,861 mt.

Regulations at § 675.21(b)(2) authorize

the apportionment of the non-trawl

halibut PSC limit among three fishery

categories (Pacific cod hook-and-line

fishery, groundfish pot gear fishery, and

other non-trawl fisheries). The PSC

allowances are listed in Table 7. In

general, the fishery bycatch allowances

listed in Table 7 reflect the

recommendations made to the Council

by its AP. These recommendations were

based on 1994 bycatch amounts,

anticipated 1995 harvest of groundfish

by trawl gear and fixed gear, and

assumed halibut mortality rates in the

different groundfish fisheries based on

analyses of 1992–93 observer data.

The Council recommended

continuing to exempt groundfish pot

gear fisheries from halibut bycatch

restrictions during 1995. In 1994, total

groundfish catch for the pot gear fishery

in the BSAI was approximately 8,500 mt

with an associated halibut bycatch of 58

mt, or less than 5 mt bycatch mortality,

using the mortality rate recommended

for 1995 (8 percent). The Council

recommended that pot gear be exempt

from halibut-bycatch restrictions

because (1) potential exists for halibutbycatch mortality in the Greenland

turbot or sablefish hook-and-line

fisheries to require closure of the pot

gear fishery if the halibut-bycatch

allowance is reached, and (2) the

groundfish pot gear fishery uses a

selective gear type that experiences very

low halibut bycatch mortality.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 8485

The Council also recommended

exempting the BSAI jig gear fishery and

the sablefish hook-and-line gear fishery

from halibut-bycatch restrictions. A

proposed rule was published by NMFS

on December 29, 1994 (59 FR 67268)

which, if approved, would provide the

authority to determine annually

whether to apportion the halibutbycatch limit to the groundfish jig gear

fishery or the sablefish hook-and-line

fishery or to exempt these fisheries from

halibut-bycatch restrictions. At its

December 1994, meeting, the Council

recommended that the 1995 BSAI

groundfish jig gear fishery and the

sablefish hook-and-line gear fishery be

exempt from halibut-bycatch

restrictions. The final rule, if approved,

would specify the Council’s

recommended exemptions.

TABLE 7.—FINAL 1995 PROHIBITED SPECIES BYCATCH ALLOWANCES FOR THE BSAI TRAWL AND NONTRAWL FISHERIES.

Trawl fisheries Zone 1 Zone 2 BSAI-wide

Red king crab, number of animals:

Yellowfin sole ........................................................................................................................ 50,000 ....................... .......................

Rcksol/flatsol/othflat 1 ............................................................................................................ 110,000 ....................... .......................

Turb/arrow/sab 2 .................................................................................................................... 0 ....................... .......................

Rockfish ................................................................................................................................ 0 ....................... .......................

Pacific cod ............................................................................................................................. 10,000 ....................... .......................

Plck/Atka/othr 3 ...................................................................................................................... 30,000 ....................... .......................

Total ................................................................................................................................... 200,000 ....................... .......................

C. bairdi Tanner crab, number of animals:

Yellowfin sole ........................................................................................................................ 225,000 1,525,000 .......................

Rcksol/flatsol/othflat .............................................................................................................. 475,000 510,000 .......................

Turb/arrow/sab ...................................................................................................................... 0 5,000 .......................

Rockfish ................................................................................................................................ 0 10,000 .......................

Pacific cod ............................................................................................................................. 225,000 260,000 .......................

Plck/Atka/othr ........................................................................................................................ 75,000 690,000 .......................

Total ................................................................................................................................... 1,000,000 3,000,000 .......................

Pacific halibut, mortality (mt):

Yellowfin sole ........................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 750

Rcksol/flatsol/othflat .............................................................................................................. ....................... ....................... 690

Turb/arrow/sab ...................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 120

Rockfish ................................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 110

Pacific cod ............................................................................................................................. ....................... ....................... 1,550

Plck/Atka/othr ........................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 555

Total ................................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 3,775

Pacific herring, mt:

Midwater pollock ................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 1,345

Yellowfin sole ........................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 315

Rcksol/flatsol/othflat .............................................................................................................. ....................... ....................... 0

Turb/arrow/sab ...................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 0

Rockfish ................................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 8

Pacific cod ............................................................................................................................. ....................... ....................... 24

Plck/Atka/othr 4 ...................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 169

Total ................................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 1,861

Non-trawl fisheries ....................... ....................... .......................

Pacific halibut, mortality (mt)

Pacific cod .................................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 725

Other non-trawl ............................................................................................................................ ....................... ....................... 175

Groundfish pot gear ..................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... (5)

Total ................................................................................................................................... ....................... ....................... 900

1 Rock sole, flathead sole, and other flatfish fishery category.

2Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish fishery category.

3Pollock, Atka mackerel, and ‘‘other species’’ fishery category.

4Pollock other than midwater pollock, Atka mackerel, and ‘‘other species’’ fishery category.

5Exempt.

Seasonal Apportionments of PSC Limits

Regulations at § 675.21(b)(3) authorize

NMFS, after consultation with the

Council, to establish seasonal

apportionments of prohibited species

bycatch allowances among the fisheries

to which bycatch has been apportioned.

Under § 675.21(b)(3), such an

apportionment must be based on certain

types of information. See the discussion

in the proposed specifications (59 FR

64383, December 14, 1994).

At its December 1994 meeting, the

Council recommended that the halibut

bycatch allowances listed in Table 7 be

seasonally apportioned as shown in

Table 8, for yellowfin sole, rock sole/

flathead sole/other flatfish, rockfish, and

pollock/Atka mackerel/‘‘other species’’

fishery categories. The recommended

seasonal apportionments reflect

recommendations made to the Council

by its AP.
8486 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

The Council recommended seasonal

apportionments of the halibut bycatch

allowances specified for the yellowfin

sole, and rocksole, flathead sole, and

other flatfish categories to provide

additional fishing opportunities in the

BSAI early in the year and to reduce the

incentive for trawl vessel operators to

move from the BSAI to the Gulf of

Alaska after the rock sole roe fishery is

closed, typically at the end of February.

The AP’s recommended seasonal

apportionment of the halibut bycatch

allowance for the pollock/Atka

mackerel/’’other species’’ fishery

category is based on the seasonal

allowances of the Bering Sea pollock

ITAC recommended for the roe and nonroe seasons, and the assumption that

most of the pollock taken during the roe

season will be taken with pelagic trawl

gear with reduced halibut bycatch rates.

The AP recommended seasonal

apportionment of the halibut bycatch

allowance for the Pacific cod fishery

based on: (1) Anticipation that the

proposed rule published in the Federal

Register on December 29, 1994 (59 FR

67268) would exempt the BSAI jig gear

fishery and the sablefish hook-and-line

gear fishery from halibut-catch

restrictions, and (2) the Council’s desire

to limit a hook-and-line fishery for

Pacific cod during summer months

when halibut bycatch rates are high.

Seasonal apportionments of the halibut

bycatch allowances for 1995 are

specified in Table 8.

TABLE 8.—FINAL SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS OF THE 1995 PACIFIC

HALIBUT BYCATCH MORTALITY ALLOWANCES FOR THE BSAI TRAWL

AND NON-TRAWL FISHERIES.

Fishery

Seasonal

bycatch

mortality allowance (mt

halibut)

Trawl gear:

Yellowfin sole:

Jan. 20–Jul. 31 ..................... 280

Aug. 01–Dec. 31 ................... 470

Total ............................... 750

Rock sole/flathead sole/‘‘other

flatfish’’:

Jan. 20–Mar. 31 .................... 428

Apr. 01–Jun. 30 .................... 180

Jul. 01–Dec. 31 ..................... 82

Total ............................... 690

Turbot/arrowtooth flounder/sablefish Total ........................... 120

Rockfish:

Jan. 20–Mar. 31 .................... 30

Apr. 01–Jun. 30 .................... 60

TABLE 8.—FINAL SEASONAL APPORTIONMENTS OF THE 1995 PACIFIC

HALIBUT BYCATCH MORTALITY ALLOWANCES FOR THE BSAI TRAWL

AND NON-TRAWL FISHERIES.—Continued

Fishery

Seasonal

bycatch

mortality allowance (mt

halibut)

Jul. 01–Dec. 31 ..................... 20

Total ............................... 110

Pacific cod:

Jan. 20–Oct. 24 .................... 1,450

Oct. 25–Dec. 31 .................... 100

Total ............................... 1,550

Pollock/Atka mackerel/‘‘other

species’’:

Jan. 20–Apr. 15. ................... 455

Apr. 15–Dec. 31 .................... 100

Total ............................... 555

Total Trawl Halibut Mortality ............................ 3,775

Non-trawl gear

Pacific cod:

Jan. 01–Apr. 30 .................... 475

May 01–Aug. 31 .................... 40

Sep. 01–Dec. 31 ................... 210

Total ............................... 725

Other non-trawl ......................... 175

Groundfish pot .......................... (1)

Total Non-trawl Halibut

Mortality ...................... 900

1Exempt.

For purposes of monitoring the

fishery halibut bycatch mortality

allowances and apportionments, the

Regional Director will use observed

halibut bycatch rates reported and

observed groundfish catch to project

when a fishery’s halibut bycatch

mortality allowance or apportionment is

reached. The Regional Director monitors

the fishery’s halibut bycatch mortality

allowances using assumed mortality

rates that are based on the best

information available, including

information contained in the final

annual SAFE report.

The Council recommended that the

assumed halibut mortality rates for the

BSAI groundfish fisheries remain

unchanged from those used in 1994.

This recommendation is contrary to the

recommendation of International Pacific

Halibut Commission (IPHC) staff, who

advocated assumed mortality rates that

are generally higher, based on 1992–93

observer data. The Council further

recommended that NMFS, if possible,

conduct a mid-year evaluation of the

halibut mortality rates, based on final

1994 and 1995 observer data, and adjust

the rates for the remainder of 1995.

NMFS will use the assumed halibut

mortality rates recommended by the

IPHC staff for the BSAI groundfish

fisheries in 1995 except for the BSAI

Pacific cod hook-and-line gear fishery.

Except for that fishery, NMFS believes

data presented by the IPHC staff

represent the best available information

on halibut discard mortality rates and

should be used to estimate halibut

bycatch mortality levels.

NMFS will use an assumed halibut

mortality rate of 12.5 percent for the

BSAI hook-and-line cod fishery during

the first half of 1995, instead of the

IPHC’s recommended rate of 18 percent,

for the following reason: Mandatory

careful release requirements are

expected to result in reduced halibut

discard mortality rates relative to the

rates experienced in 1992–93; the BSAI

hook-and-line fishery for Pacific cod has

initiated a program to disseminate

timely in-season data on halibut bycatch

rates and individual vessel mortality

rates that is anticipated to further

reduce discard mortality rates within

the fleet; vessels using hook-and-line or

pot gear are allocated a specified portion

of the BSAI Pacific cod TAC; the

Council recommended that the halibut

bycatch allowance apportioned to the

BSAI Pacific cod hook-and-line fishery

be apportioned into three seasons, with

28 percent of the annual apportionment

allocated to the third season that starts

September 1; the NMFS Observer

Program Office has indicated that 1995

in-season observer data and final 1994

observer data for the BSAI Pacific cod

hook-and-line fishery will be available

by mid-1995 to allow for an analysis of

observed halibut discard mortality rates

and an adjustment from the 12.5

assumed rate in time for the beginning

of the third season (September 1). This

reconsideration could result in an

increase or decrease of the assumed rate;

and if the mid-1995 assessment of

observer data indicates that the halibut

mortality rate in the hook-and-line cod

fishery has not declined to the extent

anticipated, retroactive adjustments in

the estimated 1995 halibut bycatch

mortality would be accommodated

within the third seasonal apportionment

of the annual bycatch allowance

specified for this fishery. Although an

upward adjustment in estimated

bycatch mortality may preclude a

fishery for Pacific cod in the third

season, NMFS believes that the amount

of halibut bycatch mortality apportioned

to the third season should prevent the

halibut bycatch limit from being

exceeded.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations 8487

Assumed Pacific halibut mortality

rates for BSAI fisheries during 1995 are

specified in Table 9.

TABLE 9.—ASSUMED PACIFIC HALIBUT

MORTALITY RATES FOR THE BSAI

FISHERIES DURING 1995

Percent

Hook-and-line gear fisheries:

Rockfish .................................... 24.0

Pacific cod 1 .............................. 12.5

Greenland turbot ....................... 19.0

Sablefish ................................... 17.0

Trawl gear fisheries:

Midwater pollock ....................... 89.0

Non-pelagic pollock ................... 77.0

Yellowfin sole ............................ 76.0

Rock sole, flathead sole, other

flatfish .................................... 75.0

Rockfish .................................... 69.0

Pacific cod ................................. 65.0

Atka mackerel ........................... 59.0

Arrowtooth ................................. 49.0

Greenland turbot ....................... 48.0

Pot gear fisheries:

Pacific cod ................................. 8.0

1The assumed halibut bycatch mortality rate

for the hook-and-line Pacific cod fishery will be

re-evaluated mid-1995 using final 1994 observer data and inseason 1995 observer data.

Groundfish PSC Limits

No PSC limits for groundfish species

are specified in this action. Section

675.20(a)(6) authorizes NMFS to specify

PSC limits for groundfish species or

species groups for which the TAC will

be completely harvested by domestic

fisheries. These PSC limits apply only to

JVP or TALFF fisheries. At this time, no

groundfish are allocated to either JVP or

TALFF and specifications of groundfish

PSC limits are unnecessary.

Closures to Directed Fishing

If the Regional Director establishes a

directed fishing allowance, and that

allowance is or will be reached before

the end of the fishing year, or, with

respect to pollock, before the end of the

fishing season, NMFS will prohibit

directed fishing for that species or

species group in the specified subarea or

district under § 675.20(a)(8).

Fishing for groundfish in the BSAI is

authorized from January 1 through

December 31, with the following

exceptions (§ 675.23): (1) Directed

fishing for arrowtooth flounder and

Greenland turbot is authorized from

May 1, 1995, to December 31, 1995,

subject to the other provisions in the

BSAI regulations; (2) fishing for

groundfish with trawl gear in the BSAI

is prohibited until January 20, 1995; (3)

with certain exceptions, directed fishing

for pollock by the inshore component,

defined at § 675.2, is authorized January

1, 1995, through April 15, 1995, and

August 15, 1995, through the end of the

fishing year; (4) with certain exceptions,

directed fishing for pollock by the

offshore component, defined at § 675.2,

is authorized from January 26, 1995, to

April 15, 1995, and from August 15,

1995, through the end of the fishing

year; (5) directed fishing for pollock

under the Western Alaska CDQ Program

is authorized from January 1, 1994,

through the end of the fishing year

(§ 675.23(e)); and (6) directed fishing

with trawl gear in Zone 1 for rockfish,

Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder,

and sablefish is closed, as there is no

crab PSC to support this fishery (See

Table 7).

In addition to these regulatory

closures, NMFS may take action to

implement closures to directed fishing

for species needed as bycatch amounts

in other directed fisheries. A principal

consideration for the Council in

developing its 1995 TAC

recommendations was ensuring that the

sum of the species TACs did not exceed

the maximum OY of 2 million mt. After

consideration of the amount of each

species category TAC which is required

for bycatch in other directed fisheries,

the Council recommended that TAC

amounts specified for certain species be

established as directed fishing

allowances.

NMFS concurs with the Council’s

recommendations, and accordingly, is

prohibiting directed fishing for the

following species and species groups:

(1) Pacific ocean perch in the Bering

Sea, (2) other red rockfish in the Bering

Sea, (3) shortraker/rougheye in the

Aleutian Islands, (4) other rockfish in

the BSAI, (5) arrowtooth flounder in the

BSAI, and (6) pollock in the Bogoslof

district. Species or species groups

identified in Table 10 are necessary as

incidental catch to support other

anticipated groundfish fisheries and

TAC amounts for these species will be

used for bycatch purposes only. If

NMFS determines the full TAC amount

will not be used as bycatch, NMFS may

open a directed fishery for that species.

TABLE 10.—CLOSURES TO DIRECTED

FISHING UNDER 1995 TACS 1

Fishery (all gear) Closed area 2

Pollock in Bogoslof

District.

Statistical Area 518.

Pacific ocean perch .. Bering Sea.

Shortraker/rougheye

rockfish.

AI.3

Other rockfish 4 ......... BSAI.

Other red rockfish 5 ... Bering Sea.

Rockfish, Greenland

turbot/arrowtooth/

sablefish.

Zone 1.

TABLE 10.—CLOSURES TO DIRECTED

FISHING UNDER 1995 TACS 1—

Continued

Fishery (all gear) Closed area 2

Arrowtooth ................. BSAI.

1These closures to directed fishing are in

addition to closures and prohibitions found in

regulations at 50 CFR part 675. 2 Refer to § 675.2 for definitions of areas. 3 ‘‘AI’’ means Aleutian Islands area.

4 In the BSAI, ‘‘Other rockfish’’ includes

Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except

for Pacific ocean perch and the ‘‘other red

rockfish’’ species. 5 ‘‘Other red rockfish’’ includes shortraker,

rougheye, sharpchin, and northern.

In addition to the above closures,

NMFS closed the directed fishery for

Atka mackerel in the Eastern Aleutian

District and Bering Sea subarea effective

noon, A.l.t., February 2, 1995, under

authority of the interim 1995

specifications. In accordance with

§ 675.20(a)(7)(ii), these closures will

remain in effect until 12 midnight,

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

fishing standards for applicable gear

types may be found in the regulations at

§ 675.20(h).

Technical Amendment To Revise

Specified Fishery Categories for

Directed Fishing Standards and PSC

Apportionments

Two technical amendments are

necessary to update a directed fishery

standard and a definition of a fishery

category to reflect the establishment of

a flathead sole TAC separate from the

‘‘other flatfish’’ category.

First, regulations under § 675.20(h)(2)

establish directed fishing standards for

yellowfin sole, rock sole, arrowtooth

flounder, and ‘‘other flatfish.’’ To the

extent that flathead sole now has a

separate ABC, TAC, OFL, and ITAC, the

standards for directed fishing are

revised by technical amendment to add

flathead sole to this directed fishing

category.

Second, regulations under § 675.21(b)

authorize the apportionment of each

PSC limit into bycatch allowances for

specified trawl fishery categories. The

definition of these fishery categories at

§ 675.21(b)(1)(iii) must be amended to

include the new flathead sole fishery at

§ 675.21(b)(1)(iii)(B)(2). The fishery

category ‘‘rock sole/other flatfish’’ is

revised, therefore, to ‘‘rock sole/flathead

sole/other flatfish’’ to provide PSC

amounts for this category.

Classification

This action is authorized under 50

CFR 611.93(b), 675.20, and 676; and is

exempt from review under E.O. 12866.
8488 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 14, 1995 / Rules and Regulations

The final rule makes minor technical

amendments to 50 CFR 675.20 and

675.21. These amendments are a logical

outgrowth of the proposed 1995 TAC

specifications, which separated flathead

sole from the ‘‘other flatfish’’ category,

and are necessary to implement the

specifications. Prior notice and

opportunity for public comment would

serve no useful purpose and is,

therefore, unnecessary. Accordingly, the

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

NOAA (Assistant Administrator) finds

good cause to waive prior notice and

opportunity for public comment under

5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B).

This action adopts final 1995 harvest

specifications for the BSAI, revises

associated management measures, and

closes specified fisheries. Generally, this

action does not significantly revise

management measures in a manner that

would require time to plan or prepare

for those revisions. In some cases, such

as closures, action must be taken

immediately to conserve fishery

resources. Without these closures,

specified TAC amounts will be

overharvested and retention of these

species will become prohibited, which

would disadvantage fishermen who

could no longer retain bycatch amounts

of these species. The immediate

effectiveness of this action is required to

provide consistent management and

conservation of fishery resources.

Accordingly, the Assistant

Administrator finds there is good cause

to waive the 30-day delayed

effectiveness period under 5 U.S.C.

553(d)(3) with respect to such

provisions and to the technical

amendment discussed above. In some

cases, the interim specifications in effect

would be insufficient to allow directed

fisheries to operate during a 30-day

delayed effectiveness period, which

would result in unnecessary closures

and disruption within the fishing

industry; in many of these cases, the

final specifications will allow the

fisheries to continue, thus relieving a

restriction. Provisions of a rule relieving

a restriction under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1) are

not subject to a delay in effective date.

NMFS has determined that the BSAI

groundfish fisheries are not likely to

affect Steller sea lions in a way or to an

extent not already considered in

previous Section 7 consultations on this

fishery. NMFS has determined that

reinitiation of formal consultation under

this ESA is not required.

NMFS prepared an EA on the 1995

TAC specifications. The Assistant

Administrator concluded that no

significant impact on the environment

will result from their implementation. A

copy of the EA is available (see

addresses).

List of Subjects

50 CFR Part 611

Fisheries, Foreign relations, Reporting

and recordkeeping requirements

50 CFR Part 675

Fisheries, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements.

Dated: February 7, 1995.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR part 675 is amended

as follows:

PART 675—GROUNDFISH OF THE

BERING SEA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

AREA

1. The authority citation for part 675

continues to read as follows:

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

2. In § 675.20, paragraph (h)(2) is

revised to read as follows:

§ 675.20 General limitations.

* * * * *

(h) * * *

(2) Yellowfin sole, rock sole,

arrowtooth flounder, flathead sole, or

‘‘other flatfish.’’ The operator of a vessel

is engaged in directed fishing for

yellowfin sole, rock sole, arrowtooth

flounder, flathead sole or ‘‘other

flatfish’’ if he or she retains, at any time

during a trip, an amount of one of these

species equal to or greater than 35

percent of the amount of the other

respective species retained at the same

time on the vessel during the same trip,

plus 20 percent of any groundfish

species other than yellowfin sole, rock

sole, flathead sole or ‘‘other flatfish’’

retained at the same time on the vessel

during the same trip.

* * * * *

3. In § 675.21, paragraph

(b)(1)(iii)(B)(2) is revised to read as

follows:

§ 675.21 Prohibited species catch (PSC)

limitations.

* * * * *

(b) * * *

(1) * * *

(iii) * * *

(B) * * *

(2) Rock sole/flathead sole/‘‘other

flatfish’’ fishery. Fishing with trawl gear

during any weekly reporting period that

is defined as a flatfish fishery under

paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(B) of this section

and is not a yellowfin sole fishery as

defined under paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(B)(1)

of this section.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 95–3485 Filed 2–8–95; 4:37 pm]

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