Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 96 / Thursday, May 16, 1996 / Rules and Regulations 24729

that brown shrimp will be leaving the

Texas estuaries later than normal. This

information and other data meeting the

FMP’s criteria indicate that beginning

the closure on June 1, 1996, is necessary

to provide adequate protection of small

brown shrimp emigrating from the

Texas estuaries.

Accordingly, the time and date as

provided at 50 CFR 658.26(a) for

beginning the Texas closure is changed

from 30 minutes after sunset May 15,

1996, to 30 minutes after sunset on June

1, 1996. During the closure, the area

described at 50 CFR 658.26(a) is closed

to all trawl fishing, except that a vessel

may trawl for royal red shrimp beyond

the 100–fathom (183–m) depth contour.

The waters of Texas will also be closed

commencing at 30 minutes after sunset

on June 1, 1996.

The termination date of the Texas

closure may be adjusted to conform to

the termination date of the closure in

the waters of Texas. If adjusted,

notification of the revised termination

date will be published in the Federal

Register.

Classification

This action is authorized by 50 CFR

658.26(b) and is exempt from review

under E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: May 10, 1996.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and

Management, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 96–12346 Filed 5–15–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 672

[Docket No. 950727194–6118–03; I.D.

062795C]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska;

Recordkeeping and Reporting

Requirements; General Limitations

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration,

Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule; technical

amendment.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues a technical

amendment to the final rule

implementing regulations for

recordkeeping and reporting under the

authority of the Fishery Management

Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of

Alaska (GOA) and the Fishery

Management Plan for the Groundfish

Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands Area (BSAI). This action corrects

the definition for ‘‘fishing trip.’’

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 16, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patsy A. Bearden, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final

rule implementing recordkeeping and

reporting requirements for the GOA and

BSAI was published in the Federal

Register on February 13, 1996 (61 FR

5608). The rule consolidated and

revised recordkeeping and reporting

requirements for the GOA and BSAI

groundfish fisheries, including revisions

to various definitions for the term,

‘‘fishing trip.’’ Several very similar

definitions for the term had existed

previously and were to be reconciled

and consolidated into one definition for

the term in the final rule. The definition

for ‘‘fishing trip’’ used to calculate

maximum retainable bycatch amounts

and retention of pollock roe in the GOA

were found at § 672.20(h)(2) and (i)(4).

Similar but slightly different definitions

for this term as it applied to the BSAI

also were found at § 675.20(i)(2) and

(j)(4). Inadvertently, the reconciled

definition in the final rule did not

include some of the language of the

original definitions.

The final rule implementing the

recordkeeping and reporting

requirements specified that an operator

of a vessel is engaged in a fishing trip

from the time the harvesting, receiving,

or processing is begun or resumed until

the transfer or offloading of all

groundfish product, the vessel leaves

the area where fishing activity

commenced, or the end of a weekly

reporting period, whichever occurs first.

NMFS is amending the regulation to

correct that definition to specify that a

single fishing trip in an area continues

until the offload or transfer of all

groundfish or groundfish product, the

vessel enters or leaves an area to which

a directed fishing prohibition applies, or

the end of a weekly reporting period,

whichever occurs first. This change is

based on language from earlier

definitions and is designed to add

additional precision and clarity

concerning when a fishing trip begins

and ends.

Classification

Because this technical amendment

makes only minor, non-substantive

corrections to an existing rule, notice

and public procedure thereon and a

delay in effective date would serve no

purpose. Accordingly, under 5 U.S.C.

553(b)(B) and (d), notice and public

procedure thereon and a delay in

effective date are unnecessary.

Because this rule is being issued

without prior comment, it is not subject

to the Regulatory Flexibility Act

requirement for a regulatory flexibility

analysis and none has been prepared.

This rule makes minor technical

changes to a rule that has been

determined to be not significant under

E.O. 12866. No changes in the

regulatory impact previously reviewed

and analyzed will result from

implementation of this technical

amendment.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 672

Fisheries, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements

Dated: May 9, 1996.

Gary Matlock,

Program Management Officer, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

For reasons set out in the preamble 50

CFR part 672 is amended to read as

follows:

PART 672—GROUNDFISH OF THE

GULF OF ALASKA

1. The authority citation for part 672

continues to read as follows:

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

2. In § 672.20, paragraph (h)(2) is

revised to read as follows:

§ 672.20 General limitations.

* * * * *

(h) * * *

(2) Fishing trip. For purposes of this

section, an operator of a vessel is

engaged in a single fishing trip in an

area from the time the harvesting,

receiving, or processing of groundfish is

begun or resumed until:

(i) The offload or transfer of all

groundfish or groundfish product from

that vessel;

(ii) The vessel enters or leaves an area

to which a directed fishing prohibition

applies; or

(iii) The end of a weekly reporting

period, whichever comes first.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 96–12240 Filed 5–15–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 672

[Docket No. 960129018–6018–01; I.D.

051096D]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska;

Shallow-Water Species Fishery by

Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Gulf

of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.