29696 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Rules and Regulations

The regulations have been approved by

NMFS (60 FR 14651, March 20, 1995,

and amended at 61 FR 11337, March 20,

1996). On behalf of the IPHC, this

inseason action is published in the

Federal Register to provide additional

notice of its effectiveness, and to inform

persons subject to the inseason action of

the restrictions and requirements

established therein.

In Season Action

1996 Halibut Landing Report No. 2

First Oregon Sport Halibut Season to

Close May 25

The preliminary catch estimate for the

1996 sport halibut fishery between Cape

Falcon (45°46°00’’ N. lat.) and the

Florence North Jetty (Siuslaw River,

44°01°08’’ N. lat.) indicates the 64,392

lb (29.20 metric tons (mt)) catch limit

will be reached on May 25. Therefore,

the sport halibut fishery in this area will

close at 11:59 p.m. on May 25.

Sport fishing for Pacific halibut will

reopen on May 26 and remain open

through August 1, 7 days a week, only

in the area inside the 30–fathom curve

nearest to the coastline as plotted on

National Ocean Service charts

numbered 18520, 18580, and 18600

from Cape Falcon to the Florence North

Jetty (Siuslaw River), or until 6,629 lb

(3.0 mt) are estimated to have been

taken and the season is closed by the

IPHC, whichever occurs first. Any

poundage remaining unharvested after

the earlier season will be added to this

season. The daily bag limit remains two

halibut per person, one with a minimum

overall size limit of 32 inches (81.28

centimeters (cm)) and the second with

a minimum overall size limit of 50

inches (127.0 cm).

First Southwest Washington Coast Sport

Halibut Fishery Season to Close May 26

The sport halibut fishery off the

Southwest Washington coast (Queets

River south to Leadbetter Point) will

reach the sub-quota of 14,222 lb at the

conclusion of fishing on Sunday, May

26. Therefore, the fishery will close at

11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 26.

In accordance with the preseason

catch sharing plan developed by the

Pacific Fishery Management Council,

this fishery will immediately reopen on

Monday, May 27, only in the near-shore

area (south of the Queets River to

47°00°00’’ N. lat. and east of 124°40°00’’

W. long.), until the remaining quota of

about 1,000 pounds is reached. The

fishery will be open 7 days a week, with

a one fish bag limit and no minimum

size limit, until the remaining quota is

harvested and the season is closed by

the Commission or until September 30,

whichever occurs first.

Dated: June 4, 1996.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–14589 Filed 6–11–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

50 CFR Part 675

[Docket No. 960129019–6019–01, I.D.

060696E]

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and

Aleutian Islands Area; Trawl Rock

Sole/Flathead Sole/‘‘Other Flatfish’’

Fishery Category

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration,

Commerce.

ACTION: Closure.

SUMMARY: NMFS is closing the directed

fishery for species in the rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery

category by vessels using trawl gear in

the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

management area (BSAI). This action is

necessary to prevent exceeding the

second seasonal bycatch allowance of

Pacific halibut apportioned to the trawl

rock sole/flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’

fishery category in the BSAI.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 12 noon, Alaska local

time (A.l.t.), June 8, 1996, until 12 noon,

A.l.t., July 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Andrew Smoker, 907–586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

groundfish fishery in the BSAI exclusive

economic zone is managed by NMFS

according to the Fishery Management

Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area

(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 675.

The second seasonal bycatch

allowance of Pacific halibut for the

BSAI trawl rock sole/flathead sole/

‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery category, which

is defined at § 675.21(b)(1)(iii)(B)(2),

was established by the Final 1996

Harvest Specifications of Groundfish (61

FR 4311, February 5, 1996) as 139

metric tons (mt). This fishery was

previously closed with the expectation

that the second seasonal allocation had

been taken (61 FR 16883, April 18,

1996), it was subsequently opened on

June 3, 1996, when NMFS determined

that 50 mt of halibut mortality remained

in the allocation (61 FR 28071, June 4,

1996).

The Director, Alaska Region, NMFS,

has determined, in accordance with

§ 675.21(c)(1)(iii), that the second

seasonal bycatch allowance of Pacific

halibut apportioned to the trawl rock

sole/flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’

fishery in the BSAI has been caught.

Therefore, NMFS is prohibiting directed

fishing for species in the rock sole/

flathead sole/‘‘other flatfish’’ fishery

category by vessels using trawl gear in

the BSAI.

Maximum retainable bycatch amounts

for applicable gear types may be found

in the regulations at § 675.20(h).

Classification

This action is taken under 50 CFR

675.21 and is exempt from review under

E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: June 7, 1996.

Richard H. Schaefer,

Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and

Management, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 96–14925 Filed 6–7–96; 3:52 pm]

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