29728 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Proposed Rules

However, under the circumstances of a

delayed opening, which could extend

the ‘‘B’’ season into early October,

reassessing the status of the pollock

TAC and announcing and possibly

prosecuting a ‘‘C’’ season fishery before

the November 1 deadline may be

difficult.

Seven-day ‘‘No-trawl’’ Measure

Data from the yellowfin sole fishery

indicate that the amount of halibut

bycatch is much greater during the 2

weeks prior to the August 15 opening of

the pollock ‘‘B’’ season than the amount

of halibut bycatch in subsequent weeks.

This high halibut bycatch appears to be

due to a few vessels that experienced

higher halibut bycatch than other

vessels fishing in the yellowfin sole

fishery prior to the opening of the ‘‘B’’

season. Crowding effects of the pollock

vessels in the yellowfin sole fishery may

cause some vessels to fish in areas

where more halibut occur. High halibut

bycatch in the yellowfin sole fishery can

cause a premature closure of the

yellowfin sole fishery due to the halibut

prohibited species catch allowance

being reached before the yellowfin sole

TAC is reached.

The high halibut bycatch and the

Council’s concerns about preemption in

the yellowfin sole fishery prompted the

Council to recommend a ‘‘no-trawl’’

fishing prohibition for vessels

participating in the pollock ‘‘B’’ season

to reduce the likelihood that the pollock

vessels would participate in the

yellowfin sole fisheries or redistribute

fishing effort to other trawl fisheries

prior to the opening of the pollock ‘‘B’’

season. Any vessel that fishes for

groundfish with trawl gear in the BSAI

or GOA, during any portion of the 7

days prior to the September 1 opening

date of the pollock ‘‘B’’ season would be

prohibited from directed fishing for

pollock in the 7 days after September 1.

Vessels participating in the CDQ

directed pollock fishery would be

exempt from this prohibition.

Classification

The Council prepared an EA/RIR/

FRFA in 1993, and a supplemental

analysis was prepared in 1996. The

1993 analysis, as supplemented, was

reviewed, and the economic analysis

was found to be still valid. These

documents combine to comprise an

initial regulatory flexibility analysis for

this action. The analysis indicates that

the impacts could vary across regions

and from year to year. However, in

general, as stated above, floating

processors who participate in the

pollock B season would tend to benefit

from an additional economic

opportunity to process salmon. Onshore

processors could lose revenues as a

result of increased competition among

pollock processors. Finally, the effect on

local Alaskan communities can not be

reliably determined at present and

would depend on the net impact of the

delay. A copy of the 1993 EA/RIR/FRFA

and the 1996 supplement are available

from the Council (see ADDRESSES).

An informal section 7 consultation

under the Endangered Species Act was

initiated for the proposed rule to

determine any adverse effects of the

BSAI ‘‘B’’ season delay on Steller sea

lions. The consultation determined that

the proposed delay in the fishery and

the November 1 ending date of the ‘‘B’’

season would not likely result in any

adverse effects on Steller sea lions or

critical habitat.

This proposed rule has been

determined to be not significant for

purposes of E.O. 12866.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 675

Fisheries, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements

Dated: June 7, 1996.

Gary Matlock,

Program Management Officer, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, 50 CFR part 675 is proposed

to be 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 (a)(2)(ii) is

revised to read as follows:

§ 675.20 General limitations.

(a) * * *

(2) * * *

(ii) The TAC of pollock in each

subarea or district will be divided, after

subtraction of reserves, into two

allowances. The first allowance will be

available for directed fishing from

January 1 until noon, Alaska local time

(A.l.t.), April 15. The second allowance

will be available for directed fishing

from noon, A.l.t., September 1 until

noon A.l.t., November 1, of each fishing

year. Within any fishing year,

unharvested amounts of the first

allowance will be added to the second

allowance, and harvests in excess of the

first allowance will be deducted from

the second allowance.

* * * * *

3. In § 675.23, paragraph (e) is revised

to read as follows:

§ 675.23 Seasons.

* * * * *

(e) Directed fishing for pollock. (1)

Subject to other provisions of this part,

and except as provided in paragraphs

(e)(2) and (e)(3) of this section, directed

fishing for pollock is authorized from

00:01 a.m., A.l.t., January 1, until noon,

A.l.t, April 15, and from noon A.l.t.,

September 1 until noon A.l.t, November

1, of each fishing year.

(2) Applicable through December 31,

1998. (i) Subject to other provisions of

this part and except as provided in

paragraphs (e)(2)(ii) and (e)(2)(iii) of this

section, directed fishing for pollock by

the offshore component, defined at

§ 672.2 of this chapter, or by vessels

delivering pollock to the offshore

component, is authorized from noon

A.l.t., January 26, until noon A.l.t., April

15. Directed fishing for pollock under

the Western Alaska Community

Development Quota program pursuant

to § 675.27 of this part is authorized

from January 1, through the end of the

fishing year.

(ii) Directed fishing for pollock by the

offshore component, as defined at

§ 672.2 of this chapter, or vessels

delivering pollock to the offshore

component is prohibited until noon,

A.l.t., February 5, for those vessels that

are used to fish prior to noon, A.l.t.,

January 26, for groundfish in the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands management

area, groundfish in the Gulf of Alaska,

as defined at § 672.2 of this chapter, or

king or Tanner crab in the Bering Sea

and Aleutian Islands area, as defined at

§ 671.2 of this chapter.

(iii) Neither paragraphs (e)(2)(ii) nor

(e)(3) of this section apply to vessels

used to fish exclusively in a directed

fishery for pollock prior to noon, A.l.t.,

January 26, or during the period that

extends from noon, A.l.t., August 25,

through noon A.l.t., September 1, under

the Western Alaska Community

Development Quota program pursuant

to § 675.27.

(3) Directed fishing for pollock is

prohibited during the second pollock

season defined at paragraph (e)(1) of this

section until noon, A.l.t., September 8,

for any vessel that is used to fish with

trawl gear for groundfish in the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands management

area or the Gulf of Alaska as defined at

§ 672.2 of this chapter, between noon

A.l.t., August 25, and noon A.l.t.,

September 1.

[FR Doc. 96–14926 Filed 6–7–96; 1:29 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 12, 1996 / Proposed Rules 29729

50 CFR Part 676

[I.D. 060496A]

RIN 0648–AI57

Limited Access Management of

Federal Fisheries In and Off of Alaska;

Quota Shares and Individual Fishing

Quota

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of

amendments to fishery management

plans; request for comments.

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) has

submitted Amendment 42 to the Fishery

Management Plan (FMP) for the Bering

Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish and

Amendment 42 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the Gulf of Alaska

Groundfish Fishery. The Council

recommended these amendments to

alleviate certain restrictions in the

Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program.

If approved, these FMP amendments

would allow quota shares (QS) and IFQ

assigned to vessels in larger size

categories to be used on smaller vessels.

The Council intends these amendments

to increase the flexibility of QS use and

transfer while maintaining the

management goals of the IFQ Program

and, thus, provide small boat fishermen

with more opportunities to improve the

profitability of their operations.

Comments are requested from the

public.

DATES: Comments on the proposed FMP

amendments must be received by

August 6, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ronald J.

Berg, Chief, Fisheries Management

Division, Attn: Lori Gravel, Alaska

Region, National Marine Fisheries

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

99802. Copies of the proposed

Amendments, and the Environmental

Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/

Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

for this action may be obtained from the

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council, Suite 306, 605 West 4th

Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501–2252.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Hale, 907–586–7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Magnuson Fishery Conservation

and Management Act (Magnuson Act)

requires that each Regional Fishery

Management Council submit any fishery

management plan or plan amendment it

prepares to NMFS for review and

approval, disapproval, or partial

disapproval. The Magnuson Act also

requires that NMFS, upon reviewing the

plan or amendment, must immediately

publish a notice that the plan or

amendment is available for public

review and comment.

Amendment 42 to each of the FMPs

governing Federal fisheries in and off of

Alaska would redefine IFQ vessel

categories to allow QS and IFQ assigned

to larger vessel categories to be used on

smaller vessels. An exception to this

change would prohibit QS or IFQ

assigned to vessel category B in

regulatory areas 2C (for halibut) and east

of 140° W. long. (for sablefish) to be

used on vessels less than 60 ft (18.3 m)

length overall except in QS blocks

equivalent to less than 5,000 lb (2.3 mt).

NMFS will consider the public

comments received during the comment

period in determining whether to

approve the proposed amendments. The

proposed regulations are scheduled to

be published within 15 days of this

document.

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

Dated: June 6, 1996.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–14927 Filed 6–7–96; 3:52 pm]

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