Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 194 / Tuesday, October 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 60381 

Dated: October 2, 2014. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–23912 Filed 10–6–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 131021878–4158–02] 

RIN 0648–XD535 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Several Groundfish 

Species in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands Management Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; apportionment 

of reserves; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS apportions amounts of 

the non-specified reserve to the initial 

total allowable catch of Bering Sea (BS) 

Greenland turbot, BS Pacific ocean 

perch, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands 

(BSAI) Kamchatka flounder, and BSAI 

squids and the total allowable catch of 

BSAI sharks in the BSAI management 

area. This action is necessary to allow 

the fisheries to continue operating. It is 

intended to promote the goals and 

objectives of the fishery management 

plan for the BSAI management area. 

DATES: Effective October 3, 2014, 

through 2400 hrs, Alaska local time, 

December 31, 2014. Comments must be 

received at the following address no 

later than 4:30 p.m., Alaska local time, 

October 20, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by NOAA– 

NMFS–2013–0152, by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013- 

0152, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Whitney, 907–586–7269. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the groundfish fishery in the 

(BSAI) exclusive economic zone 

according to the Fishery Management 

Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea 

and Aleutian Islands Management Area 

(FMP) prepared by the North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council under 

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act. Regulations governing fishing by 

U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP 

appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 

and 50 CFR part 679. 

The 2014 initial total allowable catch 

(ITAC) of BS Greenland turbot in the 

BSAI was established as 1,410 metric 

tons (mt), the 2014 ITAC of BS Pacific 

ocean perch was established as 6,531 

mt, the 2014 ITAC of BSAI Kamchatka 

flounder was established as 6,035 mt, 

the 2014 ITAC of BSAI squids was 

established as 264 mt, and the 2014 total 

allowable catch (TAC) of BSAI sharks 

was established as 125 mt by the final 

2014 and 2015 harvest specifications for 

groundfish of the BSAI (79 FR 12108, 

March 4, 2014). In accordance with 

§ 679.20(a)(3) the Regional 

Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 

has reviewed the most current available 

data and finds that the ITACs for BS 

Greenland turbot, BS Pacific ocean 

perch, BSAI Kamchatka flounder, BSAI 

squids and the total allowable catch of 

BSAI sharks need to be supplemented 

from the non-specified reserve to 

promote efficiency in the utilization of 

fishery resources in the BSAI and allow 

fishing operations to continue. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 679.20(b)(3), NMFS apportions from 

the non-specified reserve of groundfish 

71 mt to the BS Greenland turbot ITAC, 

1,153 mt to the BS Pacific ocean perch 

ITAC, 1,065 mt to the BSAI Kamchatka 

flounder ITAC, 1,500 mt to the BSAI 

squids ITAC, and 100 mt to the BSAI 

sharks TAC in the BSAI. These 

apportionments are consistent with 

§ 679.20(b)(1)(i) and do not result in 

overfishing of any target species because 

the revised ITACs and TAC are equal to 

or less than the specifications of the 

acceptable biological catch in the final 

2014 and 2015 harvest specifications for 

groundfish in the BSAI (79 FR 12108, 

March 4, 2014). 

The harvest specification for the 2014 

ITACs included in the harvest 

specifications for groundfish in the 

BSAI are revised as follows: 1,481 mt for 

BS Greenland turbot, 7,684 mt for BS 

Pacific ocean perch, 7,100 mt for BSAI 

Kamchatka flounder, 1,764 mt for BSAI 

squids, and 225 mt for BSAI sharks. 

Classification 

This action responds to the best 

available information recently obtained 

from the fishery. The Assistant 

Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, 

(AA) finds good cause to waive the 

requirement to provide prior notice and 

opportunity for public comment 

pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 

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

§ 679.20(b)(3)(iii)(A) as such a 

requirement is impracticable and 

contrary to the public interest. This 

requirement is impracticable and 

contrary to the public interest as it 

would prevent NMFS from responding 

to the most recent fisheries data in a 

timely fashion and would delay the 

apportionment of the non-specified 

reserves of groundfish to the BS 

Greenland turbot, BS Pacific ocean 

perch, BSAI Kamchatka flounder, BSAI 

squids, and BSAI sharks fisheries in the 

BSAI. Immediate notification is 

necessary to allow for the orderly 

conduct and efficient operation of this 

fishery, to allow the industry to plan for 

the fishing season, and to avoid 

potential disruption to the fishing fleet 

and processors. NMFS was unable to 

publish a notice providing time for 

public comment because the most 

recent, relevant data only became 

available as of September 30, 2014. 

The AA also finds good cause to 

waive the 30-day delay in the effective 

date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3). This finding is based upon 

the reasons provided above for waiver of 

prior notice and opportunity for public 

comment. 

Under § 679.20(b)(3)(iii), interested 

persons are invited to submit written 

comments on this action (see 

ADDRESSES) until October 20, 2014. 

This action is required by § 679.20 

and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

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


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with RULES
60382 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 194 / Tuesday, October 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

Dated: October 2, 2014. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–23988 Filed 10–3–14; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with RULES