43500 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 179 / Monday, September 18, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

Amendments of 1972, as amended; 33 U.S.C. 

1251; 1311; 1314(b), (c), (e), and (g); 1316; 

1317; 1318 and 1361). 

■ 2. Amend § 423.11 by revising 

paragraph (t) introductory text to read as 

follows: 

§ 423.11 Specialized definitions. 

* * * * * 

(t) The phrase ‘‘as soon as possible’’ 

means November 1, 2018 (except for 

purposes of § 423.13(g)(1)(i) and 

(k)(1)(i), and § 423.16(e) and (g), in 

which case it means November 1, 2020), 

unless the permitting authority 

establishes a later date, after receiving 

information from the discharger, which 

reflects a consideration of the following 

factors: 

* * * * * 

§ 423.13 [Amended] 

■ 3. Amend § 423.13 paragraphs (g)(1)(i) 

and (k)(1)(i) by removing the text 

‘‘November 1, 2018’’ and adding the text 

‘‘November 1, 2020’’ in its place. 

§ 423.16 [Amended] 

■ 4. Amend § 423.16 paragraphs (e) two 

times, and (g) by removing the text 

‘‘November 1, 2018’’ and adding the text 

‘‘November 1, 2020’’ in its place. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19821 Filed 9–15–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 635 

[Docket No. 170602535–7835–01] 

RIN 0648–XF480 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 

Adjustments to 2017 Northern 

Albacore Tuna Quota, 2017 North and 

South Atlantic Swordfish Quotas, and 

2017 Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Reserve 

Category Quota 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS adjusts the northern 

albacore tuna annual baseline quota for 

2017 with available underharvest of the 

2016 adjusted U.S. northern albacore 

quota. NMFS also adjusts the North and 

South Atlantic swordfish baseline 

quotas for 2017 based on available 

underharvest from the 2016 adjusted 

U.S. quotas and international quota 

transfers. NMFS also augments the 2017 

Atlantic bluefin tuna Reserve category 

quota with available underharvest of the 

2016 adjusted U.S. bluefin tuna quota. 

This action is necessary to implement 

binding recommendations of the 

International Commission for the 

Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), 

as required by the Atlantic Tunas 

Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve 

domestic management objectives under 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

DATES: Effective September 18, 2017, 

through December 31, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Supporting documents such 

as Environmental Assessments and 

Fishery Management Plans and their 

Amendments described below may be 

downloaded from the HMS Web site at 

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/. These 

documents also are available upon 

request from Sarah McLaughlin, Steve 

Durkee, or Gray Redding at the 

telephone numbers below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah McLaughlin, 978–281–9260, 

Steve Durkee, 202–670–6637, or Gray 

Redding, 301–427–8503. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations implemented under the 

authority of the Atlantic Tunas 

Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C. 971 et 

seq.) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 

et seq.) governing the harvest of 

northern albacore, swordfish, and 

bluefin tuna by persons and vessels 

subject to U.S. jurisdiction are found at 

50 CFR part 635. Section 635.27(e) 

describes the northern albacore annual 

quota recommended by ICCAT and the 

annual northern albacore quota 

adjustment process. Section 635.27(c) 

describes the quota adjustment process 

for both North and South Atlantic 

swordfish. Section 635.27(a) subdivides 

the ICCAT-recommended U.S. bluefin 

tuna quota among the various domestic 

fishing categories, per the allocations 

established in the 2006 Consolidated 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species 

Fishery Management Plan (2006 

Consolidated HMS FMP) (71 FR 58058, 

October 2, 2006), as amended by 

Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated 

HMS FMP (Amendment 7) (79 FR 

71510, December 2, 2014), and describes 

the annual bluefin tuna quota 

adjustment process. NMFS is required 

under ATCA and the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act to provide U.S. fishing vessels with 

a reasonable opportunity to harvest the 

ICCAT-recommended quotas. 

The northern albacore quota 

implementation and quota adjustment 

processes, along with the bluefin tuna 

quota adjustment process, were 

previously analyzed in Amendment 7, 

which published in August 2014 and 

included a Final Environmental Impact 

Statement, Final Regulatory Impact 

Review (RIR), Final Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis (FRFA), and Final 

Social Impact Statement. ICCAT 

conducted another bluefin tuna stock 

assessment update in 2014, and, after 

considering the scientific advice in the 

stock assessment, adopted a 

recommendation regarding western 

Atlantic bluefin tuna management that 

increases the U.S. bluefin tuna quota for 

2015 and 2016 (ICCAT 

Recommendation 14–05). NMFS 

published a final rule to implement that 

baseline annual U.S. bluefin tuna quota 

on August 28, 2015 (80 FR 52198), and 

prepared an Environmental Assessment 

(EA), RIR, and FRFA for that action. 

ICCAT Recommendation 16–08 

extended the U.S. bluefin tuna 

allocation established in 

Recommendation 14–05 through 2017. 

The North Atlantic swordfish quota 

adjustment process was previously 

analyzed in the EA, RIR, and FRFA that 

were prepared for the 2012 Swordfish 

Quota Adjustment Rule (July 31, 2012; 

77 FR 45273). The South Atlantic 

swordfish quota adjustment process was 

previously analyzed in the EA, RIR, and 

FRFA that were prepared for the 2007 

Swordfish Quota Specification Final 

Rule (October 5, 2007; 72 FR 56929). In 

the 2016 North and South Atlantic 

Swordfish Quotas Adjustment Final 

Rule (July 26, 2016, 81 FR 48719), after 

taking public comment on the issue, 

NMFS announced its intent to no longer 

issue proposed and final specifications/ 

rules for North and South Atlantic 

swordfish quotas adjustments in cases 

where the quota adjustment follows 

previously codified and analyzed 

formulas. Therefore, beginning this year, 

NMFS is instead issuing a temporary 

final rule to adjust the quota, in a 

similar process to northern albacore and 

bluefin tuna quota adjustments. NMFS 

will continue to undertake notice and 

comment rulemaking when adopting 

new quotas, quota formulas, or 

otherwise altering conservation and 

management measures. 

Note that weight information for 

northern albacore and bluefin tuna 

below is shown in metric tons (mt) 

whole weight (ww), and both dressed 

weight (dw) and ww is shown for 

swordfish. 

Northern Albacore Annual Quota and 

Adjustment Process 

Since 1998, ICCAT has adopted 

recommendations regarding the 

northern albacore fishery. The current 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 179 / Monday, September 18, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 43501 

ICCAT northern albacore 

recommendation (Recommendation 16– 

06) includes a total allowable catch 

(TAC) at 28,000 metric tons (mt) for 

2017 and specific recommendations 

regarding the northern albacore 

conservation and management. The U.S. 

baseline quota for 2017 is 527 mt, 

annually. The baseline quota of 527 mt 

is codified at § 635.27(e) and will 

remain in effect until changed. For 

example, Recommendation 16–06 

specifies that the quota for 2019 and 

2020 will be 564.6 mt. It also specifies 

that if, in any year, the combined 

contracting parties’ landings exceed the 

TAC, the Commission will re-evaluate 

the Recommendation and recommend 

further conservation measures, as 

appropriate. 

Amendment 7 established the process 

by which NMFS adjusts the U.S. annual 

northern albacore quota for allowable 

underharvest, if any, in the previous 

year. NMFS makes such adjustments 

consistent with ICCAT limits and when 

complete catch information for the prior 

year is available and finalized. The 

maximum underharvest that a 

Contracting Party may carry forward 

from one year to the next is 25 percent 

of its initial catch quota, which equals 

131.75 mt for the United States. 

Adjustment of the 2017 Northern 

Albacore Quota 

For 2016, the adjusted quota was 

658.75 mt (527 mt plus 131.75 mt of 

2015 underharvest carried forward to 

2016). The total 2016 northern albacore 

catch was 249.60 mt, which is 409.15 mt 

less than the 2016 adjusted quota. Thus, 

the underharvest for 2016 is 409.15 mt, 

131.75 mt of which may be carried 

forward to the 2017 fishing year. Thus, 

the adjusted 2017 northern albacore 

quota is 527 mt plus 131.75 mt, totaling 

658.75 mt. 

North and South Atlantic Swordfish 

Annual Quota and Adjustment Process 

North Atlantic Swordfish 

At the 2016 ICCAT annual meeting, 

Recommendation 16–03 maintained the 

North Atlantic swordfish TAC of 10,301 

mt dw (13,700 mt ww) through 2017. Of 

this TAC, the United States’ baseline 

quota is 2,937.6 mt dw (3,907 mt ww) 

per year. ICCAT Recommendation 16– 

03 also includes an 18.8 mt dw (25 mt 

ww) annual quota transfer from the 

United States to Mauritania and limits 

underharvest carryover to 15 percent of 

a Contracting Party’s baseline quota. 

Therefore, the United States may carry 

over a maximum of 440.6 mt dw (586.0 

mt ww) of underharvest from 2016 to 

2017. This final rule adjusts the U.S. 

baseline quota for the 2017 fishing year 

to account for the annual quota transfer 

to Mauritania and the 2016 

underharvest. 

The 2017 North Atlantic swordfish 

baseline quota is 2,937.6 mt dw (3,907 

mt ww). The total 2016 North Atlantic 

swordfish catch and dead discards 

totaled 1,144.4 mt dw, which is 2,215 

mt dw less than the 2016 adjusted quota 

of 3,359.4 mt dw. Thus, the North 

Atlantic swordfish underharvest for 

2016 was 2,215 mt dw, and NMFS is 

carrying forward 440.6 mt dw, the 

maximum carryover allowed under 

Recommendation 16–03. The 2,937.6 mt 

dw baseline quota is reduced by the 

18.8 mt dw annual quota transfer to 

Mauritania and increased by the 

underharvest carryover of 440.6 mt dw, 

resulting in a final adjusted North 

Atlantic swordfish quota for the 2017 

fishing year of 3,359.4 mt dw 

(2,937.6¥18.8 + 440.6 = 3,359.4 mt dw). 

From that adjusted quota, 50 mt dw will 

be allocated to the reserve category for 

inseason adjustments and research, and 

300 mt dw will be allocated to the 

incidental category, which includes 

recreational landings and landings by 

incidental swordfish permit holders, in 

accordance with regulations at 50 CFR 

635.27(c)(1)(i). This would result in an 

allocation of 3,009.4 mt dw 

(3,359.4¥50¥300 = 3,009.4 mt dw) for 

the directed category, which would be 

split equally between two seasons in 

2017 (January through June, and July 

through December) (Table 1). 

South Atlantic Swordfish 

In 2016, ICCAT Recommendation 16– 

04 maintained the South Atlantic 

swordfish TAC at 11,278.2 mt dw 

(15,000 mt ww) through 2017. Of this, 

the United States receives 75.2 mt dw 

(100 mt ww). Recommendation 16–04 

limits the amount of South Atlantic 

swordfish underharvest that can be 

carried forward from one year to the 

next, and the United States may carry 

forward up to 100 percent of its baseline 

quota (75.2 mt dw). Recommendation 

16–04 also included a total of 75.2 mt 

dw (100 mt ww) of quota transfers from 

the United States to other countries. 

These transfers were 37.6 mt dw (50 mt 

ww) to Namibia, 18.8 mt dw (25 mt ww) 

to Coˆte d’Ivoire, and 18.8 mt dw (25 mt 

ww) to Belize. 

U.S. fishermen landed no South 

Atlantic swordfish in 2016. The 

adjusted 2016 South Atlantic swordfish 

quota was 75.1 mt dw due to nominal 

landings in previous years. Therefore, 

75.1 mt dw of underharvest is available 

to carry over to 2017. NMFS is carrying 

forward 75.1 mt dw to be added to the 

75.2 mt dw baseline quota. The quota is 

then reduced by the 75.2 mt dw of 

annual international quota transfers 

outlined above, resulting in an adjusted 

South Atlantic swordfish quota of 75.1 

mt dw for the 2017 fishing year (Table 

1). 

TABLE 1—2017 NORTH AND SOUTH ATLANTIC SWORDFISH QUOTAS

2016 2017 

North Atlantic Swordfish Quota (mt dw) 

Baseline Quota .............................................................................................................. 2,937.6 ............................... 2,937.6 

International Quota Transfer .......................................................................................... (¥)18.8 (to Mauritania) ...... (¥)18.8 (to Mauritania) 

Total Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................ 2,181.6 ............................... 2,215.0 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year + .............................................................. (+) 440.6 ............................. (+) 440.6 

Adjusted Quota .............................................................................................................. 3,359.4 ............................... 3,359.4 

Quota Allocation: 

Directed Category ................................................................................................... 3,009.4 ............................... 3,009.4 

Incidental Category ................................................................................................. 300 ..................................... 300 

Reserve Category ................................................................................................... 50 ....................................... 50 

South Atlantic Swordfish Quota (mt dw) 

Baseline Quota .............................................................................................................. 75.2 .................................... 75.2 

International Quota Transfers* ...................................................................................... (¥)75.2 .............................. (¥)75.2 

Total Underharvest from Previous Year ........................................................................ 75.1 .................................... 75.1 

Underharvest Carryover from Previous Year + .............................................................. 75.1 .................................... 75.1 


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43502 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 179 / Monday, September 18, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

TABLE 1—2017 NORTH AND SOUTH ATLANTIC SWORDFISH QUOTAS—Continued 

2016 2017 

Adjusted quota ............................................................................................................... 75.1 .................................... 75.1 

+Allowable underharvest carryover is capped at 15 percent of the baseline quota allocation for the North Atlantic and 75.2 dw (100 mt ww) for 

the South Atlantic. 

* Under Recommendation 16–04, the United States transfers 75.2 mt dw (100 mt ww) annually to Namibia (37.6 mt dw, 50 mt ww), Coˆte 

d’Ivoire (18.8 mt dw, 25 mt ww), and Belize (18.8 mt dw, 25 mt ww). 

Bluefin Tuna Annual Quota and 

Adjustment Process 

Pursuant to Amendment 7, NMFS 

augments the Reserve category quota to 

the extent that underharvest from the 

prior year’s adjusted U.S. bluefin tuna 

quota is available. NMFS makes such 

adjustments consistent with ICCAT 

limits and when complete catch 

information for the prior year is 

available and finalized. Consistent with 

the bluefin tuna quota regulations, 

NMFS may allocate any portion of the 

Reserve category quota for inseason or 

annual adjustments to any fishing 

category quota pursuant to regulatory 

determination criteria described at 

§ 635.27(a)(8), or for scientific research. 

NMFS implemented ICCAT 

Recommendation 14–05 in the bluefin 

tuna quota final rule in August 2015 (80 

FR 52198, August 28, 2015). That 

rulemaking implemented 

Recommendation 14–05, which 

included a western bluefin tuna TAC of 

2,000 mt (for 2015 and 2016) and the 

recommended annual U.S. baseline 

quota of 1,058.79 mt. The total annual 

U.S. quota, including the 25 mt to 

account for bycatch related to pelagic 

longline fisheries in the Northeast 

Distant gear restricted area (NED) is 

1,083.79 mt. Any underharvest of a 

CPC’s total quota in a given year may be 

carried forward to the next year but is 

limited to 10 percent of the CPC’s initial 

quota allocation (for the United States, 

its baseline quota plus 25 mt for the 

NED). ICCAT Recommendation 16–08 

extended these provisions through 2017. 

The baseline annual U.S. bluefin tuna 

quota of 1,058.79 mt is codified at 

§ 635.27(a) and will remain in effect 

until changed (for instance, if a new 

ICCAT western bluefin tuna TAC 

recommendation is adopted). 

Adjustment of the 2016 Bluefin Tuna 

Reserve Category Quota 

The total 2016 bluefin tuna catch was 

1,025.10 mt. This total catch includes 

landings and dead discards. The total 

catch of 1,025.10 mt is 167.07 mt less 

than the 2016 adjusted quota of 1,083.79 

mt. Per ICCAT Recommendation 16–08, 

only 10 percent of the total 2016 U.S. 

quota, or 108.38 mt, of that 

underharvest may be carried forward to 

the 2017 fishing year, resulting in a 

2017 adjusted quota of 1,192.17 mt 

(baseline quota of 1,083.79 mt + 

underharvest carryover of 108.38 mt). 

The codified Reserve category quota is 

24.8 mt. Consistent with the process 

established in Amendment 7, NMFS 

augments the Reserve category quota 

with 108.38 mt in this action. Effective 

February 28, 2017, NMFS adjusted the 

Reserve category quota for 2017 to 118 

mt by reallocating 138.2 mt of Purse 

Seine quota to the Reserve category 

(based on 2016 catch by Purse Seine 

category participants) and also 

transferring 45 mt of Reserve category 

quota to the Longline category (82 FR 

12296, March 2, 2017). Effective March 

2, 2017, NMFS transferred 40 mt from 

the Reserve to the General category (82 

FR 12747, March 7, 2017). Additionally, 

effective August 11, 2017, NMFS 

transferred an additional 30 mt from the 

Reserve to the Harpoon category (82 FR 

38853, August 16, 2017). Thus, as of the 

effective date of this action (September 

18, 2017), the adjusted 2017 Reserve 

category quota would be 156.38 mt (24.8 

+ 138.2¥45¥40¥30 + 108.38). 

Classification 

The Assistant Administrator for 

NMFS (AA) has determined that this 

temporary final rule is consistent with 

the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 2006 

Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP and its 

amendments, other provisions of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, ATCA, and 

other applicable law. 

Pursuant to section 553(b)(B) of the 

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 

553(b)(B)), the AA finds that it would be 

unnecessary and contrary to the public 

interest to provide prior notice of, and 

an opportunity for public comment on, 

this action for the reasons described 

below. 

NMFS solicited and accepted public 

comment on the northern albacore quota 

implementation and quota adjustment 

processes, along with the bluefin tuna 

quota adjustment process, as part of the 

Amendment 7 rulemaking. Public 

comments on these provisions in 

response to the proposed Amendment 7 

rule were generally supportive and were 

addressed in the Response to Comments 

section of the Amendment 7 final rule. 

(See comments 18, 19, and 105 at 79 FR 

71530–71531 and 71553). Similarly, in 

the past, North and South Atlantic 

swordfish quota adjustments were 

performed through an annual notice and 

comment rulemaking process. In the 

2016 North and South Atlantic 

Swordfish Quota Adjustment Rule (81 

FR 48719, July 26, 2016), NMFS 

announced the intent to no longer issue 

proposed and final specifications/rules 

for North and South Atlantic swordfish 

quota adjustments in cases where the 

quota adjustment simply follows 

previously codified and analyzed 

formulas. Public comments on this 

process change were generally 

supportive. Beginning this year, NMFS 

will instead issue a temporary final rule 

to adjust the quota. NMFS will continue 

to undertake notice and comment 

rulemaking if adopting new quotas, 

quota formulas, or otherwise altering 

conservation and management measures 

for North and South Atlantic swordfish. 

This action applies the formulas 

which the public received notice of in 

the earlier actions (Amendment 7 and 

the 2016 North and South Atlantic 

Swordfish Quota Adjustment Rule), 

using the best available data regarding 

2016 catch and underharvest and 

calculating allowable underharvest 

consistent with ICCAT 

recommendations. The rulemakings for 

Amendment 7 and the 2016 North and 

South Atlantic Swordfish Quota 

Adjustment Rule specifically provided 

prior notice of, and accepted public 

comment on, these formulaic quota 

adjustment processes and the manner in 

which they occur. The application of 

this formula in this action does not have 

discretionary aspects requiring 

additional agency consideration and 

thus it would be unnecessarily 

duplicative to accept public comment 

for this action. 

There is good cause under U.S.C. 

553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in 

effective date and to make the rule 

effective upon publication in the 

Federal Register. The fisheries for 

northern albacore, North and South 

Atlantic swordfish, and bluefin tuna 

began on January 1, 2017. NMFS 

monitors northern albacore, North and 

South Atlantic swordfish, and bluefin 


sradovich on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 179 / Monday, September 18, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 43503 

tuna annual catch and measures the 

annual catch data against the applicable 

available quotas. Delaying the effective 

date of these quota adjustments would 

complicate the management of the 

northern albacore, North and South 

Atlantic swordfish, and bluefin tuna 

fisheries, all of which rely on 

management flexibility to respond 

quickly to fishery conditions to ensure 

that fishermen have a reasonable 

opportunity to catch the available 

quotas. For example, under the northern 

albacore fishery closure regulations, 

NMFS must close the fishery when the 

annual fishery quota is reached. Closure 

of the fishery based only on the baseline 

(codified) quota versus the adjusted 

northern albacore quota could preclude 

the fishery from harvesting northern 

albacore that are legally available 

consistent with the ICCAT 

recommendations and the 2006 

Consolidated HMS FMP, as amended. 

Adjusting the North and South Atlantic 

swordfish quota allows the United 

States to comply with the ICCAT 

allowance to carry over quota 

underharvest and the obligation of 

international quota transfers. Adjusting 

the bluefin tuna Reserve category as 

soon as possible provides NMFS the 

flexibility to transfer quota from the 

Reserve to other fishing categories 

inseason after considering the regulatory 

determination criteria, including fishery 

conditions at the time of the transfer. 

The amount of quota currently in the 

Reserve category is relatively low, and 

NMFS may need to transfer quota soon 

in order to reduce the likelihood of 

fishery closure during the September or 

subsequent subquota time periods. 

NMFS could not appropriately adjust 

the annual quotas for 2017 sooner 

because the data needed to make the 

determination did not become available 

until August, and additional time was 

needed for agency analysis and 

consideration of the data. 

Additionally, to prevent confusion 

and potential overharvests, these 

adjustments should be in place as soon 

as possible in order to allow the 

impacted sectors to benefit from any 

subsequent quota adjustments to the 

fishing categories, give them a 

reasonable opportunity to catch 

available quota, and provide them the 

opportunity for planning operations 

accordingly. 

This action is being taken under 

§ 635.27(e) and § 635.27(a)(10), and is 

exempt from review under Executive 

Order 12866. 

This action does not contain a 

collection-of-information requirement 

for purposes of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. 

Because prior notice and opportunity 

for public comment are not required for 

this rule by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other 

law, the analytical requirements of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 

et seq., are inapplicable. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 

et seq. 

Dated: September 13, 2017. 

Samuel D. Rauch, III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19777 Filed 9–15–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 161020985–7181–02] 

RIN 0648–XF654 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of 

Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area; 

Correction 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocations; 

correction. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is correcting a 

temporary rule that reallocated Pacific 

cod from vessels using jig gear and 

catcher vessels greater than or equal to 

60 feet (18.3 meters) length overall 

(LOA) using hook-and-line gear to 

catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 

meters) LOA using hook-and-line or pot 

gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands management area. The amount 

reallocated from vessels using jig gear 

was incorrect. 

DATES: Effective September 18, 2017 

through 2400 hours, Alaska local time 

(A.l.t) December 31, 2017, and is 

applicable beginning August 30, 2017. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Obren Davis, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Need for Correction 

NMFS published the reallocation of 

Pacific cod on September 5, 2017 (82 FR 

41899). The document contains 

incorrect amounts of Pacific cod to be 

transferred to catcher vessels less than 

60 feet LOA using hook-and-line or pot 

gear from vessels using jig gear. These 

corrections will not affect the fishing 

operations. These corrections are 

necessary to provide the correct 

information about the amount of the 

Pacific cod transferred from vessels 

using jig gear and eliminate potential 

avoid confusion by fishery participants. 

Correction 

In the Federal Register of September 

5, 2017, (82 FR 41899) in FR Doc. 2017– 

18733, on page 41900, column 1, 

paragraph 2, sentences 1 and 2 are 

corrected to read as follows: 

‘‘The Administrator, Alaska Region, 

NMFS, (Regional Administrator) has 

determined that jig vessels will not be 

able to harvest 1,186 mt of the 

remaining 2017 Pacific cod TAC 

allocated to those vessels under 

§ 679.20(a)(7)(ii)(A)(1). Therefore, in 

accordance with § 679.20(a)(7)(iii)(A), 

NMFS apportions 1,186 mt of Pacific 

cod to the annual amount specified for 

catcher vessels less than 60 feet LOA 

using hook-and-line or pot gear.’’ 

Classification 

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) as such 

requirement is impracticable and 

contrary to the public interest. This 

actions corrects an error that attributed 

the total amount of Pacific cod being 

transferred to catcher vessels less than 

60 feet LOA using hook-and-line or pot 

gear from multiple sectors (1,612 mt), 

rather than the amount of Pacific cod 

being reallocated from vessels using jig 

gear (1,186 mt). This correction does not 

change operating practices in the 

fisheries. Corrections should be made as 

soon as possible to avoid confusion for 

participants in the fisheries. 

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. 

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

Dated: September 12, 2017. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19628 Filed 9–15–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


sradovich on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES