Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Guam Longline Fishing Prohibited Area, 10869-10870 [06-1997]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 42 / Friday, March 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations
to move to other areas to obtain fish.
Even if vessels could fish in other areas,
their operating costs would be increased
because of increased steaming time. An
Area 2 TAC of 35,000 mt under this
alternative would not be constraining,
given recent landings history.
The final alternative considered
would have established the following
TACs: Area 1A, 55,000 mt; Area 1B,
5,000 mt; Area 2, 30,000 mt; and Area
3, 60,000 mt. With a 10,000–mt decrease
in the combined Area 1 TACs, the
impact of this alternative would be very
similar to the impact of the prior
alternative, although not as severe. An
Area 2 TAC of 30,000 mt under this
alternative would not be constraining,
given recent landings history.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Small Entity Compliance Guide
SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule to
amend the geographic coordinates that
define the longline fishing prohibited
area in waters of the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) around Guam.
This action is necessary to correct an
error in one of the published
coordinates. The intended effect of this
action is to accurately implement the
Guam longline closed area.
DATES: Effective April 3, 2006.
ADDRESSES: This rule is available from
William L. Robinson, Administrator,
NMFS, Pacific Islands Region (PIR),
1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110,
Honolulu, HI 96814, and from the PIR
web site https://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/pir.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert Harman, PIR, 808 944–2271.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
Federal Register document is also
accessible via the Internet at https://
www.archives.gov/federal-register/
publications.
Portions of the EEZ around Guam are
closed to pelagic longline fishing to
prevent conflicts with users of other
types of fishing gear. In 1992, NMFS
published in the Federal Register a final
rule that created a 50–nm longline
closed area around Guam (57 FR 45989,
October 6, 1992); the regulations that
were implemented by that final rule
contained an error in the geographic
coordinates for one of the points that
define the closed area. NMFS published
a technical amendment (59 FR 46933,
September 13, 1994) that corrected
those coordinates. NMFS subsequently
published a rule that consolidated
several sections of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) under 50 CFR 660 (61
FR 34570, July 2, 1996). In that rule, the
geographic coordinates for the same
point (Point ‘‘C’’) were inadvertently
Section 212 of the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of
1996 states that, for each rule, or group
of related rules, for which an agency is
required to prepare a FRFA, the agency
shall publish one or more guides to
assist small entities in complying with
the rule and shall designate such
publications as ‘‘small entity
compliance guides.’’ The agency shall
explain the actions a small entity is
required to take to comply with a rule
or group of rules. As part of this
rulemaking process, a small entity
compliance guide will be sent to all
holders of permits issued for the herring
fishery. In addition, copies of this final
rule and guide (i.e., permit holder letter)
are available from the Regional
Administrator (see ADDRESSES) and may
be found at the following web site:
https://www.nero.noaa.gov.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 27, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06–1996 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with RULES
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:36 Mar 02, 2006
Jkt 208001
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 05120322–6051–02; I.D.
010506C]
RIN 0648–AU11
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in
the Western Pacific; Western Pacific
Pelagic Fisheries; Guam Longline
Fishing Prohibited Area
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00039
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
10869
published with an error in 50 CFR
660.26(d). This final rule corrects the
coordinates.
Comments and Responses
The proposed rule was published in
the Federal Register on January 20,
2006 (71 FR 3254), and the comment
period ended on February 21, 2006.
NMFS received no comments on the
proposed rule.
Changes to the Proposed Rule
NMFS made no changes to the
proposed rule.
Classification
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of
the Department of Commerce certified
to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the
Small Business Administration during
the proposed rule stage that this action
would not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The factual basis for the
certification was published in the
proposed rule and is not repeated here.
No comments were received regarding
this certification. As a result, a
regulatory flexibility analysis was not
required and none was prepared.
This final rule has been determined to
be not significant for purposes of
Executive Order 12866.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660
Administrative practice and
procedure, American Samoa, Fisheries,
Fishing, Guam, Hawaiian Natives,
Indians, Northern Mariana Islands,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Dated: February 27, 2006.
James W. Balsiger,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs,National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, 50 CFR part 660 is correctly
amended as follows:
I
PART 660—FISHERIES OFF WEST
COAST STATES AND IN THE
WESTERN PACIFIC
1. The authority citation for part 660
continues to read as follows:
I
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
2. In § 660.26, revise the entry for
Point C in the table in paragraph (d) to
read as follows:
I
§ 660.26 Longline fishing prohibited area
management.
*
*
*
(d) * * *
E:\FR\FM\03MRR1.SGM
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10870
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 42 / Friday, March 3, 2006 / Rules and Regulations
Point
*
N. lat.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
13° 41′
*
*
C
*
November 2005, are available from the
North Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council), West 4th Avenue,
Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99510–2252
(907–271–2809) or from its Web site at
https://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc.
[FR Doc. 06–1997 Filed 3–2–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Tom
Pearson, Sustainable Fisheries Division,
Alaska Region, 907–481–1780, or e-mail
at tom.pearson@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 060216044–6044–01; I.D.
112805A]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Gulf of Alaska; Final
2006 and 2007 Harvest Specifications
for Groundfish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; closures.
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with RULES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS announces final 2006
and 2007 harvest specifications,
reserves and apportionments thereof,
Pacific halibut prohibited species catch
(PSC) limits, and associated
management measures for the
groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska
(GOA). This action is necessary to
establish harvest limits and associated
management measures for groundfish
during the 2006 and 2007 fishing years
and to accomplish the goals and
objectives of the Fishery Management
Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of
Alaska (FMP). The intended effect of
this action is to conserve and manage
the groundfish resources in the GOA in
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: The final 2006 and 2007 harvest
specifications and associated
management measures are effective at
1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.),
March 3, 2006, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t.,
December 31, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final
Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(FRFA) prepared for this action are
available from Alaska Region, NMFS,
P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802,
Attn: Records Officer or from the Alaska
Region Web site at https://
www.fakr.noaa.gov. Copies of the 2005
Stock Assessment and Fishery
Evaluation (SAFE) report for the
groundfish resources of the GOA, dated
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:36 Mar 02, 2006
Jkt 208001
NMFS
manages the GOA groundfish fisheries
in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of
the GOA under the FMP. The Council
prepared the FMP under the authority of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C.
1801, et seq. Regulations governing U.S.
fisheries and implementing the FMP
appear at 50 CFR parts 600, 679, and
680.
The FMP and its implementing
regulations require NMFS, after
consultation with the Council, to
specify the total allowable catch (TAC)
for each target species and for the ‘‘other
species’’ category, the sum of which
must be within the optimum yield (OY)
range of 116,000 to 800,000 metric tons
(mt). Section 679.20(c)(1) further
requires NMFS to publish and solicit
public comment on proposed annual
TACs, halibut PSC amounts, and
seasonal allowances of pollock and
inshore/offshore Pacific cod. The final
harvest specifications in Tables 1
through 18 of this document satisfy
these requirements. For 2006, the sum
of the TAC amounts is 291,950 mt. For
2007, the sum of the TAC amounts is
257,772 mt.
The proposed 2006 and 2007 harvest
specifications and Pacific halibut PSC
allowances for the GOA were published
in the Federal Register on December 16,
2005 (70 FR 74739). Comments were
invited and accepted through January
17, 2006. NMFS received 1 letter with
several comments on the proposed
harvest specifications. These comments
are summarized and responded to in the
Response to Comments section. In
December 2005, NMFS consulted with
the Council regarding the 2006 and 2007
harvest specifications. After considering
public comments received, as well as
biological and economic data that were
available at the Council’s December
2005 meeting, NMFS is implementing
the final 2006 and 2007 harvest
specifications, as recommended by the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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E. long.
*
143°33′33″
*
Council, with the exception of pollock
as described below.
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) and
TAC Specifications
In December 2005, the Council, its
Advisory Panel (AP), and its Scientific
and Statistical Committee (SSC),
reviewed current biological and harvest
information about the condition of
groundfish stocks in the GOA. This
information was compiled by the
Council’s GOA Plan Team and was
presented in the 2005 SAFE report for
the GOA groundfish fisheries, dated
November 2005 (see ADDRESSES). The
SAFE report contains a review of the
latest scientific analyses and estimates
of each species’ biomass and other
biological parameters, as well as
summaries of the available information
on the GOA ecosystem and the
economic condition of the groundfish
fisheries off Alaska. From these data and
analyses, the Plan Team estimates an
ABC for each species or species
category.
The final ABC levels are based on the
best available biological and
socioeconomic information, including
projected biomass trends, information
on assumed distribution of stock
biomass, and revised methods used to
calculate stock biomass. The FMP
specifies the formulas, or tiers, to be
used in computing ABCs and
overfishing levels (OFLs). The formulas
applicable to a particular stock or stock
complex are determined by the level of
reliable information available to
fisheries scientists. This information is
categorized into a successive series of
six tiers with tier one representing the
highest level of information and tier six
the lowest level of information.
The final TAC recommendations were
based on the ABCs as adjusted for other
biological and socioeconomic
considerations, including maintaining
the total TAC within the required OY
range of 116,000 to 800,000 mt. The
Council adopted the AP’s TAC
recommendations. The Council
recommended TACs for 2006 and 2007
that are equal to ABCs for pollock, deepwater flatfish, rex sole, sablefish, Pacific
ocean perch, shortraker rockfish,
rougheye rockfish, northern rockfish,
pelagic shelf rockfish, thornyhead
rockfish, demersal shelf rockfish, big
skate, longnose skate, and other skates.
The Council recommended TACs that
E:\FR\FM\03MRR1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 42 (Friday, March 3, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10869-10870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1997]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 05120322-6051-02; I.D. 010506C]
RIN 0648-AU11
Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Western Pacific Pelagic Fisheries; Guam Longline Fishing Prohibited
Area
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule to amend the geographic
coordinates that define the longline fishing prohibited area in waters
of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Guam. This action is
necessary to correct an error in one of the published coordinates. The
intended effect of this action is to accurately implement the Guam
longline closed area.
DATES: Effective April 3, 2006.
ADDRESSES: This rule is available from William L. Robinson,
Administrator, NMFS, Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani
Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814, and from the PIR web site
https://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/pir.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Harman, PIR, 808 944-2271.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Federal Register document is also
accessible via the Internet at https://www.archives.gov/federal-
register/publications.
Portions of the EEZ around Guam are closed to pelagic longline
fishing to prevent conflicts with users of other types of fishing gear.
In 1992, NMFS published in the Federal Register a final rule that
created a 50-nm longline closed area around Guam (57 FR 45989, October
6, 1992); the regulations that were implemented by that final rule
contained an error in the geographic coordinates for one of the points
that define the closed area. NMFS published a technical amendment (59
FR 46933, September 13, 1994) that corrected those coordinates. NMFS
subsequently published a rule that consolidated several sections of the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 50 CFR 660 (61 FR 34570, July
2, 1996). In that rule, the geographic coordinates for the same point
(Point ``C'') were inadvertently published with an error in 50 CFR
660.26(d). This final rule corrects the coordinates.
Comments and Responses
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on January
20, 2006 (71 FR 3254), and the comment period ended on February 21,
2006. NMFS received no comments on the proposed rule.
Changes to the Proposed Rule
NMFS made no changes to the proposed rule.
Classification
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce
certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration during the proposed rule stage that this action would
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The factual basis for the certification was published in the
proposed rule and is not repeated here. No comments were received
regarding this certification. As a result, a regulatory flexibility
analysis was not required and none was prepared.
This final rule has been determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660
Administrative practice and procedure, American Samoa, Fisheries,
Fishing, Guam, Hawaiian Natives, Indians, Northern Mariana Islands,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: February 27, 2006.
James W. Balsiger,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs,National
Marine Fisheries Service.
0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 660 is correctly
amended as follows:
PART 660--FISHERIES OFF WEST COAST STATES AND IN THE WESTERN
PACIFIC
0
1. The authority citation for part 660 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
0
2. In Sec. 660.26, revise the entry for Point C in the table in
paragraph (d) to read as follows:
Sec. 660.26 Longline fishing prohibited area management.
* * * * *
(d) * * *
[[Page 10870]]
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Point N. lat. E. long.
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C 13[deg] 41' 143[deg]33'33''
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[FR Doc. 06-1997 Filed 3-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
