Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment to the 2007 A and B Season Allowances of Pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska, 1671-1676 [07-120]
Download as PDFAgencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 16, 2007)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 1671-1676] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 07-120] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 679 [Docket No. 060216044-6044-01; I.D. 010807A] Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment to the 2007 A and B Season Allowances of Pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: NMFS is adjusting the A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the current A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA are incorrectly specified and to ensure the A and B season catch of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA does not exceed the appropriate amount, based on the best available scientific information for pollock in the GOA. This action is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), January 16, 2007, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., April 15, 2007, unless otherwise modified or superceded through publication of a notification in the Federal Register. Comments must be received at the following address no later than 4:30 p.m., A.l.t., January 31, 2007. ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Comments may be submitted by:Mail to: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802; Hand delivery to the Federal Building, 709 West 9\th\ Street, Room 420A, Juneau, Alaska; FAX to 907-586-7557; E-mail to 620PLCKADJUSTMENT@noaa.gov and include the subject line of the e-mail comment the document identifier: 620PLCKADJUSTMENT (E-mail comments, with or without attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes); or Webform at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions at that site for submitting comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Hogan, 907-586-7228. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the GOA exclusive economic zone according to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (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 2007 total allowable catch of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA is 24,275 metric tons (mt) as established by the 2006 and 2007 harvest specification for groundfish in the GOA (71 FR 10870, March 3, 2006). The A season allowance is 8,910 mt and the B season allowance is 10,663 mt for pollock in Statistical area 620 of the GOA as established by the 2006 and 2007 harvest specification for groundfish in the GOA (71 FR 10870, March 3, 2006). In December 2006, the Council recommended 2007 A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of 7,357 mt and 8,924 mt, respectively. This amount is less than the A and B season allowances currently established by the 2006 and 2007 harvest specification for groundfish in the GOA (71 FR 10870, March 3, 2006). The A and B season allowances as recommended by the Council are based on the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation report (SAFE), dated November 2006, which is the best available scientific information for this fishery. In accordance with Sec. 679.25(a)(2)(i)(B), the Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), has determined, based on the November 2006 SAFE report for this fishery, that the current A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA are incorrectly specified. Consequently, the Regional Administrator is adjusting the 2007 A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA to 7,357 mt and 8,924 mt, respectively. Pursuant to Sec. 679.20(a)(5)(iv), Tables 6, 13, and 16 of the 2006 and 2007 final harvest specifications for groundfish in the GOA (71 FR 10870, March 3, 2006) are revised for the 2007 A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA consistent with this adjustment. [[Page 1672]] Table 6 - Final 2007 Distribution of Pollock in the Central and Western Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska; Seasonal Biomass Distribution, Area Apportionments; and Seasonal Allowances of Annual TAC. [Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Area Apportionments Resulting From Seasonal Distribution of Biomass ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shumagin Chirikof Kodiak (Area Season (Area 610) (Area 620) 630) Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A 3,352 7,357 3,234 13,943 (21.63%) (52.76%) (20.87%) (100%) B 3,352 8,924 1,481 (9.56%) 13,757 (21.63%) (64.87%) (100%) C 8,159 2,351 4,986 15,496 (52.65%) (15.17%) (32.18%) (100%) D 8,159 2,351 4,986 15,496 (52.65%) (15.17%) (32.18%) (100%) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Annual Total 23,022 20,983 14,687 58,692 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table 13 - Final 2007 GOA Non-Exempt American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel (CV) Groundfish Harvest Sideboard Limitations. [Values are in metric tons] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratio of 1995- 2007 non- Apportionments and 1997 non- exempt AFA Species allocations by area/ exempt AFA CV 2007 TAC catcher season/processor/ catch to 1995- vessel gear 1997 TAC sideboard ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pollock A Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) January 20 - February 25 Shumagin (610) 0.6112 3,352 2,049 Chirikof (620) 0.1427 7,357 1,050 Kodiak (630) 0.2438 3,234 788 ------------------------------------------------------------ B Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) March 10 - May 31 Shumagin (610) 0.6112 3,352 2,049 Chirikof (620) 0.1427 8,924 1,274 Kodiak (630) 0.2438 1,481 361 ------------------------------------------------------------ C Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) August 25 - September 15 Shumagin (610) 0.6112 8,159 4,987 Chirikof (620) 0.1427 2,351 335 Kodiak (630) 0.2438 4,986 1,216 ------------------------------------------------------------ D Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) October 1 - November 1 Shumagin (610) 0.6112 8,159 4,987 Chirikof (620) 0.1427 2,351 335 Kodiak (630) 0.2438 4,986 1,216 ------------------------------------------------------------ Annual ............. ........ ............. WYK (640) 0.3499 1,426 499 SEO (650) 0.3499 6,157 2,154 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pacific cod A Season\1\ ............. ........ ............. January 1 - June 10 W inshore 0.1423 7,813 1,112 W offshore 0.1026 868 89 C inshore 0.0722 11,019 796 C offshore 0.0721 1,224 88 ------------------------------------------------------------ B Season\2\ ............. ........ ............. September 1 - December 31 W inshore 0.1423 5,209 741 W offshore 0.1026 579 59 C inshore 0.0722 7,346 530 C offshore 0.0721 816 59 ------------------------------------------------------------ Annual ............. ........ ............. E inshore 0.0079 2,404 19 E offshore 0.0078 267 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flatfish W 0.0000 421 ............. deep-water C 0.0670 4,145 278 E 0.0171 4,111 70 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 1673]] Rex sole W 0.0010 1,096 1 C 0.0402 5,207 209 E 0.0153 2,397 37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flathead W 0.0036 2,000 7 sole C 0.0261 5,000 131 E 0.0048 2,153 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flatfish W 0.0156 4,500 70 shallow- water C 0.0598 13,000 777 E 0.0126 2,472 31 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arrowtooth W 0.0021 8,000 17 flounder C 0.0309 25,000 773 E 0.0020 5,000 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sablefish W trawl gear 0.0000 472 0 C trawl gear 0.0720 1,126 81 E trawl gear 0.0488 257 13 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pacific W 0.0623 4,290 267 ocean perch C 0.0866 7,660 663 E 0.0466 2,776 129 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shortraker W 0.0000 153 0 rockfish C 0.0237 353 8 E 0.0124 337 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rougheye W 0.0000 133 0 rockfish C 0.0237 596 14 E 0.0124 235 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other W 0.0034 577 2 rockfish C 0.2065 386 80 E 0.0000 517 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Northern W 0.0003 1,483 0 rockfish C 0.0336 3,608 121 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pelagic W 0.0001 1,463 0 shelf rockfish C 0.0000 3,318 0 E 0.0067 749 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thornyhead W 0.0308 513 16 rockfish C 0.0308 989 30 E 0.0308 707 22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Big skates W 0.0090 695 6 C 0.0090 2,250 20 E 0.0090 599 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Longnose W 0.0090 65 1 skates C 0.0090 1,969 18 E 0.0090 861 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other GW 0.0090 1,617 15 skates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Demersal SEO 0.0020 410 1 shelf rockfish ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 1674]] Atka Gulfwide 0.0309 1,500 46 mackerel ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Gulfwide 0.0090 12,229 110 species ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20. \2\The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1. Table 16 - Final 2007 GOA Non American Fisheries Act Crab Vessel (CV) Groundfish Harvest Sideboard Limitations. [Values are rounded to nearest metric ton] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratio of 1996- Apportionments and 2000 non-AFA 2007 non-AFA Species allocations by area/ CV catch to 2007 TAC crab vessel season/processor/ 1996-2000 sideboard gear total harvest ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pollock A Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) January 20 - March 10 Shumagin (610) 0.0098 3,352 33 Chirikof (620) 0.0031 7,357 23 Kodiak (630) 0.0002 3,234 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ B Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) March 10 - May 31 Shumagin (610) 0.0098 3,352 33 Chirikof (620) 0.0031 8,924 28 Kodiak (630) 0.0002 1,481 0 ------------------------------------------------------------ C Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) August 25 - October 1 Shumagin (610) 0.0098 8,159 80 Chirikof (620) 0.0031 2,351 7 Kodiak (630) 0.0002 4,986 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ D Season (W/C areas ............. ........ ............. only) October 1 - November 1 Shumagin (610) 0.0098 8,159 80 Chirikof (620) 0.0031 2,351 7 Kodiak (630) 0.0002 4,986 1 ------------------------------------------------------------ Annual ............. ........ ............. WYK (640) 0.0000 1,426 0 SEO (650) 0.0000 6,157 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pacific cod A Season\1\ ............. ........ ............. January 1 - June 10 W inshore 0.0902 7,813 705 W offshore 0.2046 868 178 C inshore 0.0383 11,019 422 C offshore 0.2074 1,224 254 ------------------------------------------------------------ B Season\2\ ............. ........ ............. September 1 - December 31 W inshore 0.0902 5,209 470 W offshore 0.2046 579 118 C inshore 0.0383 7,346 281 C offshore 0.2074 816 169 ------------------------------------------------------------ Annual ............. ........ ............. E inshore 0.0110 2,404 26 E offshore 0.0000 267 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flatfish W 0.0035 421 1 deep-water C 0.0000 4,145 0 E 0.0000 4,111 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rex sole W 0.0000 1,096 0 C 0.0000 5,207 0 [[Page 1675]] E 0.0000 2,397 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flathead W 0.0002 2,000 0 sole C 0.0004 5,000 2 E 0.0000 2,153 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flatfish W 0.0059 4,500 27 shallow- water C 0.0001 13,000 1 E 0.0000 2,472 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arrowtooth W 0.0004 8,000 3 flounder C 0.0001 25,000 3 E 0.0000 5,000 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sablefish W trawl gear 0.0000 472 0 C trawl gear 0.0000 1,126 0 E trawl gear 0.0000 257 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pacific W 0.0000 4,290 0 ocean perch C 0.0000 7,660 0 E 0.0000 2,776 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shortraker W 0.0013 153 0 rockfish C 0.0012 353 0 E 0.0009 337 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rougheye W 0.0067 133 1 rockfish C 0.0047 596 3 E 0.0008 235 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other W 0.0035 577 2 rockfish C 0.0033 386 1 E 0.0000 517 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Northern W 0.0005 1,483 1 rockfish C 0.0000 3,608 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pelagic W 0.0017 1,463 2 shelf rockfish C 0.0000 3,318 0 E 0.0000 749 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thornyhead W 0.0047 513 2 rockfish C 0.0066 989 7 E 0.0045 707 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Big skates W 0.0392 695 27 C 0.0159 2,250 36 E 0.0000 599 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Longnose W 0.0392 65 3 skate C 0.0159 1,969 36 E 0.0000 861 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other GW 0.0176 1,617 28 skates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Demersal SEO 0.0000 410 0 shelf rockfish ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Atka Gulfwide 0.0000 1,500 0 mackerel ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [[Page 1676]] Other Gulfwide 0.0176 12,229 215 species ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\The Pacific cod A season for trawl gear does not open until January 20. \2\The Pacific cod B season for trawl gear closes November 1. 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 679.25(c)(2) as such 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 allow for harvests that exceed the appropriate A and B season allowances of pollock in Statistical Area 620 of the GOA based on the best scientific information available. NMFS was unable to publish a notice providing time for public comment because the most recent, relevant data only became available as of December 19, 2006, and additional time for prior public comment would result in conservation concerns. 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 Sec. 679.25(c)(2), interested persons are invited to submit written comments on this action to the above address until January 31, 2007. This action is required by Sec. 679.22 and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: January 8, 2007. James P. Burgess, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 07-120 Filed 1-10-07; 12:43 pm] BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
