Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Closure of the 2007 Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fishery for Tilefishes, 18593-18594 [E7-6965]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 71 / Friday, April 13, 2007 / Rules and Regulations State and county Location and case No. Henry, (FEMA Docket No.: B–7474). Unincorporated areas of Henry County (07–03– 0087X). City of Fairfax (04– 03–A027P). Independent City, (FEMA Docket No.: B–7466). Loudoun, (FEMA Docket No.: B– 7466). Loudoun, (FEMA Docket No.: B– 7466). Rockbridge, (FEMA Docket No.: B– 7466). Stafford, (FEMA Docket No.: B–7466). Washington: King, (FEMA Docket No.: B–7466). Walla Walla, (FEMA Docket No.: B– 7466). Whatcom, (FEMA Docket No.: B– 7466). Yakima, (FEMA Docket No.: B–7466). Unincorporated Areas of Loudoun County (05–03– 0412P). Unincorporated Areas of Loudoun County (05–03– A388P). City of Lexington (05–03–0901P). Date and name of newspaper where notice was published Chief executive officer of community Effective date of modification October 27, 2006; November 3, 2006; Martinsville Bulletin. Mr. Benny Summerlin, County Administrator, Henry County, P.O. Box 7, Collinsville, VA 24078. November 22, 2006 ........ 510078 April 13, 2006; April 20, 2006; Fairfax Connection Newspapers. The Honorable Robert F. Lederer, Mayor, City of Fairfax, City Hall, 10455 Armstrong Street, Fairfax, Virginia 22030– 3630. The Honorable Scott K. York, Chairman, Loudoun County, Board of Supervisors, One Harrison Street Southeast, Leesburg, Virginia 20177–7000. The Honorable Scott K. York, Chairman, Loudoun County, Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177–7000. The Honorable John Knapp, Mayor, City of Lexington, 300 East Washington Street, Lexington, Virginia 24450. July 20, 2006 .................. 515524 July 25, 2006 .................. 510090 August 9, 2006 ............... 510090 August 7, 2006 ............... 510089 August 16, 2006; August 23, 2006; Loudoun Times Mirror. May 3, 2006; May 10, 2006; Loudoun Times. August 23, 2006; August 30, 2006; Rockbridge Weekly. June 16, 2006; June 23, 2006; Stafford County Sun. Mr. R. Steve Crosby, County Administrator, Stafford County, P.O. Box 339, Stafford, Virginia 22555–0339. May 10, 2006 ................. 510154 City of Issaquah (06–10–B008P). February 22, 2006; March 1, 2006; Issaquah Press. May 31, 2006 ................. 530079 Unincorporated Areas of Walla Walla County (05– 10–0491P). City of Bellingham (05–10–0554P). August 17, 2006; August 24, 2006; The Times. November 23, 2006 ........ 530194 July 13, 2006 .................. 530199 City of Toppenish (06–10–B462P). November 2, 2006; November 9, 2006; Yakima Herald-Republic. The Honorable Ava Frisinger, Mayor, City of Issaquah, P.O. Box 1307, Issaquah, Washington 98027. The Honorable David G. Carey, Chairman, Walla Walla County, Board of Commissioners, P.O. Box 1506, Walla Walla, Washington 99362. The Honorable Mark Asmundson, Mayor, City of Bellingham, Bellingham City Hall, Second Floor, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, Washington 98225. The Honorable Bill Rogers, Mayor, City of Toppenish, Toppenish City Hall, 21 West First Avenue, Toppenish, Washington 98948. December 14, 2006 ........ 530228 April 20, 2006; April 27, 2006; The Bellingham Herald. Dated: March 26, 2007. David I. Maurstad, Director, Mitigation Division, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security. [FR Doc. E7–7009 Filed 4–12–07; 8:45 am] SUMMARY: NMFS closes the commercial fishery for tilefishes in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS has determined that the quota for tilefishes for the commercial fishery will have been reached by April 18, 2007. This closure is necessary to protect tilefishes. BILLING CODE 9110–12–P DATES: The closure is effective 12:01 a.m., local time, April 18, 2007, until 12:01 a.m., local time, January 1, 2008. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Jason Rueter, telephone 727–824–5350, fax 727–824–5308, e-mail Jason.Rueter@noaa.gov. 50 CFR Part 622 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: [Docket No. 040205043–4043–01; I.D. 040607F] Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Closure of the 2007 Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fishery for Tilefishes cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with RULES Community No. Unincorporated Areas of Stafford County (05–03– 0456P). (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 83.100, ‘‘Flood Insurance.’’) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. AGENCY: VerDate Aug<31>2005 18593 14:52 Apr 12, 2007 Jkt 211001 The reef fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP). The FMP was prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and is implemented under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) by regulations at 50 CFR part 622. Pursuant to 50 CFR 622.42(a)(1)(iv), the commercial quota for tilefishes in the Gulf of Mexico is 440,000 lb (199,581 kg) for the current PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 fishing year, January 1 through December 31, 2007. Under 50 CFR 622.43(a), NMFS is required to close the commercial fishery for a species or species group when the quota for that species or species group is reached, or is projected to be reached, by filing a notification to that effect in the Federal Register. Based on current statistics, NMFS has determined that the available commercial quota of 440,000 lb (199,581 kg) for tilefishes will be reached on or before April 18, 2007. Accordingly, NMFS is closing the commercial fishery for tilefishes in the Gulf of Mexico EEZ from 12:01 a.m., local time, on April 18, 2007, until 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2008. The operator of a vessel with a valid commercial vessel permit for Gulf reef fish having tilefishes aboard must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such tilefishes prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, April 18, 2007. During the closure, the bag and possession limits specified in 50 CFR 622.39(b) apply to all harvest or possession of tilefishes in or from the Gulf of Mexico EEZ, and the sale or purchase of tilefishes taken from the EEZ is prohibited. The prohibition on E:\FR\FM\13APR1.SGM 13APR1 18594 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 71 / Friday, April 13, 2007 / Rules and Regulations sale or purchase does not apply to sale or purchase of tilefishes that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, April 18, 2007, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor. Accordingly, under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a delay in the effective date is waived. This action is taken under 50 CFR 622.43(a) and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866. Classification This action responds to the best available information recently obtained from the fishery. The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds that the need to immediately implement this action to close the fishery constitutes good cause to waive the requirements to provide prior notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to the authority set forth in 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), as such procedures would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such procedures would be unnecessary because the rule implementing the quota already has been subject to notice and comment, and all that remains is to notify the public of the closure. Similarly, there is a need to implement these measures in a timely fashion to prevent an overrun of the commercial quota of Gulf of Mexico tilefishes, given the capacity of the fishing fleet to harvest the quota quickly. Any delay in implementing this action would be impractical and contrary to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and the public interest. For these same reasons, NMFS finds good cause that the implementation of this action cannot be delayed for 30 days. Dated: April 9, 2007. James P. Burgess Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. E7–6965 Filed 4–12–07; 8:45 am] Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. BILLING CODE 3510–22–S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 648 [Docket No. 061124307–7013–02; I.D. 112106A] Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Closure of the Trimester I Fishery for Loligo Squid National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Closure. AGENCY: SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the directed fishery for Loligo squid in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will be closed effective 0001 hours, April 13, 2007. Vessels issued a Federal permit to harvest Loligo squid may not retain or land more than 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of Loligo squid per trip for the remainder of the trimester (through April 30, 2007). This action is necessary to prevent the fishery from exceeding its Trimester I quota and to allow for effective management of this stock. Effective 0001 hours, April 13, 2007, through 2400 hours, April 30, 2007. DATES: Don Frei, Fishery Management Specialist, 978–281–9221, Fax 978–281–9135. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Loligo squid fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require specifications for maximum sustainable yield, initial optimum yield, allowable biological catch, domestic annual harvest (DAH), domestic annual processing, joint venture processing, and total allowable levels of foreign fishing for the species managed under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. The procedures for setting the annual initial specifications are described in § 648.21. The 2007 specification of DAH for Loligo squid was set at 16,872.4 mt (72 FR 4211, January 30, 2007). This amount is allocated by trimester, as shown below. TABLE. 1 Loligo SQUID TRIMESTER ALLOCATIONS. Quarter Percent I (Jan-Apr) II (May-Aug) III (Sep-Dec) Total cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with RULES 1Trimester 43.00 17.00 40.00 100 1 7,090.70 2,803.30 6,596.00 16,490.00 Research Set-aside (mt) N/A N/A N/A 510 allocations after 510–mt research set-aside deduction. Section 648.22 requires NMFS to close the directed Loligo squid fishery in the EEZ when 90 percent of the trimester allocation is harvested in Trimester I, II, and when 95 percent of the total annual DAH has been harvested in Trimester III. NMFS is further required to notify, in advance of the closure, the Executive Directors of the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils; mail notification of the closure to all holders of Loligo squid permits at least 72 hr before the effective date of the closure; provide adequate notice of the closure to recreational participants in the fishery; and publish VerDate Aug<31>2005 Metric Tons 14:52 Apr 12, 2007 Jkt 211001 notification of the closure in the Federal Register. The Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS, based on dealer reports and other available information, has determined that 90 percent of the DAH for Loligo squid in Trimester I will be harvested. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, April 13, 2007, the directed fishery for Loligo squid is closed and vessels issued Federal permits for Loligo squid may not retain or land more than 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of Loligo during a calendar day. The directed fishery will reopen effective 0001 hours, May 1, 2007, when the Trimester II quota becomes available. PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 Classification This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: April 09, 2007. James P. Burgess, Acting Director, Office Of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 07–1824 Filed 4–9–07; 3:14 pm] BILLING CODE 3510–22–S E:\FR\FM\13APR1.SGM 13APR1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 71 (Friday, April 13, 2007)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18593-18594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6965]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 040205043-4043-01; I.D. 040607F]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Closure of the 2007 Gulf of 
Mexico Commercial Fishery for Tilefishes

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.

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SUMMARY: NMFS closes the commercial fishery for tilefishes in the 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico. NMFS has 
determined that the quota for tilefishes for the commercial fishery 
will have been reached by April 18, 2007. This closure is necessary to 
protect tilefishes.

DATES: The closure is effective 12:01 a.m., local time, April 18, 2007, 
until 12:01 a.m., local time, January 1, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Rueter, telephone 727-824-5350, 
fax 727-824-5308, e-mail Jason.Rueter@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico 
is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish 
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP). The FMP was prepared by the Gulf 
of Mexico Fishery Management Council and is implemented under the 
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) by regulations at 50 CFR part 622. Pursuant 
to 50 CFR 622.42(a)(1)(iv), the commercial quota for tilefishes in the 
Gulf of Mexico is 440,000 lb (199,581 kg) for the current fishing year, 
January 1 through December 31, 2007.
    Under 50 CFR 622.43(a), NMFS is required to close the commercial 
fishery for a species or species group when the quota for that species 
or species group is reached, or is projected to be reached, by filing a 
notification to that effect in the Federal Register. Based on current 
statistics, NMFS has determined that the available commercial quota of 
440,000 lb (199,581 kg) for tilefishes will be reached on or before 
April 18, 2007. Accordingly, NMFS is closing the commercial fishery for 
tilefishes in the Gulf of Mexico EEZ from 12:01 a.m., local time, on 
April 18, 2007, until 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2008. The 
operator of a vessel with a valid commercial vessel permit for Gulf 
reef fish having tilefishes aboard must have landed and bartered, 
traded, or sold such tilefishes prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, April 
18, 2007.
    During the closure, the bag and possession limits specified in 50 
CFR 622.39(b) apply to all harvest or possession of tilefishes in or 
from the Gulf of Mexico EEZ, and the sale or purchase of tilefishes 
taken from the EEZ is prohibited. The prohibition on

[[Page 18594]]

sale or purchase does not apply to sale or purchase of tilefishes that 
were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local 
time, April 18, 2007, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or 
processor.

Classification

    This action responds to the best available information recently 
obtained from the fishery. The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 
NOAA, finds that the need to immediately implement this action to close 
the fishery constitutes good cause to waive the requirements to provide 
prior notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to the 
authority set forth in 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), as such procedures would 
be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such procedures 
would be unnecessary because the rule implementing the quota already 
has been subject to notice and comment, and all that remains is to 
notify the public of the closure. Similarly, there is a need to 
implement these measures in a timely fashion to prevent an overrun of 
the commercial quota of Gulf of Mexico tilefishes, given the capacity 
of the fishing fleet to harvest the quota quickly. Any delay in 
implementing this action would be impractical and contrary to the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and the public interest. For these same 
reasons, NMFS finds good cause that the implementation of this action 
cannot be delayed for 30 days. Accordingly, under 5 U.S.C. 553(d), a 
delay in the effective date is waived.
    This action is taken under 50 CFR 622.43(a) and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: April 9, 2007.
James P. Burgess
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-6965 Filed 4-12-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S

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