Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program, 5499-5501 [2015-01842]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Proposed Rules
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 https://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.
Electronic copies of the proposed
rule, list of references and supporting
documents, and the draft economic
report (i.e., Regulatory Impact Review
(RIR)/4(b)(2) Preparatory Assessment/
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Act (IRFA)
report) prepared for this action are
available from https://
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0114 or from the
NMFS Alaska Region Web site at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tamara Olson, NMFS Alaska Region,
(907) 271–2373; Jon Kurland, NMFS
Alaska Region, (907) 586–7638; or Marta
Nammack, NMFS Office of Protected
Resources, (301) 427–8469.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Background
On December 9, 2014, we published
a proposed rule to designate critical
habitat for the threatened Arctic ringed
seal under the ESA, and opened a
public comment period on the proposed
rule through March 9, 2015 (79 FR
73010). Subsequently, on January 13,
2015, we announced the specific dates
and locations for four public hearings
on the proposed rule in Alaska, one
each in Nome, Anchorage, Kotzebue,
and Barrow (80 FR 1618). At that time,
we also announced our intention to
hold a fifth public hearing in Bethel,
AK. In this document we announce the
specific date and location for the public
hearing in Bethel. In addition, to
provide the public with additional time
to submit comments, we also announce
in this document an extension of the
comment period (see DATES).
Public Hearings
During the public hearings, a brief
opening presentation on the proposed
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16:56 Jan 30, 2015
Jkt 235001
rule will be provided before accepting
public testimony. Written comments
may be submitted at the hearings or via
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal (see
ADDRESSES) until the scheduled close of
the comment period (see DATES). In the
event that attendance at the public
hearings is large, the time allotted for
oral statements may be limited. Oral and
written statements receive equal
consideration. There are no limits on
the length of written comments
submitted to us.
Special Accommodations
These hearings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other accommodations
should be directed to Tamara Olson (see
ADDRESSES) as soon as possible, but no
later than 7 business days prior to the
hearing date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: January 26, 2015.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–01970 Filed 1–30–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 680
RIN 0648–BD61
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization
Program
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery
management plan amendment; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
The North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council)
submitted Amendment 45 to the Fishery
Management Plan for Bering Sea/
Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs
(Crab FMP) to NMFS for review. If
approved, Amendment 45 would
establish, for a limited period of time, a
process to permanently remove Pacific
cod catch limits, known as sideboard
limits, which are applicable to certain
hook-and-line catcher/processors in the
Central and Western Gulf of Alaska
(GOA) Regulatory Areas. This action
would authorize NMFS to remove these
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
5499
Pacific cod sideboard limits in the
Central or Western GOA if all eligible
participants in the hook-and-line
catcher/processor sector in a regulatory
area sign and submit to NMFS an
affidavit requesting that NMFS remove
the sideboard limit. Eligible participants
would be required to submit an affidavit
to NMFS within 1 year of the date of
publication of a final rule implementing
Amendment 45, if it is approved by the
Secretary of Commerce. Amendment 45
is necessary to provide participants in
the Central and Western GOA hook-andline catcher/processor sectors with an
opportunity to cooperatively coordinate
harvests of GOA Pacific cod through
private arrangement to the participants’
mutual benefit, which would remove
the need for current regulations that
impose sideboard harvest restrictions on
some participants in the sectors. This
action is intended to promote the goals
and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Crab
FMP, and other applicable laws.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
April 3, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by NOAA–NMFS–2013–0133,
by any one of the following methods.
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0133, 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),
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.
Electronic copies of the following
documents may be obtained from
E:\FR\FM\02FEP1.SGM
02FEP1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
5500
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Proposed Rules
https://www.regulations.gov or from the
NMFS Alaska Region Web site at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov:
• The Regulatory Impact Review/
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
(RIR/IRFA), and the Categorical
Exclusion prepared for this action
(collectively referred to as the
‘‘Analysis’’);
• The Harvest Specifications
Supplemental Information Report
prepared for the final 2014 and 2015
harvest specifications;
• The Final Environmental
Assessment/Final RIR/Initial IRFA for
Amendment 83 to the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
GOA (GOA FMP) Allocation of Pacific
Cod Among Sectors in the Western and
Central GOA; and
• The Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Final Environmental
Impact Statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Seanbob Kelly, 907–586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that
each regional fishery management
council submit any fishery management
plan amendment it prepares to NMFS
for review and approval, disapproval, or
partial approval by the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary). The MagnusonStevens Act also requires that NMFS,
upon receiving a fishery management
plan amendment, immediately publish a
notice in the Federal Register
announcing that the amendment is
available for public review and
comment. This notice announces that
proposed Amendment 45 to the Crab
FMP is available for public review and
comment.
The king and Tanner crab fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are
managed under the Crab FMP. The
Council prepared the Crab FMP under
the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Regulations
implementing the Crab FMP are located
at 50 CFR part 680.
The Crab Rationalization (CR)
Program, implemented in 2005, is a
catch share program that allocates
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI)
crab resources through issuance of quota
share among harvesters, processors, and
coastal communities. As part of the CR
Program, eligible vessel owners were
allocated quota share in several valuable
crab fisheries. The CR Program provides
increased flexibility for crab fishermen
to choose when and where to fish, or
whether to lease their crab quota share
and fish for species other than crab. The
Council and NMFS recognized that the
benefits of the CR Program could create
incentives for participants to increase
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16:56 Jan 30, 2015
Jkt 235001
their level of participation in groundfish
fisheries, especially Pacific cod fisheries
in the Central and Western GOA.
Participants in the Bering Sea C. opilio
(snow) crab fisheries have historically
participated in GOA Pacific cod
fisheries. Therefore, the CR Program
established GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limits to prevent increased fishing effort
in the GOA Pacific cod fisheries by
those receiving Bering Sea snow crab
quota share, and to mitigate the
potentially adverse impacts of increased
fishing effort on participants in the GOA
Pacific cod fisheries who did not benefit
from the CR Program.
CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits constrain the harvest of
GOA Pacific cod by vessels and holders
of license limitation program (LLP)
licenses that were used to harvest
specific amounts of Pacific cod in the
GOA and snow crab in the Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands Management Area.
Originally, the CR Program GOA Pacific
cod sideboard limits in the Central and
Western GOA were calculated using the
Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC)
for the Central and Western GOA. With
the implementation of Amendment 83
to the Fishery Management Plan for Gulf
of Alaska Groundfish in 2012, the CR
Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limits in the Central and Western GOA
are calculated using the apportionment
of Pacific cod TAC established for
specific gear types (e.g., hook-and-line
gear, pot gear) and by operation type
(i.e., catcher/processor vessels, catcher
vessels). CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits in the Central and
Western GOA for vessels using hookand-line gear and operating as catcher/
processors (the hook-and-line catcher/
processor sector) are now much smaller
than they were prior to Amendment 83.
As a result, NMFS prohibits target
fishing, commonly known as directed
fishing, for Pacific cod in the Central
and Western GOA by participants in the
hook-and-line catcher/processor sector
who are subject to CR Program GOA
Pacific cod sideboard limits so that
these small sideboard limits are not
exceeded.
This proposed action would establish,
for a limited period of time, a regulatory
process for the removal of the Central
and/or the Western CR Program GOA
Pacific cod sideboard limits for the
hook-and-line catcher/processor sectors.
As proposed, Amendment 45 would
allow NMFS to permanently remove a
CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limit if NMFS receives an affidavit
signed by all persons holding LLP
licenses with endorsements that permit
directed fishing for Pacific cod as a
hook-and-line catcher/processor in the
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Central or Western GOA (i.e., all eligible
participants) and stating that all eligible
participants in that regulatory area
recommend removal of the CR Program
GOA Pacific cod sideboard limit. This
proposed action is necessary to provide
participants with an opportunity to
cooperatively agree to coordinate Pacific
cod harvests in a manner that is
mutually beneficial to all eligible
participants in the Central and Western
GOA hook-and-line catcher/processor
sectors, thus eliminating the need for
the sideboard limits imposed through
regulation.
If NMFS receives an affidavit from all
eligible participants in the Central GOA,
then NMFS would remove the CR
Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limit for the hook-and-line catcher/
processor sector in the Central GOA. If
NMFS receives an affidavit from all
eligible participants in the Western
GOA, then NMFS would remove the CR
Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limit for the hook-and-line catcher/
processor sector in the Western GOA.
This proposed action would require
that eligible participants in each
regulatory area submit a completed
affidavit no later than 1 year (365 days)
following publication in the Federal
Register of the final rule implementing
Amendment 45, if approved by the
Secretary. The Council recommended a
1-year deadline to provide sufficient
time to encourage negotiations among
eligible participants, while not unduly
prolonging the management uncertainty
for those participants currently subject
to the CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits and prohibited from
targeting Pacific cod in the Central or
Western GOA.
If all of the eligible participants are
unable or unwilling to agree to the
sideboard removal, NMFS would not
remove the CR Program GOA Pacific
cod sideboard limits and certain hookand-line catcher/processors would
continue to be subject to CR Program
GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits. The
Council determined that maintaining
the CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits for vessels and any
associated LLP licenses is consistent
with the CR Program because the
sideboard limits continue to provide
protections originally intended under
the CR Program if agreement cannot be
reached among all participants.
Removing sideboard limits without
coordination and agreement among all
eligible participants would increase the
likelihood of increased fishing effort (a
‘‘race for fish’’) among fishery
participants and ultimately would not
provide long-term management stability.
E:\FR\FM\02FEP1.SGM
02FEP1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Proposed Rules
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
This result would be inconsistent with
the purpose and need for this action.
Public comments are solicited on
proposed Amendment 45 to the Crab
FMP through the end of the comment
period (see DATES). NMFS intends to
publish in the Federal Register and seek
public comment on a proposed rule that
would implement Amendment 45,
following NMFS’ evaluation of the
proposed rule under the MagnusonStevens Act. Public comments on the
proposed rule must be received by the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:56 Jan 30, 2015
Jkt 235001
end of the comment period on
Amendment 45 to be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision on
Amendment 45. All comments received
by the end of the comment period on
Amendment 45, whether specifically
directed to the amendment or the
proposed rule will be considered in the
amendment approval/disapproval
decision. Comments received after that
date will not be considered in the
approval/disapproval decision on the
PO 00000
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
5501
amendment. To be considered,
comments must be received, not just
postmarked or otherwise transmitted, by
the last day of the comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 27, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–01842 Filed 1–30–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\02FEP1.SGM
02FEP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5499-5501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01842]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 680
RIN 0648-BD61
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of fishery management plan amendment;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council)
submitted Amendment 45 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/
Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (Crab FMP) to NMFS for review.
If approved, Amendment 45 would establish, for a limited period of
time, a process to permanently remove Pacific cod catch limits, known
as sideboard limits, which are applicable to certain hook-and-line
catcher/processors in the Central and Western Gulf of Alaska (GOA)
Regulatory Areas. This action would authorize NMFS to remove these
Pacific cod sideboard limits in the Central or Western GOA if all
eligible participants in the hook-and-line catcher/processor sector in
a regulatory area sign and submit to NMFS an affidavit requesting that
NMFS remove the sideboard limit. Eligible participants would be
required to submit an affidavit to NMFS within 1 year of the date of
publication of a final rule implementing Amendment 45, if it is
approved by the Secretary of Commerce. Amendment 45 is necessary to
provide participants in the Central and Western GOA hook-and-line
catcher/processor sectors with an opportunity to cooperatively
coordinate harvests of GOA Pacific cod through private arrangement to
the participants' mutual benefit, which would remove the need for
current regulations that impose sideboard harvest restrictions on some
participants in the sectors. This action is intended to promote the
goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Crab FMP, and other
applicable laws.
DATES: Submit comments on or before April 3, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2013-0133,
by any one of the following methods.
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0133, 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), 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.
Electronic copies of the following documents may be obtained from
[[Page 5500]]
https://www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at
https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov:
The Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis (RIR/IRFA), and the Categorical Exclusion prepared
for this action (collectively referred to as the ``Analysis'');
The Harvest Specifications Supplemental Information Report
prepared for the final 2014 and 2015 harvest specifications;
The Final Environmental Assessment/Final RIR/Initial IRFA
for Amendment 83 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the
GOA (GOA FMP) Allocation of Pacific Cod Among Sectors in the Western
and Central GOA; and
The Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final
Environmental Impact Statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seanbob Kelly, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each
regional fishery management council submit any fishery management plan
amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or
partial approval by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). The
Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a fishery
management plan amendment, immediately publish a notice in the Federal
Register announcing that the amendment is available for public review
and comment. This notice announces that proposed Amendment 45 to the
Crab FMP is available for public review and comment.
The king and Tanner crab fisheries in the exclusive economic zone
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are managed under the Crab FMP.
The Council prepared the Crab FMP under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Regulations implementing the Crab FMP are located at 50 CFR part 680.
The Crab Rationalization (CR) Program, implemented in 2005, is a
catch share program that allocates Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
(BSAI) crab resources through issuance of quota share among harvesters,
processors, and coastal communities. As part of the CR Program,
eligible vessel owners were allocated quota share in several valuable
crab fisheries. The CR Program provides increased flexibility for crab
fishermen to choose when and where to fish, or whether to lease their
crab quota share and fish for species other than crab. The Council and
NMFS recognized that the benefits of the CR Program could create
incentives for participants to increase their level of participation in
groundfish fisheries, especially Pacific cod fisheries in the Central
and Western GOA. Participants in the Bering Sea C. opilio (snow) crab
fisheries have historically participated in GOA Pacific cod fisheries.
Therefore, the CR Program established GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits
to prevent increased fishing effort in the GOA Pacific cod fisheries by
those receiving Bering Sea snow crab quota share, and to mitigate the
potentially adverse impacts of increased fishing effort on participants
in the GOA Pacific cod fisheries who did not benefit from the CR
Program.
CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits constrain the harvest
of GOA Pacific cod by vessels and holders of license limitation program
(LLP) licenses that were used to harvest specific amounts of Pacific
cod in the GOA and snow crab in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area. Originally, the CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard
limits in the Central and Western GOA were calculated using the Pacific
cod total allowable catch (TAC) for the Central and Western GOA. With
the implementation of Amendment 83 to the Fishery Management Plan for
Gulf of Alaska Groundfish in 2012, the CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits in the Central and Western GOA are calculated using
the apportionment of Pacific cod TAC established for specific gear
types (e.g., hook-and-line gear, pot gear) and by operation type (i.e.,
catcher/processor vessels, catcher vessels). CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits in the Central and Western GOA for vessels using hook-
and-line gear and operating as catcher/processors (the hook-and-line
catcher/processor sector) are now much smaller than they were prior to
Amendment 83. As a result, NMFS prohibits target fishing, commonly
known as directed fishing, for Pacific cod in the Central and Western
GOA by participants in the hook-and-line catcher/processor sector who
are subject to CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits so that
these small sideboard limits are not exceeded.
This proposed action would establish, for a limited period of time,
a regulatory process for the removal of the Central and/or the Western
CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits for the hook-and-line
catcher/processor sectors. As proposed, Amendment 45 would allow NMFS
to permanently remove a CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limit if
NMFS receives an affidavit signed by all persons holding LLP licenses
with endorsements that permit directed fishing for Pacific cod as a
hook-and-line catcher/processor in the Central or Western GOA (i.e.,
all eligible participants) and stating that all eligible participants
in that regulatory area recommend removal of the CR Program GOA Pacific
cod sideboard limit. This proposed action is necessary to provide
participants with an opportunity to cooperatively agree to coordinate
Pacific cod harvests in a manner that is mutually beneficial to all
eligible participants in the Central and Western GOA hook-and-line
catcher/processor sectors, thus eliminating the need for the sideboard
limits imposed through regulation.
If NMFS receives an affidavit from all eligible participants in the
Central GOA, then NMFS would remove the CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limit for the hook-and-line catcher/processor sector in the
Central GOA. If NMFS receives an affidavit from all eligible
participants in the Western GOA, then NMFS would remove the CR Program
GOA Pacific cod sideboard limit for the hook-and-line catcher/processor
sector in the Western GOA.
This proposed action would require that eligible participants in
each regulatory area submit a completed affidavit no later than 1 year
(365 days) following publication in the Federal Register of the final
rule implementing Amendment 45, if approved by the Secretary. The
Council recommended a 1-year deadline to provide sufficient time to
encourage negotiations among eligible participants, while not unduly
prolonging the management uncertainty for those participants currently
subject to the CR Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits and
prohibited from targeting Pacific cod in the Central or Western GOA.
If all of the eligible participants are unable or unwilling to
agree to the sideboard removal, NMFS would not remove the CR Program
GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits and certain hook-and-line catcher/
processors would continue to be subject to CR Program GOA Pacific cod
sideboard limits. The Council determined that maintaining the CR
Program GOA Pacific cod sideboard limits for vessels and any associated
LLP licenses is consistent with the CR Program because the sideboard
limits continue to provide protections originally intended under the CR
Program if agreement cannot be reached among all participants. Removing
sideboard limits without coordination and agreement among all eligible
participants would increase the likelihood of increased fishing effort
(a ``race for fish'') among fishery participants and ultimately would
not provide long-term management stability.
[[Page 5501]]
This result would be inconsistent with the purpose and need for this
action.
Public comments are solicited on proposed Amendment 45 to the Crab
FMP through the end of the comment period (see DATES). NMFS intends to
publish in the Federal Register and seek public comment on a proposed
rule that would implement Amendment 45, following NMFS' evaluation of
the proposed rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Public comments on
the proposed rule must be received by the end of the comment period on
Amendment 45 to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on
Amendment 45. All comments received by the end of the comment period on
Amendment 45, whether specifically directed to the amendment or the
proposed rule will be considered in the amendment approval/disapproval
decision. Comments received after that date will not be considered in
the approval/disapproval decision on the amendment. To be considered,
comments must be received, not just postmarked or otherwise
transmitted, by the last day of the comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 27, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-01842 Filed 1-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P