Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2024 Catch Sharing Plan; Inseason Action, 53361-53363 [2024-13985]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
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process rights of each unaccompanied
child are recognized.’’.
16. On page 89 FR 34547, in the third
column, the second sentence of the
fourth paragraph, ‘‘As previously
discussed in § 410.1302, care provider
facilities, as discussed previously in
§ 410.1302, will continue to follow ORR
policy to ensure that the best interests
of unaccompanied children are met.’’ is
corrected to read, ‘‘As previously
discussed in § 410.1302, care provider
facilities will continue to follow ORR
policy to ensure that the best interests
of unaccompanied children are met.’’.
17. On page 34561, in the third
column, beginning on the 22nd line, the
sentence ‘‘ORR is also replacing
‘arrested’ with ‘apprehended’ at
§ 410.1801(c)(7).’’ is corrected to read,
‘‘ORR is also replacing ‘arrested’ with
‘apprehended’ at § 410.1801(c)(8).’’.
18. On page 34562, in the third
column, the last sentence of the
paragraph continuing from the second
column, ‘‘If a child is placed into an EIF
as an initial placement and as a result
lacks records sufficient to indicate
particular vulnerability (i.e.,
immediately upon transfer into ORR
custody from another Federal agency),
ORR screens such children for the
particular vulnerabilities within 5 days
of EIS placement and continues to
monitor children for particular
vulnerabilities thereafter.’’ is corrected
to read, ‘‘If a child is placed into an EIF
as an initial placement and as a result
lacks records sufficient to indicate
particular vulnerability (i.e.,
immediately upon transfer into ORR
custody from another Federal agency),
ORR screens such children for the
particular vulnerabilities within 5 days
of EIF placement and continues to
monitor children for particular
vulnerabilities thereafter.’’.
19. On page 34564, in the first
column, in the paragraph continuing
from the previous page, beginning on
the eighth line, the sentence ‘‘ORR
proposed in the NPRM, at § 410.1901(d),
to establish regular administrative
reviews for restrictive placements (88
FR 68960).’’ is corrected to read, ‘‘ORR
proposed in the NPRM, at § 410.1901(d),
to establish regular administrative
reviews for restrictive placements (88
FR 68959).’’.
Corrections to Regulations
§ 410.1000
[Corrected]
20. On page 34584, in the third
column, in § 410.1000, in paragraph (a),
‘‘(UC Program)’’ is corrected to read
‘‘(UC Bureau)’’.
■
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16:11 Jun 25, 2024
Jkt 262001
§ 410.1001
[Corrected]
21. On page 34586, in the third
column, in § 410.1001, in the definition
of Mechanical restraint,
‘‘Unaccompanied Children Program’’ is
corrected to read ‘‘Unaccompanied
Children Bureau’’.
■
§ 410.1003
[Corrected]
22. On page 34588, in the third
column, in § 410.1003, at the end of
paragraph (e), ‘‘UC Program’’ is
corrected to read ‘‘UC Bureau’’.
■
§ 410.1104
[Corrected]
23. On page 34590, in the third
column, § 410.1105(b)(2)(iv) is corrected
to read:
‘‘(iv) Has a non-violent criminal or
delinquent history not warranting
placement in a secure facility, such as
isolated or petty offenses as described in
paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section;’’
■
§ 410.1302
[Corrected]
24. On page 34597, in the second
column, in § 410.1302, the second
paragraph (c)(2)(iv) is redesignated as
paragraph (c)(2)(ix).
■
Elizabeth J. Gramling,
Executive Secretary, Department of Health
and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2024–13560 Filed 6–25–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184–45–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 240327–0090; RTID 0648–
XE043]
Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West
Coast; 2024 Catch Sharing Plan;
Inseason Action
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason
adjustment; request for comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces inseason
action for the Oregon Central Coast
subarea in the Pacific halibut
recreational fishery in the International
Pacific Halibut Commission’s (IPHC)
regulatory Area 2A. Specifically, this
action announces that the Oregon
Central Coast subarea’s spring all-depth
fishery will be open 7 days per week
from July 1 through July 31. This action
is intended to provide opportunity for
anglers to achieve the catch limit in the
SUMMARY:
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53361
Pacific Fishery Management Council’s
(Council) 2024 Pacific Halibut Catch
Sharing Plan.
DATES:
Effective date: July 1, 2024, through
July 31, 2024.
Comment date: Comments will be
accepted on or before July 11, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by NOAA–NMFS–2024–0014,
by either of the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and enter
NOAA–NMFS–2024–0014 in the Search
box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Jennifer Quan, Regional Administrator,
c/o Melissa Mandrup, West Coast
Region, NMFS, 501 W Ocean Blvd.,
Long Beach, CA 90802.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider
comments if they are sent by any other
method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the
comment period ends. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and NMFS will post them 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 is
publicly accessible. NMFS will accept
anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in
the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Docket: This rule is accessible via the
internet at the Office of the Federal
Register website at https://
www.federalregister.gov/. Background
information and documents are
available at the NOAA Fisheries website
at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
action/2024-pacific-halibutrecreational-fishery and at the Council’s
website at https://www.pcouncil.org.
Other comments received may be
accessed through https://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melissa Mandrup, phone: 562–980–
3231 or email: melissa.mandrup@
noaa.gov.
On April
4, 2024, NMFS published a final rule
approving changes to the Pacific halibut
Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan and
implementing recreational (sport)
management measures for the 2024 Area
2A recreational fisheries (89 FR 22966),
as authorized by the Northern Pacific
Halibut Act of 1982 (16 U.S.C. 773–
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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53362
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
773(k)). The Council’s 2024 Catch
Sharing Plan provides a recommended
framework for NMFS’ annual
management measures and subarea
allocations based on the 2024 Area 2A
Pacific halibut catch limit, also known
as the fishery constant exploitation
yield (FCEY), of 1.47 million pounds
(lb; 666.8 metric tons (mt)) set by the
IPHC. The Area 2A FCEY and
recreational fishery allocations were
adopted by the IPHC and were
published in the Federal Register on
March 18, 2024 (89 FR 19275), after
acceptance by the Secretary of State,
with concurrence from the Secretary of
Commerce, in accordance with 50 CFR
300.62. The final rule published on
April 3, 2024 (89 FR 22966),
implementing recreational management
measures for the 2024 Area 2A Pacific
halibut fisheries, stated that if in the
event that there is remaining Oregon
Central Coast spring all-depth subarea
allocation remaining after June 30,
NMFS may take inseason action to
reopen the fishery, up to 7 days a week,
during the month of July.
NMFS has determined that, due to
lower than expected landings in the
Oregon Central Coast subarea, inseason
action to open the spring all-depth
recreational fishery 7 days a week in
July is warranted at this time to provide
additional opportunity for fishery
participants to achieve the Area 2A
subarea allocations. As stated above,
taking inseason action to reopen the
Oregon Central Coast spring-all depth
fishery and modify fishing season dates
is authorized by the final rule (89 FR
22966) and Federal regulations at 50
CFR 300.63(c)(6). After consulting with
the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) and other appropriate
entities, NMFS determined the
following inseason action is necessary
to meet the management objective of
attaining the subarea allocation and is
consistent with the inseason
management provisions allowing for the
modification of recreational fishing
periods and recreational fishing days
per calendar week. Federal regulations
at 50 CFR 300.63(c)(6), allow the NMFS
Regional Administrator to modify
annual regulations during the season.
These inseason provisions allow the
Regional Administrator to modify
recreational (sport) fishing periods, bag
limits, size limits, days per calendar
week, and subarea allocations, if it is
determined it is necessary to meet the
allocation objectives and the action will
not result in exceeding the FCEY.
Notice of these additional dates are
announced in accordance with Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c) and also
on the NMFS hotline at (206) 526–6667
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:11 Jun 25, 2024
Jkt 262001
or (800) 662–9825. Weekly catch
monitoring reports for the recreational
fishery in Oregon are available on the
ODFW website. NMFS will continue to
monitor recreational catch obtained via
state sampling procedures until NMFS
has determined there is not sufficient
allocation for another full day of fishing
in the Oregon Central Coast spring alldepth fishery, and the area is closed by
NMFS, or the season closes on July 31,
2024, whichever is earlier.
Inseason Action
Oregon Central Coast Subarea
Description of the action: This
inseason action opens additional fishing
days in the Oregon Central Coast
subarea. Specifically, this action opens
the Oregon Central Coast subarea’s
spring all-depth fishery 7 days a week
from July 1 through July 31, 2024, or
until there is not sufficient subarea
allocation for another full day of fishing
and the area is closed.
Reason for the action: The purpose of
this inseason action is to provide
additional opportunity for anglers in the
Oregon Central Coast subarea to achieve
the subarea allocation. NMFS has
determined that additional fishing days
are warranted due to lower than
expected landings from smaller than
anticipated halibut being caught and
poor weather conditions from May
through early-June. The expectation is
that a substantial amount of the Oregon
combined allocation will go
unharvested without the spring alldepth fishery open in the month of July.
The recreational fishery in this subarea
opened on May 1, 2024, and as of earlyJune, anglers in the Oregon Central
Coast subarea’s spring all-depth fishery
have only harvested 57,540 lb (26.1 mt)
of the 167,681 lb (76 mt) spring alldepth fishery allocation (34.3 percent),
leaving 110,141 lb (49.6 mt) remaining
(65.7 percent of the spring all-depth and
21.6 percent of the overall Oregon
Central Coast subarea allocation of
266,161 lb (120.7 mt)). Additionally,
ODFW reported to NMFS that the
average weight of individual halibut
caught by anglers in the Central Oregon
Coast subarea spring all-depth season in
2024 is 13.5 lb (0.0061 mt) compared to
16.0 lbs (0.0073 mt) in 2023, 15.2 lb
(0.069 mt) in 2022 and 14.2 lb (0.0064
mt) in 2021. During pre-season
planning, projections used to develop
Oregon Central Coast’s season structure
were based on the average weight
caught by anglers being similar to that
of what was observed in 2023, in
anticipation of larger fish from the 2012year class recruiting to the fishery.
However, results from sampling efforts,
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Sfmt 4700
to date, indicate there has been an
approximately 16 percent reduction in
average weight caught in 2024
compared to average weight caught in
2023, possibly due to a younger year
class recruiting to the fishery. Further,
it was reported by ODFW that Oregon
Central Coast experienced stronger
spring winds in 2024 compared to 2023,
limiting the number of days anglers
were able to fish for Pacific halibut
offshore. These two factors, low average
weight and poor weather conditions,
likely have contributed to the lower
catches seen in the Oregon Central Coast
subarea.
After consulting with ODFW, it was
determined that in order for anglers to
have the opportunity to achieve the
overall Central Coast subarea allocation,
with little risk of the subarea, state, or
coastwide allocation being exceeded,
opening the spring all-depth fishery for
the month of July is warranted.
Therefore, through this action, NMFS is
announcing the opening of Oregon
Central Coast subarea’s spring all-depth
fishery, up to 7 days a week, during the
month of July, as noticed in the April 4,
2024 final rule (89 FR 22966).
Notice of these additional dates are
announced in accordance with Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c) and also
on the NMFS hotline at (206) 526–6667
or (800) 662–9825.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to
the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of
1982. This action is taken under the
regulatory authority at 50 CFR
300.63(c)(6), and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), and
consistent with 50 CFR 300.63(c)(6)(B),
there is good cause to waive prior notice
and an opportunity for public comment
on this action, as notice and comment
would be impracticable and contrary to
the public interest. ODFW provided
updated Pacific halibut landings data to
NMFS on June 13, 2024, showing that
through June 9, fishery participants in
the Oregon Central Coast subarea’s
spring all-depth fishery off the had
caught only 34.3 percent of the spring
all-depth fishery allocation, which is
only 21.6 percent of the total Oregon
Central Coast subarea allocation, and
21.1 percent of the total Oregon
recreational allocation. NMFS uses
fishing rates from previous years to
determine the number of recreational
fishing dates needed to attain subarea
allocations. Given the lower than
expected catch rates in the Oregon
Central Coast subarea, additional dates
are considered necessary to increase
angler opportunity to reach the overall
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 26, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with RULES1
Oregon Central Coast subarea allocation.
This action should be implemented as
soon as possible to allow Oregon Central
Coast subarea’s spring all-depth fishery
participants to be able to plan for and
take advantage of the additional season
dates. As the Oregon Central Coast
subarea’s spring all-depth fishery closes
on June 30, 2024, implementing this
action through proposed and final
rulemaking would limit the benefit this
action would provide to fishery
participants. Without implementation of
additional season dates for the Oregon
Central Coast, the Oregon allocations are
unlikely to be harvested, limiting
economic benefits to the participants
and not meeting the goals of the 2024
Catch Sharing Plan. It is necessary that
this rulemaking be implemented in a
timely manner so that planning for
additional season dates can take place,
and for business and personal decision
making by the regulated public
impacted by this action, which includes
recreational charter fishing operations,
associated port businesses, and private
anglers who do not live near the coastal
access points for this fishery, among
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16:11 Jun 25, 2024
Jkt 262001
others. To ensure the regulated public is
fully aware of this action, notice of this
regulatory action will also be provided
to anglers through a telephone hotline,
news release, and by ODFW. NMFS will
receive public comments for 15 days
after publication of this action, in
accordance with 50 CFR
300.63(c)(6)(iv). No aspect of this action
is controversial, and changes of this
nature were anticipated in the process
described in regulations at 50 CFR
300.63(c).
For the reasons discussed above, there
is also good cause under 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in
effective date and make this action
effective immediately upon filing for
public inspection, as a delay in
effectiveness of this action would
constrain fishing opportunity and be
inconsistent with the goals of the 2024
Catch Sharing Plan, as well as
potentially limit the economic
opportunity intended by this rule to the
associated fishing communities. This
inseason action is not expected to result
in exceeding the allocation for the
Oregon Central Coast subarea. NMFS
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53363
regulations allow the Regional
Administrator to modify sport fishing
periods, bag limits, size limits, days per
calendar week, and subarea allocations,
provided that the action allows
allocation objectives to be met and will
not result in exceeding the catch limit
for the subarea. NMFS recently received
information on the progress of landings
in the recreational fisheries in the
Oregon subareas, indicating additional
fishing dates in Oregon should be
implemented in the fishery this season
to ensure optimal harvest of the subarea
allocations. As stated above, it is in the
public interest that this action is not
delayed, because a delay in the
effectiveness of these new dates would
not allow the allocation objectives of the
recreational Pacific halibut fishery to be
met.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773–773k.
Dated: June 20, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–13985 Filed 6–25–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 26, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 53361-53363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13985]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 300
[Docket No. 240327-0090; RTID 0648-XE043]
Pacific Halibut Fisheries of the West Coast; 2024 Catch Sharing
Plan; Inseason Action
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces inseason action for the Oregon Central Coast
subarea in the Pacific halibut recreational fishery in the
International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A.
Specifically, this action announces that the Oregon Central Coast
subarea's spring all-depth fishery will be open 7 days per week from
July 1 through July 31. This action is intended to provide opportunity
for anglers to achieve the catch limit in the Pacific Fishery
Management Council's (Council) 2024 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan.
DATES:
Effective date: July 1, 2024, through July 31, 2024.
Comment date: Comments will be accepted on or before July 11, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2024-0014, by
either of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2024-0014 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Jennifer Quan, Regional
Administrator, c/o Melissa Mandrup, West Coast Region, NMFS, 501 W
Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they are sent by
any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after
the comment period ends. All comments received are a part of the public
record and NMFS will post them 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 is publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Docket: This rule is accessible via the internet at the Office of
the Federal Register website at https://www.federalregister.gov/.
Background information and documents are available at the NOAA
Fisheries website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/2024-pacific-halibut-recreational-fishery and at the Council's website at
https://www.pcouncil.org. Other comments received may be accessed
through https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Mandrup, phone: 562-980-3231
or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 4, 2024, NMFS published a final
rule approving changes to the Pacific halibut Area 2A Catch Sharing
Plan and implementing recreational (sport) management measures for the
2024 Area 2A recreational fisheries (89 FR 22966), as authorized by the
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (16 U.S.C. 773-
[[Page 53362]]
773(k)). The Council's 2024 Catch Sharing Plan provides a recommended
framework for NMFS' annual management measures and subarea allocations
based on the 2024 Area 2A Pacific halibut catch limit, also known as
the fishery constant exploitation yield (FCEY), of 1.47 million pounds
(lb; 666.8 metric tons (mt)) set by the IPHC. The Area 2A FCEY and
recreational fishery allocations were adopted by the IPHC and were
published in the Federal Register on March 18, 2024 (89 FR 19275),
after acceptance by the Secretary of State, with concurrence from the
Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with 50 CFR 300.62. The final rule
published on April 3, 2024 (89 FR 22966), implementing recreational
management measures for the 2024 Area 2A Pacific halibut fisheries,
stated that if in the event that there is remaining Oregon Central
Coast spring all-depth subarea allocation remaining after June 30, NMFS
may take inseason action to reopen the fishery, up to 7 days a week,
during the month of July.
NMFS has determined that, due to lower than expected landings in
the Oregon Central Coast subarea, inseason action to open the spring
all-depth recreational fishery 7 days a week in July is warranted at
this time to provide additional opportunity for fishery participants to
achieve the Area 2A subarea allocations. As stated above, taking
inseason action to reopen the Oregon Central Coast spring-all depth
fishery and modify fishing season dates is authorized by the final rule
(89 FR 22966) and Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c)(6). After
consulting with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and
other appropriate entities, NMFS determined the following inseason
action is necessary to meet the management objective of attaining the
subarea allocation and is consistent with the inseason management
provisions allowing for the modification of recreational fishing
periods and recreational fishing days per calendar week. Federal
regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c)(6), allow the NMFS Regional
Administrator to modify annual regulations during the season. These
inseason provisions allow the Regional Administrator to modify
recreational (sport) fishing periods, bag limits, size limits, days per
calendar week, and subarea allocations, if it is determined it is
necessary to meet the allocation objectives and the action will not
result in exceeding the FCEY.
Notice of these additional dates are announced in accordance with
Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c) and also on the NMFS hotline at
(206) 526-6667 or (800) 662-9825. Weekly catch monitoring reports for
the recreational fishery in Oregon are available on the ODFW website.
NMFS will continue to monitor recreational catch obtained via state
sampling procedures until NMFS has determined there is not sufficient
allocation for another full day of fishing in the Oregon Central Coast
spring all-depth fishery, and the area is closed by NMFS, or the season
closes on July 31, 2024, whichever is earlier.
Inseason Action
Oregon Central Coast Subarea
Description of the action: This inseason action opens additional
fishing days in the Oregon Central Coast subarea. Specifically, this
action opens the Oregon Central Coast subarea's spring all-depth
fishery 7 days a week from July 1 through July 31, 2024, or until there
is not sufficient subarea allocation for another full day of fishing
and the area is closed.
Reason for the action: The purpose of this inseason action is to
provide additional opportunity for anglers in the Oregon Central Coast
subarea to achieve the subarea allocation. NMFS has determined that
additional fishing days are warranted due to lower than expected
landings from smaller than anticipated halibut being caught and poor
weather conditions from May through early-June. The expectation is that
a substantial amount of the Oregon combined allocation will go
unharvested without the spring all-depth fishery open in the month of
July. The recreational fishery in this subarea opened on May 1, 2024,
and as of early-June, anglers in the Oregon Central Coast subarea's
spring all-depth fishery have only harvested 57,540 lb (26.1 mt) of the
167,681 lb (76 mt) spring all-depth fishery allocation (34.3 percent),
leaving 110,141 lb (49.6 mt) remaining (65.7 percent of the spring all-
depth and 21.6 percent of the overall Oregon Central Coast subarea
allocation of 266,161 lb (120.7 mt)). Additionally, ODFW reported to
NMFS that the average weight of individual halibut caught by anglers in
the Central Oregon Coast subarea spring all-depth season in 2024 is
13.5 lb (0.0061 mt) compared to 16.0 lbs (0.0073 mt) in 2023, 15.2 lb
(0.069 mt) in 2022 and 14.2 lb (0.0064 mt) in 2021. During pre-season
planning, projections used to develop Oregon Central Coast's season
structure were based on the average weight caught by anglers being
similar to that of what was observed in 2023, in anticipation of larger
fish from the 2012-year class recruiting to the fishery. However,
results from sampling efforts, to date, indicate there has been an
approximately 16 percent reduction in average weight caught in 2024
compared to average weight caught in 2023, possibly due to a younger
year class recruiting to the fishery. Further, it was reported by ODFW
that Oregon Central Coast experienced stronger spring winds in 2024
compared to 2023, limiting the number of days anglers were able to fish
for Pacific halibut offshore. These two factors, low average weight and
poor weather conditions, likely have contributed to the lower catches
seen in the Oregon Central Coast subarea.
After consulting with ODFW, it was determined that in order for
anglers to have the opportunity to achieve the overall Central Coast
subarea allocation, with little risk of the subarea, state, or
coastwide allocation being exceeded, opening the spring all-depth
fishery for the month of July is warranted. Therefore, through this
action, NMFS is announcing the opening of Oregon Central Coast
subarea's spring all-depth fishery, up to 7 days a week, during the
month of July, as noticed in the April 4, 2024 final rule (89 FR
22966).
Notice of these additional dates are announced in accordance with
Federal regulations at 50 CFR 300.63(c) and also on the NMFS hotline at
(206) 526-6667 or (800) 662-9825.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to the Northern Pacific Halibut
Act of 1982. This action is taken under the regulatory authority at 50
CFR 300.63(c)(6), and is exempt from review under Executive Order
12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), and consistent with 50 CFR
300.63(c)(6)(B), there is good cause to waive prior notice and an
opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice and comment
would be impracticable and contrary to the public interest. ODFW
provided updated Pacific halibut landings data to NMFS on June 13,
2024, showing that through June 9, fishery participants in the Oregon
Central Coast subarea's spring all-depth fishery off the had caught
only 34.3 percent of the spring all-depth fishery allocation, which is
only 21.6 percent of the total Oregon Central Coast subarea allocation,
and 21.1 percent of the total Oregon recreational allocation. NMFS uses
fishing rates from previous years to determine the number of
recreational fishing dates needed to attain subarea allocations. Given
the lower than expected catch rates in the Oregon Central Coast
subarea, additional dates are considered necessary to increase angler
opportunity to reach the overall
[[Page 53363]]
Oregon Central Coast subarea allocation. This action should be
implemented as soon as possible to allow Oregon Central Coast subarea's
spring all-depth fishery participants to be able to plan for and take
advantage of the additional season dates. As the Oregon Central Coast
subarea's spring all-depth fishery closes on June 30, 2024,
implementing this action through proposed and final rulemaking would
limit the benefit this action would provide to fishery participants.
Without implementation of additional season dates for the Oregon
Central Coast, the Oregon allocations are unlikely to be harvested,
limiting economic benefits to the participants and not meeting the
goals of the 2024 Catch Sharing Plan. It is necessary that this
rulemaking be implemented in a timely manner so that planning for
additional season dates can take place, and for business and personal
decision making by the regulated public impacted by this action, which
includes recreational charter fishing operations, associated port
businesses, and private anglers who do not live near the coastal access
points for this fishery, among others. To ensure the regulated public
is fully aware of this action, notice of this regulatory action will
also be provided to anglers through a telephone hotline, news release,
and by ODFW. NMFS will receive public comments for 15 days after
publication of this action, in accordance with 50 CFR 300.63(c)(6)(iv).
No aspect of this action is controversial, and changes of this nature
were anticipated in the process described in regulations at 50 CFR
300.63(c).
For the reasons discussed above, there is also good cause under 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in effective date and make
this action effective immediately upon filing for public inspection, as
a delay in effectiveness of this action would constrain fishing
opportunity and be inconsistent with the goals of the 2024 Catch
Sharing Plan, as well as potentially limit the economic opportunity
intended by this rule to the associated fishing communities. This
inseason action is not expected to result in exceeding the allocation
for the Oregon Central Coast subarea. NMFS regulations allow the
Regional Administrator to modify sport fishing periods, bag limits,
size limits, days per calendar week, and subarea allocations, provided
that the action allows allocation objectives to be met and will not
result in exceeding the catch limit for the subarea. NMFS recently
received information on the progress of landings in the recreational
fisheries in the Oregon subareas, indicating additional fishing dates
in Oregon should be implemented in the fishery this season to ensure
optimal harvest of the subarea allocations. As stated above, it is in
the public interest that this action is not delayed, because a delay in
the effectiveness of these new dates would not allow the allocation
objectives of the recreational Pacific halibut fishery to be met.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773-773k.
Dated: June 20, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-13985 Filed 6-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
