National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 20, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes to revise pollock trip limit regulations to prohibit a catcher vessel from landing more than 300,000 lb (136 mt) of unprocessed pollock during a calendar day. NMFS also proposes to prohibit a catcher vessel from landing a cumulative amount of unprocessed pollock from any Gulf of Alaska (GOA) reporting area that exceeds 300,000 lb multiplied by the number of calendar days the pollock fishery is open to directed fishing in a season. The objective of this proposed rule is to prevent catcher vessels from circumventing the intent of current trip limit regulations when making deliveries of pollock. Amending the current trip limit regulation to limit legal opportunities for a vessel to exceed 300,000 lb of pollock caught in a day, would continue to disperse catches of pollock in a manner that is consistent with the intent of Steller sea lion protection measures in the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using hook-and-line gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), except for demersal shelf rockfish in the Southeast Outside District or sablefish in the GOA. This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2008 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit specified for vessels using hook-and-line gear targeting groundfish other than demersal shelf rockfish in the Southeast Outside District or sablefish in the GOA.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.