[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 232 (Friday, December 3, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 75449-75450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30403]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 100804324-0489-01]
RIN 0648-BA01
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Comment Period Extension
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of a comment period.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is extending the comment period for the proposed rule to
implement the 2011-2012 Biennial Specifications and Management
Measures; Amendment 16-5; and Amendment 23 to the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP). The comment period is
being extended to provide additional opportunity for public comment.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., local time on
January 4, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by the RIN number 0648-
BA01, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
Fax: 206-526-6736, Attn: Sarah Williams.
Mail: William Stelle, Administrator, Northwest Region,
NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE., Seattle, WA 98115-0070, Attn: Sarah
Williams.
Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without
change. All personal identifying information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive or protected information.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will accept anonymous
[[Page 75450]]
comments (enter N/A if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel,
WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
Information relevant to the proposed rule, which includes a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS), a regulatory impact review
(RIR), and an initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) are
available for public review during business hours at the office of the
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council), at 7700 NE Ambassador
Place, Portland, OR 97220, phone: 503-820-2280. Copies of additional
reports referred to in the proposed rule document may also be obtained
from the Council.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Williams, phone: 206-526-4646,
fax: 206-526-6736, or e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed rule that published on November
3, 2010 (75 FR 67810), establishes the 2011-2012 harvest specifications
and management measures for groundfish taken in the U.S. exclusive
economic zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California
consistent with the Mangunson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act and the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
(PCGFMP). The proposed rule revises the harvest specifications for
groundfish species and species complexes and the collection of
management measures in the groundfish fishery regulations that are
intended to keep the total catch within those harvest specifications.
The proposed rule also includes regulations to implement Amendment 16-5
to the PCGFMP. Amendment 16-5 would create a new rebuilding plan for
Petrale sole, which was declared overfished on February 9, 2010, revise
the existing rebuilding plans, and revise status determination criteria
and a harvest control rule for flatfish. Finally, the proposed rule is
consistent with and partially implements Amendment 23 to the PCGFMP.
Amendment 23 would make the PCGFMP consistent with the revised National
Standard 1 Guidelines (74 FR 3178, January 16, 2009).
The proposed rule published in the Federal Register with a 30-day
comment period that closed on December 3, 2010. NMFS announced at the
November 2010 Council meeting that the 2011-2012 biennial
specifications and management measures originally schedule to be in
place January 1, 2011, would be delayed to allow for the preparation of
the analytical documents needed to support final action. Because of
this delay many of the specifications in the proposed rule will not be
effective for the beginning of 2011 and instead specifications from
2010 will be effective for the beginning of 2011, until the final rule
is in place. Because of the extra time now available due to the delay
in final action, NMFS is extending the comment period on the proposed
rule through January 4, 2011 to allow the public and the Council
additional time to comment.
Dated: November 30, 2010.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-30403 Filed 12-2-10; 8:45 am]
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