[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 17034-17036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7241]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 101126521-0640-02]
RIN 0648-XZ90
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands; Final 2011 and 2012 Harvest Specifications for
Groundfish; Correction
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule; closures; correction.
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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is correcting a
final rule that published on March 1, 2011, implementing the final 2011
and 2012 harvest specifications and prohibited species catch allowances
for the groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (BSAI). Two tables within the document contained
errors.
DATES: Effective from 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 1,
2011, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-586-7269.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Need for Correction
NMFS published the Final 2011 and 2012 BSAI Harvest Specifications
in the Federal Register on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 (76 FR 11139). Tables
providing information on 2011 and 2012 Directed Fishing Closures (Table
10) and the Final 2011 and 2012 American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel
BSAI Groundfish Sideboard Limits (Table 13) contained a number of minor
errors. In Table 10 on page 11154, NMFS inadvertently listed an
incidental catch allowance (ICA) of rock sole at ``10,000'' metric tons
(mt), instead of the correct number of ``5,000'' mt. In addition,
Federal Register formatting issues caused misalignment in Tables 10 and
13 and affected the information contained in those tables. In Table 10
on page 11154, the Federal Register listed the phrase ``ICA rock sole''
in the ``sector'' column rather than the ``species'' column. In Table
13 on page 11156, the Federal Register shifted seven lines upward by
one row in the following columns: ``Ratio of 1995-1997 TAC''; ``2011
initial TAC''; ``2011 AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits''; ``2012
initial TAC''; and ``2012 AFA catcher vessel sideboard limits''. As a
result of this error, Table 13 contains incorrect information on
Pacific cod sideboard limits for the following gears and seasons: ``Jig
gear''; ``Hook and line Catcher Vessels (CV)'' for ``Jan 1-Jun 10'';
``Pot gear CV'' for ``Jan 1-Jun 10''; and ``Trawl gear CV'' for ``Jan
20-Apr 1''. Table 13 also contains incorrect information on Atka
mackerel sideboard limits for the following areas and seasons:
``Eastern AI/BS'' for ``Jan 1-Jun 10''; ``Central AI'' for ``Jan 1-Jun
10''; and ``Central AI'' for ``Jan 1-Jun 10''. NMFS' corrections to
Table 10 and Table 13 are listed below.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA), finds good
cause to waive the requirement to provide prior notice and opportunity
for public comment pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(B) as such requirement is impracticable and contrary to the
public interest. This correction notice makes only minor changes and
does not change operating practices in the fisheries. Corrections
should be made as soon as possible to avoid confusion for participants
in the fisheries.
The AA also finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the
effective date of this action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). This finding is
based upon the reasons provided above for waiver of prior notice and
opportunity for public comment.
Correction
On pages 11153, 11154, and 11156, Tables 10 and 13 are corrected to
read as follows:
Table 10--2011 and 2012 Directed Fishing Closures \1\
[Groundfish and halibut amounts are in metric tons. Crab amounts are in number of animals]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Incidental 2012 Incidental
Area Sector Species catch allowance catch allowance
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Bogoslof District............ All.................. Pollock............. 150 150
Aleutian Islands subarea..... All.................. ICA pollock......... 1,600 1,600
``Other rockfish''.. 425 425
Eastern Aleutian District/ Non-amendment 80 and ICA Atka mackerel... 75 75
Bering Sea. BSAI trawl limited
access.
[[Page 17035]]
Eastern Aleutian District/ All.................. Rougheye rockfish... 234 240
Bering Sea.
Eastern Aleutian District.... Non-amendment 80 and ICA Pacific ocean 100 100
BSAI trawl limited perch.
access.
Central Aleutian District.... Non-amendment 80 and ICA Atka mackerel... 75 75
BSAI trawl limited
access.
ICA Pacific ocean 75 75
perch.
Western Aleutian District.... Non-amendment 80 and ICA Atka mackerel... 40 40
BSAI trawl limited
access.
ICA Pacific ocean 10 10
perch.
Central and Western Aleutian All.................. Rougheye rockfish... 220 225
Districts.
Bering Sea subarea........... All.................. Pacific ocean perch. 4,854 4,854
``Other rockfish''.. 500 500
ICA pollock......... 45,072 45,132
Bering Sea and Aleutian All.................. Northern rockfish... 4,000 4,000
Islands.
Shortraker rockfish. 393 393
Squids.............. 361 361
Skates.............. 14,025 14,025
Sharks.............. 43 43
Octopuses........... 128 128
Sculpins............ 4,420 4,420
Hook-and-line and pot ICA Pacific cod..... 500 500
gear.
Non-amendment 80..... ICA flathead sole... 5,000 5,000
ICA rock sole........ 5,000............... 5,000
Non-amendment 80 and ICA yellowfin sole.. 2,000 2,000
BSAI trawl limited
access.
BSAI trawl limited Rock sole/flathead 0 0
access. sole/other
flatfish--halibut
mortality, red king
crab zone 1, C.
opilio COBLZ, C.
bairdi Zone 1 and 2.
Turbot/arrowtooth/ 0 0
sablefish--halibut
mortality, red king
crab zone 1, C.
opilio COBLZ, C.
bairdi Zone 1 and 2.
Rockfish--red king 0 0
crab zone 1.
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\1\ Maximum retainable amounts may be found in Table 11 to 50 CFR part 679.
Table 13--Final 2011 and 2012 American Fisheries Act Catcher Vessel Bsai Groundfish Sideboard Limits
[Amounts are in metric tons]
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Ratio of
1995-1997 2011 AFA 2012 AFA
AFA CV 2011 catcher 2012 catcher
Species Fishery by area/gear/season catch to initial TAC vessel initial TAC vessel
1995-1997 \1\ sideboard \1\ sideboard
TAC limits limits
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Pacific cod.................................... BSAI
Jig gear........................... 0 n/a 0 n/a 0
Hook-and-line CV
Jan 1-Jun 10..................... 0.0006 207 0 208 0
Jun 10-Dec 31.................... 0.0006 199 0 200 0
Pot gear CV
Jan 1-Jun 10..................... 0.0006 8,685 5 8,749 5
Sept 1-Dec 31.................... 0.0006 8,345 5 8,406 5
CV < 60 feet LOA using hook-and- 0.0006 4,055 2 4,084 2
line or pot gear.
Trawl gear CV
Jan 20-Apr 1..................... 0.8609 33,290 28,659 33,532 28,868
Apr 1-Jun 10..................... 0.8609 4,949 4,261 4,985 4,292
Jun 10-Nov 1..................... 0.8609 6,748 5,809 6,797 5,852
Sablefish...................................... BS trawl gear......................... 0.0906 1,211 110 1,109 100
AI trawl gear......................... 0.0645 404 26 370 24
Atka mackerel.................................. Eastern AI/BS
Jan 1-Jun 10....................... 0.0032 17,994 58 16,431 53
Jun 10-Nov 1....................... 0.0032 17,994 58 16,431 53
Central AI
Jan 1-Jun 10....................... 0.0001 5,037 1 4,596 0
Jun 10-Nov 1....................... 0.0001 5,037 1 4,596 0
Western AI
Jan 1-Jun 10....................... 0 n/a 0 n/a 0
[[Page 17036]]
Jun 10-Nov 1....................... 0 n/a 0 n/a 0
Rock sole...................................... BSAI.................................. 0.0341 75,905 2,588 75,905 2,588
Greenland turbot............................... BS.................................... 0.0645 2,975 192 2,975 192
AI.................................... 0.0205 1,318 27 1,233 25
Arrowtooth flounder............................ BSAI.................................. 0.069 22,015 1,519 22,015 1,519
Kamchatka flounder............................. BSAI.................................. 0.069 15,045 1,038 15,045 1,038
Alaska plaice.................................. BSAI.................................. 0.0441 13,600 600 13,600 600
Other flatfish................................. BSAI.................................. 0.0441 2,550 112 2,550 112
Flathead sole.................................. BS trawl gear......................... 0.0505 37,102 1,874 37,102 1,874
Pacific ocean perch............................ BS.................................... 0.1 4,854 485 4,854 485
Eastern AI............................ 0.0077 5,054 39 5,054 39
Central AI............................ 0.0025 4,429 11 4,429 11
Western AI............................ 0 n/a 0 n/a 0
Northern rockfish.............................. BSAI.................................. 0.0084 4,000 34 4,000 34
Shortraker rockfish............................ BSAI.................................. 0.0037 393 1 393 1
Rougheye rockfish.............................. EBS/EAI............................... 0.0037 234 1 240 1
CAI/WAI............................... 0.0037 220 1 225 1
Other rockfish................................. BS.................................... 0.0048 500 2 500 2
AI.................................... 0.0095 425 4 425 4
Squids......................................... BSAI.................................. 0.3827 361 138 361 138
Skates......................................... BSAI.................................. 0.0541 14,025 759 14,025 759
Sharks......................................... BSAI.................................. 0.0541 43 2 43 2
Octopuses...................................... BSAI.................................. 0.0541 128 7 128 7
Sculpins....................................... BSAI.................................. 0.0541 4,420 239 4,420 239
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\1\ Aleutian Islands Pacific ocean perch, and BSAI Atka mackerel, flathead sole, and rock sole are multiplied by the remainder of the TAC of that
species after the subtraction of the CDQ reserve under Sec. 679.20(b)(1)(ii)(C).
Dated: March 23, 2011.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7241 Filed 3-25-11; 8:45 am]
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