Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2018 Tribal Fishery Allocations for Pacific Whiting; Reapportionment Between Tribal and Non-tribal Sectors
Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 231 (Friday, November 30, 2018)
Federal Register Volume 83, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2018)
Rules and Regulations
Pages 61569-61570
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2018-26043
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
Docket No. 171023999-8440-02
RIN 0648-XG581
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2018 Tribal Fishery Allocations for Pacific Whiting; Reapportionment Between Tribal and Non-tribal Sectors
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; reapportionment of tribal Pacific whiting allocation.
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SUMMARY: This document announces the reapportionment of 40,000 metric tons of Pacific whiting from the tribal allocation to the non-tribal commercial fishery sectors via automatic action on September 24, 2018. This reapportionment is to allow full utilization of the Pacific whiting resource.
DATES: The reapportionment of Pacific whiting was applicable from 12 noon local time, September 24, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Comments will be accepted through December 17, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2017-0160 by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0160. Click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Barry A. Thom, Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070, Attn: Miako Ushio.
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. 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
Page 61570
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miako Ushio (West Coast Region, NMFS), phone: 206-526-4644 or email: email protected.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
This document is accessible online at the Office of the Federal Register's website at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action. Background information and documents are available at NMFS' West Coast Region website at www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/management/whiting/pacific_whiting.html
Background
Pacific Whiting
Pacific whiting (Merluccius productus) is a very productive species with highly variable recruitment (the biomass of fish that mature and enter the fishery each year) and a relatively short life span when compared to other groundfish species. Pacific whiting has the largest annual allowable harvest levels (by volume) of the more than 90 groundfish species managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which governs the groundfish fishery off Washington, Oregon, and California. The coastwide Pacific whiting stock is managed jointly by the United States and Canada, and mature Pacific whiting are commonly available to vessels operating in U.S. waters from April through December. Background on the stock assessment, and the establishment of the 2018 Total Allowable Catch (TAC), for Pacific whiting was provided in the final rule for the 2018 Pacific whiting harvest specifications, published May 15, 2018 (83 FR 22401). Pacific whiting is allocated to the Pacific Coast treaty tribes (tribal fishery) and to three non-tribal commercial sectors: The catcher/
processor cooperative (C/P Coop), the mothership cooperative (MS Coop), and the Shorebased Individual Fishery Quota (IFQ) Program.
This document announces the reapportionment of 40,000 metric tons (mt) of Pacific whiting from the tribal allocation to the non-tribal commercial sectors on September 24, 2018. Regulations at 50 CFR 660.131(h) contain provisions that allow the Regional Administrator to reapportion Pacific whiting from the tribal allocation, specified at 50 CFR 660.50, that will not be harvested by the end of the fishing year to other sectors.
Pacific Whiting Reapportionment
For 2018, the Pacific Coast treaty tribes were allocated 77,251 mt of Pacific whiting. The best available information on September 24, 2018, indicated that less than 5,000 mt of the 2018 allocation had been harvested, and at least 40,000 mt of the tribal allocation would not be harvested by December 31, 2018. To allow for increased utilization of the resource, on September 24, 2018, NMFS reapportioned 40,000 mt from the Tribal sector to the Shorebased IFQ Program, C/P Coop, and MS Coop in proportion to each sector's original allocation. Reapportioning this amount is expected to allow for greater attainment of the TAC while not limiting tribal harvest opportunities for the remainder of the year. NMFS provided notice of the reapportionment on September 24, 2018, via emails sent directly to fishing businesses and individuals, and postings on the NMFS West Coast Region website. Reapportionment was effective the same day as the notice.
The amounts of Pacific whiting available for 2018 before and after the reapportionment are described in the table below.
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Initial 2018 Final 2018
Sector allocation allocation
(mt) (mt)
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Tribal.................................. 77,251 37,251
C/P Coop................................ 123,312 136,912
MS Coop................................. 87,044 96,644
Shorebased IFQ Program.................. 152,326.5 169,127
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Classification
NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA) finds that good cause exists for this notification to be issued without affording prior notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), because such notification would be impracticable and contrary to the public interest. As previously noted, NMFS provided actual notice of the reapportionment to fishery participants at the time of the action. Prior notice and opportunity for public comment on this reapportionment was impracticable because NMFS had insufficient time to provide prior notice between the time the information about the progress of the fishery needed to make this determination became available and the time at which fishery modifications had to be implemented in order to allow fishers access to the available fish during the remainder of the fishing season. For the same reasons, the AA also finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness for these actions, required under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
These actions are authorized by Sec. Sec. 660.55 (i), 660.60(d) and 660.131(h) and are exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. and 16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.
Dated: November 27, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
FR Doc. 2018-26043 Filed 11-29-18; 8:45 am
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