Fishery conservation and management: Northeastern United States fisheries— Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish,

[Federal Register: June 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 122)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Page 34139-34140]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr25jn99-10]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 981106278-8336-02; I.D. 060999A]

RIN 0648-AL76

Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; 1999 Specifications

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Inseason adjustment of Illex squid annual specifications.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notification to announce that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is adjusting the annual specifications for Illex squid (Illex illecebrosus), including allowable biological catch (ABC), initial optimum yield (IOY), domestic annual harvest (DAH) and domestic annual processing (DAP), from 19,000 metric tons (mt) to 22,800 mt. The regulations for the Atlantic mackerel, squid and butterfish fisheries require publication of this announcement to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on the adjustments.

DATES: Effective June 25, 1999. Comments on this notification must be received by July 26, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark on the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Adjustment of Illex Squid Annual Specifications.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Christopher, Fishery Management Specialist, at 978-281-9288.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Final 1999 initial specifications for the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fisheries were published in the Federal Register at 64 FR 1139, January 8, 1999. The Illex squid specifications were established as follows: 24,000 mt maximum optimum yield (Max OY); 19,000 mt ABC, IOY, DAH and DAP; 0 mt joint venture processing (JVP); and 0 mt total allowable level of foreign fishing (TALFF).

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) on October 6, 1998, to bring the FMP into accord with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act. The new overfishing definition for Illex squid in Amendment 8 included a target yield associated with 75 percent of the fishing mortality at maximum sustainable yield (F‹INF›MSY‹/INF›). The yield was calculated to be 18,000 mt in the Amendment. However, upon review of the new overfishing definition, the Northeast Fishery Science Center (Center) discovered an error in the calculation of the 18,000 mt target yield. The Center's review identified that the Council had calculated the 18,000 mt target yield as 75 percent of maximum sustainable yield, rather than 75 percent of F‹INF›MSY‹/INF›. Further, the overfishing definition had inadvertently cited the draft version of the 21‹SUP›st‹/SUP› Stock Assessment Workshop stock assessment of Illex. The Center determined that the actual yield associated with F‹INF›MSY‹/INF› in the overfishing definition should be 22,800 mt.

Amendment 8 to the FMP and the associated overfishing definitions were approved on April 28, 1999. The Council chose not to lower the Illex squid specifications to the 18,000 mt target yield indicated in Amendment 8

[[Page 34140]]

so that the maximum amount of Illex squid could be harvested within the goals of the existing FMP. However, the Council, notified of the error in the determination of the 18,000 mt target yield in the Amendment, recommended at its April 29, 1999, meeting that the specifications for Illex squid fishery be adjusted to 22,800 mt to allow the maximum amount of harvest allowed by the amended FMP and the new overfishing definition.

The Council requested that NMFS process an emergency action ``...or any other action deemed necessary...'' to change the specifications. While an emergency action would not be appropriate, the regulations at Sec. 648.21(e) for Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish allow the Regional Administrator to process an inseason action to adjust the specifications. There is no justifiable reason to limit the industry to 19,000 mt since the target yield to prevent overfishing has been determined to be 22,800 mt. The 22,800 mt specifications would provide the industry with the maximum amount of harvest based on the overfishing definition for Illex squid. Therefore, 22,800 mt is specified as the allowed for ABC, IOY, DAH, and DAP. This action is warranted by the new overfishing definition for Illex squid. Max OY would remain at 24,000 mt, and JVP and TALFF would remain at 0 mt.

1999 Final Specifications

The following table contains the final initial specifications for the 1999 Atlantic mackerel, Loligo and Illex squids, and butterfish fisheries as recommended by the Council.

Final Initial Annual Specifications For Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish for the Fishing Year January 1 through December 31, 1999. [mt]

Squid Specifications

Atlantic Butterfish Loligo Illex Mackerel

Max OY

26,000 24,000 \1\N/A 16,000 ABC

21,000 22,800 383,000

7,200 IOY

21,000 22,800 \2\75,000

5,900 DAH

21,000 22,800 \3\75,000

5,900 DAP

21,000 22,800 50,000

5,900 JVP

0

0 10,000

0 TALFF

0

0

0

0

\1\Not applicable. \2\OY may be increased during the year, but the total will not exceed 383,000 mt. \3\Includes 15,000 mt of Atlantic mackerel recreational allocation.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated; June 21, 1999. Bruce C. Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 99-16204Filed6-24-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F