Fishery conservation and management: West Coast States and Western Pacific fisheries— Pacific groundfish,

[Federal Register: December 1, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 230)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 66111-66112]

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

[DOCID:fr01de98-34]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 112498A]

RIN 0648-AL52

Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Amendment 11

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management plan; request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 11 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Secretarial review. The amendment was prepared with the intention of bringing the FMP into compliance with provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) regarding overfishing, bycatch, essential fish habitat, and fishing communities. This action also is intended to improve the types and amounts of scientific information available for use in stock assessments and management of the Pacific coast groundfish fishery.

DATES: Comments on Amendment 11 must be received on or before February 1, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments on Amendment 11 or supporting documents should be sent to William Stelle, Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS, Sand Point Way NE., BIN C15700, Seattle, WA 98115-0070; or to William Hogarth, Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

Copies of Amendment 11 and the Environmental Assessment/ Regulatory Impact Review are available from Larry Six, Executive Director, Pacific Fishery Management Council, 2130 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 224, Portland, OR 97201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier at 206-526-6140, Jim Morgan at 562-980-4000, or the Pacific Fishery Management Council at 503-326-6352.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional Fishery Management Council submit any amendment to an FMP to NMFS for review and approval,

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disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving an amendment, immediately publish a notice in the Federal Register that the amendment is available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received during the comment period described above in determining whether to approve the amendment for implementation.

The SFA amended the requirements for FMPs in section 303(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The SFA established a 2-year deadline (October 11, 1998) by which each Regional Fishery Management Council had to submit amendments to NMFS to bring all the FMPs into compliance with the SFA/Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements.

Amendment 11 seeks to make the Pacific Coast Groundfish FMP consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act by: amending the FMP framework that defines ``optimum yield'' for setting annual groundfish harvest limits; setting framework control rules on defining rates of ``overfishing'' and levels at which managed stocks are considered ``overfished;'' defining Pacific Coast groundfish essential fish habitat; setting a bycatch management objective and a framework for bycatch reduction measures; establishing a management objective to take the importance of fisheries to fishing communities into account when setting groundfish management measures; providing authority within the FMP for the Council to require groundfish use permits for all groundfish users; authorizing the use of fish for compensation for private vessels conducting NMFS-approved research; removing jack mackerel from the fishery management unit; and updating FMP objectives, definitions and industry descriptions.

Public comments on Amendment 11 must be received by February 1, 1999 to be considered by NMFS in the decision to approve/disapprove Amendment 11. A proposed rule to implement Amendment 11 has been submitted for Secretarial review and approval. NMFS expects to publish and request public comment on proposed regulations to implement Amendment 11 in the near future.

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

Dated: November 25, 1998. Gary C. Matlock, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98-32018Filed11-30-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F