Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; King and Tanner Crab of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; Limited Access Management of Federal Fisheries In and Off of Alaska

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

50 CFR Parts 671, 672, 675, and 676

[I.D. 050494B]

Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska;

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; King and Tanner Crab

of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; Limited Access Management of

Federal Fisheries In and Off of Alaska

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of amendments to fishery management

plans; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has

submitted Amendment 23 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the

Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (BSAI),

Amendment 28 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), and

Amendment 4 to the FMP for the Commercial King and Tanner Crab

Fisheries in the BSAI for review by the Secretary of Commerce

(Secretary). The amendments would establish a moratorium on the entry

of new vessels into these fisheries. Comments are requested from the

public. Copies of the amendments may be obtained from the Council (see

ADDRESSES).

DATES: Comments on the FMP amendments must be submitted by July 8,

1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the FMP amendments must be submitted to Ronald

J. Berg, Chief, Fisheries Management Division, Alaska Region, NMFS,

P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802 (Attn: Lori Gravel).

Copies of the amendments and the environmental assessment/

regulatory impact review/initial regulatory flexibility analysis

prepared for the amendments are available from the North Pacific

Fishery Management Council, P.O. Box 103136, Anchorage, AK 99510;

telephone: 907-271-2809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David C. Ham, Fishery Management

Biologist, Alaska Region, NMFS at 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (Magnuson Act) requires that each Regional Fishery

Management Council submit any FMP or FMP amendment it prepares to the

Secretary for review and approval, disapproval, or partial disapproval.

The Magnuson Act also requires that the Secretary, upon reviewing the

plan or amendment, immediately publish a notice in the Federal Register

that the plan or amendment is available for public review and comment.

The Secretary will consider the public comments received during the

comment period in determining whether to approve these amendments.

The three FMPs and a companion regulatory amendment for the halibut

fishery would establish a 3-year moratorium on the entry of new vessels

into the groundfish fishery of the GOA and BSAI, the king and Tanner

crab fishery of the BSAI, and halibut fishery in and off of Alaska. The

purpose of the moratorium is to curtail increases in harvesting

capacity and provide industry stability, while the Council assesses

long-term management alternatives for its comprehensive management

plan.

The moratorium would be implemented through the issuance of Federal

vessel permits for groundfish in the GOA and BSAI, Federal vessel

permits for crab in the BSAI, and International Pacific Halibut

Commission (IPHC) vessel permits for halibut in the Convention waters

in and off of Alaska. Vessel permits for these fisheries would be

issued only to vessels that had a historical landing in a moratorium

fishery from January 1, 1980, to February 9, 1992.

The companion regulatory amendment would effect changes to rules

governing the harvest of Pacific halibut by U.S. fishermen in and off

of Alaska. The Council does not have an FMP for halibut. The domestic

fishery for halibut in and off Alaska is managed by the IPHC, as

provided by the Convention between the United States and Canada for the

Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and

the Bering Sea (Convention), and the Northern Pacific Halibut Act. The

Convention and the Halibut Act authorize the respective Regional

Fishery Management Councils established by the Magnuson Act to develop

regulations that are in addition to, but not in conflict with,

regulations adopted by the IPHC affecting the U.S. halibut fishery.

Under this authority, the Council may develop, for approval by the

Secretary, limited access policies for the Pacific halibut fishery in

Convention waters in and off of Alaska. ``Convention waters'' means the

maritime areas off the west coast of the United States and Canada as

described in Article I of the Convention (see 16 U.S.C. 773(d)). The

Council acted under this authority in recommending its proposed

moratorium for the halibut fishery. Regulations governing the

harvesting of Pacific halibut are set forth at 50 CFR parts 301 and

676.

Regulations proposed by the Council to implement these amendments

are scheduled to be published within 15 days of this document.

Dated: May 9, 1994.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 94-11549 Filed 5-9-94; 2:26 pm]

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