Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area; King and Tanner Crab Fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[I.D. 080494A]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Groundfish of the Bering Sea

and Aleutian Islands Area; King and Tanner Crab Fisheries of the Bering

Sea and Aleutian Islands

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of approval of amendments to fishery management plans.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of Amendment 30 to the Fishery

Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA),

Amendment 27 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian

Islands (BSAI) Area, and Amendment 3 to the FMP for the Commercial King

Crab and Tanner Crab Fisheries of the BSAI. These amendments

incorporate the provisions of the North Pacific Fisheries Research Plan

(Research Plan) into each FMP to provide a standard application of the

Research Plan and associated observer coverage throughout applicable

fisheries.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 15, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FMP amendments and environmental assessment

prepared for the North Pacific Fisheries Research Plan are available

from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, P.O. Box 103136,

Anchorage, AK 99510; telephone 907-271-2809.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim S. Rivera, 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 of Commerce (Secretary) for review and approval, disapproval,

or partial disapproval. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council

(Council) submitted Amendments 30, 27, and 3 for Secretarial approval

on May 17, 1994. A notice of availability and request for comments on

the amendments was published May 24, 1994, at 59 FR 26780; comments

were requested through July 18, 1994. Because there are no regulatory

changes required by the proposed FMP amendments, no proposed rule was

published.

Amendments 30, 27, and 3 revise language in the FMPs for GOA

groundfish, BSAI area groundfish, and BSAI king and Tanner crab,

respectively, to reflect the development of the Research Plan and to

indicate that observer requirements under those FMPs are as specified

under the Research Plan.

The Research Plan was prepared by the Council under section 313 of

the Magnuson Act, as amended by section 404 of the High Seas Driftnet

Fisheries Enforcement Act, Pub. L. 102-582, and is intended to provide

an industry-funded observer program and to promote management,

conservation, and scientific understanding of groundfish, halibut, and

crab resources off Alaska. A final rule, regulatory amendment, to

implement the Research Plan has been prepared and, when approved, will

be published in the Federal Register. Amendments 30, 27, and 3, which

bring the FMPs into conformance with the Research Plan, were approved

August 15, 1994. No comments were received on these amendments during

the comment period.

Classification

This action does not involve rulemaking and is exempt from OMB

review under E.O. 12866.

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

Dated: August 15, 1994.

Nancy Foster, Ph.D.,

Deputy Assistant Administrative for Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 94-21648 Filed 8-31-94; 8:45 am]

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