Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 030194C]

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska

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; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is reopening public comment through March 11, 1994, on

proposed Amendment 32 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of

the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) and is requesting comments from the public.

Amendment 32 would establish a plan to rebuild stocks of the rockfish

Pacific ocean perch (POP) in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is

being taken to allow additional time for review and consideration of

information contained in the 1993 Gulf Triennial Survey Results for POP

(Triennial Survey). The Triennial Survey represents the best available

information on the status of POP stocks in the GOA.

DATES: Comments should be submitted on or before March 11, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the FMP amendment should be submitted to Ronald

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

P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, Alaska, 99802 (Attn: Lori Gravel), or delivered

to the Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street, Juneau, Alaska.

Copies of Amendment 32 and the environmental assessment (EA) and

economic analysis prepared for the amendment are available from the

North Pacific Fishery Management Council, P.O. Box 103136, Anchorage,

Alaska 99510 (telephone 907-271-2809).

Copies of the Triennial Survey are available from Dr. William Aron,

Director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE.,

BIN C15700, Bldg. 4, Seattle, WA 98115-0070. The document is also

available in the Miscellaneous Section on the NMFS Alaska Region's

electronic bulletin board at 907-586-7259.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica A. Gharrett, NMFS, Alaska

Region, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS issued a Federal Register notice (59 FR

295, January 4, 1994) announcing that the North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) had submitted Amendment 32 to the FMP for

Secretarial review and requested public comments over a 60-day period,

ending March 7, 1994. Due to a miscalculation in the comment period

deadline of March 7, a correction was subsequently issued on February

2, 1994 (59 FR 4978). The document corrected the date for the comment

period from March 7, 1994 to February 28, 1994 (59 FR 4978).

Amendment 32 would establish a plan to rebuild stocks of the

rockfish Pacific ocean perch (POP) (Sebastes alutus) in the GOA. This

amendment is necessary to improve conservation and management of POP

and is intended to further the goals and objectives of the FMP.

Additional information is contained in the Federal Register notice,

which announced the availability of Amendment 32 for public comment.

NMFS has received a request for an extension of the comment period

to allow time for consideration of the Triennial Survey. NMFS agrees

that information contained in this document related to POP should be

considered prior to the final decision by the Secretary of Commerce

(Secretary). Therefore, NMFS is reopening the comment period through

March 11, 1994. The Secretary will consider the public comments

received during both comment periods in determining whether to approve

Amendment 32.

Copies of the amendment may be obtained from the Council (see

ADDRESSES). Copies of the Triennial Survey are available (see

ADDRESSES).

Dated: March 2, 1994.

David S. Crestin,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 94-5126 Filed 3-2-94; 3:28 pm]

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