Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Vessel Moratorium Program

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

[I.D. 090998B]

RIN 0648-AL20

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Vessel

Moratorium Program

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: ACTION: Notice of availability of amendments to fishery

management plans; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

submitted Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the

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

and Amendment 57 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA),

and Amendment 9 to the FMP for the Commercial King and Tanner Crab

Fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area. These

amendments, submitted by the Council, would extend the Vessel

Moratorium Program for a vessel with a Moratorium Qualification for

which a Vessel Moratorium Permit was issued on or before December 31,

1998, or for which a Vessel Moratorium Permit was applied for on or

before December 31, 1998. The Vessel Moratorium Program is managed

under the FMP for the Groundfish Fishery of the BSAI, the FMP for

Groundfish of the GOA, and the FMP for the Commercial King and Tanner

Crab Fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area. The Vessel

Moratorium Program extension, from January 1, 1999, to December 31,

1999, is intended to prevent a hiatus between the ending of the Vessel

Moratorium Program and the beginning of the License Limitation Program.

Comments are requested from the public.

DATES: Comments on the FMP amendments must be received by November 17,

1998.

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

Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable

Fisheries, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, 709

West 9th Street, Room 453, Juneau, AK 99801, or P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,

AK 99802, Attention: Lori J. Gravel. Copies of the proposed amendments

and the Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review (EA/RIR)

prepared for the amendments may be obtained from the North Pacific

Fishery Management Council, 605 West 4th Avenue, Room 306,

Anchorage, AK 99510.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Lepore, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation

and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires that each Regional

Fishery Management Council submit any fishery management plan or plan

amendment it prepares for review and approval, disapproval, or partial

disapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon

reviewing the plan or amendment, must immediately publish a notice that

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

NMFS implemented the Vessel Moratorium Program (60 FR 40763, August

10, 1995) in 1996 to impose a temporary moratorium on the entry of new

vessels into the commercial groundfish fisheries in the exclusive

economic zone of the GOA and the BSAI and the commercial king crab and

Tanner crab fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. The

Vessel Moratorium Program was designed to curtail increases in fishing

capacity and provide industry stability while the Council developed a

comprehensive solution to problems affecting these fisheries.

In June 1995, the Council took final action on recommending the

License Limitation Program (LLP) as the next step towards the

comprehensive resolution to problems of excess harvesting capacity and

conflicts between industry sectors and gear in the affected fisheries.

NMFS approved the LLP on September 12, 1997, and anticipated that the

LLP could be implemented by January 1, 1999. However, the design and

implementation of the LLP required more time than was originally

anticipated. Fishing under the LLP is now scheduled to begin January 1,

2000; however, the Vessel Moratorium currently is scheduled to expire

December 31, 1998. Unless an extension is provided, a 1-year hiatus

between the Vessel Moratorium Program and the LLP will occur.

Amendments 9, 57, and 59 will extend the Vessel Moratorium Program

for 1 year. Under these amendments, (1) a Moratorium qualified vessel

for which an application for a Vessel Moratorium Permit has not been

made on or before December 31, 1998, or (2) a Moratorium qualified

vessel for which a Vessel Moratorium Permit has not been issued on or

before December 31, 1998, based on that qualification, will no longer

be eligible for a Moratorium Permit based on that qualification. This

action is intended to eliminate the potential for latent capacity to

enter the affected fisheries.

NMFS will consider the public comments received during the comment

period in determining whether to approve the proposed amendments. The

proposed regulations are scheduled to be published within 15 days of

this document. Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by

the end of the comment period on the amendments to be considered in the

approval/disapproval decision on the amendments; comments received

after that date will not be considered in the approval/disapproval

decision on the amendments. To be considered, comments must be received

by close of business of the last day of the comment period.

Dated: September 11, 1998.

Gary C. Matlock

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 98-25093 Filed 9-17-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F