Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Commercial Cod Harvest

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 103 (Friday, May 28, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 28937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13555]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 990318076-9109-02; I.D. 052199E]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Commercial Cod Harvest

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

ACTION: Reduction of cod landing limit.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notification to announce that the 
Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), has 
projected that 402 metric tons (mt) of the target total allowable catch 
(TAC) for the Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod stock will be harvested as of 
0001 hours, May 28, 1999, and that, with certain exceptions as 
specified in the regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP), vessels fishing under a multispecies 
day-at-sea (DAS) may not possess more than 30 lb (13.6 kg) of cod per 
DAS for any DAS utilized on or after May 28, 1999.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, May 28, 1999, through December 31, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
978-281-9273.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations implementing the GOM cod trip 
limit in Framework Adjustment 27 to the FMP (64 FR 24066, May 5, 1999) 
became effective May 1, 1999. To ensure that GOM cod landings remain 
within the target TAC of 1,340 mt established for the 1999 fishing 
year, Framework 27 provides a mechanism to reduce the 200 lb (90.7 kg) 
per DAS landing limit to as low as 5 lb (2.3 kg) per DAS, based on the 
rate of catch and the risk of exceeding the target TAC. Section 
648.86(b)(1)(i) specifies that this mechanism is triggered when the 
Regional Administrator has projected that 402 mt will be harvested. 
Further, this section stipulates that NMFS will publish a notification 
in the Federal Register informing the public of the date of the 
reduction.
    Based on the available information, the Regional Administrator has 
projected that 402 mt will be reached on May 28, 1999. Given the rate 
at which this trigger amount was reached, the Regional Administrator 
has determined that reducing the landing limit to 30 lb (13.6 kg) will 
be necessary in order to best balance the need to minimize discards, 
discourage vessels from targeting cod by using the running clock 
provision, and ensure that GOM cod landings remain within the target 
TAC for the 1999 fishing year. Therefore, the cod landing limit, 
pursuant to Sec. 648.86(b)(1)(i), has been reduced to 30 lb (13.6 kg) 
per DAS, except as provided under Sec. 648.86(b)(1)(ii) and (b)(2), for 
DAS used on or after 0001 hours May 28, 1999.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: May 21, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-13555 Filed 5-25-99; 3:10 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F