[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] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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