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CFR Citation: 50 CFR Part 660

RIN ID: RIN 0648-AW08

NOTICE: PROPOSED RULES

ACTION: Fisheries of the Northeastern United States:

DOCUMENT ACTION: Availability of an amendment to a fishery management plan; request for comments.

SUBJECT CATEGORY: A Vessel License Limitation Program for the Pacific Whiting Fishery; Amendment 15 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan

DATES: Comments on Amendment 15 must be received on or before May 19, 2008.

DOCUMENT SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 15 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for review by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Amendment 15 would modify the FMP to implement a limited entry program for the nontribal Pacific whiting fishery. Amendment 15 is intended to limit participation in the Pacific whiting fishery within the U.S. West Coast
[[Page 14766]]
Exclusive Economic Zone until the implementing of a trawl
rationalization program in the Pacific whiting fishery.

SUMMARY: Pacific Whiting Fishery Vessel License Limitation Program; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan Amendment,

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Amendment 15 is available on the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council's or Pacific Council's) website at: http:// www.pcouncil.org/groundfish/gffmp.html.

The MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MagnusonStevens Act) requires that each regional fishery management council submit any FMP or plan amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial approval. The MagnusonStevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving an FMP or amendment, immediately publish a notice that the FMP or amendment is available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider the public comments received during the comment period described above in determining whether to approve Amendment 15 to the FMP.

Amendment 15 would implement a limited entry program for the Pacific whiting fishery, which occurs within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. The whiting fishery is currently managed with separate allocations for the tribal and nontribal whiting fisheries, and with sectorspecific whiting allocations for the three nontribal sectors: mothership, catcher/processor, and shorebased. Vessels that participate in the mothership sector include both the motherships themselves and the catcher vessels that deliver to the atsea mothership processors. Vessels that participate in the catcher/processor sector are self contained atsea processors that both catch and process fish. Vessels that participate in the shorebased sector are catcher vessels that deliver their catch to landbased processing plants. This action would limit participation in each of the three nontribal sectors of the Pacific whiting fishery to those vessels, both catcher vessels and at sea processing vessels, with historic participation in those particular sectors.

NMFS welcomes comments on the proposed FMP amendment through the end of the comment period. A proposed rule to implement Amendment 15 has been submitted for Secretarial review and approval. NMFS expects to publish and request public review and comment on proposed regulations to implement Amendment 15 in the near future. Public comments on the proposed rule must be received by the end of the comment period on the amendment to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the amendment. All comments received by the end of the comment period for the amendment, whether specifically directed to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision.

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

Dated: March 13, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E85561 Filed 31808; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 351022S

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Becky Renko (Northwest Region, NMFS), phone: 2065266129; fax: 2065266736; and email:
becky.renko@noaa.gov.