The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). This amendment would prohibit vessels holding a Federal fisheries permit from fishing for groundfish or anchoring in the proposed Sitka Pinnacles Marine Reserve, a 2.5square nautical mile (nm)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues a final rule to amend portions of the regulations [[Page 33781]]
implementing the equipment and operational requirements in the Community Development Quota (CDQ) fisheries for catch weight measurement, observer sampling stations, and observer transmission of data. After the first year of requiring scales and observer sampling stations

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes a regulatory amendment to implement a seasonal closure of a portion of the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) to vessels using trawl gear. Regulatory authority also is proposed
[[Page 41045]]
for inseason action to open directed fishing for pollock within 10 nautical miles (nm) of the Steller sea lion haulouts located

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS publishes a proposed rule to require vessels participating in the directed fishery for Atka mackerel in the Aleutian Islands subarea (AI) of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area to carry and use a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) transmitter. This action is necessary to enhance monitoring of fishery activities within critical habitat areas.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues a proposed rule to amend regulations implementing the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program for the Pacific halibut and sablefish fixed gear fisheries in and off Alaska. NMFS has identified parts of the program that need further refinement or correction for effective management of the affected fixed gear fisheries. This action is

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This document contains a correction to the final rule for recordkeeping and reporting that was published in the Federal Register on November 15, 1999.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues a final rule to remove the obsolete text implementing the Vessel Moratorium Program (VMP), which expired on December 31, 1999, and was replaced by the License Limitation Program (LLP). In addition, several paragraphs in the regulations are revised to account for the removal of the moratorium text. These revisions are necessary to

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Based on currently available information, NMFS has determined that the trawl catcher/processor sector will not be able to harvest its entire share of the Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). NMFS proposes to make the projected unused amount of the trawl catcher/processor sector

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This document contains a correction to the final rule removing obsolete text implementing the Vessel Moratorium Program (VMP) that was published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2000.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 64 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (FMP). This proposed amendment would also necessitate a revision to the 2000 harvest specifications for Pacific cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). Amendment 64,

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Eastern Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2000 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in this area.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for northern rockfish in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2000 total allowable catch (TAC) of northern rockfish in this area.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher processor vessels using hookandline gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2000 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod allocated for catcher processor vessels using hookandline gear in this area.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is closing directed fishing for species in the rock sole/ flathead sole/``other flatfish'' fishery category by vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the second seasonal apportionment of the 2000 halibut bycatch mortality allowance specified for the

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

On January 5, 2000, and January 28, 2000, NMFS published emergency interim rules, effective through June 27, 2000, and July 20, 2000, respectively, that implemented major provisions of the American Fisheries Act (AFA) for the 2000 fishing year. This action revises and extends these two emergency interim rules through December 24, 2000, and January

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS withdraws the July 3, 2000, proposed regulatory amendment that would implement a seasonal closure of a portion of the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) to vessels using trawl gear and that would implement an inseason action to open directed fishing for pollock within 10 nautical miles of the Steller sea lion haulouts located

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted for Secretarial review Amendment 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP). This amendment is necessary to implement a rebuilding plan to rebuild the overfished stock of St. Matthew blue king crab. This action is intended to

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 66 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Groundfish Fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Area (FMP) to remove the allocation of squid to the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. The Council has recommended this amendment to prevent the

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This document contains a correction to the final rule for recordkeeping and reporting that was published in the Federal Register on November 15, 1999.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for other rockfish in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2000 total allowable catch (TAC) of other rockfish in this area.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces the approval of Amendment 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP). This amendment is necessary to implement a plan to rebuild the overfished stock of St. Matthew blue king crab. This action is intended to ensure that conservation and management measures continue to be based on

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is correcting a final rule implementing the License Limitation Program (LLP) established for the groundfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI), the groundfish fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), and the crab fisheries in the BSAI, that was published in the Federal Register of Thursday, October 1, 1998.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This is action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2000 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in this area.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This document corrects table 3 of the allocations of the pollock total allowable catch and directed fishing allowance to the inshore, catcher/processor, mothership, and community development quota components and table 7 of the final 2000 prohibited species catch (PSC) allowances specified for trawl groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for groundfish by vessels using hookandline gear in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), except for sablefish or demersal shelf rockfish. This action is necessary because the second seasonal halibut bycatch mortality allowance apportioned to hookandline gear targeting groundfish other than sablefish or demersal shelf

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration