Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 47 / Monday, March 11, 2019 / Rules and Regulations 8625

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 300 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE transferring, receiving, landing, or selling, or attempting to fish for, Antarctica, Antarctic marine living National Oceanic and Atmospheric possess, transfer, receive, land or sell, resources, Catch documentation Administration more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring scheme, Fisheries, Fishing, per trip or calendar day in or from the Intergovernmental relations, Reporting 50 CFR Part 648 specified management area from a and recordkeeping requirements. [Docket No: 181031994–9022–02] vessel issued and holding a valid Dated: March 5, 2019. herring permit. RIN 0648–XG872 The Regional Administrator has Samuel D. Rauch III, projected, based on vessel and dealer Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries of the Northeastern United reports, state data, and other available Regulatory Programs, National Marine States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; 2019 information, that the herring fleet will Fisheries Service. Management Area 2 Sub-Annual Catch have caught 92 percent of the herring Accordingly, 50 CFR part 300 is Limit Harvested sub-ACL allocated to Management Area corrected by making the following AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 2 by March 9, 2019. Therefore, effective correcting amendments: Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 00:01 hr local time, March 9, 2019, no Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), person may, or attempt to, fish for, PART 300—INTERNATIONAL Commerce. possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring FISHERIES REGULATIONS ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. per trip or calendar day, in or from Subpart G—Antarctic Marine Living SUMMARY: Effective on March 9, 2019, Management Area 2, through December Resources NMFS is closing the directed fishery for 31, 2019, from a vessel issued or Herring Management Area 2, based on a holding a valid herring permit. Vessels ■ 1. The authority citation for part 300, projection that a threshold catch amount that have entered port before 00:01 hr subpart G, continues to read as follows: for that management area has been local time, March 9, 2019, may land and reached. Beginning March 9, 2019, sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Authority: 16 U.S.C. 2431 et seq., 31 U.S.C. through December 31, 2019, no person herring from Area 2 from that trip. A 9701 et seq. may, or attempt to fish for, possess, vessel may transit through Area 2 with ■ 2. Amend § 300.105 by revising transfer, receive, land, or sell more than more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring on board, provided all herring was paragraph (h) to read as follows: 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip or calendar day in or from caught outside of Area 2 and all fishing § 300.105 Preapproval for importation of Management Area 2 from a vessel issued gear is stowed and not available for frozen Dissostichus species. and holding a valid herring permit. For immediate use as defined by § 648.2. Effective 00:01 hr local time, March 9, * * * * * the duration of this action, federally permitted dealers may not possess or 2019, through 24:00 hr local time, (h) NMFS will not issue a preapproval receive, or attempt to possess or receive, December 31, 2019, federally permitted certificate for any shipment of more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring dealers may not purchase, possess, Dissostichus species: from Management Area 2 per trip or receive, sell, barter, trade or transfer, or (1) Identified as originating from a calendar day from vessels issued and attempt to purchase, possess, receive, high seas area designated by the Food holding a valid herring permit. This sell, barter, trade or transfer more than and Agriculture Organization of the action is necessary to comply with the 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring per trip or United Nations as Statistical Area 51 or regulations implementing the Atlantic calendar day from Management Area 2 Statistical Area 57 in the eastern and herring Fishery Management Plan and is from a vessel issued and holding a valid herring permit, unless it is from a trip western Indian Ocean outside and north intended to prevent overharvest of landed by a vessel that entered port of the Convention Area; herring in Management Area 2. before 00:01 hr local time, March 9, DATES: Effective 00:01 hr local time, (2) Determined to have been harvested 2019. or transshipped in contravention of any March 9, 2019, through 24:00 local time, CCAMLR Conservation Measure in force December 31, 2019. Classification at the time of harvest or transshipment; FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: This action is required by 50 CFR part Daniel Luers, Fishery Management 648 and is exempt from review under (3) Determined to have been harvested Specialist, (978) 282–8457. Executive Order 12866. or transshipped by a vessel identified by SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5 CCAMLR as having engaged in illegal, Regional Administrator of NMFS for the U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) to waive prior notice unreported and unregulated (IUU) Greater Atlantic Region monitors the and the opportunity for public comment fishing; or herring fishery catch in each of the because it would be contrary to the (4) Accompanied by inaccurate, management areas based on vessel and public interest and impracticable. incomplete, invalid, or improperly dealer reports, state data, and other Further, in accordance with 5 U.S.C validated CDS documentation or by a available information. The regulations at § 553(d)(3), NMFS also finds good cause SVDCD. 50 CFR 648.201 require that when the to waive the 30-day delayed [FR Doc. 2019–04358 Filed 3–8–19; 8:45 am] Regional Administrator projects that effectiveness. NMFS is required by herring catch will reach 92 percent of Federal regulation to put in place a BILLING CODE 3510–22–P the sub-ACL allocated in Management 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) herring trip limit for Area 2 designated in the Atlantic Management Area 2 through December Herring Fishery Management Plan 31, 2019. The 2019 herring fishing year (FMP), through notification in the opened on January 1, 2019. Data Federal Register, NMFS must prohibit indicating the herring fleet will have for the remainder of the fishing year, landed at least 92 percent of the 2019 vessels from fishing for, possessing, sub-ACL allocated to Management Area

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2 have only recently become available. Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Once available data supports projecting Commerce. Area 610 of the GOA. that 92 percent of the sub-ACL will be ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. While this closure is effective the caught, regulations at § 648.201(a) maximum retainable amounts at require NMFS to close the directed SUMMARY: NMFS is prohibiting directed § 679.20(e) and (f) apply at any time fishery and impose a trip and calendar fishing for pollock in Statistical Area during a trip. day limit to ensure that herring vessels 610 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This do not exceed the 2019 sub-ACL action is necessary to prevent exceeding Classification allocated to Management Area 2. High- the A season allowance of the 2019 total volume catch and landings in this allowable catch of pollock for Statistical This action responds to the best fishery increase total catch relative to Area 610 in the GOA. available information recently obtained the sub-ACL quickly, especially in this DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local from the fishery. The Assistant fishing year where annual catch limits time (A.l.t.), March 6, 2019, through Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA are unusually low. If implementation of 1200 hrs, A.l.t., March 10, 2019. (AA), finds good cause to waive the this closure is delayed to solicit prior FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Josh requirement to provide prior notice and public comment, the sub-ACL for Keaton, 907–586–7228. opportunity for public comment Management Area 2 for this fishing year SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 will likely be exceeded, thereby manages the groundfish fishery in the U.S.C. 553(b)(B) as such requirement is undermining the conservation GOA exclusive economic zone impracticable and contrary to the public objectives of the FMP. If sub-ACLs are according to the Fishery Management interest. This requirement is exceeded, the excess must also be Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of impracticable and contrary to the public deducted from a future sub-ACL and Alaska (FMP) prepared by the North interest as it would prevent NMFS from would reduce future fishing Pacific Fishery Management Council responding to the most recent fisheries opportunities. In addition, the public under authority of the Magnuson- had prior notice and full opportunity to data in a timely fashion and would Stevens Fishery Conservation and comment on this process when these delay the closure of directed fishing for provisions were put in place. The public Management Act. Regulations governing pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the expects these actions to occur in a fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance GOA. NMFS was unable to publish a timely way consistent with the fishery with the FMP appear at subpart H of 50 notice providing time for public management plan’s objectives. CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679. comment because the most recent, The A season allowance of the 2019 Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. relevant data only became available as total allowable catch (TAC) of pollock in of March 5, 2019. Dated: March 6, 2019. Statistical Area 610 of the GOA is 848 Karen H. Abrams, metric tons (mt) as established by the The AA also finds good cause to waive the 30-day delay in the effective Acting Director, Office of Sustainable final 2018 and 2019 harvest Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. specifications for groundfish in the GOA date of this action under 5 U.S.C. [FR Doc. 2019–04352 Filed 3–6–19; 5:00 pm] (83 FR 8768, March 1, 2018) and 553(d)(3). This finding is based upon BILLING CODE 3510–22–P inseason adjustment (84 FR 33, January the reasons provided above for waiver of 4, 2019). prior notice and opportunity for public In accordance with § 679.20(d)(1)(i), comment. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE the Regional Administrator has This action is required by § 679.20 determined that the A season allowance and is exempt from review under National Oceanic and Atmospheric of the 2019 TAC of pollock in Statistical Executive Order 12866. Administration Area 610 of the GOA is necessary to account for the incidental catch in other Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 50 CFR Part 679 anticipated fisheries. Therefore, the Dated: March 6, 2019. [Docket No. 170816769–8162–02] Regional Administrator is establishing a Karen H. Abrams, directed fishing allowance of 0 mt and RIN 0648–XG730 Acting Director, Office of Sustainable is setting aside the remaining 848 mt as Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. bycatch to support other anticipated Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic groundfish fisheries. In accordance with [FR Doc. 2019–04313 Filed 3–6–19; 4:15 pm] Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical BILLING CODE 3510–22–P Area 610 in the Gulf of Alaska § 679.20(d)(1)(iii), the Regional Administrator finds that this directed AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries fishing allowance has been reached. Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Consequently, NMFS is prohibiting

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