Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.22 Regulatory Area to Directed Fishing for (7) Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas, Ber- Pollock
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Fishery Conservation and Management § 679.22 regulatory area to directed fishing for (7) Steller sea lion protection areas, Ber- pollock. ing Sea subarea—(i) Bogoslof area—(A) The Bogoslof area consists [61 FR 31230, June 19, 1996] Boundaries. of all waters of area 518 as described in EDITORIAL NOTE: For FEDERAL REGISTER ci- Figure 1 of this part south of a straight tations affecting § 679.21, see the List of CFR line connecting 55°00′ N lat./170°00′ W Sections Affected, which appears in the ° ′ ° ′ ′ Finding Aids section of the printed volume long., and 55 00 N lat./168 11 4.75 W and at www.fdsys.gov. long.; (B) Fishing prohibition. All waters § 679.22 Closures. within the Bogoslof area are closed to (a) BSAI—(1) Zone 1 (512) closure to directed fishing for pollock, Pacific trawl gear. No fishing with trawl gear is cod, and Atka mackerel by vessels allowed at any time in reporting Area named on a Federal Fisheries Permit 512 of Zone 1 in the Bering Sea subarea. under § 679.4(b), except as provided in (2) Zone 1 (516) closure to trawl gear. paragraph (a)(7)(i)(C) of this section. No fishing with trawl gear is allowed at (C) Bogoslof Pacific cod exemption area. any time in reporting Area 516 of Zone (1) All catcher vessels less than 60 ft 1 in the Bering Sea Subarea during the (18.3 m) LOA using jig or hook-and-line period March 15 through June 15. gear for directed fishing for Pacific cod (3) Red King Crab Savings Area are exempt from the Pacific cod fishing (RKCSA). Directed fishing for ground- prohibition as described in paragraph fish by vessels using trawl gear other (a)(7)(i)(B) of this section in the por- than pelagic trawl gear is prohibited at tion of the Bogoslof area south of a line all times, except as provided at connecting a point 3 nm north of § 679.21(e)(3)(ii)(B), in that part of the Bishop Point (54°01′25″ N lat./166°57′00″ Bering Sea subarea defined as RKCSA W long.) to Cape Tanak (53°33′50″ N lat./ in Figure 11 to this part. 168°00′00″ W long.), not including waters (4) Walrus protection areas. From of the Bishop Point Pacific cod fishing April 1 through September 30 of any closures as described in Table 5 of this fishing year, vessels with a Federal part. fisheries permit under § 679.4 are pro- (2) If the Regional Administrator de- hibited in that part of the Bering Sea termines that 113 mt of Pacific cod subarea between 3 and 12 nm seaward have been caught by catcher vessels of the baseline used to measure the ter- less than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA using jig or ritorial sea around islands named hook-and-line gear in the exemption Round Island and The Twins, as shown area described in paragraph on National Ocean Survey Chart 16315, (a)(7)(i)(C)(1) of this section, the Re- and around Cape Pierce (58°33′ N. lat., gional Administrator will prohibit di- 161°43′ W. long.). rected fishing for Pacific cod by catch- (5) Catcher Vessel Operational Area er vessels less than 60 ft (18.3 m) LOA (CVOA)—(i) Definition. The CVOA is de- using jig or hook-and-line gear in the fined as that part of the BSAI that is exemption area by notification pub- south of 56°00′ N lat. and between 163°00′ lished in the FEDERAL REGISTER. W long. and 167°30′ W long., and north (ii) Bering Sea Pollock Restriction Area. of the Aleutian Islands (Figure 2 to (A) Boundaries. The Bering Sea Pollock part 679). Restriction Area consists of all waters (ii) Catcher/processor restrictions. A of the Bering Sea subarea south of a catcher/processor vessel authorized to line connecting the points 163°0′00″ W fish for BSAI pollock under § 679.4 is long./55°46′30″ N lat., 165°08′00″ W long./ prohibited from conducting directed 54°42′9″ N lat., 165°40′00″ W long./54°26′30″ fishing for pollock in the CVOA during N lat., 166°12′00″ W long./54°18′40″ N lat., the B pollock season defined at and 167°0′00″ W long./54°8′50″ N lat. § 679.23(e)(2)(ii), unless it is directed (B) Fishing prohibition. All waters fishing for Pollock CDQ. within the Bering Sea Pollock Restric- (6) Pribilof Island Area Habitat Con- tion Area are closed during the A sea- servation Zone. Trawling is prohibited son, as defined at § 679.23(e)(2), to di- at all times in the area defined in Fig- rected fishing for pollock by vessels ure 10 to this part as the Pribilof Island named on a Federal Fisheries Permit Area Habitat Conservation Zone. under § 679.4(b). 653 § 679.22 50 CFR Ch. VI (10–1–14 Edition) (iii) Groundfish closures. Directed tion will take effect when the Regional fishing for groundfish by vessels named Administrator determines that the on a Federal Fisheries Permit under harvest limit for pollock within the § 679.4(b) is prohibited within 3 nm of SCA, as specified in § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C) is selected sites. These sites are listed in reached before April 1. The Regional Table 12 of this part and are identified Administrator shall prohibit directed by ‘‘Bering Sea’’ in column 2. fishing for pollock in the SCA by noti- (iv) Pollock closures. Directed fishing fication published in the FEDERAL REG- for pollock by vessels named on a Fed- ISTER. eral Fisheries Permit under § 679.4(b) is (2) Inshore catcher vessels greater than prohibited within pollock no-fishing 99 ft (30.2 m) LOA. The Regional Admin- zones around selected sites. These sites istrator will prohibit directed fishing are listed in Table 4 of this part and for pollock by vessels greater than 99 ft are identified by ‘‘Bering Sea’’ in col- (30.2 m) LOA, catching pollock for umn 2. processing by the inshore component (v) Pacific cod closures. Directed fish- before reaching the inshore SCA har- ing for Pacific cod by vessels named on vest limit before April 1 to accommo- a Federal Fisheries Permit under date fishing by vessels less than or § 679.4(b) and using trawl, hook-and- equal to 99 ft (30.2 m) inside the SCA line, or pot gear is prohibited within until April 1. The Regional Adminis- the Pacific cod no-fishing zones around trator will estimate how much of the selected sites. These sites and gear inshore seasonal allowance is likely to types are listed in Table 5 of this part be harvested by catcher vessels less and are identified by ‘‘BS’’ in column 2. than or equal to 99 ft (30.2 m) LOA and (vi) Atka mackerel closures. Directed reserve a sufficient amount of the fishing for Atka mackerel by vessels inshore SCA allowance to accommo- named on a Federal Fisheries Permit date fishing by such vessels after the under § 679.4(b) and using trawl gear is closure of the SCA to inshore vessels prohibited within the Bering Sea sub- greater than 99 ft (30.2 m) LOA. The Re- area. gional Administrator will prohibit di- (vii) Steller sea lion conservation area rected fishing for all inshore catcher (SCA)—(A) General. Directed fishing for vessels within the SCA when the har- pollock by vessels catching pollock for vest limit specified in § 679.20(a)(5)(i)(C) processing by the inshore component, has been met before April 1. catcher/processors in the offshore com- (8) Steller sea lion protection areas, ponent, motherships in the offshore Aleutian Islands subarea—(i) Seguam component, or directed fishing for CDQ Foraging area. (A) The Seguam foraging pollock, is prohibited within the SCA area is all waters within the area be- until April 1 when the Regional Admin- tween 52° N lat. and 53° N lat. and be- istrator announces, by notification in tween 173°30′ W long. and 172°30′ W long. the FEDERAL REGISTER, that the cri- (B) Directed fishing for pollock, Pa- teria set out in paragraph (a)(7)(vii)(C) cific cod, and Atka mackerel by vessels of this section have been met by that named on a Federal Fisheries Permit industry component. under § 679.4(b) is prohibited in the (B) Boundaries. The SCA consists of Seguam Foraging area as described in the area of the Bering Sea subarea be- paragraph (a)(8)(i)(A) of this section. tween 170°00′ W long. and 163°00′ W (ii) Pollock Closure. Directed fishing long., south of straight lines con- for pollock by vessels named on a Fed- necting the following points in the eral Fisheries Permit under § 679.4(b) is order listed: prohibited within the pollock no-fish- 55°00′ N lat. 170°00′ W long.; ing zones around selected sites. These 55°00′ N lat. 168°00′ W long.; sites are listed in Table 4 of this part 55°30′ N lat. 168°00′ W long.; and are identified by ‘‘Aleutian I.’’ in 55°30′ N lat. 166°00′ W long.; column 2. 56°00′ N lat. 166°00′ W long.; and, (iii) Groundfish closures. Directed 56°00′ N lat. 163°00′ W long. fishing for groundfish by vessels named (C) Criteria for closure—(1) General. on a Federal Fisheries Permit under The directed fishing closures identified § 679.4(b) is prohibited within 3 nm of in paragraph (a)(7)(vii)(A) of this sec- selected sites.