Federal Register - February 19, 2021
Versione di testo Cosa è?Dateas è un sito indipendente non affiliato a entità governative. La fonte dei documenti PDF che pubblichiamo qui è l'entità governativa indicata in ciascuno di essi. Le versioni in testo sono trascrizioni che realizziamo per facilitare l'accesso e la ricerca di informazioni, ma possono contenere errori o non essere complete.
Source: Federal Register
10198
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 32 / Friday, February 19, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 12FINAL 2021 APPORTIONMENTS OF ROCKFISH SECONDARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GOA TO CATCHER
VESSEL AND CATCHER/PROCESSOR COOPERATIVES
Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish secondary species
Pacific cod
Sablefish
Shortraker rockfish
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish
Thornyhead rockfish
Catcher vessel cooperatives
Catcher/processor cooperatives
Percentage of TAC
Apportionment mt
Percentage of TAC
Apportionment mt
3.8
6.78
0.00
0.00
7.84
390
546
0
0
71
0.00
3.51
40.00
58.87
26.50
0
283
114
268
241
10,242
8,056
284
456
910
TABLE 13FINAL 2022 APPORTIONMENTS OF ROCKFISH SECONDARY SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL GOA TO CATCHER
VESSEL AND CATCHER/PROCESSOR COOPERATIVES
Values are rounded to the nearest metric ton
Central GOA
annual TAC
Rockfish secondary species
Pacific cod
Sablefish
Shortraker rockfish
Rougheye/blackspotted rockfish
Thornyhead rockfish
tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with RULES
Halibut PSC Limits Section 679.21d establishes annual halibut PSC limit apportionments to trawl gear and hook-and-line gear, and authorizes the establishment of apportionments for pot gear. In December 2020, the Council recommended halibut PSC limits of 1,706 mt for trawl gear, 257 mt for hookand-line gear, and 9 mt for the demersal shelf DSR rockfish fishery in the SEO
District for both 2021 and 2022.
The DSR fishery in the SEO District is defined at 679.21d2iiA. This fishery is apportioned 9 mt of the halibut PSC limit in recognition of its small-scale harvests of groundfish 679.21d2iA. The separate halibut PSC limit for the DSR fishery is intended to prevent that fishery from being impacted from the halibut PSC
incurred by other GOA fisheries. NMFS
estimates low halibut bycatch in the DSR fishery because 1 the duration of the DSR fisheries and the gear soak times are short, 2 the DSR fishery occurs in the winter when there is less overlap in the distribution of DSR and halibut, and 3 the directed commercial DSR fishery has a low DSR TAC. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game sets the commercial GHL for the DSR
fishery after deducting estimates of DSR
incidental catch in all fisheries including halibut and subsistence and allocation to the DSR sport fishery. In
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:57 Feb 18, 2021
Jkt 253001
Catcher vessel cooperatives Percentage of TAC
Apportionment mt
Percentage of TAC
Apportionment mt
3.81
6.78
0.00
0.00
7.84
630
753
0
0
71
0.00
3.51
40.00
58.87
26.50
0
390
114
270
241
16,534
11,111
284
459
910
2020, the commercial fishery for DSR
was closed due to concerns about declining DSR biomass.
The FMP authorizes the Council to exempt specific gear from the halibut PSC limits. NMFS, after consultation with the Council, exempts pot gear, the sablefish IFQ hook-and-line gear fishery categories, and jig gear from the nontrawl halibut PSC limit for 2021 and 2022. The Council recommended, and NMFS approves, these exemptions because: 1 The pot gear fisheries have low annual halibut bycatch mortality, 2 IFQ program regulations prohibit discard of halibut if any halibut IFQ
permit holder on board a catcher vessel holds unused halibut IFQ for that vessel category and the IFQ regulatory area in which the vessel is operating 679.7f11, 3 some sablefish IFQ
fishermen hold halibut IFQ permits and are therefore required to retain the halibut they catch while fishing sablefish IFQ, and 4 NMFS estimates negligible halibut mortality for the jig gear fisheries given the small amount of groundfish harvested by jig gear, the selective nature of jig gear, and the high survival rates of halibut caught and released with jig gear.
The best available information on estimated halibut bycatch consists of data collected by fisheries observers during 2020. The calculated halibut bycatch mortality through December 31, 2020, is 789 mt for trawl gear and 3 mt
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4700
Catcher/processor cooperatives
Sfmt 4700
for hook-and-line gear for a total halibut mortality of 792 mt. This halibut mortality was calculated using groundfish and halibut catch data from the NMFS Alaska Regions catch accounting system. This accounting system contains historical and recent catch information compiled from each Alaska groundfish fishery.
Sections 679.21d4i and ii authorize NMFS to seasonally apportion the halibut PSC limits after consultation with the Council. The FMP and regulations require that the Council and NMFS consider the following information in seasonally apportioning halibut PSC limits: 1 Seasonal distribution of halibut; 2 seasonal distribution of target groundfish species relative to halibut distribution; 3
expected halibut bycatch needs on a seasonal basis relative to changes in halibut biomass and expected catch of target groundfish species; 4 expected bycatch rates on a seasonal basis; 5
expected changes in directed groundfish fishing seasons; 6 expected actual start of fishing effort; and 7 economic effects of establishing seasonal halibut allocations on segments of the target groundfish industry. The Council considered information from the 2020
SAFE report, NMFS catch data, State of Alaska catch data, International Pacific Halibut Commission IPHC stock assessment and mortality data, and public testimony when apportioning the
E:FRFM19FER1.SGM
19FER1
