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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 137 / Wednesday, July 21, 2021 / Rules and Regulations does not report his or her action to the Chief Postal Inspector under the requirements of this section, or whose action is determined after investigation not to have been authorized, is subject to disciplinary action or criminal prosecution or both.
Ruth Stevenson, Chief Counsel, Ethics & Legal Compliance.
FR Doc. 202115371 Filed 72021; 8:45 am BILLING CODE 771012P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 300
Docket No. 2104150082; RTID 0648
XB187

Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan; Inseason Action National Marine Fisheries Service NMFS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment; request for comments.
AGENCY:

This document announces additional season dates for the Washington North Coast and Puget Sound Pacific halibut recreational fisheries in the International Pacific Halibut Commissions regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. This action is intended to conserve Pacific halibut and provide angler opportunity where available.
DATES: This action is effective July 16, 2021, through September 30, 2021.
Submit comments on or before August 5, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by NOAANMFS20200157, by either of the following methods:
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAANMFS-2020-0157, click the Comment icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Barry Thom, c/o Kathryn Blair, West Coast Region, NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.
Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they are sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the comment period ends. All comments received are a part of the public record and NMFS will post them for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information e.g., name, address, etc.,
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SUMMARY:

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confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender is publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments enter N/A in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous.
Docket: This rule is accessible via the internet at the Office of the Federal Register website at https
www.federalregister.gov/. Background information and documents are available at the NOAA Fisheries website at https www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
action/2021-pacific-halibut-catchsharing-plan and at the Councils website at http www.pcouncil.org.
Other comments received may be accessed through www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kathryn Blair, phone: 5032316858, fax: 5032316893, or email:
kathryn.blair@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 21, 2021, NMFS published a final rule implementing the Pacific halibut Area 2A Catch Sharing Plan and recreational sport management measures for 2021
86 FR 20638, as authorized by the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 16
U.S.C. 773773k. The 2021 Catch Sharing Plan provides a recommended framework for NMFS annual management measures and subarea allocations based on the 2021 Area 2A
Pacific halibut catch limit of 1,510,000
pounds lb 684.9 metric tons mt.
These Pacific halibut management measures include recreational fishery season dates and subarea allocations.
Federal regulations at 50 CFR
300.63c, Flexible Inseason Management Provisions for Sport Halibut Fisheries in Area 2A, allow the NMFS Regional Administrator, after consultation with the Chairman of the Pacific Fishery Management Council Council, the Executive Director of the International Pacific Halibut Commission IPHC, and the Fisheries Directors of the affected states, or their designees, to modify annual regulations during the season. These inseason provisions allow the Regional Administrator to modify sport fishing periods, bag limits, size limits, days per calendar week, and subarea quotas, if it is determined it is necessary to meet the allocation objectives and the action will not result in exceeding the catch limit.
NMFS has determined that, due to lower than expected landings in portions of Washington, inseason action to modify the 2021 annual regulations is warranted at this time to help ensure the Area 2A allocations as published in the final rule 86 FR 20638; April 21, 2021
are met. As stated above, inseason
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modification of the fishing season is authorized by Federal regulations at 50
CFR 300.63c. After a virtual consultation with IPHC, the Council, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife WDFW on June 4, 2021, and further consultation with WDFW, NMFS determined the following inseason action is necessary to meet the management objective of attaining the subarea allocations, and are consistent with the inseason management provisions allowing for the modification of sport fishing periods and sport fishing days per calendar week. Notice of these additional dates and closure of the fisheries will also be announced on the NMFS hotline at 2065266667 or 8006629825.
Inseason Action Description of the action: This inseason action implements up to 17
additional fishing dates for the Puget Sound and North Coast subareas in the state of Washington during the 2021
recreational fishery.
Reason for the action: The purpose of this inseason action is to provide additional opportunity for anglers in Washingtons Puget Sound and North Coast subareas to achieve the respective subarea allocations without exceeding them. NMFS has determined that these additional dates are warranted due to much lower than expected landings through mid-June 2021, and the expectation that a substantial amount of subarea allocation will go unharvested without additional fishing dates. As of June 10, the North Coast subarea has harvested 34,229 lbs of the 128,928 lb 58.5 mt 27 percent subarea allocation and the Puget Sound subarea has harvested 37,409 lbs of the 78,291 lbs 35.5 mt 48 percent subarea allocation. For reference, in 2018 and 2019, the North Coast subarea either was close to or had attained the available recreational quota by the end of June. Without additional fishing days, the season dates implemented in the April 21, 2021 86 FR 20638 final rule would likely result in substantial unharvested quota in these two subareas.
In order for anglers to have the opportunity to achieve the subarea allocations, and with little risk of the quota being exceeded, WDFW requested NMFS implement additional season dates for participants in the Puget Sound and North Coast subareas.
Therefore, through this action NMFS is announcing new season dates in August and September that were not previously implemented in the April 21, 2021 final rule 86 FR 20638. Specifically, the additional season dates for the Puget
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