[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 27, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 81766-81767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-33005]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 660
[Docket No. 001215358-0358-01; 113000A]
RIN 0648-AN78
Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final harvest guideline.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the annual harvest guideline for Pacific
sardine in the exclusive economic zone off the Pacific coast for the
January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2001, fishing season. This
harvest guideline has been calculated according to the regulations
implementing the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
The intended effect of this action is to establish allowable harvest
levels for Pacific sardine off the Pacific coast.
DATES: Effective January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2001.
ADDRESSES: The report Stock Assessment of Pacific Sardine with
Management Recommendations for 2001 is available from Rebecca Lent,
Administrator, Southwest Region, (Regional Administrator), NMFS, 501
West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James J. Morgan, Southwest Region,
NMFS, 562-980-4036.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FMP divides managed species into two
categories: actively managed and monitored. Harvest guidelines for
actively managed species (Pacific sardine and Pacific mackerel) are
based on formulas applied to current biomass estimates. Harvest
guidelines for monitored species (jack mackerel, northern anchovy, and
market squid), which are underutilized or under the jurisdiction of the
State of California, are not based on current biomass estimates,
although a constant allowable biological catch (ABC) for each species
is based on the long-term yield of each species.
At a public meeting each year, the biomass for each actively
managed species is presented at a public meeting held by the Pacific
Fishery Management Council's (Council) Coastal Pelagic Species
Management Team (Team). At that time, the biomass, the harvest
guideline, and the status of the fishery is reviewed. Following review
and recommendations by the Council and after hearing all public
comments, NMFS publishes the annual harvest guideline in the Federal
Register before the beginning of the fishing season.
On October 17, 2000, in accordance with the procedures of the FMP,
the biomass report and harvest guideline for Pacific sardine were
reviewed at a public meeting of the Team at the offices of the
Southwest Region in Long Beach, California. A public meeting between
the Team and the Council's CPS Advisory Subpanel (Subpanel) was held
the following day. The Council reviewed the report at its meeting of
November 2, 2000, and heard comments from its advisory bodies and the
public. No significant comments on the biomass estimate were received;
therefore, the Council recommended to NMFS that the biomass and harvest
guideline be announced.
The sardine population was estimated using a modified version of
the integrated stock assessment model called Catch at Age Analysis of
Sardine-Two Area Model (CANSAR-TAM). CANSAR-TAM is a forward-casting,
age-structured analysis using fishery dependent and fishery independent
data to obtain annual estimates of sardine abundance, year-class
strength, and age-specific fishing mortality for 1983 through 2000. The
modification of CANSAR-TAM was developed to account for the expansion
of the Pacific sardine stock northward to include waters off the
northwest Pacific coast. Documentation of the 2000 estimate is
described in Stock Assessment of Pacific Sardine with Management
Recommendations for 2001 (see ADDRESSES).
The formula in the FMP uses the following factors to determine the
harvest guideline:
1. The biomass of age one sardine and above. For 2000, this
estimate is 1,182,465 metric tons (mt).
2. The cutoff. This is the biomass level below which no commercial
fishery is allowed. The FMP established this level at 150,000 mt.
3. The portion of the sardine biomass that is in U.S. waters. For
2000, this estimate is 87 percent, based on the average of larval
distribution obtained from scientific cruises and the distribution of
the resource obtained from logbooks of fish-spotters.
4. The harvest fraction. This is the percentage of the biomass
above 150,000 mt that may be harvested. The fraction used varies (5-15
percent) with current ocean temperatures. A higher fraction is used for
warmer ocean temperatures, which favor the production of Pacific
sardine, and a lower fraction is used for cooler temperatures. For
2000, the fraction was 15 percent based on three seasons of sea surface
temperature at Scripps Pier, California.
Based on the estimated biomass of 1,182,465 mt and the formula in
the FMP, a harvest guideline of 134,737 mt was calculated for the
fishery beginning January 1, 2001. The harvest guideline is allocated
one-third for Subarea A, which is north of 35 deg. 40' N. lat. (Pt.
Piedras Blancas, CA) to the Canadian border, and two-thirds for Subarea
B, which is south of 35 deg. 40' N. lat. to the Mexican border. Any
unused resource in either area will be reallocated between areas to
help ensure that the optimum yield will be achieved. The northern
allocation is 44,912 mt; the southern allocation is 89,825 mt.
Classification
This action is authorized by 50 CFR 660.509 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA) finds for good
cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) that providing prior notice and an
opportunity for public comment on this action is unnecessary because
[[Page 81767]]
establishing the harvest guideline is an ministerial act, determined by
applying formulas in the FMP. During the comment periods for Amendment
8 to the CPS FMP and its proposed rule, the public was given an
opportunity to comment on these formulas.
Because this final rule merely announces the result of harvest
guideline calculations and does not require any participants in the
fishery to take action or to come into compliance, the AA finds for
good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) that delaying the effective date of
this final rule for 30 days is unnecessary.
Because prior notice and opportunity for public comment are not
required for this action by 5 U.S.C. 553, or any other law, the
analytical requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601
et seq., are not applicable.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 20, 2000.
William T. Hogarth,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-33005 Filed 12-26-00; 8:45 am]
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