[Federal Register: January 10, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 7)]
[Notices]
[Page 1329]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ja02-20]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 010302C]
Fisheries off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Notice of Availability of Observer
Coverage Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Observer Coverage Plan for the
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces availability of the Observer Coverage Plan for
the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery pursuant to Amendment 13 (bycatch
provisions) to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yvonne deReynier or Becky Renko
(Northwest Region, NMFS), phone: 206-526-6140; fax: 206-526-6736 and e-
mail: yvonne.dereynier@noaa.gov, becky.renko@noaa.gov. Copies of the
Observer Coverage Plan may also be obtained from these contacts.
Electronic Access
This Federal Register document is also accessible via the internet
at the website of the Office of the Federal Register: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/su-docs/aces/aces140.html. The Observer Coverage
Plan is accessible at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/fram/Observer .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS approved Amendment 13 to the Pacific
Coast Groundfish FMP on December 21, 2000. Amendment 13 implements the
bycatch requirements of the Sustainable Fisheries Act Amendments of
1996. Among other things, Amendment 13 authorizes an at-sea observer
program in fulfillment of the requirement that a standardized reporting
methodology for bycatch be established. Federal funding was obtained,
and the observer program was initiated in August 2001.
Amendment 13 states that details of how observer coverage will be
distributed across the West Coast groundfish fleet will be described in
an observer coverage plan and that NMFS will publish an announcement of
the authorization of the observer program and description of the
observer coverage plan in the Federal Register. To comply with this
requirement, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center developed an
initial Observer Coverage Plan (Sampling Plan and Logistics for the
West Coast Groundfish Observer Program (WCGOP), Fall 2001), which may
be obtained from the individuals listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section. The plan outlines the initial goals and methodology of
the WCGOP, and describes the initial observer deployments. The program
is expected to evolve as it progresses, and new information becomes
available.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 7, 2002.
Jon Kurland,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-647 Filed 1-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S