[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 7, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 9501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02463]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
15 CFR Part 902
50 CFR Parts 300 and 679
[Docket No. 151001910-6999-02]
RIN 0648-BF42
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Allow the
Use of Longline Pot Gear in the Gulf of Alaska Sablefish Individual
Fishing Quota Fishery; Amendment 101; Correction
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Stay of final rule; correction.
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SUMMARY: NMFS published a ``Stay of final rule'' on January 31, 2017--
in accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2017, from the
Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled ``Regulatory
Freeze Pending Review,'' published in the Federal Register on January
24, 2017 (the Memorandum)--to delay the effective date of the final
rule NMFS published on December 28, 2016. This notification corrects
the effectiveness date from ``March 12, 2017'' to ``March 11, 2017.''
For consistency and clarity, the complete new DATES section has been
set out below in its entirety.
DATES: Effective February 7, 2017, the final rule amending 15 CFR part
902, and 50 CFR parts 300 and 679, that published on December 28, 2016,
at 81 FR 95435, is stayed to March 11, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Baker, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On December 28, 2016, NMFS published this final rule to implement
Amendment 101 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf
of Alaska (GOA FMP) for the sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ)
fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This final rule authorizes the
use of longline pot gear in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery. In addition,
this final rule establishes management measures to minimize potential
conflicts between hook-and-line and longline pot gear used in the
sablefish IFQ fisheries in the GOA. This final rule also includes
regulations developed under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982
(Halibut Act) to authorize harvest of halibut IFQ caught incidentally
in longline pot gear used in the GOA sablefish IFQ fishery. This final
rule is necessary to improve efficiency and provide economic benefits
for the sablefish IFQ fleet and minimize potential fishery interactions
with whales and seabirds. This action is intended to promote the goals
and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, the Halibut Act, the GOA FMP, and other applicable
laws.
On January 20, 2017, the White House issued a memo instructing
Federal agencies to temporarily postpone the effective date for 60 days
after January 20, 2017, of any regulations or guidance documents that
have published in the Federal Register but not yet taken effect, for
the purpose of ``reviewing questions of fact, law, and policy they
raise.'' Because its effective date has already passed, we enacted a
stay of the rule published on December 28, 2016, at 81 FR 95435 (see
DATES above) until March 12, 2017, in a ``Stay of final rule'' document
published on January 31, 2017 (82 FR 8810).
Need for Correction
After the ``Stay of final rule'' published on January 31, 2017,
NMFS is correcting the effective date of ``March 12, 2017'' to ``March
11, 2017'' to better align with current fisheries management goals.
NMFS publishes this notification to correct the stay of effective date.
Corrections
In the Federal Register of January 31, 2017, in FR Doc. 2017-02055,
``March 12, 2017'' is corrected to read ``March 11, 2017'' in the
following places:
1. In the DATES section on page 8810 in the second column, which is
also set out in its entirety above for clarity and consistency;
2. On page 8810, third column, second paragraph, last sentence; and
3. On page 8811, in the following amendatory instructions: 2, 4, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 2, 2017.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-02463 Filed 2-6-17; 8:45 am]
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