Fishery conservation and management: Summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass,

[Federal Register: August 18, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 161)]

[Rules and Regulations]

[Page 50463-50465]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr18au00-10]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 000119014-0137-02; I.D. 080700C]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Adjustments to the 2000 Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Commercial Quotas

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Commercial quota adjustment for 2000.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues a listing of additional adjustments to the 2000 commercial summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass quotas. This action complies with the regulations that implement the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which specifies that summer flounder landings in excess of a given state's individual commercial quota be deducted from that state's quota for the following year. Similarly, for scup and black sea bass, the FMP specifies that landings in excess of a quota for a given quota period (scup) or quarter (black sea bass) be deducted from the same quota period or quarter in the following year. The intent of this action is to continue the rate of rebuilding of summer flounder, scup and black sea bass in 2000 as described in the FMP's objectives, while also taking into account 1999 overages of state, period or quarterly quotas.

DATES: Effective August 18, 2000, through December 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard A. Pearson, Fisheries Policy Analyst, (978) 281-9279.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

NMFS published a document in the Federal Register on May 24, 2000 (65 FR 33486), announcing final specifications and preliminary adjustments to the 2000 summer flounder, scup and black sea bass commercial quotas. Additional adjustment is necessary through this notification due to the receipt of late 1999 landings data. The adjustment in this notification may not be final. Additional data including late landings reported from either federally permitted dealers or state statistical agencies reporting landings by non- federally permitted dealers could be received from the states that would further alter the quotas.

Summer Flounder

The 1999 quota, preliminary 1999 landings, and the resulting 1999 overages for all states for summer flounder are given in table 1. The following states recorded landings of summer flounder different from those reported in the May 24, 2000, Federal Register: MA--+219 lb (99 kg), CT--+13,172 lb (5,975 kg), NY--+10,616 lb (4,815 kg), NJ--+19,780 lb (8,972 kg), DE---59 lb (27 kg), MD--+35,492 lb (16,099 kg), and VA-- +65,279 lb (29,610 kg).

[[Page 50464]]

The resulting adjusted 2000 commercial quota for each state is given in Table 2, taking into account both the 1999 quota overages published in the May 24, 2000, Federal Register and the revised 1999 landings noted here.

Table 1. Summer Flounder Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by State

1999 Quota

Preliminary 1999

1999 Overage

Landings

------------------------- State

-------------------------- Lb

Kg

Lb

Kg

Lb

Kg 1

ME

4,450

2,018

5,778

2,621

1,328

602 NH

51

23

0

0

0

0 MA

757,842 343,751 805,183 365,224 47,341 21,474 RI

1,742,583 790,422 1,636,528 742,317

0

0 CT

238,516 108,189 245,219 111,229

6,703

3,040 NY

860,006 390,099 803,903 364,644

0

0 NJ

1,853,926 840,927 1,917,732 869,868 63,806 28,942 DE

(25,739)2(11,675)27,917

3,591 (33,656)2(15,266)2 MD

202,354 91,786 234,358 106,303 32,004 14,517 VA

2,120,696 961,932 2,195,832 996,012 75,136 34,081 NC

2,974,589 1,349,274 2,800,749 1,270,398

0

0 Total310,755,013 4,866,746 10,653,199 4,832,209

\1\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding. \2\ Parentheses indicate a negative number. \3\ Total quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state with a negative number has an allocation of zero (0). Total quota and total landings do not equal overage because they reflect positive quota balances in several states.

Table 2. Summer Flounder Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by State

2000 Initial Quota

2000 Adjusted Quota State

Lb

Kg 1Lb

Kg1

ME

5,284

2,397

3,956

1,794 NH

51

23

51

23 MA

757,834

343,748

710,493

322,274 RI

1,742,566

790,041

1,742,566

790,415 CT

250,788

113,756

244,085

110,715 NY

849,672

385,405

849,672

385,404 NJ

1,858,346

842,931

1,794,540

813,990 DE

1,977

897

(31,679)2(14,369)2 MD

226,568

102,770

194,564

88,253 VA

2,368,546

1,074,354

2,293,410

1,040,273 NC

3,049,560

1,383,257

3,049,560

1,383,257 Total

11,109,214

5,039,055

10,882,897

4,936,398

\1\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding. \2\ Parentheses indicate a negative number. \3\ Total quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state with a negative number has an allocation of zero (0).

Scup

The 1999 quotas (by period), preliminary 1999 landings (by period), and resulting overages for scup for all quota periods are given in Table 3. Changes in 1999 landings from those reported in the May 24, 2000, Federal Register are as follows: Winter I---167 lb (76 kg), Summer--+47,750 lb (21,659 kg), Winter II--+36,627 lb (16,614 kg). Note that the 1999 overage and 2000 quota for the scup Winter I period was incorrectly calculated in the May 24, 2000, Federal Register. The 1999 overage should have been 106,074 lb (48,069 kg) rather than 106,174 lb (48,114 kg), and the resulting 2000 adjusted quota should have been 1,037,086 lb (470,422 kg) rather than 1,037,986 lb (470,369 kg). Therefore, the 2000 adjusted quota for scup for Winter I period should now be 1,037,086 lb (470,422 kg) plus 167 lb (76 kg) = 1,037,253 lb (470,490 kg).

The resulting adjusted 2000 commercial quota for each quota period is given in Table 4.

Table 3. Scup Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages By Period

1999 Quota

Preliminary 1999 Landings

1999 Overage Period

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lb

Kg 1Lb

Kg 1Lb

Kg 1

Winter I

1,143,160

518,529 1,249,067

566,567

105,907

48,039 Summer

987,055

447,721 1,336,232

606,105

349,177

158,384 Winter II

403,945

183,226

737,534

334,539

333,589

151,313 Total

2,534,160 1,149,476 3,322,833 1,507,211

\1\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding.

[[Page 50465]]

Table 4. Scup Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by Period

2000 Initial Quota

2000 Adjusted Quota Period

--------------------------------------------------------------- Lb

Kg 1Lb

Kg 1

Winter I

1,143,160

518,529

1,037,253 470,490 Summer

987,055

447,721

637,878 289,337 Winter II

403,945

183,226

70,356 31,913 Total

2,534,160 1,149,476

1,745,487 791,740

\1\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding.

Black Sea Bass

The 1999 quotas (by quarter), preliminary 1999 landings (by quarter), and resulting overages for black sea bass for all quarters are given in Table 5. Changes in landings from those reported in the May 24, 2000, Federal Register are as follows: Quarter 1--+7,753 lb (3,571 kg), Quarter 2--+30,837 lb (13,988 kg), Quarter 3--+52,464 lb (23,798 kg), and Quarter 4--+89,509 lb (40,601 kg).

Table 5. Black Sea Bass Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by Quarter

1999 Quota1Preliminary 1999

1999 Overage

Landings

------------------------- Quarter

Lb

Kg 2Lb

Kg 2Lb

Kg 2

1. (Jan-Mar)

   1,168,860 530,186 715,988 324,767 2. (Apr-Jun)

   885,115 401,481 1,062,155 481,785 177,040 80,304 3. (Jul-Sep)

   372,983 169,182 525,243 238,246 152,260 69,064 4. (Oct-Dec)

   598,043 271,268 745,373 338,095 147,330 66,828 Total

   3,025,000 1,372,117 3,048,759 1,382,893

   \1\ Reflects quotas as published on August 26, 1999 (64 FR 46596). \2\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding.

   Table 6. Black Sea Bass Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by Quarter

   2000 Initial Quota

   2000 Adjusted Quota Quarter

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lb

   Kg 1Lb

   Kg 1

1. (Jan-Mar)

   1,168,760

   530,141

   1,168,760

   530,141 2. (Apr-Jun)

   885,040

   401,447

   708,000

   321,143 3. (Jul-Sep)

   372,951

   169,168

   220,691

   100,104 4. (Oct-Dec)

   597,991

   271,244

   450,661

   204,416 Total

   3,024,742

   1,372,000

   2,548,112

   1,155,804

   \1\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and may not necessarily add due to rounding.

   Classification

   This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.

   Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

   Dated: August 15, 2000. Bruce C. Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Services.

   [FR Doc. 00-21100Filed8-17-00; 8:45 am]

   BILLING CODE 3510-22-F