Fisheries of the Northeastern United States: Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer

Federal Register: January 28, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 18)

Rules and Regulations

Page 4490-4491

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

DOCID:fr28ja10-11

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 648

Docket No. 0908191244-91427-02

RIN 0648-XT93

Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder

Fishery; Quota Transfer

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2010 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

DATES: Effective January 25, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Heil, Fishery Management

Specialist, 978-281-9257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual

Page 4491

specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned among the coastal states from North Carolina through Maine. The process to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state are described in Sec. 648.100.

The final rule implementing Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder,

Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, which was published on December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a mechanism for summer flounder quota to be transferred from one state to another. Two or more states, under mutual agreement and with the concurrence of the

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), can transfer or combine summer flounder commercial quota under Sec. 648.100(d). The Regional Administrator is required to consider the criteria set forth in Sec. 648.100(d)(3) in the evaluation of requests for quota transfers or combinations.

North Carolina has agreed to transfer 68,279 lb (30,971 kg) of its 2010 commercial quota to Virginia to cover summer flounder landings of nine vessels granted safe harbor in Virginia due to poor weather conditions and a navigation hazard on January 2, 2010. The Regional

Administrator has determined that the criteria set forth in Sec. 648.100(d)(3) have been met. The revised quotas for calendar year 2010 are: North Carolina, 3,466,652 lb (1,572,447 kg); and Virginia, 2,813,805 lb (1,276,320 kg).

Classification

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

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

Dated: January 25, 2010.

Emily H. Menashes,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

FR Doc. 2010-1762 Filed 1-25-10; 4:15 pm

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