Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer
Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 48 (Monday, March 12, 2012)
Federal Register Volume 77, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2012)
Rules and Regulations
Page 14481
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2012-5921
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
Docket No. 111220786-1781-01
RIN 0648-XB026
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.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2012 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 March 7, 2012, through December 31, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carly Bari, Fishery Management Specialist, 978-281-9224.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual 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. 648.102(c)(2). The Regional Administrator is required to consider the criteria in Sec. 648.102(c)(2)(i) to evaluate requests for quota transfers or combinations.
North Carolina has agreed to transfer 879,118 lb (398,761 kg) of its 2012 commercial quota to Virginia. This transfer was prompted by summer flounder landings of a number of North Carolina vessels that were granted safe harbor in Virginia due to hazardous shoaling in Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, between January 1, 2012, and January 31, 2012, thereby requiring a quota transfer to account for an increase in Virginia's landings that would have otherwise accrued against the North Carolina quota. The Regional Administrator has determined that the criteria set forth in Sec. 648.102(c)(2)(i) have been met. The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2012 are: North Carolina, 2,614,661 lb (1,185,990 kg); and Virginia, 3,592,683 lb (1,629,614 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: March 7, 2012.
Carrie Selberg,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
FR Doc. 2012-5921 Filed 3-7-12; 4:15 pm
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