[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15784-15785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8561]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 970930235-8028-02; I.D. 032598E]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South 
Atlantic; Closure

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

ACTION: Closure.

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SUMMARY: NMFS closes the commercial fishery for Atlantic migratory 
group king mackerel in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 
Atlantic. This closure is necessary to protect the Atlantic group king 
mackerel resource.

DATES: The closure is effective 12:01 a.m., March 29, 1998, through 
March 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Godcharles, 813-570-5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fishery for coastal migratory pelagic 
fish (king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cero, cobia, little tunny, 
dolphin, and, in the Gulf of Mexico only, bluefish) is managed under 
the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources 
of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP). The FMP was prepared by 
the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils 
(Councils) and is implemented under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act by regulations at 50 
CFR part 622.
    Based on the Councils' recommended total allowable catch and the 
allocation ratios in the FMP, NMFS implemented a commercial quota for 
the Atlantic migratory group of king mackerel of 2.52 million lb (1.14 
million kg).
    In accordance with 50 CFR 622.43(a)(3), NMFS is required to close 
any segment of the king mackerel commercial fishery when its allocation 
or quota is reached or is projected to be reached by publishing a 
notification in

[[Page 15785]]

the Federal Register. NMFS has determined that the commercial quota of 
2.52 million lb (1.14 million kg) for the Atlantic migratory group of 
king mackerel was reached on March 28, 1998. Accordingly, the 
commercial fishery for Atlantic group king mackerel is closed effective 
12:01 a.m., local time, March 29, 1998, through March 31, 1998, the end 
of the fishing year.
    From November 1 through March 31, the boundary separating the 
Atlantic and Gulf migratory groups of king mackerel is 29 deg.25'' N. 
lat., which is a line directly east from the Volusia/Flagler County, 
FL, boundary to the outer limit of the EEZ. The boundary off the 
northern Atlantic coastal states is between the New England Fishery 
Management Council and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council as 
specified in Sec. 600.105(a).
    Except for a person aboard a charter vessel or headboat, during the 
closure, no person aboard a vessel permitted to fish under a commercial 
quota may fish for Atlantic group king mackerel in the EEZ of the 
closed migratory group or retain Atlantic group king mackerel in or 
from the EEZ of the closed migratory group. A person aboard a vessel 
for which the permit indicates both commercial king mackerel and 
charter/headboat for coastal migratory pelagic fish may continue to 
retain king mackerel under the bag and possession limit set forth in 50 
CFR 622.39(c)(1)(i), provided the vessel is operating as a charter 
vessel or headboat.
    During the closure, king mackerel from the closed migratory group 
taken in the EEZ, including those harvested under the bag limit, may 
not be purchased or sold. This prohibition does not apply to trade in 
king mackerel from the closed migratory group that were harvested, 
landed ashore, and sold prior to the closure and were held in cold 
storage by a dealer or processor.

Classification

    This action is taken under 50 CFR 622.43(a)(3) and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: March 26, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-8561 Filed 3-27-98; 3:25 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F