[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 224 (Friday, November 20, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 64433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-31097]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 971015246-7293-02; I.D. 111698E]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for New Jersey

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the summer flounder commercial quota 
available to the State of New Jersey has been harvested. Vessels issued 
a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery 
may not land summer flounder in New Jersey for the remainder of 
calendar year 1998 unless additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require 
publication of this notification to advise the State of New Jersey that 
the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and 
dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing 
summer flounder in New Jersey.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours November 21, 1998, through December 31, 
1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
(978) 281-9273.

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 initial total commercial quota for summer flounder for the 1998 
calendar year was set equal to 11,105,636 lb (5,037,432 kg) (62 FR 
66304, December 18, 1997). The percent allocated to vessels landing 
summer flounder in New Jersey is 16.72499 percent, or 1,858,363 lb 
(842,954 kg).
    Section 648.101(b) requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, 
NMFS (Regional Administrator), to monitor state commercial quotas and 
to determine when a state's commercial quota is harvested. The Regional 
Administrator is further required to publish notification in the 
Federal Register advising a state and notifying Federal vessel and 
dealer permit holders that, effective upon a specific date, the state's 
commercial quota has been harvested and no commercial quota is 
available for landing summer flounder in that state. The Regional 
Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports and other 
available information, that the State of New Jersey has attained its 
quota for 1998.
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) provide that, as a condition of 
the permit, Federal permit holders agree not to land summer flounder in 
any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no longer has 
commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours November 
21, 1998, further landings of summer flounder in New Jersey by vessels 
holding commercial Federal fisheries permits are prohibited for the 
remainder of the 1998 calendar year unless additional quota becomes 
available through a transfer and is announced in the Federal Register. 
Effective November 21, 1998, federally permitted dealers are also 
advised that they may not purchase summer flounder from federally 
permitted vessels that land in New Jersey for the remainder of the 
calendar year, or until additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer.

Classification

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

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

    Dated: November 17, 1998.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-31097 Filed 11-19-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F