[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 64 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16361-16362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8192]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 981014259-8312-02; I.D. 032699B]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Scup Fishery; 
Commercial Quota Harvested for Winter I Period

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvested for Winter I period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the scup commercial quota available in the 
Winter I period to the coastal states from Maine to North Carolina has 
been harvested. Commercial vessels may not land scup in the northeast 
region for the remainder of the 1999 Winter I quota period (through 
April 30, 1999). Regulations governing the scup fishery require 
publication of this notice to advise the coastal states from Maine to 
North Carolina that the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel 
permit holders and dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is 
available for landing scup in these states.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours April 1, 1999, through April 30, 1999.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the scup fishery are 
found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual specification 
of a commercial quota that is allocated into three quota periods, based 
upon percentages of the annual quota. The Winter I commercial quota 
(January through April) is distributed to the coastal states from Maine 
through North Carolina. The process to set the annual commercial quota 
and the percent allocated to each state are described in Sec. 648.120.
    The initial total commercial quota for scup for the 1999 calendar 
year was set equal to 2,534,000 lb (1,149,403 kg) (63 FR 72203, 
December 31, 1998). The Winter I period quota, which is equal to 45.11 
percent of the annual commercial

[[Page 16362]]

quota (minus a discard estimate) was set at 1,143,087 lb (518,496 kg).
    Section 648.121 requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator) to monitor the commercial scup quota for each 
quota period and, based upon dealer reports, state data, and other 
available information, to determine when the commercial quota has been 
harvested. The Regional Administrator is further required to publish 
notification in the Federal Register advising and notifying commercial 
vessels and dealer permit holders that, effective upon a specific date, 
the scup commercial quota has been harvested and no commercial quota is 
available for landing scup for the remainder of the Winter I period. 
The Regional Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports 
and other available information, that the scup commercial quota for the 
1999 Winter I period has been harvested.
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) provide that Federal scup 
moratorium permit holders agree, as a condition of the permit, not to 
land scup in any state after NMFS has published a notification in the 
Federal Register stating that the commercial quota for the period has 
been harvested and that no commercial quota for the scup is available. 
Therefore, effective 0001 hours, April 1, 1999, further landings of 
scup in coastal states from Maine to North Carolina by vessels holding 
commercial Federal fisheries permits are prohibited through April 30, 
1999. The Summer period for commercial scup harvest will open on May 1, 
1999. Effective April 1, 1999, federally permitted dealers are also 
advised that they may not purchase scup from federally permitted 
vessels that land in coastal states from Maine through North Carolina 
for the remainder of the Winter I period (through April 30, 1999).

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: March 29, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-8192 Filed 3-31-99; 1:02 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F