[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 243 (Monday, December 20, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 71060-71061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32921]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 981014259-8312-02; I.D. 120899F]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Black Sea Bass 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for Quarter 4 Period

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest for Quarter 4 period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the black sea bass commercial quota 
available in the Quarter 4 period to the coastal states from Maine 
through North Carolina has been harvested. Commercial vessels may not 
land black sea bass in the northeast region for the remainder of the 
1999 Quarter 4 quota period (through December 31, 1999). Regulations 
governing the black sea bass fishery require publication of this 
notification to advise the coastal states from Maine through 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 black sea bass in these states north of 35 deg.15.3' N. 
lat.

DATES: Effective December 20, 1999, 0001 hrs, local time through 
December 31, 1999, 2400 hrs, local time.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the black sea bass 
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual 
specification of a commercial quota that is allocated into four quota 
periods based upon percentages of the annual quota. The Quarter 4 
commercial quota (October through December) is distributed to the 
coastal states from Maine through North Carolina. The

[[Page 71061]]

process to set the annual commercial quota is described in 
Sec. 648.140.
    The initial total commercial quota for black sea bass for the 1999 
calendar year was set equal to 3,025,000 lb (1,372,117 kg)(63 FR 72203, 
December 31, 1998). The Quarter 4 period quota, which is equal to 19.77 
percent of the annual commercial quota, was set at 598,043 lb (271,268 
kg).
    Section 648.140(d)(2) requires the Regional Administrator to 
determine the date a quarterly commercial quota has been harvested. The 
Regional Administrator is further required to publish a notification in 
the Federal Register advising and notifying commercial vessels and 
dealer permit holders that, effective upon a specific date, the black 
sea bass commercial quota has been harvested and no commercial quota is 
available for landing black sea bass for the remainder of the Quarter 4 
period, north of 35 deg.15.3' N. lat. The Regional Administrator has 
determined, based upon dealer reports and other available information, 
that the black sea bass commercial quota for the 1999 Quarter 4 period 
has been harvested.
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) provide that Federal black sea 
bass moratorium permit holders agree as a condition of the permit not 
to land black sea bass 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 
black sea bass is available. The Regional Administrator has determined 
that the Quarter 4 period for black sea bass no longer has commercial 
quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hrs local time, December 20, 
1999, further landings of black sea bass in coastal states from Maine 
through North Carolina, north of 35 deg.15.3' N. lat. by vessels 
holding commercial Federal fisheries permits are prohibited through 
December 31, 1999, 2400 hrs local time. The Quarter 1 period for 
commercial black sea bass harvest will open on January 1, 2000. 
Effective December 20, 1999, federally permitted dealers are also 
advised that they may not purchase black sea bass from federally 
permitted black sea bass moratorium permit holders that land in coastal 
states from Maine through North Carolina for the remainder of the 
Quarter 4 period (through December 31, 1999).
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) also provide that, if the 
commercial black sea bass quota for a period is harvested and the coast 
is closed to the possession of black sea bass north of 35 deg.15.3' N. 
lat., any vessel owners that hold valid commercial permits for both the 
black sea bass and the NMFS Southeast Region Snapper-Grouper fisheries 
may surrender their moratorium Black Sea Bass permit by certified mail 
addressed to the Regional Administrator (see Table to Sec. 600.502) and 
fish pursuant to their Snapper-Grouper permit, as long as fishing is 
conducted exclusively in waters, and landings are made, south of 
35 deg.15.3' N. lat. A moratorium permit for the black sea bass fishery 
that is voluntarily relinquished or surrendered will be reissued upon 
the receipt of the vessel owner's written request after a minimum 
period of 6 months from the date of cancellation.

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: December 14, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-32921 Filed 12-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F