[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 58 (Friday, March 24, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 15873-15874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7322]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

[I.D. 102299B]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Swordfish Quota Adjustment

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

ACTION: Adjustment of annual catch quotas.

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SUMMARY: NMFS adjusts the June 1, 1999, through May 31, 2000, directed 
category quota for North Atlantic swordfish to account for underharvest 
from the prior fishing year. The directed category annual quota is 
adjusted to 2,427.38 metric tons dressed weight (mt dw). The 1999-2000 
season for North Atlantic swordfish incidental catch category quota 
remains at 300 mt dw. The annual directed catch category quota for the 
South Atlantic swordfish fishery remains at 289 mt dw. This action is 
required under management measures adopted in the Fishery Management 
Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks (HMS FMP), and is 
consistent with the criteria for swordfish quota transfers established 
at 50 CFR part 635.

DATES: Effective March 21, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Meyers or Jill Stevenson at 301-
713-2347; Fax: 301-713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Analysis of reported landings for the 
directed North Atlantic swordfish fishery, the North Atlantic 
incidental swordfish fishery, and the South Atlantic directed swordfish 
fishery indicate that the quotas for those fisheries were not exceeded 
during the 1998 fishing year (June 1, 1998, through May 31, 1999). 
Under 50 CFR 635.27(c)(3)(ii), if total landings are above or below the 
specific North Atlantic swordfish annual quotas, they must be 
subtracted from, or added to, the following year's quota for that 
management area, provided quota modifications are consistent with 
applicable International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic 
Tunas (ICCAT) recommendations. Further, any carryover adjustments to 
the 12-month directed catch quota for the North Atlantic swordfish 
fishery must to be apportioned equally between the two semiannual 
periods. Under 50 CFR 635.27(c)(2)(ii), incidental catch for North 
Atlantic swordfish may be reallocated to the directed catch quota if 
not expected to be taken in the incidental fishery before the end of 
the fishing year.
    There is no ICCAT recommendation to modify the South Atlantic 
swordfish quota based on over or under harvests in prior years. 
Therefore, the annual quota for South Atlantic swordfish remains at the 
current quota level of 289 mt dw. There is no incidental catch quota in 
the South Atlantic swordfish fishery.

Adjusted Catch Quotas

    The adjusted annual directed fishery quota for North Atlantic 
swordfish for the 1998 fishing year was 2,392.3 mt dw. The adjusted 
quota for incidental harvests of North Atlantic swordfish for the 1998 
fishing year was 314.6 mt dw (64 FR 4059, January 27, 1999).
    The initial annual directed fishery quota for North Atlantic 
swordfish for the 1999 fishing year (June 1, 1999, through May 31, 
2000) was previously established at 2033.2 mt dw and is divided into 
two equal semiannual quotas of 1016.6 mt dw, one for June 1 through 
November 30, 1999, and the other for December 1, 1999, through May 31 
of 2000 (63 FR 31710, June 10, 1998). The initial catch quota for 
incidental harvests of North Atlantic swordfish for the 1999 fishing 
year is 300 mt dw.
    The harvest of North Atlantic swordfish in the directed catch 
category for the 1998 fishing year is estimated to be 2,308.3 mt dw, or 
84.0 mt dw below the directed catch quota of 2,392.3 mt dw. 
Additionally, the harvest of North Atlantic swordfish in the incidental 
catch category for the 1998 fishing year was 4.4 mt dw, or 310.2 mt dw 
below the incidental catch quota of 314.6 mt dw.
    The 84.0 mt dw underage from the directed catch quota and the 310.2 
mt dw underage from the incidental catch quota for the 1998 fishing 
year are added to the directed catch quota for the 1999 fishing year, 
for a revised North Atlantic swordfish directed catch quota of 2,427.4 
mt dw. This adjusted annual quota is divided into 2 equal semiannual 
catch quotas of 1,213.7 mt dw, one for June 1, 1999, through November 
30, 1999, and the other for December 1, 1999, through May 31, 2000. 
NMFS is currently examining landings reports from the first semi-

[[Page 15874]]

annual period to determine if adjustments to the second period are 
required. Projections based on preliminary data from June 1, 1999, 
through January 31, 2000, suggest that a closure of the directed 
swordfish fishery prior to May 31, 2000, given the adjusted annual 
directed swordfish quota, will not be needed.
    The incidental catch quota remains at 300 mt dw for the 1999 
fishing year.
    Under the swordfish limited access program established under the 
1999 HMS FMP and implemented at 50 CFR 635.16, NMFS has issued 
incidental catch permits, and all catch by vessels so permitted will 
now be applied to the incidental catch quota. Thus, it is premature to 
consider reallocation of the incidental catch quota until NMFS examines 
logbooks of vessels with incidental catch permits.

Classification

    This action is taken under 50 CFR 635.27(c). This action is exempt 
from review under E.O. 12866.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 20, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-7322 Filed 3-21-00; 3:50 pm]
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