[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 148 (Tuesday, August 1, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 46877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19360]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 000119014-0137-02; I.D. 072600E]


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

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvested for summer period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the scup commercial quota available in the 
summer period to the coastal states from Maine to North Carolina has 
been harvested. Federally-permitted commercial vessels may not land 
scup in these states for the remainder of the 2000 summer quota period 
(through October 31, 2000). Regulations governing the scup 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 Federal vessel permit holders and Federal dealer permit 
holders that no commercial quota is available for landing for the 
remainder of the summer period.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, August 1, 2000 through 2400 hours, October 
31, 2000.

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. The 
summer commercial quota (May through October) is distributed to the 
coastal states from Maine through North Carolina on a coastwide basis. 
The process to set the annual commercial quota and the seasonal 
allocation is described in Sec. 648.120.
    The total commercial quota for scup for the 2000 calendar year was 
set at 2,534,160 lb (1,149,476 kg)(65 FR 33486; May 24, 2000). The 
summer period quota was initially set at 987,055 lb (447,721 kg). As 
specified in Sec. 648.120, landings in excess of the commercial quota 
in the 1999 summer period were deducted from the summer period 
allocation this year, resulting in a final summer quota allocation of 
685,628 lb (310,996 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 for a 
period has been harvested. NMFS is required to publish notification in 
the Federal Register advising that, effective upon a specific date, the 
scup commercial quota has been harvested, and notifying vessel and 
dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing 
scup for the remainder of the period. The Regional Administrator has 
determined, based upon dealer reports and other available information, 
that the scup commercial quota for the 2000 summer period has been 
harvested and no further quota is available through October 31, 2000.
    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 scup is available. 
Therefore, effective 0001 hours, August 1, 2000, further landings of 
scup by vessels holding Federal scup moratorium permits are prohibited 
through October 31, 2000. The Winter II period for commercial scup 
harvest will open on November 1, 2000. Effective 0001 hours, August 1, 
2000, 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 
summer period (through October 31, 2000).

Classification

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

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

    Dated: July 27, 2000.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-19360 Filed 7-27-00; 3:50 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F