[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 198 (Thursday, October 12, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 60586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26187]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 000119014-0137-02; I.D. 100400D]


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

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest for Winter II period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Winter II period scup commercial 
fishery will close 0001 hours November 3, 2000. Federally permitted 
commercial vessels may not land scup in any state from Maine through 
North Carolina for the remainder of the 2000 Winter II quota period 
(through December 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 Winter II period.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, November 3, 2000, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer L. Anderson, Fishery 
Management Specialist, (978) 281-9226.

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 
Winter II commercial quota (November through December) 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 
Winter II period quota was initially set at 403,945 lb (183,226 kg). As 
specified in Sec.  648.120, landings in excess of the commercial quota 
in the 1999 Winter II period were deducted from the Winter II period 
allocation this year, resulting in a final Winter II quota allocation 
of 70,356 lb (31,913 kg)(65 FR 50463).
    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 on the limited Winter II quota allocation and 
historic landings information, that the scup commercial quota for the 
2000 Winter II period will be harvested in 48 hours and that no further 
quota is available through December 31, 2000.
    Section 648.4(b) provides 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, November 3, 2000, further landings of scup by vessels 
holding Federal scup moratorium permits are prohibited through December 
31, 2000. Should the Winter II quota not be harvested during the 48-
hour opening, the fishery may reopen at a later time to allow 
attainment of the period's allocation. The Winter I period for 
commercial scup harvest will open on January 1, 2001. Effective 0001 
hours, November 3, 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 Winter II period (through December 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: October 5, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-26187 Filed 10-6-00; 3:39 pm]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22 -S