[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 251 (Friday, December 29, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 82945-82947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-33221]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 000119014-0137-02; I.D. 080700C]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Adjustments to the 2000 Summer 
Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Commercial Quotas

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

ACTION: Commercial quota adjustment for 2000; correction.

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SUMMARY:  NMFS publishes additional adjustments to the 2000 commercial 
summer flounder and black sea bass quotas. This action complies with 
the regulations that implement the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which 
specifies that summer flounder landings in excess of a given state's 
individual commercial quota be deducted from that state's quota for the 
following year. Similarly, for black sea bass, the FMP specifies that 
landings in excess of a quota for a given quarter be deducted from the 
quota for the same quarter in the following year. The intent of this 
action is to account for additional 1999 summer flounder landings 
reported in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland, and to correct 
Delaware landings downward and the black sea bass landings data for 
1999 Quarters 2, 3, and 4.

DATES:  Effective December 29, 2000, through December 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Paul H. Jones, Fisheries Policy 
Analyst, (978) 281-9273, fax 978-281-9135, e-mail 
[email protected].

[[Page 82946]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    At 65 FR 33486, May 24, 2000, NMFS published final specifications 
for the 2000 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries, which 
included preliminary 1999 landings and quota adjustments. At 65 FR 
50463, August 18, 2000, and corrected at 65 FR 69886, November 21, 
2000, NMFS announced adjustments to the 2000 summer flounder, scup, and 
black sea bass commercial quotas based on updated 1999 landings data. 
Additional adjustments are necessary through this notification due to 
the receipt of late 1999 summer flounder landings data from the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the States of New York, New Jersey, 
Maryland, and Delaware. In addition, some black sea bass landings 
reported by the State of Delaware in 1999 were double-counted, and 
landings from non-limited access black sea bass vessels that landed 
south of Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina, were incorrectly counted, 
meaning that the final 1999 landings were lower than announced in the 
August 18, 2000, Federal Register.

Summer Flounder

    The 1999 quota, preliminary 1999 landings, and the resulting 1999 
overages for all states for summer flounder are given in Table 1. The 
following states recorded landings of summer flounder different from 
those reported in the August 18, 2000, and November 21, 2000, Federal 
Register: MA, +7,357 lb (3,337 kg); NY, +145 lb (66 kg); NJ, +241 lb 
(109 kg); DE, -376 lb (171 kg); and MD, +16 lb (7 kg).
    The resulting adjusted 2000 commercial quota for each state is 
given in Table 2, taking into account both the 1999 quota overages 
published in the August 18, 2000, and November 21, 2000, Federal 
Register and the additional landings previously noted.

Black Sea Bass

    The 1999 quotas (by quarter), preliminary 1999 landings (by 
quarter) and resulting overages for black sea bass for all quarters are 
given in Table 5. Changes in landings from those reported in the August 
18, 2000, Federal Register are as follows: Quarter 1, -3,792 lb (1,720 
kg); Quarter 2, -26,088 lb (11,834 kg); Quarter 3, -18,104 lb (8,212 
kg); and Quarter 4, -39,377 lb (17,861 kg).

Corrections

    In the document published at 65 FR 50643, August 18, 2000 [FR Doc. 
00-21100] the following corrections are made.
    On page 50464, Tables 1 and 2 are replaced in their entirety as 
follows.

                                        Table 1. Summer Flounder Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by State
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                                                     1999 Quota                     Preliminary 1999 Landings                   1999 Overage
                 State                 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Lb               Kg\1\                Lb               Kg\1\                Lb               Kg\1\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ME..................................              4,450              2,018              5,778              2,621              1,328                602
  NH..................................                 51                 23                  0                  0                  0                  0
  MA..................................            757,842            343,751            812,540            368,568             54,698             24,811
  RI..................................          1,742,583            790,422          1,636,528            742,317                  0                  0
  CT..................................            238,516            108,189            245,219            111,229              6,703              3,040
  NY..................................            860,006            390,099            804,048            364,716                  0                  0
  NJ..................................          1,853,926            840,927          1,917,973            869,993            64, 047             29,052
  DE..................................        (25,739)\2\        (11,675)\2\              7,541              3,421        (33,280)\2\        (15,096)\2\
  MD..................................            202,354             91,786            201,013             91,180                  0                  0
  VA..................................          2,120,696            961,932          2,195,832            996,012             75,136             34,081
  NC..................................          2,974,589          1,349,274          2,800,749          1,270,398                  0                  0
  Total\3\............................         10,755,013          4,866,746         10,627,221          4,820,455
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\1\Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding.\2\Parentheses indicate a negative number. \3\Total
  quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state with a negative number has an allocation of zero. Total quota and total landings do not
  equal overage because they reflect positive quota balances in several states.


                       Table 2. Summer Flounder Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by State
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                                               2000 Initial Quota                    2000 Adjusted Quota
                State                ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Lb               Kg\1\                Lb               Kg\1\
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  ME................................              5,284              2,397              3,956              1,794
  NH................................                 51                 23                 51                 23
  MA................................            757,834            343,748            703,136            318,943
  RI................................          1,742,566            790,041          1,742,566            790,415
  CT................................            250,788            113,756            244,085            110,715
  NY................................            849,672            385,405            849,672            385,404
  NJ................................          1,858,346            842,931          1,794,299            813,894
  DE................................              1,977                897        (31,303)\2\        (14,199)\2\
  MD................................            226,568            102,770            226,568            102,771
  VA................................          2,368,546          1,074,354          2,293,410          1,040,273
  NC................................          3,049,560          1,383,257          3,049,560          1,383,257
  Total\3\..........................        11,109, 214          5,039,055         10,876,000          4,947,489
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\1\Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding.\2\
  Parentheses indicate a negative number. \3\Total quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state
  with a negative number has an allocation of zero.


[[Page 82947]]

    On page 50465, Tables 5 and 6 are replaced in their entirety as 
follows.

                                        Table 5. Black Sea Bass Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by Quarter
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                                                   1999 Quota \1\                   Preliminary 1999 Landings                   1999 Overage
                Quarter                -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Lb               Kg \2\               Lb               Kg \2\               Lb               Kg \2\
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  1. (Jan -Mar).......................          1,168,860            530,186            712,196            323,052
  2. (Apr -Jun).......................            885,115            401,481          1,036,067            469,960            150,952             68,472
  3. (Jul -Sep).......................           372, 983            169,182            507,139            230,038            134,156             60,853
  4. (Oct -Dec).......................            598,043            271,268            705,996            320,240            107,953             48,968
  Total...............................          3,025,000          1,372,117          2,961,398          1,343,290
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\1\ Reflects quotas as published on August 26, 1999 (64 FR 46596). \2\ Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly
  due to rounding.


                       Table 6. Black Sea Bass Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by Quarter
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                                               2000 Initial Quota                    2000 Adjusted Quota
               Quarter               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Lb               Kg \1\               Lb               Kg \1\
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  1. (Jan -Mar).....................          1,168,760            530,141          1,168,760            530,141
  2. (Apr -Jun).....................            885,040            401,447            734,088            332,982
  3. (Jul -Sep).....................           372, 951            169,168            238,795            108,317
  4. (Oct -Dec).....................            597,991            271,244            490,038            222,281
  Total.............................          3,024,742          1,372,000          2,631,681          1,193,721
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\1\Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding.

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: December 21, 2000.
Clarence Pautzke,
 Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-33221 Filed 12-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22-S