[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 20, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 58073-58074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28918]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 001121328-1041-02; I.D. 110801E]


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 harvested for Winter II period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the scup commercial quota available in the 
Winter II 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 2001 Winter II quota 
period (through December 31, 2001). 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.

DATES: Effective 0001 hrs local time, November 20, 2001, through 2400 
hrs local time, December 31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer L. Anderson, Fishery 
Management Specialist, (978) 281-9344.

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. 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 2001 calendar year was 
initially set at 4,444,600 lb (2,016,037 kg)(66 FR 12902; March 1, 
2001) and subsequently adjusted downward to 3,495,261 lb (1,585,424 kg) 
(66 FR 47413; September

[[Page 58074]]

12, 2001), to account for 2002 period overages. The Winter II period 
quota is set at 708,469 lb (321,356 kg). Because there were no 
commercial overages from the 2000 Winter II period, it was not 
necessary to adjust the 2001 Winter II period quota.
    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 has been 
harvested. NMFS is required to publish notification in the Federal 
Register advising and notifying federally permitted commercial vessels 
and federally permitted dealers that, effective upon a specific date, 
the scup commercial quota has been harvested. The Regional 
Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports and other 
available information, that the scup commercial quota for the 2001 
Winter II period has been harvested.
    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, November 20, 2001, further landings of 
scup by vessels holding Federal scup moratorium permits are prohibited 
through December 31, 2001. The Winter I period for commercial scup 
harvest will open on January 1, 2002. Effective 0001 hours, November 
20, 2001, 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, 2001).

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: November 14, 2001.
Valerie L. Chambers,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-28918 Filed 11-15-01; 1:06 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S