[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 63002-63003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29980]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 010208032-1109-02; I.D. 112601D]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for New York

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest; closure.

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[[Page 63003]]

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Atlantic bluefish commercial quota 
available to the State of New York has been harvested. Vessels issued a 
commercial Federal fisheries permit for the Atlantic bluefish fishery 
may not land Atlantic bluefish in New York for the remainder of 
calendar year 2001, unless additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer. Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish fishery require 
publication of this notification to advise the State of New York 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 Atlantic bluefish in New York.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, December 3, 2001, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Ferreira, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish 
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual 
specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned on a percentage 
basis among the coastal states from North Carolina through Maine. The 
process to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to 
each state is described in Sec. 648.160.
    The initial total commercial quota for Atlantic bluefish for the 
2001 calendar year was set equal to 9,583,010 lb (4,348,008 kg)(66 FR 
23625, May 9, 2001). The percent allocated to vessels landing Atlantic 
bluefish in New York is 10.3851 percent, or 995,204 lb (451,544 kg). 
This quota was subsequently increased on November 15, 2001, (66 FR 
57398) to 1,095,204 lb (496,784 kg) as the result of a 100,000 lb 
(45,360 kg) transfer of bluefish quota from the Commonwealth of 
Virginia.
    Section 648.161 (b) requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, 
NMFS (Regional Administrator) to monitor state commercial quotas and to 
determine when a state's commercial quota is harvested. The Regional 
Administrator is further required to publish a notification in the 
Federal Register advising a state and notifying Federal vessel and 
dealer permit holders that, effective upon a specific date, the state's 
commercial quota has been harvested and no commercial quota is 
available for landing Atlantic bluefish in that state. The Regional 
Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports and other 
available information, that the State of New York has attained its 
quota for 2001.
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4 (b) provide that Federal permit 
holders agree as a condition of the permit not to land Atlantic 
bluefish in any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no 
longer has commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, 
December 3, 2001, further landings of Atlantic bluefish in New York by 
vessels holding Atlantic bluefish commercial Federal fisheries permits 
are prohibited for the remainder of the 2001 calendar year, unless 
additional quota becomes available through a transfer and is announced 
in the Federal Register. Effective 0001 hours, December 3, 2001, 
federally permitted dealers are also advised that they may not purchase 
Atlantic bluefish from federally permitted vessels that land in New 
York for the remainder of the calendar year, or until additional quota 
becomes available through a transfer.

Classification

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

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

    Dated: November 28, 2001.
Jonathan M. Kurland,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-29980 Filed 11-29-01; 4:00 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S