[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 61040-61041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24519]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 011109274-1301-02; I.D. 092002A]


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 scup 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 2002 summer quota period 
(through October 31, 2002). 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, October 5, 2002, through 2400 hrs 
local time, October 31, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard A. Pearson, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, (978) 281-9279.

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. The process to set 
the annual

[[Page 61041]]

commercial quota and the seasonal allocation is described in Sec.  
648.120.
    The total commercial quota for scup for the 2002 calendar year was 
initially set at 8,000,000 lb (3,628,739 kg) and then adjusted downward 
to 7,834,522 lb (3,553,679 kg), for research quota set-asides (66 FR 
66351; December 26, 2001). The summer period quota, which is equal to 
38.95 percent of the annual commercial quota, was 3,051,546 lb 
(1,384,158 kg). The quota allocation was adjusted downward to 
compensate for 2001 summer period landings in excess of the 2001 summer 
period quota, consistent with the procedures in Sec.  648.140. The 
final adjusted summer period quota was set at 2,556,595 lb (1,159,652 
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 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 2002 
summer 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, October 5, 2002, further landings of 
scup by vessels holding Federal scup moratorium permits are prohibited 
through October 31, 2002. The Winter II period for commercial scup 
harvest will open on November 1, 2002. Effective 0001 hours, October 5, 
2002, 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, 2002).

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: September 20, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-24519 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S