[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 2003)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 74198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31602]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 021122284-2323-02; I.D. 121803A]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for New Jersey

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

ACTION: Closure of commercial fishery

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the summer flounder commercial quota 
available to New Jersey has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial 
Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land 
summer flounder in New Jersey for the remainder of calendar year 2003, 
unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer. 
Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication 
of this notification to advise New Jersey that the quota has been 
harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders 
that no commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in 
New Jersey.

DATES: Effective 1801 hours, December 22, 2003, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Blackburn, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9326, e-mail [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
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.  648.100.
    The initial total commercial quota for summer flounder for the 2003 
calendar year was set equal to 13,980,028 lb (6,341,235 kg)(68 FR 60, 
January 2, 2003). The percent allocated to vessels landing summer 
flounder in New Jersey is 16.72499 percent, resulting in a commercial 
quota of 2,338,158 lb (1,060,571 kg). The 2003 allocation was reduced 
to 2,329,010 lb (1,056,432 kg) due to research set-aside.
    Section 648.101(b) requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, 
NMFS (Regional Administrator) to monitor state commercial quotas and to 
determine when a state's commercial quota has been harvested. NMFS then 
publishes a notification in the Federal Register to advise the state 
and to notify 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 summer flounder in 
that state. The Regional Administrator has determined, based upon 
dealer reports and other available information, that New Jersey has 
harvested its quota for 2003.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.4(b) provide that Federal permit 
holders agree, as a condition of the permit, not to land summer 
flounder in any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no 
longer has commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 1801 hours, 
December 22, 2003, further landings of summer flounder in New Jersey by 
vessels holding summer flounder commercial Federal fisheries permits 
are prohibited for the remainder of the 2003 calendar year, unless 
additional quota becomes available through a transfer and is announced 
in the Federal Register. Effective 1801 hours, December 22, 2003, 
federally permitted dealers are also notified that they may not 
purchase summer flounder from federally permitted vessels that land in 
New Jersey 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: December 18, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-31602 Filed 12-18-03; 2:48 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S