[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 30, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51531-51532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14474]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 051104293-5344-02; I.D. 082406A]


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

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 Maine has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial 
Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land 
summer flounder in Maine for the remainder of calendar year 2006, 
unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer. 
Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication 
of this notification to advise Maine 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 Maine.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, August 31, 2006, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9341

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 2006 
calendar year was set equal to 14,154,000 lb (6,420 mt) (70 FR 77061, 
December 29, 2005). The percent allocated to vessels landing summer 
flounder in Maine is 0.04756 percent, resulting in a commercial quota 
of 6,732 lb (3,054 kg). The 2006 allocation was reduced to 6,630 lb 
(3,007 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 Maine has 
harvested its quota for 2006.
    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 0001 hours, 
August 31, 2006, further landings of summer flounder in Maine by 
vessels holding summer flounder commercial Federal fisheries permits 
are prohibited for the remainder of the 2006 calendar year, unless 
additional quota becomes available through a transfer and is announced 
in the Federal Register. Effective 0001 hours, August 31, 2006, 
federally permitted dealers are also notified that they may not 
purchase summer flounder from federally permitted vessels that land in 
Maine for the remainder of the calendar year, or

[[Page 51532]]

until additional quota becomes available through a transfer.

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: August 24, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-14474 Filed 8-29-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S