[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 70682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9553]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 051128313-6029-02; I.D. 112006F]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for Rhode Island

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 Atlantic bluefish commercial quota 
available to Rhode Island has been harvested. Vessels issued a 
commercial Federal fisheries permit for the Atlantic bluefish fishery 
may not land bluefish in Rhode Island for the remainder of calendar 
year 2006, unless additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer. Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish fishery require 
publication of this notification to advise Rhode Island that the quota 
has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer 
permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing 
bluefish in Rhode Island.

DATES:  Effective 0001 hours, December 6, 2006 through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2006.

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

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 Florida 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 
2006 calendar year was set equal to 4,215,802 lb (1,912 mt) (71 FR 
9472, February 24, 2006). The initial commercial quota was adjusted by 
transferring 3,865,294 lb (1,753 mt) from the recreation allocation, 
resulting in a total commercial quota of 8,081,096 lb (3,666 mt). The 
percent allocated to vessels landing bluefish in Rhode Island is 6.8081 
percent, resulting in a commercial quota of 550,169 lb (249,555 kg). 
The 2006 allocation was reduced to 542,101 (245,893 kg) (71 FR 13777, 
March 17, 2006) due to research set-aside.
    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 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 bluefish in that 
state. The Regional Administrator has determined, based upon dealer 
reports and other available information, that Rhode Island 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 bluefish in 
any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no longer has 
commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, December 
6, 2006, further landings of bluefish in Rhode Island by vessels 
holding Atlantic bluefish 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, December 6, 2006, 
federally permitted dealers are also notified that they may not 
purchase bluefish from federally permitted vessels that land in Rhode 
Island 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 Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: November 30, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06-9553 Filed 12-1-06; 2:50 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S