[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 227 (Friday, November 27, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 62255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28397]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 090206144-9697-02]
RIN 0648-XT09


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
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 Atlantic bluefish commercial quota 
available to New Jersey has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial 
Federal fisheries permit for the Atlantic bluefish fishery may not land 
bluefish in New Jersey for the remainder of calendar year 2009, unless 
additional quota becomes available through a transfer. Regulations 
governing the Atlantic bluefish 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 bluefish in New Jersey.

DATES:  Effective 0001 hours, November 25, 2009, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Sarah Heil, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9257.

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.
    On May 4, 2009, NMFS published the final specifications for the 
Atlantic bluefish fishery (74 FR 20423). The initial Federal coastwide 
commercial quota for Atlantic bluefish for the 2009 calendar year was 
set equal to 4,991,000 lb (2,263 mt). The initial commercial quota was 
adjusted by transferring 4,838,000 lb (2,194 mt) from the initial 
recreational allocation, resulting in a total commercial quota of 
9,828,000 lb (4,458 mt). The percent allocated to vessels landing 
bluefish in New Jersey is 14.8162 percent, resulting in an initial 
commercial quota of 1,441,702 lb (653.95 mt).
    The regulations at Sec.  648.161(b) require 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 New Jersey has harvested its quota for 
calendar year 2009.
    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, November 
25, 2009, further landings of bluefish in New Jersey by vessels holding 
Atlantic bluefish commercial Federal fisheries permits are prohibited 
for the remainder of the 2009 calendar year, unless additional quota 
becomes available through a transfer and is announced in the Federal 
Register. Effective 0001 hours, November 25, 2009, federally permitted 
dealers are also notified that they may not purchase bluefish 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 Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: November 23, 2009.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-28397 Filed 11-23-09; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S