[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 2010)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4490-4491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1762]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 0908191244-91427-02]
RIN 0648-XT93


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is 
transferring a portion of its 2010 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas 
and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

DATES: Effective January 25, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual

[[Page 4491]]

specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned among the 
coastal states from North Carolina through Maine. The process to set 
the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state are 
described in Sec.  648.100.
    The final rule implementing Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, which was published 
on December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a mechanism for summer 
flounder quota to be transferred from one state to another. Two or more 
states, under mutual agreement and with the concurrence of the 
Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), can 
transfer or combine summer flounder commercial quota under Sec.  
648.100(d). The Regional Administrator is required to consider the 
criteria set forth in Sec.  648.100(d)(3) in the evaluation of requests 
for quota transfers or combinations.
    North Carolina has agreed to transfer 68,279 lb (30,971 kg) of its 
2010 commercial quota to Virginia to cover summer flounder landings of 
nine vessels granted safe harbor in Virginia due to poor weather 
conditions and a navigation hazard on January 2, 2010. The Regional 
Administrator has determined that the criteria set forth in Sec.  
648.100(d)(3) have been met. The revised quotas for calendar year 2010 
are: North Carolina, 3,466,652 lb (1,572,447 kg); and Virginia, 
2,813,805 lb (1,276,320 kg).

Classification

    This action is taken under 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: January 25, 2010.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-1762 Filed 1-25-10; 4:15 pm]
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