[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 20037]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07749]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 121009528-2729-02]
RIN 0648-XC542


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 2013 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia and to the State of New Jersey. NMFS is 
adjusting the quotas and announcing the revised commercial quota for 
each state involved.

DATES: Effective March 29, 2013, through December 31, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carly Bari, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are in 50 CFR part 648, and require annual 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.  
648.102(c)(2). The Regional Administrator is required to consider the 
criteria in Sec.  648.102(c)(2)(i) to evaluate requests for quota 
transfers or combinations.
    North Carolina has agreed to transfer 657,477 lb (298,227 kg) of 
its 2013 commercial quota to Virginia. This transfer was prompted by 
summer flounder landings of a number of North Carolina vessels that 
were granted safe harbor in Virginia due to hazardous shoaling, from 
February 1, 2013, to February 28, 2013, thereby requiring a quota 
transfer to account for an increase in Virginia's landings that would 
have otherwise accrued against the North Carolina quota. North Carolina 
has also agreed to transfer 47,034 lb (21,334 kg) of its 2013 
commercial quota to New Jersey. This transfer was prompted by summer 
flounder landings of a number of North Carolina vessels that were 
granted safe harbor in New Jersey between February 8, 2013, and 
February 19, 2013, thereby requiring a quota transfer to account for an 
increase in New Jersey's landings that would have otherwise accrued 
against the North Carolina quota. The Regional Administrator has 
determined that the criteria set forth in Sec.  648.102(c)(2)(i) have 
been met. The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2013 
are: North Carolina, 988,221 lb (448,249 kg); Virginia, 4,506,299 lb 
(2,044,023 kg); and New Jersey, 1,960,337 lb (889,192 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: March 29, 2013.
Kara Meckley,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-07749 Filed 3-29-13; 4:15 pm]
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