[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 40 (Monday, March 2, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 11139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04215]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 140117052-4402-02]
RIN 0648-XD778


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 2015 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of New Jersey. These quota 
adjustments are necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and 
Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provision. This 
announcement is intended to inform the public of the revised commercial 
quota for each state involved.

DATES: Effective February 25, 2015, through December 31, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid Lichwell, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9112.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.110. These regulations 
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.  648.10(c)(1)(i).
    The final rule implementing Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan provided a mechanism 
for summer flounder quota to be transferred from one state to another 
(December 17, 1993; 58 FR 65936). Two or more states, under mutual 
agreement and with the concurrence of the NMFS Greater Atlantic 
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) when 
evaluating requests for quota transfers or combinations.
    North Carolina has agreed to transfer 23,480 lb (10,650 kg) of its 
2015 commercial quota to Virginia. This transfer was prompted by 
landings of the F/V Illusion and the F/V Jo Ann B, North Carolina 
vessels that were granted safe harbor in Virginia due to hazardous 
weather, medical emergencies, and mechanical failure on January 5 and 
15, 2015. As a result of these landings, a quota transfer is necessary 
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 9,062 lb (4,110 kg) of its 2015 commercial 
quota to New Jersey. This transfer was prompted by summer flounder 
landings of the F/V Bella Sky, a North Carolina vessel that was granted 
safe harbor in New Jersey due to mechanical failure on January 29, 
2015. The quota transfer is necessary 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. These transfers are 
consistent with the criteria because they will not preclude the overall 
annual quota from being fully harvested, the transfers address an 
unforeseen variation or contingency in the fishery, and the transfers 
are consistent with the objectives of the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The revised summer flounder 
commercial quotas for calendar year 2015 are: New Jersey, 1,860,420 lb 
(843,872 kg); Virginia, 2,383,120 lb (1,080,965 kg); and North 
Carolina, 3,005,551 lb (1,363,295 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: February 24, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-04215 Filed 2-25-15; 4:15 pm]
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