[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51144-51145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20862]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 120109034-2171-01]
RIN 0648-XE120


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Small-Mesh 
Multispecies Fishery; Adjustment to the Northern Red Hake Inseason 
Possession Limit

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.

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SUMMARY: We announce the reduction of the commercial possession limit 
for northern red hake for the remainder of the 2015 fishing year. This 
action is required to prevent the northern red hake total allowable 
landing limit from being exceeded. This announcement informs the public 
that the northern red hake possession limit is reduced.

DATES: Effective August 24, 2015, through April 30, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid Lichwell, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-675-9112.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The small-mesh multispecies fishery is 
managed primarily through a series of exemptions from the Northeast 
Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan. Regulations governing the red 
hake fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations describing 
the process to adjust inseason commercial possession limits of northern 
red hake are described in Sec.  648.86(d)(4) and (5). These regulations 
require the Regional Administrator to reduce the northern red hake 
possession limit from 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) to 1,500 lb (680 kg) when 
landings have been projected to reach or exceed 45 percent of the total 
allowable landings (TAL). The northern red hake possession limit is 
required to be further reduced to 400 lb (181 kg) if landings are 
projected to reach or exceed 62.5 percent of the TAL, unless such a 
reduction would be expected to prevent the TAL from being reached. The 
final rule implementing the small-mesh multispecies

[[Page 51145]]

specifications for 2015-2017, which published in the Federal Register 
on May 28, 2015 (80 FR 30379), set these inseason adjustment 
thresholds. These measures were imposed because the annual catch limits 
(ACL) for northern red hake were exceeded for the 2012 and 2013 fishing 
years, and northern red hake was experiencing overfishing. We 
implemented this possession limit reduction trigger to reduce the risk 
of continued overfishing on the stock and to better constrain catch to 
the ACL.
    On August 12, 2015, the northern red hake commercial possession 
limit was reduced from 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) to 1,500 lb (680 kg) because 
the overall commercial landings reached 45 percent of the TAL. Based on 
commercial landings data reported through July 30, 2015, the northern 
red hake fishery is projected to reach 65.2 percent of the TAL on 
August 22, 2015. Based on this projection, reducing the commercial 
northern red hake possession limit from 1,500 lb (680 kg) to 400 lb 
(181 kg) is required to prevent the TAL from being exceeded. Upon the 
effective date of this action, no person may possess on board or land 
more than 400 lb (181 kg) of northern red hake per trip for the 
remainder of the fishing year (i.e., through April 30, 2016).

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: August 19, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-20862 Filed 8-19-15; 4:15 pm]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P