[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 22032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08616]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 150903814-5999-02]
RIN 0648-XE499


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 2016 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These 
quota adjustments are necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, 
Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer 
provision. This announcement informs the public of the revised 
commercial quota for each state involved.

DATES: Effective April 13, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Scheimer, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978)-281-9236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.110. The regulations 
require annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned 
among the coastal states from Maine through North Carolina. The process 
to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each 
state are described in Sec.  648.102.
    The final rule implementing Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder 
Fishery Management Plan, as published in the Federal Register on 
December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a mechanism for transferring 
summer flounder commercial quota from one state to another. 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)(A) through (C) in the evaluation of requests for quota 
transfers or combinations.
    North Carolina is transferring 9,935 lb (4,506 kg) of summer 
flounder commercial quota to New Jersey and 7,350 lb (3,333 kg) of 
summer flounder commercial quota to Massachusetts. These transfers were 
requested by the State of North Carolina to repay landings by North 
Carolina permitted vessels that landed in other states under safe 
harbor agreements.
    The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2016 are now: 
North Carolina, 2,147,446 lb (974,065 kg); New Jersey, 1,381,879 lb 
(626,809 kg); and Massachusetts, 571,252 lb (259,115 kg) based on the 
initial quotas published in the 2016-2018 Summer Flounder, Scup and 
Black Sea Bass Specifications, (December 28, 2015, 80 FR 80689) and 
previous 2016 quota transfers (March 8, 2016, 81 FR 12030).

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: April 11, 2016.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-08616 Filed 4-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P