[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 24714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09726]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 150903814-5999-02]
RIN 0648-XE564


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 Commonwealth of Virginia is 
transferring a portion of its 2016 commercial summer flounder quota to 
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 quotas for Virginia and 
Massachusetts.

DATES: Effective April 26, 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.
    Virginia is transferring 6,525 lb (2,959 kg) of summer flounder 
commercial quota to Massachusetts. This transfer was requested by 
Virginia to repay landings by a Virginia-permitted vessel that landed 
in Massachusetts under a safe harbor agreement.
    The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2016 are now: 
Virginia, 1,755,829 lb (796,430 kg); and Massachusetts, 577,777 lb 
(262,075 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 and April 14, 2016, 81 FR 22032).

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 21, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-09726 Filed 4-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P