[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4165-4166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01672]



[[Page 4165]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 170828822-70999-02]
RIN 0648-XF669


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, 
Scup, Black Sea Bass Fisheries; 2018 and Projected 2019 Scup 
Specifications and Announcement of Final 2018 Summer Flounder and Black 
Sea Bass Specifications; Correction

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

ACTION: Final rule; correction.

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SUMMARY: On December 22, 2017, NMFS issued final specifications for 
scup, summer flounder, and black sea bass for 2018. That document 
inadvertently failed to apply a pound-for-pound overage deduction to 
the 2018 scup summer period quota due to overages incurred in 2017. 
Additionally, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts received a late-season 
summer flounder transfer applicable to the 2017 fishing year that 
adjusts its final 2018 state summer flounder quota. This document 
corrects the final 2018 specifications and informs the public of these 
adjustments.

DATES: Effective January 30, 2018, through December 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the specifications document, including the 
Environmental Assessment (EA), are available on request from Dr. 
Christopher M. Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, Suite 201, 800 North State Street, Dover, DE 19901.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Gilbert, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
(978) 281-9244.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Need for Correction

    The final 2018 specifcations for scup, summer flounder, and black 
sea bass published on December 22, 2017 (82 FR 60682). Following its 
publication, we became aware of two adjustments that need to be made 
that pertain to the scup and summer flounder commercial fishery quotas.

Adjustment to the Scup Summer Period Quota

    Although the 2017 scup annual catch limit (ACL) was not exceeded, 
landings during the summer commercial quota period exceeded the 2017 
summer period quota by 46,753 lb (21,206 kg). The regulations at Sec.  
648.123(a)(2)(ii) require any landings in excess of the summer period 
quota be deducted, pound for pound, from the summer period quota for 
the following year. As a result, this action adjusts the final 2018 
scup summer period quota from 9,340,986 lb (4,237 mt) to 9,294,233 lb 
(4,216 mt) to account for the 2017 landings overage. Because the 
overall 2017 ACL was not exceeded, this action does not adjust the 
final 2018 ACL published on December 22, 2017.

Adjustment to the 2018 Summer Flounder Quota for Massachusetts

    This action corrects the state quota allocated to Massachusetts by 
accounting for a transfer received in late December 2017. As a result 
of this transfer, Massachusetts received an additional 3,585 lb (1,626 
kg) applied towards its 2017 quota. This results in an overage 
reduction from 37,816 lb (17,153 kg) to 34,231 lb (15,527 kg), which 
results in a revised 2018 quota of 404,742 lb (183,588 kg).

Corrections

    On page 60683 of the Federal Register published on December 22, 
2017, Table 2 is corrected to read as follows:

                       Table 2--Commercial Scup Quota Allocations for 2018 by Quota Period
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                2018 Initial quota
                          Quota period                           -----------------------------------------------
                                                                   Percent share        lb              mt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winter I........................................................           45.11      10,820,000           4,908
Summer..........................................................           38.95       9,294,233           4,216
Winter II.......................................................           15.94       3,822,816           1,734
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           100.0      23,937,049          10,858
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Note: Metric tons are as converted from pounds and may not necessarily total due to rounding.

    Additionally, on page 60684, Table 6 is corrected to read as 
follows:

                                        Table 6--Final State-by-State Commercial Summer Flounder Quotas for 2018
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     2018 Initial quota     2018 Adjusted quota (ACL  Overages through October     Final adjusted 2018
                                     FMP percent --------------------------         overage)                  31, 2017            quota, less overages
               State                    share                              -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       lb           kg           lb           kg           lb           kg           lb           kg
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Maine..............................      0.04756        3,152        1,430        3,061        1,388            0            0        3,061        1,388
New Hampshire......................      0.00046           30           14           30           13            0            0           30           13
Massachusetts......................      6.82046      451,998      205,023      438,973      199,115       34,231       15,527      404,742      183,588
Rhode Island.......................     15.68298    1,039,326      471,430    1,009,375      457,845       13,002        5,898      996,373      451,947
Connecticut........................      2.25708      149,579       67,848      145,268       65,893            0            0      145,268       65,893
New York...........................      7.64699      506,773      229,868      492,169      223,244            0            0      492,169      223,244
New Jersey.........................     16.72499    1,108,381      502,753    1,076,440      488,265            0            0    1,076,440      488,265
Delaware...........................      0.01779        1,179          535        1,145          519       49,638       22,515      -48,493      -21,996
Maryland...........................       2.0391      135,133       61,295      131,239       59,529            0            0      131,239       59,529
Virginia...........................     21.31676    1,412,682      640,782    1,371,972      622,316            0            0    1,371,972      622,316
North Carolina.....................     27.44584    1,818,862      825,022    1,766,447      801,247            0            0    1,766,447      801,247
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    Total..........................          100    6,627,096    3,006,000    6,436,120    2,919,375  ...........  ...........    6,387,743    2,897,431
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Notes: Kilograms are as converted from pounds and may not necessarily add due to rounding. Total quota is the sum for all states with an allocation. A
  state with a negative number has a 2018 allocation of zero (0). Total adjusted 2018 quota, less overages, does not include negative allocations (i.e.,
  Delaware's overage).


    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 24, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-01672 Filed 1-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P