[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 7, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 55640-55641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24368]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 900124-0127]
RIN 0648-XG418


Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fisheries; 2019 Fishing Quotas 
for Atlantic Surfclams and Ocean Quahogs; and Suspension of Minimum 
Atlantic Surfclam Size Limit

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

ACTION: Temporary rule.

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SUMMARY: NMFS suspends the minimum size limit for Atlantic surfclams 
for the 2019 fishing year. NMFS also announces that the quotas for the 
Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries for 2019 will remain 
status quo. Regulations governing these fisheries require NMFS to 
notify the public of the allowable harvest levels for Atlantic 
surfclams and ocean quahogs from the Exclusive Economic Zone if the 
previous year's quota specifications remain unchanged.

DATES: Effective January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
978-281-9341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations implementing the Atlantic 
Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP) at 50 CFR 
648.75(b)(3) authorize the Administrator, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator), to suspend annually, by publication in the 
Federal Register, the minimum size limit for Atlantic surfclams. This 
action may be taken unless discard, catch, and biological sampling data 
indicate that 30 percent or more of the Atlantic surfclam resource have 
a shell length less than 4.75 inches (120 mm), and the overall reduced 
size is not attributable to harvest from beds where growth of the 
individual clams has been reduced because of density-dependent factors. 
At its June 2018 meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
recommended the Regional Administrator suspend the minimum size limit 
for Atlantic surfclams for the 2019 fishing year. Commercial surfclam 
data for 2018 were analyzed to determine the percentage of surfclams 
that were smaller than the minimum size requirement. The analysis 
indicated that 20.2 percent of the overall commercial landings were 
composed of surfclams that were less than the 4.75-in (120-mm) default 
minimum size.
    Based on the information available, the Regional Administrator 
concurs with the Council's recommendation, and is suspending the 
minimum size limit for Atlantic surfclams in the upcoming fishing year 
(January 1 through December 31, 2019).
    The Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog FMP requires that NMFS issue 
a notice in the Federal Register of the upcoming year's quota, even in 
cases where the quota remains unchanged from the previous year. At its 
June 2018 meeting, the Council recommended no change to the quota 
specifications for Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs for the 2019 
fishing year. As a result, we are announcing that the 2018 quota levels 
of 3.4 million bu (181 million L) for Atlantic surfclams, 5.33 million 
bu (288 million L) for ocean quahogs, and 100,000 Maine bu (3.52 
million L) for Maine ocean quahogs, as announced in

[[Page 55641]]

the Federal Register on February 6, 2018 (83 FR 5212), remain effective 
for the 2019 fishing year.

Classification

    This action is authorized by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: November 2, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-24368 Filed 11-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P