[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 47 (Monday, March 11, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 8625-8626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04352]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No: 181031994-9022-02]
RIN 0648-XG872


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring 
Fishery; 2019 Management Area 2 Sub-Annual Catch Limit Harvested

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.

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SUMMARY: Effective on March 9, 2019, NMFS is closing the directed 
fishery for Herring Management Area 2, based on a projection that a 
threshold catch amount for that management area has been reached. 
Beginning March 9, 2019, through December 31, 2019, no person may, or 
attempt to fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more 
than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of Atlantic herring per trip or calendar day 
in or from Management Area 2 from a vessel issued and holding a valid 
herring permit. For the duration of this action, federally permitted 
dealers may not possess or receive, or attempt to possess or receive, 
more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring from Management Area 2 per 
trip or calendar day from vessels issued and holding a valid herring 
permit. This action is necessary to comply with the regulations 
implementing the Atlantic herring Fishery Management Plan and is 
intended to prevent overharvest of herring in Management Area 2.

DATES: Effective 00:01 hr local time, March 9, 2019, through 24:00 
local time, December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Luers, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 282-8457.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Regional Administrator of NMFS for the 
Greater Atlantic Region monitors the herring fishery catch in each of 
the management areas based on vessel and dealer reports, state data, 
and other available information. The regulations at 50 CFR 648.201 
require that when the Regional Administrator projects that herring 
catch will reach 92 percent of the sub-ACL allocated in Management Area 
2 designated in the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP), 
through notification in the Federal Register, NMFS must prohibit for 
the remainder of the fishing year, vessels from fishing for, 
possessing, transferring, receiving, landing, or selling, or attempting 
to fish for, possess, transfer, receive, land or sell, more than 2,000 
lb (907.2 kg) of herring per trip or calendar day in or from the 
specified management area from a vessel issued and holding a valid 
herring permit.
    The Regional Administrator has projected, based on vessel and 
dealer reports, state data, and other available information, that the 
herring fleet will have caught 92 percent of the herring sub-ACL 
allocated to Management Area 2 by March 9, 2019. Therefore, effective 
00:01 hr local time, March 9, 2019, no person may, or attempt to, fish 
for, possess, transfer, receive, land, or sell more than 2,000 lb 
(907.2 kg) of herring per trip or calendar day, in or from Management 
Area 2, through December 31, 2019, from a vessel issued or holding a 
valid herring permit. Vessels that have entered port before 00:01 hr 
local time, March 9, 2019, may land and sell more than 2,000 lb (907.2 
kg) of herring from Area 2 from that trip. A vessel may transit through 
Area 2 with more than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring on board, provided 
all herring was caught outside of Area 2 and all fishing gear is stowed 
and not available for immediate use as defined by Sec.  648.2.
    Effective 00:01 hr local time, March 9, 2019, through 24:00 hr 
local time, December 31, 2019, federally permitted dealers may not 
purchase, possess, receive, sell, barter, trade or transfer, or attempt 
to purchase, possess, receive, sell, barter, trade or transfer more 
than 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) of herring per trip or calendar day from 
Management Area 2 from a vessel issued and holding a valid herring 
permit, unless it is from a trip landed by a vessel that entered port 
before 00:01 hr local time, March 9, 2019.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    NMFS finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) to waive 
prior notice and the opportunity for public comment because it would be 
contrary to the public interest and impracticable. Further, in 
accordance with 5 U.S.C Sec.  553(d)(3), NMFS also finds good cause to 
waive the 30-day delayed effectiveness. NMFS is required by Federal 
regulation to put in place a 2,000-lb (907.2-kg) herring trip limit for 
Management Area 2 through December 31, 2019. The 2019 herring fishing 
year opened on January 1, 2019. Data indicating the herring fleet will 
have landed at least 92 percent of the 2019 sub-ACL allocated to 
Management Area

[[Page 8626]]

2 have only recently become available. Once available data supports 
projecting that 92 percent of the sub-ACL will be caught, regulations 
at Sec.  648.201(a) require NMFS to close the directed fishery and 
impose a trip and calendar day limit to ensure that herring vessels do 
not exceed the 2019 sub-ACL allocated to Management Area 2. High-volume 
catch and landings in this fishery increase total catch relative to the 
sub-ACL quickly, especially in this fishing year where annual catch 
limits are unusually low. If implementation of this closure is delayed 
to solicit prior public comment, the sub-ACL for Management Area 2 for 
this fishing year will likely be exceeded, thereby undermining the 
conservation objectives of the FMP. If sub-ACLs are exceeded, the 
excess must also be deducted from a future sub-ACL and would reduce 
future fishing opportunities. In addition, the public had prior notice 
and full opportunity to comment on this process when these provisions 
were put in place. The public expects these actions to occur in a 
timely way consistent with the fishery management plan's objectives.

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

    Dated: March 6, 2019.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-04352 Filed 3-6-19; 5:00 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P