[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 115 (Friday, June 14, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 27741-27742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12523]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 190312234-9412-01]
RIN 0648-GAR-A005


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer From NC to MA

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 2019 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This quota adjustment is necessary 
to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery 
Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs 
the public of the revised commercial quotas for North Carolina and 
Massachusetts.

DATES: Effective June 13, 2019, through December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.110. These 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 is described in Sec.  648.102, and revised 2019 allocations were 
published on May 17, 2019 (84 FR 22392).
    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.

[[Page 27742]]

    North Carolina is transferring 3,875 lb (1,758 kg) of summer 
flounder commercial quota to Massachusetts through mutual agreement of 
the states. This transfer was requested to repay landings made by a 
North Carolina-permitted vessel in Massachusetts under a safe harbor 
agreement. Based on the revised Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea 
Bass Specifications, the revised summer flounder quotas for fishing 
year 2019 are now: North Carolina, 2,970,242 lb (1,347,279 kg); and 
Massachusetts, 745,407 lb (338,110 kg).

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: June 10, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-12523 Filed 6-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P