[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 52039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21263]



[[Page 52039]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 190312234-9412-01]
RIN 0648-XX012


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfers From NC to VA and ME to CT

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 States of North Carolina and Maine are 
transferring a portion of their respective 2019 commercial summer 
flounder quotas to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of 
Connecticut. These quota adjustments are 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, Virginia, Maine, and 
Connecticut.

DATES: Effective September 30, 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 the 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.
    North Carolina is transferring 12,500 lb (5,667 kg) of summer 
flounder commercial quota to Virginia through mutual agreement of the 
states. This transfer was requested to repay landings made by North 
Carolina-permitted vessels in Virginia under a safe harbor agreement. 
Maine is transferring 5,224 lb (2,369 kg) of summer flounder, its full 
2019 allocation, to Connecticut through mutual agreements of the 
states. The revised summer flounder quotas for fishing year 2019 are 
now: North Carolina, 2,957,742 lb (1,341,609 kg); Virginia, 2,390,710 
lb (1,084,407 kg); Maine, 0 lb (0 kg); and Connecticut, 253,119 lb 
(114,813 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: September 26, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-21263 Filed 9-30-19; 8:45 am]
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