[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 24, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16570-16571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06183]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 181203999-9503-02]
RTID 0648-XX044


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Possession and Trip Limit Increases for the 
Common Pool Fishery

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.

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SUMMARY: This action increases the possession and trip limits of 
Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, Cape Cod/
Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, American plaice, and witch flounder 
for Northeast multispecies common pool vessels for the remainder of the 
2019 fishing year. This action will provide the common pool fishery 
greater opportunity to harvest, but not exceed, the annual quotas for 
these stocks.

DATES: These possession and trip limit adjustments are effective March 
23, 2020, through April 30, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations at Sec.  648.86(o) authorize 
the Regional Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for 
common pool vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest 
of the common pool quotas.
    Based on most recent catch information, the common pool fishery has 
caught low amounts of the following species relative to the annual 
quotas for each of these stocks (Table 1): Georges Bank (GB) cod, Gulf 
of Maine (GOM) cod, GOM haddock, Cape Cod (CC)/GOM yellowtail flounder, 
American plaice, and witch flounder. At the current rate of fishing, we 
project that the common pool fishery will not fully harvest the annual 
quotas for these stocks by the end of the 2019 fishing year. Providing 
vessels an opportunity to possess and land greater amounts of catch 
should provide greater incentive to fish and more opportunity to catch 
available quota. Based on our review of past fishing effort, we project 
that increases in the possession and trip limit for these stocks should 
provide additional fishing opportunities and flexibility to catch 
available quota while ensuring that the common pool does not exceed its 
annual quotas.

                                      Table 1--Summary of Common Pool Catch
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                                                              FY 2019 catch
                           Stock                                  (mt)          Sub-ACL (mt)     Percent caught
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GB cod....................................................               1.4              53.8               2.5
GOM cod...................................................               4.7              10.9              43.1
GOM haddock...............................................               6.9              96.1               7.1
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder................................               4.5              21.4                21
American plaice...........................................               3.8              31.4              12.2
Witch flounder............................................               2.6              23.1              11.2
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    Effective March 23, 2020, until April 30, 2020, NMFS increases the 
possession and trip limits summarized in Tables 2 and 3.

                                  Table 2--Previous Possession and Trip Limits
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                                                                                                  Small vessel
             Stock                    A days-at-sea          Handgear A         Handgear B          category
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GB cod.........................  250 lb (113.4 kg) per   250 lb (113.4 kg)  25 lb (11.3 kg)    250 lb (113.4 kg)
                                  DAS, up to 500 lb       per trip.          per trip.          per trip.
                                  (226.8 kg) per trip.
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GOM cod........................  50 lb (22.7 kg) per     50 lb (22.7 kg)    25 lb (11.3 kg)    50 lb (22.7 kg)
                                  DAS, up to 100 lb       per trip.          per trip.          per trip.
                                  (45.4 kg) per trip.
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[[Page 16571]]

 
GOM haddock....................  500 lb (226.8 kg) per                 500 lb (226.8 kg) per trip.
                                  DAS, up to 1,000 lb
                                  (453.6 kg) per trip.
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CC/GOM yellowtail flounder.....  750 lb (340.2 kg) per                 750 lb (340.2 kg) per trip.
                                  DAS, up to 1,500 lb
                                  (680.4 kg) per trip.
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American plaice................  750 lb (340.2 kg) per                 750 lb (340.2 kg) per trip.
                                  DAS, up to 1,500 lb
                                  (680.4 kg) per trip.
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Witch flounder.................                            600 lb (272.2 kg) per trip.
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Note: The Small Vessel Category trip limit of 300 lb (136 kg) of cod, yellowtail flounder, and haddock combined
  remains in place.


                                     Table 3--New Possession and Trip Limits
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                                                                                                  Small vessel
             Stock                    A days-at-sea          Handgear A         Handgear B          category
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GB cod.........................  500 lb (226.8 kg) per   500 lb (226.8 kg)  25 lb (11.3 kg)    300 lb (136.1 kg)
                                  DAS, up to 1,000 lb     per trip.          per trip.          per trip.
                                  (453.6 kg) per trip.
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GOM cod........................  100 lb (45.4 kg) per    100 lb (45.4 kg)   25 lb (11.3 kg)    100 lb (45.4 kg)
                                  DAS, up to 200 lb       per trip.          per trip.          per trip.
                                  (90.7 kg) per trip.
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GOM haddock....................  1,500 lb (680.4 kg)         1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip      300 lb (136.1 kg)
                                  per DAS, up to 3,000                                          per trip.
                                  lb (1,360.8 kg) per
                                  trip.
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CC/GOM yellowtail flounder.....  1,000 lb (453.6 kg)         1,000 lb (453.6 kg) per trip      300 lb (136.1 kg)
                                  per DAS, up to 2,000                                          per trip.
                                  lb (907.2 kg) per
                                  trip.
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American plaice................  1,500 lb (680.4 kg)                  1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip.
                                  per DAS, up to 3,000
                                  lb (1,360.8 kg) per
                                  trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Witch flounder.................                           1,200 lb (544.3 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Weekly quota monitoring reports for the common pool fishery can be 
found on our website at: https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/ro/fso/reports/h/nemultispecies.html. We will continue to monitor common pool catch 
through vessel trip reports, dealer-reported landings, VMS catch 
reports, and other available information and, if necessary, we will 
make additional adjustments to common pool management measures.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive prior 
notice and the opportunity for public comment and the 30-day delayed 
effectiveness period because this action relieves possession and 
landing restrictions, and delayed implementation would be impracticable 
and contrary to the public interest.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.86(o) authorize the Regional 
Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for common pool 
vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest of the 
common pool quotas. The available analysis indicates that the increased 
possession and trip limit adjustments for these stocks should help the 
fishery achieve the optimum yields (OY) for each stock. Any delay in 
this action would limit the benefits to common pool vessels that the 
increased landing and possession limits are intended to provide.
    The time necessary to provide for prior notice and comment, and a 
30-day delay in effectiveness, would keep NMFS from implementing the 
necessary possession and trip limit before the end of the fishing year 
on April 30, 2020, which could prevent the fishery from achieving OY 
and cause negative economic impacts to the common pool fishery. This 
would undermine management objectives of the Northeast Multispecies 
Fishery Management Plan and cause unnecessary negative economic impacts 
to the common pool fishery. The public received prior notice and an 
opportunity to comment on the Regional Administrator's exercise of this 
authority. The fishing industry participants have experienced these 
adjustments and have become accustomed to this process. There is 
additional good cause to waive the delayed effective period because 
this action relieves restrictions on fishing vessels by increasing a 
trip limit.

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

    Dated: March 19, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06183 Filed 3-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P