[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 11, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 48477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-17523]



[[Page 48477]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No.200623-0167; RTID 0648-XA337]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Quota Transfer From NJ to NY

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

ACTION: Notification of quota transfer.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of New Jersey is transferring a 
portion of its 2020 commercial bluefish quota to the State of New York. 
This quota adjustment is necessary to comply with the Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement 
informs the public of the revised commercial bluefish quotas for New 
Jersey and New York.

DATES: Effective August 10, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish 
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.160 through 648.167. These regulations 
require annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned 
among the coastal states from Maine through Florida. The process to set 
the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state is 
described in Sec.  648.162 and the final 2020 allocations were 
published on June 29, 2020 (85 FR 38794).
    The final rule implementing Amendment 1 to the Bluefish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) published in the Federal Register on July 26, 
2000 (65 FR 45844), and provided a mechanism for transferring bluefish 
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 request approval to transfer or combine 
bluefish commercial quota under Sec.  648.162(e)(1)(i) through (iii). 
The Regional Administrator must first approve any such transfer based 
on the criteria in Sec.  648.162(e). The Regional Administrator is 
required to consider three criteria in the evaluation of requests for 
quota transfers or combinations: The transfer or combinations would 
preclude the overall annual quota from being fully harvested; the 
transfer addresses an unforeseen variation or contingency in the 
fishery; and the transfer is consistent with the objectives of the FMP 
and the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    New Jersey is transferring 50,000 pounds (lb) (22,679 kilograms 
(kg)) of bluefish commercial quota to New York through mutual agreement 
of the states. This transfer was requested to ensure that New York 
would not exceed its 2020 state quota before the new increased quotas 
were implemented. The revised bluefish quotas for 2020 are: New Jersey, 
359,934 lb (162,263 kg); and New York, 337,335 lb (153,012 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: August 6, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-17523 Filed 8-10-20; 8:45 am]
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