[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 193 (Monday, October 5, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 62613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21988]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 200623-0167; RTID 0648-XA513]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Quota Transfers From ME to RI and NJ to NC

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

ACTION: Notification; quota transfers.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the states of Maine and New Jersey are 
transferring a portion of their 2020 commercial bluefish quota to the 
states of Rhode Island and North Carolina, respectively. These quota 
adjustments are 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 Maine, Rhode 
Island, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

DATES: Effective October 2, 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 approve any such transfer based on the 
criteria in Sec.  648.162(e). In evaluating requests to transfer a 
quota or combine quotas, the Regional Administrator shall consider 
whether: 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.
    Maine is transferring 15,000 lb (6,804 kg) of bluefish commercial 
quota to Rhode Island and New Jersey is transferring 50,000 lb (22,680 
kg) to North Carolina through mutual agreement of the states. These 
transfers were requested to ensure that Rhode Island and North Carolina 
would not exceed their 2020 state quotas. The revised bluefish quotas 
for 2020 are: Maine, 3,496 lb (1,586 kg); Rhode Island, 298,366 lb 
(135,337 kg); New Jersey, 264,934 lb (120,172 kg); and, North Carolina, 
937,058 lb (425,042 kg).

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.162(e)(1)(i) through 
(iii), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempted 
from review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: September 30, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-21988 Filed 10-2-20; 8:45 am]
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