[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 226 (Monday, November 23, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 74612-74613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25717]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[RTID 0648-XA648]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer from NC to CT

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

ACTION: Notification; quota transfer.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is 
transferring a portion of its 2020 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the State of Connecticut. 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 Connecticut.

DATES: Effective November 20, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

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 final 2020 allocations were 
published on October 9, 2019 (84 FR 54041).

[[Page 74613]]

    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 must approve any such transfer based on the criteria in 
Sec.  648.102(c)(2)(i). 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.
    North Carolina is transferring 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) to 
Connecticut. This transfer is occurring through mutual agreement of the 
states. This transfer was requested to ensure Connecticut would not 
exceed its 2020 quota. The revised summer flounder quotas for fishing 
year 2020 are now: North Carolina, 3,085,501 lb (1,399,560 kg); and 
Connecticut, 300,241 lb (136,187 kg).

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2)(i)(A) 
through (C), 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: November 17, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-25717 Filed 11-20-20; 8:45 am]
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