[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 5, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 54875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21676]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 201209-0332; RTID 0648-XB484]


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

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 Commonwealth of Virginia and the State 
of New Jersey are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial 
bluefish quota to the State of Rhode Island and the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, 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 Virginia, Rhode Island, New 
Jersey, and Massachusetts.

DATES: Effective September 30, 2021, through December 31, 2021.

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 2021 allocations were 
published on December 16, 2020 (85 FR 81421).
    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.
    Virginia is transferring 20,000 lb (9,072 kg) to Rhode Island, and 
New Jersey is transferring 50,000 lb (22,680 kg) to Massachusetts 
through mutual agreement of the states. These transfers were requested 
to ensure that Rhode Island and Massachusetts would not exceed their 
2021 state quota. The revised bluefish quotas for 2021 are: Virginia, 
238,800 lb (108,318 kg); Rhode Island, 223,434 lb (101,348 kg); New 
Jersey, 320,082 lb (145,187 kg); and, Massachusetts, 235,904 lb 
(107,004 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, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-21676 Filed 9-30-21; 4:15 pm]
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