[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 230 (Friday, December 3, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 68569-68570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26308]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 201209-0332; RTID 0648-XB614]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Quota Transfers From NJ to NY, DE to NC, and NH to RI

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 New Jersey, Delaware, and 
New Hampshire are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial 
bluefish quota to the states of New York, North Carolina, and Rhode 
Island, 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 New Jersey, New York, Delaware, North 
Carolina, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

DATES: Effective November 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

[[Page 68570]]

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.
    New Jersey is transferring 30,000 lb (13,608 kg) to New York; 
Delaware is transferring 30,000 lb (13,608 kg) to North Carolina; and 
New Hampshire is transferring 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) to Rhode Island 
through mutual agreement of the states. These transfers were requested 
to ensure that New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island would not 
exceed their 2021 state quota. The revised bluefish quotas for 2021 
are: New Jersey, 260,082 lb (117,971 kg); New York, 387,438 lb (175,739 
kg); Delaware, 21,958 lb (79,713 kg); North Carolina, 987,377 lb (3,616 
kg); New Hampshire, 473 lb (215 kg); and Rhode Island, 264,434 lb 
(119,945 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: November 30, 2021.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-26308 Filed 11-30-21; 4:15 pm]
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