[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 38 (Friday, February 25, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10717-10718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03921]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 210723-0150; RTID 0648-XB805]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Possession and Trip Limit Increases for the 
Common Pool Fishery

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.

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SUMMARY: This action increases the possession and trip limits of Gulf 
of Maine cod, Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, and witch 
flounder for Northeast multispecies common pool vessels for the 
remainder of the 2021 fishing year. This action will provide the common 
pool fishery greater opportunity to harvest, but not exceed, the annual 
quotas for these stocks.

DATES: These possession and trip limit adjustments are effective 
February 24, 2022, through April 30, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations at Sec.  648.86(o) authorize 
the Regional Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for 
common pool vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest 
of the common pool quotas.
    Based on the most recent catch information, the common pool fishery 
has caught low amounts of the following species relative to the annual 
quotas for each of these stocks (Table 1): Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod; 
Cape Cod (CC)/GOM yellowtail flounder; and witch flounder. At the 
current rate of fishing, we project that the common pool fishery will 
not fully harvest the annual quotas for these stocks by the end of 
fishing year 2021. Providing vessels an opportunity to possess and land 
greater amounts of catch should provide greater incentive to fish and 
more opportunity to catch available quota. Based on our review of past 
fishing effort and performance under various possession and trip 
limits, we project that this action's increases in the possession and 
trip limits for these stocks should provide additional fishing 
opportunities and flexibility to facilitate catching available quota 
while ensuring that the common pool does not exceed its annual quotas.

                         Table 1--Summary of Common Pool Catch Through January 18, 2022
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                FY 2021 catch
                            Stock                                   (mt)         Sub-ACL (mt)    Percent caught
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM cod.....................................................               2.6             8.2              31.4
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder..................................              14.8            41.4              35.7
Witch flounder..............................................              20.3            44.2                46
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    Effective February 24, 2022, until April 30, 2022, NMFS increases 
the possession and trip limits summarized in Tables 2 and 3.

                              Table 2--Previous FY 2021 Possession and Trip Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     A Days-at-Sea                           Small vessel
              Stock                      (DAS)            Handgear A           category           Handgear B
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM cod.........................  100 lb (45.4 kg)          100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip.        25 lb (11.3 kg)
                                   per DAS, up to                                              per trip.
                                   200 lb (90.7 kg)
                                   per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder......  1,000 lb (453.6     1,000 lb (453.6     300 lb (136.1 kg)   1,000 lb (453.6
                                   kg) per DAS, up     kg) per trip.       per trip.           kg) per trip.
                                   to 2,000 lb
                                   (907.2 kg) per
                                   trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Witch flounder..................                           1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 10718]]


                                 Table 3--New FY 2021 Possession and Trip Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     A Days-at-Sea                           Small vessel
              Stock                      (DAS)            Handgear A           category           Handgear B
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM cod.........................  200 lb (90.7 kg)          200 lb (90.7 kg) per trip.        25 lb (11.3 kg)
                                   per DAS, up to                                              per trip.
                                   400 lb (181.4 kg)
                                   per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder......  1,500 lb (680.4     1,500 lb (680.4     300 lb (136.1 kg)   1,500 lb (680.4
                                   kg) per DAS, up     kg) per trip.       per trip.           kg) per trip.
                                   to 3,000 lb
                                   (1,360.8 kg) per
                                   trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Witch flounder..................                           2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Weekly quota monitoring reports for the common pool fishery can be 
found on our website at: https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/ro/fso/reports/h/nemultispecies.html. We will continue to monitor common pool catch 
through vessel trip reports, dealer-reported landings, Vessel 
Monitoring System catch reports, and other available information and, 
if necessary, we will make additional adjustments to common pool 
management measures.

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act consistent with 50 CFR 648.86(o), which was issued pursuant 
to section 304(b), and is exempt from review under Executive Order 
12866. The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds good 
cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive 
prior notice and the opportunity for public comment and the 30-day 
delayed effectiveness period because this action relieves possession 
and landing restrictions, and delayed implementation would be 
impracticable and contrary to the public interest.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.86(o) authorize the Regional 
Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for common pool 
vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest of the 
common pool quotas. Our analysis indicates that this action's increased 
possession and trip limit adjustments for these stocks should help the 
fishery achieve catching the allocated amounts for each stock. Any 
delay in this action would limit the benefits to common pool vessels 
that the increased landing and possession limits are intended to 
provide.
    The time necessary to provide for prior notice and comment, and a 
30-day delay in effectiveness, would keep NMFS from implementing the 
necessary possession and trip limit before the end of the fishing year 
on April 30, 2022, which could prevent the fishery from catching the 
allocated amounts for each stock and cause negative economic impacts to 
the common pool fishery. This would undermine management objectives of 
the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and cause 
unnecessary negative economic impacts to the common pool fishery. The 
public received prior notice and an opportunity to comment on the 
Regional Administrator's exercise of this authority. The fishing 
industry participants have experienced these adjustments and have 
become accustomed to this process. There is additional good cause to 
waive the delayed effective period because this action relieves 
restrictions on fishing vessels by increasing a trip limit.

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

    Dated: February 17, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-03921 Filed 2-23-22; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P