[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 48617-48618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17179]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

RIN 0648-BI18


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 20 to the 
Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed fishery management plan 
amendment; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council has submitted Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean 
Quahog Fishery Management Plan for review and approval by the Secretary 
of Commerce. We are requesting comments from the public on the 
amendment. Amendment 20, also known as the Excessive Shares Amendment, 
would establish limits to the amount of surfclam or ocean quahog 
individual transferable quota share or annual allocation in the form of 
cage tags that an individual or their family members could hold.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 11, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2020-0112, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2020-0112 in the Search box. 
Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Michael Pentony, Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 
Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the 
envelope: ``Comments on Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares 
Amendment.''
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    Copies of Amendment 20, including the draft Environmental 
Assessment (EA), are available on request from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901. 
These documents are also accessible via the internet at https://www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
978-281-9341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are soliciting public comments on 
Amendment 20, also known as the Excessive Shares Amendment, and its 
incorporated documents through the end of the comment period stated in 
this notice of availability. We will soon publish a proposed rule that 
would implement the amendment's management measures in the Federal 
Register for public comment, allowing for NMFS's evaluation of the 
proposed rule under the procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act. Public comments on the proposed rule 
must be received by the end of the comment period provided in this 
notice of availability to be considered in the approval/disapproval 
decision on the amendment. All comments received by October 11, 2022, 
whether specifically directed to the amendment or the proposed rule 
will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the 
amendment. To be considered, comments must be received by close of 
business on the last day of the comment period. Comments received after 
that date will not be considered in the decision to approve or 
disapprove Amendment 20, including those

[[Page 48618]]

postmarked or otherwise transmitted by the last day of the comment 
period.
    The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed this 
amendment to limit the amount of surfclam or ocean quahog individual 
transferable quota (ITQ) share or annual allocation in the form of cage 
tags that an individual or their family members could hold. The 
Amendment would prohibit an ITQ shareholder, including business owners 
and their immediate family members, from acquiring ownership of more 
than 35 percent of the surfclam quota or 40 percent of the ocean quahog 
quota. A separate, higher cap would be established for the maximum 
amount of available cage tags that an ITQ permit holder may acquire 
through leasing or other transactions during the course of an 
individual fishing year of 65 percent for surfclam tags and 70 percent 
for ocean quahog tags.
    Additional details of the proposed measures are available in the 
amendment document and the proposed rule.

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

    Dated: August 5, 2022.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-17179 Filed 8-9-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P