84 FR 26766 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer From NC to VA

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2019 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. 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 Virginia.

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 111 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 26766]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12155]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 190312234-9412-01]
RIN 0648-GAR-A004


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer From NC to VA

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is 
transferring a portion of its 2019 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia. 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 
Virginia.

DATES: Effective June 7, 2019, through December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9180.

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 the revised 2019 allocations 
were published on May 17, 2019 (84 FR 22392).
    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 is required to consider the criteria in Sec.  
648.102(c)(2)(i)(A) through (C) in the evaluation of requests for quota 
transfers or combinations.
    North Carolina is transferring 36,990 lb (16,778 kg) of summer 
flounder commercial quota to Virginia through mutual agreement of the 
states. This transfer was requested to repay landings made by North 
Carolina-permitted vessels in Virginia under a safe harbor agreement. 
The revised summer flounder quotas for fishing year 2019 are now: North 
Carolina, 2,974,117 lb (1,349,037 kg); and Virginia, 2,378,210 lb 
(1,078,738 kg).

Classification

    This action is taken under 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

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

    Dated: June 5, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-12155 Filed 6-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P