81 FR 40195 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 119 (June 21, 2016)

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2016 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. These quota adjustments are necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provision. This announcement informs the public of the revised commercial quotas for Virginia and North Carolina.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 40195-40196]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14650]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 150903814-5999-02]
RIN 0648-XE679


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer

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 2016 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia. These quota adjustments are necessary to 
comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery 
Management Plan quota transfer provision. This announcement informs the 
public of the revised commercial quotas for Virginia and North 
Carolina.

DATES: Effective June 20, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Scheimer, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found in 50 
CFR 648.100 through 648.110. The 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 are 
described in Sec.  648.102.
    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 3,732 lb (1,693 kg) of summer 
flounder commercial quota to Virginia. This transfer was requested by 
North Carolina to repay landings by a North Carolina-permitted vessel 
that landed in Virginia under a safe harbor agreement.
    The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2016 are now: 
Virginia, 1,759,561 lb (798,123 kg); and North Carolina, 2,143,714 lb 
(972,372 kg) based on the initial quotas published in the 2016-2018 
Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Specifications and previous 
2016 quota transfers as referenced in Table 1.

                                  Table 1--2016 Summer Flounder Quota Transfers
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                                         2016
                                    Specifications      Transfer No. 1      Transfer No. 2      Transfer No. 3
                                     Initial Quota
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Quota Transfer..................  ..................  NC to MA, RI, NJ,   NC to NJ and MA...  VA to MA.
                                                       and VA.
Federal Register................  80 FR 80689.......  81 FR 12030.......  81 FR 22032.......  81 FR 24714.
Effective Date..................  January 1, 2016...  March 7, 2016.....  April 13, 2016....  April 26, 2016.
Publication Date................  December 28, 2015.  March 8, 2016.....  April 14, 2016....  April 27, 2016.
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[[Page 40196]]

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 16, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-14650 Filed 6-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P