Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery; Notification of Butterfish Quota Transfer, 66323-66324 [2014-26413]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
season end date in the Federal Register
prior to the start of the recreational
fishing year on April 1. On and after the
effective date of the recreational closure
notification, the bag and possession
limit for black sea bass in or from the
South Atlantic EEZ is zero. This bag and
possession limit applies in the South
Atlantic on board a vessel for which a
valid Federal charter vessel/headboat
permit for South Atlantic snappergrouper has been issued, without regard
to where such species were harvested,
i.e. in state or Federal waters.
*
*
*
*
*
(f) * * *
(2) Recreational sector. (i) If
recreational landings, as estimated by
the SRD, reach or are projected to reach
the applicable recreational ACL
specified in paragraph (f)(2)(iv) of this
section the AA will file a notification
with the Office of the Federal Register
to close the recreational sector for
vermilion snapper for the remainder of
the fishing year. On and after the
effective date of such notification, the
bag and possession limit for vermilion
snapper in or from the South Atlantic
EEZ is zero. This bag and possession
limit also applies in the South Atlantic
on board a vessel for which a valid
Federal commercial or charter vessel/
headboat permit for South Atlantic
snapper-grouper has been issued,
without regard to where such species
were harvested, i.e., in state or Federal
waters.
(ii) If the combined vermilion snapper
commercial and recreational landings
exceed the combined vermilion snapper
ACLs specified in paragraphs (f)(1) and
(f)(2)(iv) of this section, and vermilion
snapper are overfished, based on the
most recent Status of U.S. Fisheries
Report to Congress, the AA will file a
notification with the Office of the
Federal Register, at or near the
beginning of the following fishing year
to reduce the recreational ACL for that
following year by the amount of the
recreational overage in the prior fishing
year.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2014–26501 Filed 11–6–14; 8:45 am]
rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:20 Nov 06, 2014
Jkt 235001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 130903775–4276–02]
RIN 0648–XD603
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fishery; Notification of
Butterfish Quota Transfer
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason
adjustment.
AGENCY:
NMFS transfers quota to the
2014 butterfish domestic annual harvest
allocation from the butterfish mortality
cap on the longfin squid fishery in order
to prevent an overage of the directed
butterfish fishery. This action complies
with the 2014 specifications and
management measures for the Atlantic
Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Fishery
Management Plan.
DATES: Effective November 3, 2014,
through December 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aja
Szumylo, Fishery Policy Analyst, (978)
281–9195.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the butterfish
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648.
The regulations require annual
specification of the overfishing limit,
acceptable biological catch (ABC),
annual catch limit (ACL), domestic
harvest and processing (DAH and DAP),
and butterfish mortality cap on the
longfin squid fishery. The 2014
butterfish DAH for the directed
butterfish fishery was set as 3,200 mt,
and the butterfish mortality cap on the
longfin squid fishery was set at 3,844 mt
(79 FR 18834, April 4, 2014). The
regulations allow NMFS to transfer up
to 50 percent of any unused butterfish
allocation from the butterfish mortality
cap allocation to the butterfish domestic
annual harvest (DAH) if harvest of
butterfish in the directed butterfish
fishery is likely to exceed the DAH, and
provided the transfer of butterfish from
the butterfish mortality cap allocation
does not increase the likelihood of
closing the longfin squid fishery due to
the harvest of the butterfish mortality
cap. When such a determination is
made, NMFS is required to publish a
notification in the Federal Register to
adjust the butterfish DAH and butterfish
mortality cap.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00057
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
66323
NMFS has determined that only 12
percent of the butterfish mortality cap
has been harvested as of October 30,
2014, that 86 percent of the butterfish
DAH has been harvested, and that the
butterfish mortality cap will not be
exceeded if 50 percent of the allocation
is transferred to the butterfish DAH.
Therefore, effective immediately, 1,900
mt will be transferred from the
butterfish mortality cap to the butterfish
DAH in order to prevent a DAH overage,
and to allow for the continued operation
of the directed butterfish fishery. The
adjusted butterfish mortality cap on the
longfin squid fishery is 1,984 mt, and
the adjusted butterfish DAH is 5,100 mt.
The three-phase management system for
butterfish still applies to the directed
butterfish fishery, meaning that, during
November and December, the fishery
will move to phase 2 (i.e., the
possession limit for the directed fishery
will be reduced to 5,000 mt for vessels
fishing with greater than 3 inch (76 mm)
mesh) when the butterfish harvest
reaches 82 percent of the DAH (4,182
mt). Similarly, the closure threshold for
the butterfish mortality cap on the
longfin squid fishery would still apply,
meaning that the directed longfin squid
fishery would be closed if butterfish
discards reach 1,885 mt (95 percent of
the 1,984 mt butterfish mortality cap).
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part
648 and is exempt from review under
Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries, NOAA (AA), finds good cause
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive
prior notice and the opportunity for
public comment because it is
impracticable and contrary to the public
interest. This action increases the
butterfish DAH by 1,900 mt (from 3,200
mt to 5,100 mt) through December 31,
2014. The regulations at § 648.24(c)(5)
allow for a transfer of allocation from
the butterfish mortality cap to the
butterfish DAH to allow for efficient
utilization of the butterfish resource.
The butterfish fishing year extends from
January 1 to December 31. Data indicate
that, as of October 30, 2014, 86 percent
of the butterfish DAH has been
harvested. For the month of October,
vessels participating in the directed
butterfish fishery have been able to
harvest an average of 51,000 lb (19 mt)
per day, or close to 350,000 lb (131 mt)
per week. The longfin squid fishery has
harvested butterfish discards, which
count against the butterfish mortality
cap, at a very slow rate this year. As of
October 30, 2014, only 12 percent of the
butterfish mortality cap on the longfin
squid fishery has been harvested,
E:\FR\FM\07NOR1.SGM
07NOR1
66324
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations
meaning that just over 1 percent of the
butterfish mortality cap has been
harvested each month. At this rate,
NMFS has projected that less than 15
percent of the current (3,884 mt)
butterfish mortality cap will be
harvested by December 31, 2014. If
implementation of this quota transfer is
delayed to solicit public comment, the
increase may not be effective prior to
the end of the 2014 fishing year and
butterfish that is currently allocated to
the longfin squid fishery may go
unutilized, thereby undermining the
intended economic benefits associated
with this action. Transferring the
allocation allows the directed butterfish
fishery to continue to target butterfish
while the fish are available. NMFS
further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3), good cause to waive the 30day delayed effectiveness period for the
reasons stated above.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 3, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–26413 Filed 11–3–14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
specification of a commercial quota that
is apportioned among the coastal states
from Florida through Maine. The
process to set the annual commercial
quota and the percent allocated to each
state are described in § 648.162.
The final rule implementing
Amendment 1 to the Bluefish Fishery
Management Plan, which was published
in the Federal Register on July 26, 2000
(65 FR 45844), provided a mechanism
for bluefish quota to be transferred from
one state to another. Two or more states,
under mutual agreement and with the
concurrence of the Administrator,
Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS
(Regional Administrator), can transfer or
combine bluefish commercial quota
under § 648.162(e). The Regional
Administrator is required to consider
the criteria in § 648.162(e)(1) in the
evaluation of requests for quota transfers
or combinations.
Florida has agreed to transfer 250,000
lb (113,398 kg) of its 2014 commercial
quota to New York. This transfer was
prompted by the diligent efforts of state
officials in New York not to exceed the
commercial bluefish quota. The
Regional Administrator has determined
that the criteria set forth in
§ 648.162(e)(1) have been met. The
revised bluefish quotas for calendar year
2014 are: Florida, 500,309 lb (226,936
kg); and New York, 1,024,579 lb
(464,741 kg).
Classification
50 CFR Part 648
This action is taken under 50 CFR
part 648 and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
[Docket No. 140214138–4482–02]
RIN 0648–XD584
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Bluefish Fishery; Quota
Transfer
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
State of Florida is transferring a portion
of its 2014 commercial bluefish quota to
the State of New York. By this action,
NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces
the revised commercial quota for each
state involved.
DATES: Effective November 3, 2014
through December 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carly Bari, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978–281–9224.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the bluefish
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648.
The regulations require annual
rmajette on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with RULES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
14:20 Nov 06, 2014
Jkt 235001
Dated: November 3, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–26412 Filed 11–3–14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 679
[Docket No. 131115973–4885–02]
RIN 0648–BD74
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Amendment 96 to the
Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management
Plan; Management of Community
Quota Entities
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00058
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
NMFS publishes regulations
to implement Amendment 96 to the
Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP)
and an amendment to the Pacific halibut
commercial fishery regulations for
waters in and off Alaska. Amendment
96 to the FMP and the regulatory
amendment modify the Individual
Fishing Quota Program for the FixedGear Commercial Fisheries for Pacific
Halibut and Sablefish in Waters in and
off Alaska (IFQ Program). This action
will remove a regulation that prohibits
a Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Community
Quota Entity (CQE) from transferring
and holding small blocks of halibut and
sablefish quota share (QS). This action
will allow CQEs to acquire additional
QS and facilitate CQE community
resident participation in the IFQ
Program. This action promotes the goals
and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of
1982, the FMP, and other applicable
law.
DATES: Effective December 8, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of this
rule, the Regulatory Impact Review
(RIR)/Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis (IRFA) (collectively, Analysis),
and the proposed rule prepared for
Amendment 96 and the regulatory
amendment may be obtained from
https://www.regulations.gov or from the
NMFS Alaska Region Web site at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. An electronic
copy of the 2010 Review of the CQE
Program under the Halibut and
Sablefish IFQ Program prepared by the
North Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) is available from the
Council Web site at www.npfmc.org/
community-quota-entity-program.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peggy Murphy, (907) 586–7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Regulatory Authority
NMFS issues regulations to
implement Amendment 96 to the FMP
and revise the halibut and sablefish
provisions of the CQE Program. The
Council recommended and NMFS
approved the FMP in 1978 under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.). Regulations implementing
the FMP and general regulations
governing sablefish appear at 50 CFR
part 679. Fishing for Pacific halibut
(Hippoglossus stenolepis) is managed by
E:\FR\FM\07NOR1.SGM
07NOR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 216 (Friday, November 7, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 66323-66324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26413]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 130903775-4276-02]
RIN 0648-XD603
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel,
Squid, and Butterfish Fishery; Notification of Butterfish Quota
Transfer
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS transfers quota to the 2014 butterfish domestic annual
harvest allocation from the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin
squid fishery in order to prevent an overage of the directed butterfish
fishery. This action complies with the 2014 specifications and
management measures for the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish
Fishery Management Plan.
DATES: Effective November 3, 2014, through December 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aja Szumylo, Fishery Policy Analyst,
(978) 281-9195.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the butterfish fishery
are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual
specification of the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch
(ABC), annual catch limit (ACL), domestic harvest and processing (DAH
and DAP), and butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery.
The 2014 butterfish DAH for the directed butterfish fishery was set as
3,200 mt, and the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery
was set at 3,844 mt (79 FR 18834, April 4, 2014). The regulations allow
NMFS to transfer up to 50 percent of any unused butterfish allocation
from the butterfish mortality cap allocation to the butterfish domestic
annual harvest (DAH) if harvest of butterfish in the directed
butterfish fishery is likely to exceed the DAH, and provided the
transfer of butterfish from the butterfish mortality cap allocation
does not increase the likelihood of closing the longfin squid fishery
due to the harvest of the butterfish mortality cap. When such a
determination is made, NMFS is required to publish a notification in
the Federal Register to adjust the butterfish DAH and butterfish
mortality cap.
NMFS has determined that only 12 percent of the butterfish
mortality cap has been harvested as of October 30, 2014, that 86
percent of the butterfish DAH has been harvested, and that the
butterfish mortality cap will not be exceeded if 50 percent of the
allocation is transferred to the butterfish DAH. Therefore, effective
immediately, 1,900 mt will be transferred from the butterfish mortality
cap to the butterfish DAH in order to prevent a DAH overage, and to
allow for the continued operation of the directed butterfish fishery.
The adjusted butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery is
1,984 mt, and the adjusted butterfish DAH is 5,100 mt. The three-phase
management system for butterfish still applies to the directed
butterfish fishery, meaning that, during November and December, the
fishery will move to phase 2 (i.e., the possession limit for the
directed fishery will be reduced to 5,000 mt for vessels fishing with
greater than 3 inch (76 mm) mesh) when the butterfish harvest reaches
82 percent of the DAH (4,182 mt). Similarly, the closure threshold for
the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery would still
apply, meaning that the directed longfin squid fishery would be closed
if butterfish discards reach 1,885 mt (95 percent of the 1,984 mt
butterfish mortality cap).
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA), finds good
cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior notice and the
opportunity for public comment because it is impracticable and contrary
to the public interest. This action increases the butterfish DAH by
1,900 mt (from 3,200 mt to 5,100 mt) through December 31, 2014. The
regulations at Sec. 648.24(c)(5) allow for a transfer of allocation
from the butterfish mortality cap to the butterfish DAH to allow for
efficient utilization of the butterfish resource. The butterfish
fishing year extends from January 1 to December 31. Data indicate that,
as of October 30, 2014, 86 percent of the butterfish DAH has been
harvested. For the month of October, vessels participating in the
directed butterfish fishery have been able to harvest an average of
51,000 lb (19 mt) per day, or close to 350,000 lb (131 mt) per week.
The longfin squid fishery has harvested butterfish discards, which
count against the butterfish mortality cap, at a very slow rate this
year. As of October 30, 2014, only 12 percent of the butterfish
mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery has been harvested,
[[Page 66324]]
meaning that just over 1 percent of the butterfish mortality cap has
been harvested each month. At this rate, NMFS has projected that less
than 15 percent of the current (3,884 mt) butterfish mortality cap will
be harvested by December 31, 2014. If implementation of this quota
transfer is delayed to solicit public comment, the increase may not be
effective prior to the end of the 2014 fishing year and butterfish that
is currently allocated to the longfin squid fishery may go unutilized,
thereby undermining the intended economic benefits associated with this
action. Transferring the allocation allows the directed butterfish
fishery to continue to target butterfish while the fish are available.
NMFS further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3), good cause to waive
the 30-day delayed effectiveness period for the reasons stated above.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 3, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-26413 Filed 11-3-14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
