Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Adjustment of Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder Annual Catch Limits, 13562-13563 [2017-04959]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 14, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
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VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Jkt 241001
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[FR Doc. 2017–01602 Filed 3–13–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3129–04–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 170207156–7225–01]
RIN 0648–XF219
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Northeast Multispecies
Fishery; Adjustment of Georges Bank
and Southern New England/MidAtlantic Yellowtail Flounder Annual
Catch Limits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; adjustment of
annual catch limits.
AGENCY:
This action transfers unused
quota of Georges Bank and Southern
New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail
flounder from the Atlantic scallop
fishery to the Northeast multispecies
fishery for the remainder of the 2016
fishing year, which ends on April 30,
2017. This quota transfer is justified
when the scallop fishery is not expected
to catch its entire allocations of
yellowtail flounder. The quota transfer
is intended to provide additional fishing
opportunities for groundfish vessels to
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
help achieve the optimum yield for
these stocks while ensuring sufficient
amounts of yellowtail flounder are
available for the scallop fishery.
Effective March 13, 2017,
through April 30, 2017.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emily Keiley, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281–9116.
NMFS is
required to estimate the total amount of
yellowtail flounder catch from the
scallop fishery on or around January 15
each year. If the scallop fishery is
expected to catch less than 90 percent
of its Georges Bank (GB) or Southern
New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA)
yellowtail flounder sub-ACL, the
Regional Administrator (RA) has the
authority to reduce the scallop fishery
sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) for
these stocks to the amount projected to
be caught, and increase the groundfish
fishery sub-ACL for these stocks up to
the amount reduced from the scallop
fishery. This adjustment is intended to
help achieve optimum yield for these
stocks, while not threatening an overage
of the ACLs for the stocks by the
groundfish and scallop fisheries.
Based on the most current available
data, we project that the scallop fishery
will have unused quota in the 2016
fishing year. The scallop fishery is
projected to catch approximately 2 mt of
GB yellowtail flounder, or 5 percent of
its 2016 fishing year sub-ACL, and
approximately 17 mt of SNE/MA
yellowtail flounder, or 53 percent of its
2016 fishing year sub-ACL. Because the
scallop fishery is not expected to catch
its entire allocation of GB and SNE/MA
yellowtail flounder, this rule reduces
the scallop sub-ACL for both stocks to
the upper limit projected to be caught,
and increases the groundfish sub-ACLs
for these stocks by the same amount,
effective March 13, 2017, through April
30, 2017. This transfer is based on the
upper limit of expected yellowtail
flounder catch by the scallop fishery,
which is expected to minimize any risk
of an ACL overage by the scallop fishery
while still providing additional fishing
opportunities for groundfish vessels.
Table 1 summarizes the revisions to
the 2016 fishing year sub-ACLs, and
Table 2 shows the revised allocations
for the groundfish fishery as allocated
between the sectors and common pool
based on final sector membership for
fishing year 2016.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\14MRR1.SGM
14MRR1
13563
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 14, 2017 / Rules and Regulations
TABLE 1—GEORGES BANK AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND/MID-ATLANTIC YELLOWTAIL FLOUNDER SUB-ACLS
Initial
sub-ACL
(mt)
Stock
Fishery
GB Yellowtail Flounder .........................................
Groundfish ....................
Scallop ..........................
Groundfish ....................
Scallop ..........................
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder ................................
Revised
sub-ACL
(mt)
211
42
189
32
Change
(mt)
250.8
2.2
204.2
16.8
Percent
change
+39.8
¥39.8
+15.2
¥15.2
+19
¥95
+8
¥48
TABLE 2—ALLOCATIONS FOR SECTORS AND THE COMMON POOL
[In pounds]
GB yellowtail flounder
SNE/MA yellowtail flounder
Sector name
Revised
rmajette on DSK30RV082PROD with RULES
Fixed Gear Sector/FGS ...................................................................................
Maine Coast Community Sector ......................................................................
Maine Permit Bank ..........................................................................................
Northeast Coastal Communities Sector ..........................................................
North East Fishery Sector (NEFS) 1 ...............................................................
NEFS 2 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 3 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 4 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 5 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 6 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 7 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 8 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 9 ............................................................................................................
NEFS 10 ..........................................................................................................
NEFS 11 ..........................................................................................................
NEFS 12 ..........................................................................................................
NEFS 13 ..........................................................................................................
New Hampshire Permit Bank ..........................................................................
Sustainable Harvest Sector 1 ..........................................................................
Sustainable Harvest Sector 2 ..........................................................................
Sustainable Harvest Sector 3 ..........................................................................
Common Pool ..................................................................................................
Sector Total .....................................................................................................
Groundfish Total ..............................................................................................
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator has determined
that the management measures
implemented in this final rule are
necessary for the conservation and
management of the Northeast
multispecies fishery and consistent with
the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other
applicable law.
This action is authorized by 50 CFR
part 648 and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for
Fisheries finds good cause pursuant to
5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior notice
and the opportunity for public comment
for these adjustments because notice
and comment would be impracticable
and contrary to the public interest.
NMFS is required to project GB and
SNE/MA yellowtail flounder catch in
the scallop fishery on or around January
15 of each year so that projected unused
quota can be transferred to the
groundfish fishery. The data did not
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:10 Mar 13, 2017
Jkt 241001
Original
Revised
Original
78
20
76
4,620
........................
10,312
248
11,951
7,443
14,943
18,865
58,817
139,287
6
8
2
190,714
0
6,702
12,216
68,558
8,053
544,866
552,919
66
17
64
3,887
........................
8,675
209
10,055
6,262
12,571
15,872
49,483
117,183
5
7
2
160,449
0
5,639
10,278
57,678
6,775
458,400
465,175
1,664
3,460
143
3,238
........................
7,779
300
10,569
104,801
23,697
11,114
23,468
39,219
2,388
79
47
94,545
0
2,691
10,095
33,573
77,312
372,871
450,184
1,540
3,203
132
2,997
........................
7,200
277
9,783
97,000
21,933
10,287
21,722
36,300
2,210
73
44
87,507
0
2,491
9,344
31,074
71,558
345,116
416,674
become available until February 8, 2017.
There is insufficient time to allow for
prior public notice and comment for the
transfer of quota for these yellowtail
flounder if the transfer is to be of benefit
to the groundfish fishery. The Northeast
multispecies fishing year ends on April
30, 2017. If NMFS allowed for the time
necessary to provide for prior notice and
comment, it would be unlikely that the
transfer would occur in time to allow
groundfish vessels to harvest the
additional quota of these stocks before
the end of the fishing year. As a result,
groundfish fishermen would not receive
additional allocation that is intended to
offset their current negative economic
circumstances due to the severe
decreases in ACLs of several important
groundfish stocks. Giving effect to this
rule as soon as possible will help relieve
fishermen from more restrictive ACLs
for the yellowtail stocks and help
achieve optimum yield in the fishery.
For these same reasons, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator also finds good
cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 9990
waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness
for this action. Further, there is no need
to allow the industry additional time to
adjust to this rule because it does not
require any compliance or other action
on the part of individual scallop or
groundfish fishermen.
Because notice and opportunity for
comment are not required pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the
analytical requirements of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601
et seq.) are inapplicable. Therefore, a
regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required and one has not been prepared.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 9, 2017.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–04959 Filed 3–13–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\14MRR1.SGM
14MRR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 14, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 13562-13563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04959]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 170207156-7225-01]
RIN 0648-XF219
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast
Multispecies Fishery; Adjustment of Georges Bank and Southern New
England/Mid-Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder Annual Catch Limits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; adjustment of annual catch limits.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action transfers unused quota of Georges Bank and
Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder from the Atlantic
scallop fishery to the Northeast multispecies fishery for the remainder
of the 2016 fishing year, which ends on April 30, 2017. This quota
transfer is justified when the scallop fishery is not expected to catch
its entire allocations of yellowtail flounder. The quota transfer is
intended to provide additional fishing opportunities for groundfish
vessels to help achieve the optimum yield for these stocks while
ensuring sufficient amounts of yellowtail flounder are available for
the scallop fishery.
DATES: Effective March 13, 2017, through April 30, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Keiley, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281-9116.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is required to estimate the total
amount of yellowtail flounder catch from the scallop fishery on or
around January 15 each year. If the scallop fishery is expected to
catch less than 90 percent of its Georges Bank (GB) or Southern New
England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) yellowtail flounder sub-ACL, the Regional
Administrator (RA) has the authority to reduce the scallop fishery sub-
annual catch limit (sub-ACL) for these stocks to the amount projected
to be caught, and increase the groundfish fishery sub-ACL for these
stocks up to the amount reduced from the scallop fishery. This
adjustment is intended to help achieve optimum yield for these stocks,
while not threatening an overage of the ACLs for the stocks by the
groundfish and scallop fisheries.
Based on the most current available data, we project that the
scallop fishery will have unused quota in the 2016 fishing year. The
scallop fishery is projected to catch approximately 2 mt of GB
yellowtail flounder, or 5 percent of its 2016 fishing year sub-ACL, and
approximately 17 mt of SNE/MA yellowtail flounder, or 53 percent of its
2016 fishing year sub-ACL. Because the scallop fishery is not expected
to catch its entire allocation of GB and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder,
this rule reduces the scallop sub-ACL for both stocks to the upper
limit projected to be caught, and increases the groundfish sub-ACLs for
these stocks by the same amount, effective March 13, 2017, through
April 30, 2017. This transfer is based on the upper limit of expected
yellowtail flounder catch by the scallop fishery, which is expected to
minimize any risk of an ACL overage by the scallop fishery while still
providing additional fishing opportunities for groundfish vessels.
Table 1 summarizes the revisions to the 2016 fishing year sub-ACLs,
and Table 2 shows the revised allocations for the groundfish fishery as
allocated between the sectors and common pool based on final sector
membership for fishing year 2016.
[[Page 13563]]
Table 1--Georges Bank and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder Sub-ACLs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial sub- Revised sub- Percent
Stock Fishery ACL (mt) ACL (mt) Change (mt) change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB Yellowtail Flounder........ Groundfish...... 211 250.8 +39.8 +19
Scallop......... 42 2.2 -39.8 -95
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder.... Groundfish...... 189 204.2 +15.2 +8
Scallop......... 32 16.8 -15.2 -48
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Allocations for Sectors and the Common Pool
[In pounds]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB yellowtail flounder SNE/MA yellowtail flounder
Sector name ---------------------------------------------------------------
Revised Original Revised Original
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fixed Gear Sector/FGS........................... 78 66 1,664 1,540
Maine Coast Community Sector.................... 20 17 3,460 3,203
Maine Permit Bank............................... 76 64 143 132
Northeast Coastal Communities Sector............ 4,620 3,887 3,238 2,997
North East Fishery Sector (NEFS) 1.............. .............. .............. .............. ..............
NEFS 2.......................................... 10,312 8,675 7,779 7,200
NEFS 3.......................................... 248 209 300 277
NEFS 4.......................................... 11,951 10,055 10,569 9,783
NEFS 5.......................................... 7,443 6,262 104,801 97,000
NEFS 6.......................................... 14,943 12,571 23,697 21,933
NEFS 7.......................................... 18,865 15,872 11,114 10,287
NEFS 8.......................................... 58,817 49,483 23,468 21,722
NEFS 9.......................................... 139,287 117,183 39,219 36,300
NEFS 10......................................... 6 5 2,388 2,210
NEFS 11......................................... 8 7 79 73
NEFS 12......................................... 2 2 47 44
NEFS 13......................................... 190,714 160,449 94,545 87,507
New Hampshire Permit Bank....................... 0 0 0 0
Sustainable Harvest Sector 1.................... 6,702 5,639 2,691 2,491
Sustainable Harvest Sector 2.................... 12,216 10,278 10,095 9,344
Sustainable Harvest Sector 3.................... 68,558 57,678 33,573 31,074
Common Pool..................................... 8,053 6,775 77,312 71,558
Sector Total.................................... 544,866 458,400 372,871 345,116
Groundfish Total................................ 552,919 465,175 450,184 416,674
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the
NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that the management
measures implemented in this final rule are necessary for the
conservation and management of the Northeast multispecies fishery and
consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law.
This action is authorized by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries finds good cause pursuant
to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) to waive prior notice and the opportunity for
public comment for these adjustments because notice and comment would
be impracticable and contrary to the public interest. NMFS is required
to project GB and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder catch in the scallop
fishery on or around January 15 of each year so that projected unused
quota can be transferred to the groundfish fishery. The data did not
become available until February 8, 2017. There is insufficient time to
allow for prior public notice and comment for the transfer of quota for
these yellowtail flounder if the transfer is to be of benefit to the
groundfish fishery. The Northeast multispecies fishing year ends on
April 30, 2017. If NMFS allowed for the time necessary to provide for
prior notice and comment, it would be unlikely that the transfer would
occur in time to allow groundfish vessels to harvest the additional
quota of these stocks before the end of the fishing year. As a result,
groundfish fishermen would not receive additional allocation that is
intended to offset their current negative economic circumstances due to
the severe decreases in ACLs of several important groundfish stocks.
Giving effect to this rule as soon as possible will help relieve
fishermen from more restrictive ACLs for the yellowtail stocks and help
achieve optimum yield in the fishery. For these same reasons, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator also finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness for this action.
Further, there is no need to allow the industry additional time to
adjust to this rule because it does not require any compliance or other
action on the part of individual scallop or groundfish fishermen.
Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements
of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are
inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required and one has not been prepared.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 9, 2017.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-04959 Filed 3-13-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
