Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer, 46936 [2017-21739]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 10, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 46936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21739]



[[Page 46936]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 161017970-6999-02]
RIN 0648-XF722


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 New Jersey is transferring a 
portion of its 2017 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of 
Rhode Island. 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 New Jersey and Rhode Island.

DATES: Effective October 4, 2017, through December 31, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Hanson, 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 initial 2017 allocations 
were published on December 22, 2016 (81 FR 93842).
    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.
    New Jersey is transferring 380 lb (172 kg) of summer flounder 
commercial quota to Rhode Island. This transfer was requested to repay 
landings by a New Jersey-permitted vessel that landed in Rhode Island 
under a safe harbor agreement.
    The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2017 are now: 
New Jersey, 946,132 lb (429,158 kg); and Rhode Island, 887,922 lb 
(402,755 kg); based on the initial quotas published in the 2017 Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications and subsequent 
transfers.

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: October 4, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-21739 Filed 10-4-17; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P