Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfers, 3405-3406 [2018-01376]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 17 / Thursday, January 25, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with RULES
procedures and criteria, the state of
Georgia has determined that unusually
cold temperatures have occurred and
that state water temperatures have been
9 °C (48 °F), or less, for at least 7
consecutive days and that these cold
weather conditions pose a risk to the
condition and vulnerability of
overwintering white shrimp populations
in its state waters. Georgia closed its
waters on January 15, 2018, to the
harvest of brown, pink, and white
shrimp, and has requested that NMFS
implement a concurrent closure of the
EEZ off Georgia. In accordance with the
procedures described in the FMP, the
state of Georgia submitted a letter to the
NMFS Regional Administrator (RA) on
January 17, 2018, requesting that NMFS
close the EEZ adjacent to Georgia to
penaeid shrimp harvest as a result of
severe cold weather conditions.
NMFS has determined that the
recommended Federal closure conforms
with the procedures and criteria
specified in the FMP and the MagnusonStevens Act, and, therefore, implements
the Federal closure effective January 24,
2018. The closure will be effective until
the ending date of the closure in Georgia
state waters, but may be ended earlier
based on a request from the state. NMFS
will terminate the closure of the EEZ by
filing a notification to that effect with
the Office of the Federal Register.
During the closure, as specified in 50
CFR 622.206(a)(2), no person may: (1)
Trawl for brown, pink, or white shrimp
in the EEZ off Georgia; (2) possess on
board a fishing vessel brown, pink, or
white shrimp in or from the EEZ off
Georgia unless the vessel is in transit
through the area and all nets with a
mesh size of less than 4 inches (10.2
cm), as measured between the centers of
opposite knots when pulled taut, are
stowed below deck; or (3) for a vessel
trawling within 25 nautical miles of the
baseline from which the territorial sea is
measured, use or have on board a trawl
net with a mesh size less than 4 inches
(10.2 cm), as measured between the
centers of opposite knots when pulled
taut.
Classification
The Regional Administrator for the
NMFS Southeast Region has determined
this temporary rule is necessary for the
conservation and management of the
spawning stock of white shrimp off
Georgia and is consistent with the FMP,
the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other
applicable laws.
This action is taken under 50 CFR
622.206(a) and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
These measures are exempt from the
procedures of the Regulatory Flexibility
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:01 Jan 24, 2018
Jkt 244001
Act because the temporary rule is issued
without opportunity for prior notice and
comment.
This action responds to the best
scientific information available recently
obtained from the fishery. The Assistant
Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA,
(AA), finds that the need to immediately
implement this action to close the EEZ
off Georgia to trawling for penaeid
shrimp constitutes good cause to waive
the requirements to provide prior notice
and opportunity for public comment
pursuant to the authority set forth in 5
U.S.C. 553(b)(B), as such procedures
would be unnecessary because the rule
itself has been subject to notice and
comment, and all that remains is to
notify the public of the closure.
Providing prior notice and
opportunity for public comment also is
contrary to the public interest because
of the need to immediately implement
this action to protect the spawning stock
of white shrimp off Georgia. Prior notice
and opportunity for public comment
would require time and would
potentially further harm the spawning
stock that has been impacted due to
cold weather.
For the aforementioned reasons, the
AA also finds good cause to waive the
30-day delay in effectiveness of this
action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 22, 2018.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–01386 Filed 1–24–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 161017970–6999–02]
RIN 0648–XF937
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Summer Flounder Fishery;
Quota Transfers
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfers.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces two
retroactive commercial summer
flounder quota transfers for the 2017
fishing year. The State of New York is
transferring a portion of its quota to the
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
3405
State of New Jersey, and the State of
North Carolina is transferring 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
provisions. This announcement informs
the public of the revised 2017
commercial quotas for New York, New
Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.
DATES: Effective January 24, 2018,
through December 31, 2018.
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 § 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 § 648.102(c)(2).
The Regional Administrator is required
to consider the criteria in
§ 648.102(c)(2)(i)(A) through (C) in the
evaluation of requests for quota transfers
or combinations.
This action includes two transfers of
fishing year 2017 summer flounder
commercial quota: New York is
transferring 384 lb (174 kg) of quota to
New Jersey; North Carolina is
transferring 11,902 lb (5,399 kg) of quota
to Virginia. Both of these transfers were
requested to repay landings made in the
receiving states under a safe harbor
agreement. The revised summer
flounder quotas for calendar year 2017
are now: New York, 435,380 lb (197,485
kg); New Jersey, 946,516 lb (429,332 kg);
North Carolina, 1,524,791 lb (691,634
kg); and Virginia, 1,228,191 lb (557,098
kg); based on the initial quotas
published in the 2017 Summer
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Specifications and subsequent transfers.
The 2017 fishing year ended
December 31, 2017. The revised 2017
E:\FR\FM\25JAR1.SGM
25JAR1
3406
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 17 / Thursday, January 25, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with RULES
quotas will be used by NMFS in the
ongoing quota accounting that is
finalized in late 2018. These transfers
were requested as a result of
unforeseeable late-season events.
Specifically, two landing events where
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:01 Jan 24, 2018
Jkt 244001
vessels were granted safe harbor too late
in the year to publish notice in 2017.
Classification
This action is taken under 50 CFR
part 648 and is exempt from review
under Executive Order 12866.
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 9990
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 19, 2018.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–01376 Filed 1–24–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\25JAR1.SGM
25JAR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 17 (Thursday, January 25, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 3405-3406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01376]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 161017970-6999-02]
RIN 0648-XF937
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder
Fishery; Quota Transfers
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces two retroactive commercial summer flounder
quota transfers for the 2017 fishing year. The State of New York is
transferring a portion of its quota to the State of New Jersey, and the
State of North Carolina is transferring 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 provisions. This announcement informs the public of the
revised 2017 commercial quotas for New York, New Jersey, North
Carolina, and Virginia.
DATES: Effective January 24, 2018, through December 31, 2018.
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.
This action includes two transfers of fishing year 2017 summer
flounder commercial quota: New York is transferring 384 lb (174 kg) of
quota to New Jersey; North Carolina is transferring 11,902 lb (5,399
kg) of quota to Virginia. Both of these transfers were requested to
repay landings made in the receiving states under a safe harbor
agreement. The revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2017
are now: New York, 435,380 lb (197,485 kg); New Jersey, 946,516 lb
(429,332 kg); North Carolina, 1,524,791 lb (691,634 kg); and Virginia,
1,228,191 lb (557,098 kg); based on the initial quotas published in the
2017 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications and
subsequent transfers.
The 2017 fishing year ended December 31, 2017. The revised 2017
[[Page 3406]]
quotas will be used by NMFS in the ongoing quota accounting that is
finalized in late 2018. These transfers were requested as a result of
unforeseeable late-season events. Specifically, two landing events
where vessels were granted safe harbor too late in the year to publish
notice in 2017.
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: January 19, 2018.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-01376 Filed 1-24-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
