Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer, 53399 [2018-23137]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2018 / Rules and Regulations
Appendix A–II to Part 541—[Removed
and Reserved]
4. Appendix A–II to part 541 is
removed and reserved.
■
Issued in Washington, DC, under authority
delegated in 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.5.
Heidi R. King,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018–23045 Filed 10–22–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 170828822–70999–03]
RIN 0648–XG552
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Summer Flounder 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 Maine is transferring a portion
of its 2018 commercial summer flounder
quota to the State of Connecticut. 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 Maine
and Connecticut.
DATES: Effective October 22, 2018,
through December 31, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cynthia Ferrio, 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 2018 allocations were published
on December 22, 2017 (82 FR 60682),
and corrected January 30, 2018 (83 FR
4165).
The final rule implementing
Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder
Fishery Management Plan, as published
in the Federal Register on December 17,
khammond on DSK30JT082PROD with RULES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:56 Oct 22, 2018
Jkt 247001
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.
Maine is transferring 2,500 lb (1,134
kg) of summer flounder commercial
quota to Connecticut through mutual
agreement of the states. Based on the
initial quotas published in the 2018
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea
Bass Specifications and subsequent
adjustments, the revised summer
flounder quotas for calendar year 2018
are now: Maine, 561 lb (254 kg); and
Connecticut, 147,768 lb (67,026 kg).
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 18, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–23137 Filed 10–22–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 665
[Docket No. 180208146–8946–01]
RIN 0648–XG025
Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; 2018
U.S. Territorial Longline Bigeye Tuna
Catch Limits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Final specifications.
AGENCY:
In this final rule, NMFS
specifies a 2018 limit of 2,000 metric
tons (t) of longline-caught bigeye tuna
for each U.S. Pacific territory (American
Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands
(CNMI)). NMFS will allow each territory
to allocate up to 1,000 t each year to
U.S. longline fishing vessels in a valid
specified fishing agreement. As an
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Fmt 4700
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53399
accountability measure, NMFS will
monitor, attribute, and restrict (if
necessary), catches of longline-caught
bigeye tuna, including catches made
under a specified fishing agreement.
These catch limits and accountability
measures support the long-term
sustainability of fishery resources of the
U.S. Pacific Islands.
DATES: The final specifications are
effective October 22, 2018, through
December 31, 2018. The deadline to
submit a specified fishing agreement
pursuant to 50 CFR 665.819(b)(3) for
review is November 21, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Fishery
Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of
the Western Pacific (Pelagic FEP) are
available from the Western Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council),
1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu,
HI 96813, tel 808–522–8220, fax 808–
522–8226, or www.wpcouncil.org.
NMFS prepared environmental
analyses that describe the potential
impacts on the human environment that
would result from the action. Copies of
those analyses, which include a 2018
environmental assessment (EA) and a
finding of no significant impact
(FONSI), are available from
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20180026, or from Michael D. Tosatto,
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific
Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp Blvd.,
Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rebecca Walker, NMFS PIRO
Sustainable Fisheries, 808–725–5184.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is
specifying a catch limit of 2,000 t of
longline-caught bigeye tuna for each
U.S. territory in 2018. NMFS is also
authorizing each territory to allocate up
to 1,000 t of its 2,000 t bigeye tuna limit
to U.S. longline fishing vessels
permitted to fish under the Pelagic FEP.
NMFS will monitor catches of longlinecaught bigeye tuna by the longline
fisheries of each territory, including
catches made by U.S. longline vessels
operating under specified fishing
agreements. The criteria that a specified
fishing agreement must meet, and the
process for attributing longline-caught
bigeye tuna, will follow the procedures
in 50 CFR 665.819. When NMFS
projects that a territorial catch or
allocation limit will be reached, NMFS
will, as an accountability measure,
prohibit the catch and retention of
longline-caught bigeye tuna by vessels
in the applicable territory (territorial
catch limit), and/or vessels in a
specified fishing agreement (allocation
limit).
E:\FR\FM\23OCR1.SGM
23OCR1
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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 23, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 53399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23137]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 170828822-70999-03]
RIN 0648-XG552
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of Maine is transferring a
portion of its 2018 commercial summer flounder quota to the State of
Connecticut. 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 Maine and Connecticut.
DATES: Effective October 22, 2018, through December 31, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, 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 2018 allocations
were published on December 22, 2017 (82 FR 60682), and corrected
January 30, 2018 (83 FR 4165).
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.
Maine is transferring 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of summer flounder
commercial quota to Connecticut through mutual agreement of the states.
Based on the initial quotas published in the 2018 Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications and subsequent adjustments, the
revised summer flounder quotas for calendar year 2018 are now: Maine,
561 lb (254 kg); and Connecticut, 147,768 lb (67,026 kg).
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 18, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-23137 Filed 10-22-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
