Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer From North Carolina to Virginia, 41899-41900 [2024-10573]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 14, 2024 / Rules and Regulations Classification Pursuant to section 304(b)(3) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that this final rule is consistent with the framework action, the FMP, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the U.S. Constitution, and other applicable law. This final rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866. The Magnuson-Stevens Act provides the legal basis for this final rule. No duplicative, overlapping, or conflicting Federal rules have been identified. A description of this final rule, why it is being considered, and the purpose of this final rule are contained in the SUMMARY and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION sections of this final rule. The objective of this final rule is to improve the management of red snapper and gray snapper based on the best scientific information available. The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) during the proposed rule stage that this action would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The factual basis for the certification was published in the proposed rule and is not repeated here. NMFS did not receive any comments from SBA’s Office of Advocacy or the public regarding the certification in the proposed rule. As a result, a final regulatory flexibility analysis was not required and none was prepared. This final rule contains no information collection requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. § 622.23 State management of the red snapper recreational sector private angling component in the Gulf EEZ. (a) * * * (1) * * * (ii) * * * (A) Alabama regional management area—664,552 lb (301,436 kg); Federal equivalent—1,212,687 lb (550,066 kg). (B) Florida regional management area—2,769,631 lb (1,256,283 kg); Federal equivalent—2,066,889 lb (937,525 kg). * * * * * (D) Mississippi regional management area—82,342 lb (37,350 kg); Federal equivalent—163,702 lb (74,254 kg). * * * * * ■ 3. In § 622.41, revise paragraph (l) to read as follows: § 622.41 Annual catch limits (ACLs), annual catch targets (ACTs), and accountability measures (AMs). * * * * * (l) Gray snapper. If the sum of the commercial and recreational landings, as estimated by the SRD, exceeds the stock ACL, then during the following fishing year, if the sum of commercial and recreational landings reaches or is projected to reach the stock ACL, the AA will file a notification with the Office of the Federal Register to close the commercial and recreational sectors for the remainder of that fishing year. The stock ACL for gray snapper is 5.728 million lb (2.598 million kg), round weight. * * * * * [FR Doc. 2024–10468 Filed 5–13–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Annual catch limits, Fisheries, Fishing, Gulf, Recreational, Red snapper, Reef fish. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Dated: May 8, 2024. Samuel D. Rauch, III, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service. 50 CFR Part 648 [Docket No. 231215–0305; RTID 0648– XD957] Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer From North Carolina to Virginia For the reasons set out in the preamble, NMFS amends 50 CFR part 622 as follows: khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES 2. In § 622.23, revise paragraphs (a)(1)(ii)(A), (B), and (D) to read as follows: ■ PART 622—FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND SOUTH ATLANTIC 1. The authority citation for part 622 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:51 May 13, 2024 Jkt 262001 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer. AGENCY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 4700 41899 portion of its 2024 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia. This adjustment to the 2024 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2024 commercial quotas for North Carolina and Virginia. DATES: Effective May 13, 2024 through December 31, 2024. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Deighan, Fishery Management Specialist, (978) 281–9184. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.111. 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 final 2024 allocations were published on December 21, 2023 (88 FR 88266). The final rule implementing amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder FMP, 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 three criteria in the evaluation of requests for quota transfers or combinations: (1) the transfers or combinations would not preclude the overall annual quota from being fully harvested; (2) the transfers address an unforeseen variation or contingency in the fishery; and (3) the transfers are consistent with the objectives of the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Regional Administrator has determined these three criteria have been met for the transfer approved in this notification. North Carolina is transferring 18,043 pounds (lb; 8,184 kilograms (kg)) to Virginia through a mutual agreement between the states. This transfer was requested to repay landings made by an out-of-state permitted vessel under a safe harbor agreement. The revised summer flounder quotas for 2024 are: North Carolina, 2,391,124 lb (1,084,596 E:\FR\FM\14MYR1.SGM 14MYR1 41900 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 14, 2024 / Rules and Regulations kg); and Virginia, 1,883,980 lb (854,559 kg). Classification khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:51 May 13, 2024 Jkt 262001 Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2)(i) through (iv), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempted from review under Executive Order 12866. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4700 Sfmt 9990 Dated: May 9, 2024. Karen H. Abrams, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2024–10573 Filed 5–13–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P E:\FR\FM\14MYR1.SGM 14MYR1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 41899-41900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10573]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 231215-0305; RTID 0648-XD957]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Quota Transfer From North Carolina to Virginia

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 North Carolina is 
transferring a portion of its 2024 commercial summer flounder quota to 
the Commonwealth of Virginia. This adjustment to the 2024 fishing year 
quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black 
Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This 
announcement informs the public of the revised 2024 commercial quotas 
for North Carolina and Virginia.

DATES: Effective May 13, 2024 through December 31, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Deighan, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9184.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder 
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.111. 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 final 2024 allocations 
were published on December 21, 2023 (88 FR 88266).
    The final rule implementing amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder FMP, 
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 three criteria in the evaluation of requests 
for quota transfers or combinations: (1) the transfers or combinations 
would not preclude the overall annual quota from being fully harvested; 
(2) the transfers address an unforeseen variation or contingency in the 
fishery; and (3) the transfers are consistent with the objectives of 
the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Regional Administrator has determined 
these three criteria have been met for the transfer approved in this 
notification.
    North Carolina is transferring 18,043 pounds (lb; 8,184 kilograms 
(kg)) to Virginia through a mutual agreement between the states. This 
transfer was requested to repay landings made by an out-of-state 
permitted vessel under a safe harbor agreement. The revised summer 
flounder quotas for 2024 are: North Carolina, 2,391,124 lb (1,084,596

[[Page 41900]]

kg); and Virginia, 1,883,980 lb (854,559 kg).

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2)(i) through 
(iv), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempted from 
review under Executive Order 12866.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 9, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-10573 Filed 5-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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