Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; Quota Transfer From New Jersey to North Carolina, 100402-100403 [2024-29141]
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100402
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
consultation and, for example, a new
species is listed or critical habitat is
designated, NMFS will review the new
information to determine if consultation
needs to be reinitiated in accordance
with 50 CFR 402.16. If these analyses
produce new information that warrants
a change to a permit or permits, NMFS
retains the ability to amend permits to
add conditions, such as mitigation
measures to minimize impacts to
protected species, as described in
§ 216.36(b).
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Amendments To Extend the Permit or
LOC Duration
As mentioned above (see Opportunity
for Public Comment) and consistent
with current practice, permit and LOC
holders may request a minor
amendment to extend the duration of
their permit up to 1 year, if justified.
The regulations at 50 CFR 216.39 state
that a major amendment may include an
extension of a permit beyond 12
months; however, NMFS typically
issues extensions for 12 months or less.
Classification
Pursuant to the procedures
established to implement E.O. 12866,
the Office of Management and Budget
has determined that this rule is not
significant.
Pursuant to section 605(b) of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), the
Chief Counsel for Regulation of the
Department of Commerce has certified
to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the
Small Business Administration that this
rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. Permit and
LOC applicants including individuals,
academic institutions, business or other
for-profit organizations, not-for-profit
institutions, and government
organizations are the only entities that
are subject to the requirements in these
regulations. The number of small
governmental jurisdictions, small
organizations, or small businesses
affected is approximately less than 150
entities total, and less than 35
applicants annually (some of which
submit multiple applications). The
change in duration of permits will not
affect the cost to these small entities, as
it will require the same amount of time
and resources to apply for a 5-year
permit as it will to apply for a permit
of a longer duration. Overall, this rule
may reduce the costs to these entities by
potentially spending less time applying
for permits. For example, the estimated
number of burden hours to complete a
scientific research permit application is
50 hours, with an estimated average
hourly rate of $32.58. Thus, an
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applicant for a scientific research permit
will spend approximately $3,258 and
100 hours to apply for two consecutive
5-year research permits. By removing
the duration limit for section 104
permits, the number of burden hours
and costs to apply for a scientific
research permit could potentially be
reduced to approximately $1,629 and 50
hours for a 10-year permit, if issued. An
applicant for an LOC will spend
approximately 10 hours and $325.80 to
complete a 5-year LOC application,
which if issued for a longer period, will
reduce that cost. Because of this, a
regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required, and none has been prepared.
A person is not required to respond
to, nor shall a person be subject to a
penalty for failure to comply with an
information collection subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 unless the
information collection has a currently
valid OMB Control Number. This rule
contains collection-of-information
requirements subject to the provisions
of the PRA.1 No changes to the reporting
requirements or to the information
collection instrument is required as a
result of this regulatory change, other
than removing the 5-year duration
restriction and requesting justification
for an applicant’s proposed permit
duration.
§ 216.35
Permit restrictions.
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*
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*
(b) Special exception permits expire
on the date specified in the permit,
unless limited or extended in duration
by the Director in accordance with
§§ 216.36 and 216.39.
*
*
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*
*
■ 3. In § 216.45, revise paragraphs
(b)(2)(iv) and (d)(3) to read as follows:
§ 216.45 General Authorization for Level B
harassment for scientific research.
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*
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*
(b) * * *
(2) * * *
(iv) The period of time over which the
research project or program will be
conducted (i.e., the requested period of
the LOC), including the field season(s)
for the research, if applicable;
*
*
*
*
*
(d) * * *
(3) Authorization to conduct research
under the General Authorization is for
the period(s) of time identified in the
letter of confirmation issued under
paragraph (c) of this section, unless
limited or extended by the Director, or
modified, suspended, or revoked in
accordance with paragraph (e) of this
section;
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[FR Doc. 2024–28931 Filed 12–11–24; 8:45 am]
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List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 216
Administrative practice and
procedure, Exports, Imports, Marine
mammals.
Dated: December 4, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For reasons set forth in the preamble,
NMFS amends 50 CFR part 216 as
follows:
PART 216—REGULATIONS
GOVERNING THE TAKING AND
IMPORTING OF MARINE MAMMALS
1. The authority citation for part 216
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.
2. In § 216.35, revise paragraph (b) to
read as follows:
■
1 The information collection is currently
approved by OMB under control no. 0648–0084,
Basic Requirements for Special Exception Permits
and Authorizations to Take, Import, and Export
Marine Mammals, Threatened and Endangered
Species, and for Maintaining a Captive Marine
Mammal Inventory Under section 104 of the MMPA,
the Fur Seal Act, and/or section 10(a)(1)(A) of the
Endangered Species Act.
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 231221–0314; RTID 0648–
XE527]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery;
Quota Transfer From New Jersey to
North Carolina
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
State of New Jersey is transferring a
portion of their 2024 commercial
bluefish quota to the State of North
Carolina. This quota adjustment is
necessary to comply with the Atlantic
Bluefish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) quota transfer provisions. This
announcement informs the public of the
revised 2024 commercial bluefish
quotas for New Jersey and North
Carolina.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2024 / Rules and Regulations
Effective December 11, 2024
through December 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Rigdon, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281–9336.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the Atlantic
bluefish fishery are found in 50 CFR
648.160 through 648.167. These
regulations require annual specification
of a commercial quota that is
apportioned among the coastal states
from Maine through Florida. The
process to set the annual commercial
quota and the percent allocated to each
state is described in § 648.162, and the
final 2024 allocations were published
on January 2, 2024 (89 FR 34).
The final rule implementing
amendment 1 to the FMP, as published
in the Federal Register on July 26, 2000
(65 FR 45844), provided a mechanism
for transferring bluefish commercial
quota from one state to another. Two or
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DATES:
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more states, under mutual agreement
and with the concurrence of the NMFS
Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator,
can request approval to transfer or
combine bluefish commercial quota
under § 648.162(e). The Regional
Administrator is required to consider
three criteria in the evaluation of
requests for quota transfers or
combinations: (1) the transfers 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
criteria have been met for the transfers
approved in this notification.
New Jersey is transferring 40,000
pounds (lb) (18,144 kilograms (kg)) to
North Carolina through mutual
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100403
agreement of the states. This transfer
was requested to ensure North Carolina
would not exceed its 2024 state quota.
The revised bluefish quotas for 2024 are:
New Jersey, 108,898 lb (49,395 kg) and
North Carolina, 1,170,996 lb (531,155
kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to
section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. This action is required by 50 CFR
648.162(e)(1)(i) through (iii), 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: December 6, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–29141 Filed 12–11–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 100402-100403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29141]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 231221-0314; RTID 0648-XE527]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish
Fishery; Quota Transfer From New Jersey to North Carolina
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 New Jersey is transferring a
portion of their 2024 commercial bluefish quota to the State of North
Carolina. This quota adjustment is necessary to comply with the
Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer
provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised 2024
commercial bluefish quotas for New Jersey and North Carolina.
[[Page 100403]]
DATES: Effective December 11, 2024 through December 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Rigdon, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281-9336.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.160 through 648.167. These regulations
require annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned
among the coastal states from Maine through Florida. The process to set
the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state is
described in Sec. 648.162, and the final 2024 allocations were
published on January 2, 2024 (89 FR 34).
The final rule implementing amendment 1 to the FMP, as published in
the Federal Register on July 26, 2000 (65 FR 45844), provided a
mechanism for transferring bluefish 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
request approval to transfer or combine bluefish commercial quota under
Sec. 648.162(e). The Regional Administrator is required to consider
three criteria in the evaluation of requests for quota transfers or
combinations: (1) the transfers 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 criteria
have been met for the transfers approved in this notification.
New Jersey is transferring 40,000 pounds (lb) (18,144 kilograms
(kg)) to North Carolina through mutual agreement of the states. This
transfer was requested to ensure North Carolina would not exceed its
2024 state quota. The revised bluefish quotas for 2024 are: New Jersey,
108,898 lb (49,395 kg) and North Carolina, 1,170,996 lb (531,155 kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.162(e)(1)(i) through
(iii), 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: December 6, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-29141 Filed 12-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
