[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 18661-18663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8056]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 0910051338-0151-02]
RIN 0648-XA304


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery; Trip Limit Adjustments for the Common Pool 
Fishery

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment of landing limits.

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SUMMARY: NMFS increases the possession limit for George's Bank (GB) 
cod, Cape Cod (CC)/Gulf of Maine (GOM) yellowtail flounder, and 
Southern New England (SNE)/Mid-Atlantic (MA) yellowtail flounder, and 
reduces the trip limit GOM cod and GOM winter flounder for Northeast 
(NE) multispecies common pool vessels for the 2010 fishing year (FY), 
through April 30, 2011. This action is authorized under the authority 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and by 
the regulations implementing Amendment 16 and Framework Adjustment 44 
to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The action is 
intended to facilitate the harvest of GB cod, CC/GOM yellowtail 
flounder, and SNE/MA yellowtail to allow the total catch of these 
stocks to approach the pertinent common pool sub-annual catch limits 
(sub-ACLs). This action is also intended to reduce catch rates of GOM 
cod and GOM winter flounder by NE common pool vessels and minimize 
additional overharvest of these stocks relative to the pertinent common 
pool sub-ACLs.

DATES: The trip limit increases for GB cod and SNE/MA and CC/GOM 
yellowtail flounder are effective March 31, 2011, through April 30, 
2011. The trip limits reductions for GOM cod and GOM winter flounder 
are effective April 5, 2011, through April 30, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Heil, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
(978) 281-9257, fax (978) 281-9135.

[[Page 18662]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the NE multispecies 
fishery are found at 50 CFR 648 subpart F. The regulations at Sec.  
648.86(o) authorize the NE Regional Administrator (RA) to adjust the 
possession limits for common pool vessels in order to optimize the 
harvest of NE regulated multispecies by preventing the overharvest or 
underharvest of the pertinent common pool sub-ACLs. For FY 2010, the 
common pool sub-ACLs for GB cod, GOM cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, 
SNE/MA yellowtail flounder, and GOM winter flounder are: 128 mt 
(282,192 lb); 240 mt (529,109 lb); 50 mt (110,231 lb); 75 mt (165,347 
lb), and 25 mt (55,116 lb), respectively. The current possession limit 
for GB cod is 2,000 lb (907.2 kg) per day-at-sea (DAS) up to 20,000 lb 
(9,071.8 kg) per trip, and the current possession limit for CC/GOM 
yellowtail flounder and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder is 250 lb (113.4 kg) 
per DAS up to 1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip. The current possession 
limits for GOM cod and GOM winter flounder are: 100 lb (45.4 kg) per 
DAS up to 1,000 lb (453.6 kg) per trip and 250 lb (113.4 kg) per trip, 
respectively.
    The initial limit for GOM cod set by Amendment 16 was 800 lb (362.9 
kg) per DAS up to 4,000 lb (1,814.5 kg) per trip. An inseason action 
published in the Federal Register on May 27, 2010 (75 FR 29678), 
reduced the common pool trip limits for five stocks: GOM haddock, GB 
haddock, GOM winter flounder, GB winter flounder, and GB yellowtail 
flounder. A subsequent action (75 FR 44924, July 30, 2010) reduced the 
trip limit for GOM cod to 200 lb (90.7 kg) per DAS up to 1,000 lb 
(453.6 kg) per trip and imposed a gear restriction in the U.S./Canada 
Management Area to reduce catch of GB yellowtail flounder. A September 
2, 2010, inseason action (75 FR 53872) imposed 2:1 differential DAS 
counting in the Inshore GOM, Offshore GOM, Inshore GB, and Offshore GB 
Differential DAS Areas to reduce effort on GOM cod, white hake, and 
witch flounder. A fourth action (75 FR 59154, September 27, 2010) 
further reduced the GOM cod trip limit to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per DAS. No 
inseason adjustments have been made to the possession limits for GB 
cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, or SNE/MA yellowtail flounder for FY 
2010.
    As of March 24, 2011, the best available catch information, 
including Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) reports and dealer reports, 
indicated that approximately 44 percent of the GB cod, 67 percent of 
the CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, 24 percent of the SNE/MA yellowtail 
flounder, 102 percent of the GOM cod, and 100 percent of the GOM winter 
flounder common pool sub-ACLs has been harvested. Based on this 
information, the RA determined that additional measures are needed to 
facilitate the harvest of GB cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, and SNE/
MA yellowtail flounder to help allow the total catch of these stocks by 
common pool vessels to approach the pertinent common pool sub-ACLs. 
Conversely, the RA determined that additional measures are needed to 
slow catch rates of GOM cod and GOM winter flounder by common pool 
vessels. Therefore, the trip limit for GB cod is increased to 3,000 lb 
(1,360.8 kg) per DAS up to 30,000 lb (13,607.8 kg) per trip, and the 
trip limit for CC/GOM yellowtail flounder and SNE/MA yellowtail 
flounder is increased to 750 lb (340.2 kg) per DAS up to 3,000 lb 
(1,360.8 kg) per trip for common pool vessels, effective March 31, 2011 
through April 30, 2011. In addition, the trip limit for GOM cod is 
reduced to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip, and the trip limit for GOM winter 
flounder is reduced to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip for common pool 
vessels, effective April 5, 2011, through April 30, 2011. This action 
does not change the current cod trip limit for vessels with a Handgear 
A (50 lb (22.7 kg) per trip), Handgear B (25 lb (11.3 kg) per trip), or 
Small Vessel Category (75 lb (34.0 kg) per trip of cod within the limit 
of 300 lb (136.1 kg) of cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder combined) 
permit. This action does change the GOM winter flounder trip limit for 
vessels with a Handgear A, Handgear B, or Small Vessel Category permit 
to 100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip). The trip limit adjustments implemented 
through this action are detailed in the table below. Catch will 
continue to be monitored through dealer-reported landings, VMS catch 
reports, and other available information, and if necessary, additional 
adjustments to common pool management measures may be made.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Old possession/trip   New possession/trip
            Stock                     limit                 limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder..  250 lb (113.4 kg)     750 lb (340.2 kg)
                               per DAS up to 1,500   per DAS up to 3,000
                               lb (680.4 kg) per     lb (1,360.8 kg) per
                               trip.                 trip.
SNE yellowtail flounder.....  250 lb (113.4 kg)     750 lb (340.2 kg)
                               per DAS up to 1,500   per DAS up to 3,000
                               lb (680.4 kg) per     lb (1,360.8 kg) per
                               trip.                 trip.
GB cod......................  2,000 lb (907.2 kg)   3,000 lb (1,360.8
                               per DAS up to         kg) per DAS up to
                               20,000 lb (9,071.8    30,000 lb (13,607.8
                               kg) per trip.         kg) per trip.
GOM cod.....................  100 lb (45.4 kg) per  100 lb (45.4 kg) per
                               DAS up to 1,000 lb    trip.
                               (453.6 kg) per trip.
GOM winter flounder.........  250 lb (113.4 kg)     100 lb (45.4 kg) per
                               per trip.             trip.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classification

    This action is authorized by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA finds good cause 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) and (d)(3) to waive prior notice and 
the opportunity for public comment, as well as delayed effectiveness, 
for this inseason adjustment because notice, comment, and a delayed 
effectiveness would be impracticable and contrary to the public 
interest. The regulations at Sec.  648.86(o) grant the RA authority to 
adjust the NE multispecies possession limits for common pool vessels in 
order to prevent the overharvest or underharvest of the pertinent 
common pool sub-ACLs. This action increases the possession limit for GB 
cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder to 
facilitate the harvest of these stocks, as well as reduces the trip 
limits for GOM cod and GOM winter flounder to minimize overharvest of 
the common pool sub-ACLs for these stocks. Catch data upon which this 
action is based have only recently become available. The time necessary 
to provide for prior notice and comment, and delayed effectiveness for 
this action, would prevent NMFS from implementing the necessary 
possession limit adjustments in a timely manner. A resulting delay in 
the liberalization of possession limits would unnecessarily restrain 
catch rates for GB cod, CC/GOM yellowtail flounder, and SNE/MA 
yellowtail flounder, thereby preventing the total catch of these stocks 
to approach the pertinent common pool

[[Page 18663]]

sub-ACLs. In addition, a resulting delay in the curtailment of the 
catch rates of GOM cod and GOM winter flounder could increase the 
amount of overharvest of GOM cod, or cause the GOM winter flounder sub-
ACL to be exceeded, thereby undermining the conservation objectives of 
the FMP.

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

    Dated: March 31, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-8056 Filed 3-31-11; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P