[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 104 (Tuesday, May 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 34443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13373]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 000204026-0136-02; I.D. 121799A]
RIN 0648-AN48


Tautog; Interstate Fishery Management Plans; Cancellation of 
Moratorium

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

ACTION: Notice of determination of compliance; cancellation of 
moratorium.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) announces the 
cancellation of the Federal moratorium on fishing for tautog in the 
coastal waters of the State of Rhode Island that would have been 
implemented on June 15, 2000. The Secretary has canceled the moratorium 
as required by the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 
Act (Act), based on his determination that the State of Rhode Island is 
now in compliance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 
Commission's (Commission) Interstate Fishery Management Plan (ISFMP) 
for tautog, after the Commission had notified the Secretary that it was 
withdrawing its determination of noncompliance.

DATES: Effective May 30, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard H. Schaefer, Chief, Staff 
Office for Intergovernmental and Recreational Fisheries, NMFS, 301-427-
2014.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On February 15, 2000, NMFS published a document in the Federal 
Register (FR) (65 FR 7508) announcing the Secretary's determination 
that the State of Rhode Island was not in compliance with the 
Commission's ISFMP for tautog for not implementing and enforcing the 
recreational bag limit contained in the ISFMP for tautog. In the 
document a moratorium was declared on fishing for tautog in Rhode 
Island state waters that would be made effective on June 15, 2000, if 
Rhode Island was not in compliance by June 1, 2000. Details were 
provided in the February 15, 2000, FR document and are not repeated 
here.
    The Act specifies that, if, after a moratorium is declared with 
respect to a State, the Secretary is notified by the Commission that it 
is withdrawing the determination of noncompliance, the Secretary shall 
immediately determine whether the State is in compliance with the 
applicable plan. If the State is determined to be in compliance, the 
moratorium shall be terminated.

Activities Pursuant to the Act

    On April 28, 2000, the Secretary received a letter from the 
Commission prepared pursuant to the Act. The Commission's letter stated 
that the State of Rhode Island had taken corrective action to comply 
with the Commission's ISFMP for tautog, and, therefore, the Commission 
was withdrawing its determination of noncompliance.

Cancellation of the Moratorium

    Based on the Commission's April 28, 2000, letter, information 
received from the State of Rhode Island, and the Secretary's review of 
Rhode Island's revised regulations, which adopted a recreational bag 
limit of 3 tautog from May 1--October 14 annually, and 10 tautog from 
October 15--December 31 annually with a size limit of 16 inches total 
length, the Secretary concurs with the Commission's determination that 
Rhode Island is now in compliance with the Commission's ISFMP for 
tautog. This combination of measures is listed in Table 14 of the ISFMP 
for tautog as an acceptable means of achieving the required 
recreational harvest reduction. This combination achieves a 57-percent 
reduction whereas the ISFMP requires a 55-percent reduction. Therefore, 
the moratorium on fishing for these species in Rhode Island waters is 
canceled.

    Dated: May 22, 2000.
Penelope D. Dalton,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-13373 Filed 5-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F