Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 186 / Tuesday, September 26, 2006 / Rules and Regulations 56047 

documents must be notarized as 

specified in paragraph (g)(1) of this 

section. 

(8) Renewal. (i) Renewal of a 

commercial vessel moratorium permit 

for Gulf shrimp is contingent upon 

compliance with the recordkeeping and 

reporting requirements for Gulf shrimp 

specified in § 622.5(a)(1)(iii). 

(ii) A commercial vessel moratorium 

permit for Gulf shrimp that is not 

renewed will be terminated and will not 

be reissued during the moratorium. A 

permit is considered to be not renewed 

when an application for renewal, as 

required, is not received by the RA 

within 1 year of the expiration date of 

the permit. 

■ 3. In § 622.5, paragraph (a)(1)(iii) is 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 622.5 Recordkeeping and reporting. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(iii) Gulf shrimp—(A) General 

reporting requirement. The owner or 

operator of a vessel that fishes for 

shrimp in the Gulf EEZ or in adjoining 

state waters, or that lands shrimp in an 

adjoining state, must provide 

information for any fishing trip, as 

requested by the SRD, including, but not 

limited to, vessel identification, gear, 

effort, amount of shrimp caught by 

species, shrimp condition (heads on/ 

heads off), fishing areas and depths, and 

person to whom sold. 

(B) Electronic logbook reporting. The 

owner or operator of a vessel for which 

a Federal commercial vessel permit for 

Gulf shrimp has been issued and who is 

selected by the SRD must participate in 

the NMFS-sponsored electronic logbook 

reporting program as directed by the 

SRD. In addition, such owner or 

operator must provide information 

regarding the size and number of shrimp 

trawls deployed and the type of BRD 

and turtle excluder device used, as 

directed by the SRD. Compliance with 

the reporting requirements of this 

paragraph (a)(1)(iii)(B) is required for 

permit renewal. 

(C) Vessel and Gear Characterization 

Form. All owners or operators of vessels 

applying for or renewing a commercial 

vessel moratorium permit for Gulf 

shrimp must complete an annual Gulf 

Shrimp Vessel and Gear 

Characterization Form. The form will be 

provided by NMFS at the time of permit 

application and renewal. Compliance 

with this reporting requirement is 

required for permit issuance and 

renewal. 

(D) Landings report. The owner or 

operator of a vessel for which a Federal 

commercial vessel permit for Gulf 

shrimp has been issued must annually 

report the permitted vessel’s total 

annual landings of shrimp and value, by 

species, on a form provided by the SRD. 

Compliance with this reporting 

requirement is required for permit 

renewal. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. In § 622.8, paragraph (a)(5) is added 

to read as follows: 

§ 622.8 At-sea observer coverage. 

(a) * * * 

(5) Gulf shrimp. A vessel for which a 

Federal commercial vessel permit for 

Gulf shrimp has been issued must carry 

a NMFS-approved observer, if the 

vessel’s trip is selected by the SRD for 

observer coverage. Vessel permit 

renewal is contingent upon compliance 

with this paragraph (a)(5). 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 06–8257 Filed 9–25–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 060418103–6181–02 ; I.D. 

091806D] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Spiny Dogfish Fishery; 

Commercial Period 1 Quota Harvested 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Closure of spiny dogfish fishery. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

spiny dogfish commercial quota 

available to the coastal states from 

Maine through Florida for the semiannual quota period, May 1, 2006 –

October 31, 2006, has been harvested. 

Therefore, effective 0001 hours, 

September 25, 2006, federally permitted 

commercial vessels may not fish for, 

possess, transfer, or land spiny dogfish 

until November 1, 2006, when the 

Period 2 quota becomes available. 

Regulations governing the spiny dogfish 

fishery require publication of this 

notification to advise the coastal states 

from Maine through Florida that the 

quota has been harvested and to advise 

vessel permit holders and dealer permit 

holders that no Federal commercial 

quota is available for landing spiny 

dogfish in these states. This action is 

necessary to prevent the fishery from 

exceeding its Period 1 quota and to 

allow for effective management of this 

stock. 

DATES: Quota Period 1 for the spiny 

dogfish fishery is closed effective at 

0001 hr local time, September 25, 2006, 

through 2400 hr local time October 31, 

2006. Effective September 25, 2006, 

federally permitted dealers are also 

advised that they may not purchase 

spiny dogfish from federally permitted 

spiny dogfish vessels. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don 

Frei, Fisheries Management Specialist, 

at (978) 281–9221, or 

Don.Frei@Noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the spiny dogfish 

fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. 

The regulations require annual 

specification of a commercial quota, 

which is allocated into two quota 

periods based upon percentages 

specified in the fishery management 

plan. The commercial quota is 

distributed to the coastal states from 

Maine through Florida, as described in 

§ 648.230. 

The initial total commercial quota for 

spiny dogfish for the 2006 fishing year 

is 4 million lb (1.81 million kg) (71 FR 

40436, July 17, 2006 ). The commercial 

quota is allocated into two periods (May 

1 through October 31, and November 1 

through April 30). Vessel possession 

limits are intended to preclude directed 

fishing, and they are set at 600 lb (272 

kg) for both quota Periods 1 and 2. 

Quota period 1 is allocated 2.3 million 

lb (1.05 million kg)), and quota Period 

2 is allocated 1.7 million lb (763,849 kg) 

of the commercial quota. The total quota 

cannot be exceeded, so landings in 

excess of the amount allocated to quota 

Period 1 have the effect of reducing the 

quota available to the fishery during 

quota Period 2. 

The Administrator, Northeast Region, 

NMFS (Regional Administrator) 

monitors the commercial spiny dogfish 

quota for each quota period and, based 

upon dealer reports, state data, and 

other available information, determines 

when the total commercial quota will be 

harvested. NMFS is required to publish 

a notification in the Federal Register 

advising and notifying commercial 

vessels and dealer permit holders that, 

effective upon a specific date, the 

Federal spiny dogfish commercial quota 

has been harvested and no Federal 

commercial quota is available for 

landing spiny dogfish for the remainder 

of that quota period. 

Section 648.4(b) provides that Federal 

spiny dogfish permit holders agree, as a 

condition of the permit, not to land 

spiny dogfish in any state after NMFS 

has published notification in the 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with RULES1
56048 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 186 / Tuesday, September 26, 2006 / Rules and Regulations 

Federal Register that the commercial 

quota has been harvested and that no 

commercial quota for the spiny dogfish 

fishery is available. Therefore, effective 

0001 hr local time, September 25, 2006, 

landings of spiny dogfish in coastal 

states from Maine through Florida by 

vessels holding commercial Federal 

fisheries permits are prohibited through 

October 31, 2006, 2400 hr local time. 

The 2006 Period 2 quota will be 

available for commercial spiny dogfish 

harvest on November 1, 2006. Effective 

September 25, 2006, federally permitted 

dealers are also advised that they may 

not purchase spiny dogfish from vessels 

issued Federal spiny dogfish permits 

that land in coastal states from Maine 

through Florida. 

Classification 

This action is required by 50 CFR part 

648 and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

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

Dated: September 20, 2006. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–8262 Filed 9–21–06; 3:24 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with RULES1