77626 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 248 / Wednesday, December 27, 2006 / Rules and Regulations 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 041110317–4364–02; I.D. 

121906A] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Summer Flounder Fishery; 

Quota Transfer 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason quota 

transfer. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

State of Maryland is transferring 8,000 

lb (3,629 kg) of commercial summer 

flounder quota to the State of New York 

from its 2006 quota. By this action, 

NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces 

the revised commercial quota for each 

state involved. 

DATES: Effective December 21, 2006 

through December 31, 2006, unless 

NMFS publishes a superseding 

document in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978) 281–9341, fax (978) 

281–9135. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the summer 

flounder fishery are found at 50 CFR 

part 648. The regulations require annual 

specification of a commercial quota that 

is apportioned among the coastal states 

from North Carolina through Maine. The 

process to set the annual commercial 

quota and the percent allocated to each 

state are described in § 648.100. 

The final rule implementing 

Amendment 5 to the Fishery 

Management Plan that was published on 

December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), 

provided a mechanism for summer 

flounder quota to be transferred from 

one state to another. Two or more states, 

under mutual agreement and with the 

concurrence of the Administrator, 

Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional 

Administrator), can transfer or combine 

summer flounder commercial quota 

under § 648.100(d). The Regional 

Administrator is required to consider 

the criteria set forth in § 648.100(d)(3) in 

the evaluation of requests for quota 

transfers or combinations. 

Maryland has agreed to transfer 8,000 

lb (3,629 kg) of its 2006 commercial 

quota to New York. The Regional 

Administrator has determined that the 

criteria set forth in § 648.100(d)(3) have 

been met for each of these transfers. The 

revised quotas for calendar year 2006 

are: New York, 943,943 lb (428,165 kg) 

and Maryland, 276,262 lb (125,310 kg). 

Classification 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

part 648 and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

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

Dated: December 20, 2006. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–9881 Filed 12–21–06; 2:38 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 051104293 5344–02; I.D. 

121806B] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; 

Quota Transfers 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason quota 

transfer. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

State of Maryland is transferring 45,000 

lb (20,412 kg) of commercial bluefish 

quota to the State of Rhode Island from 

its 2006 quota and that the State of 

Delaware is transferring 15,000 lb (6,804 

kg) of commercial bluefish quota to the 

State of Rhode Island. By this action, 

NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces 

the revised commercial quota for each 

state involved. 

DATES: Effective December 21, 2006 

through December 31, 2006, unless 

NMFS publishes a superseding 

document in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978) 281–9341, fax (978) 

281–9135. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the Atlantic 

bluefish fishery are found at 50 CFR part 

648. The regulations require annual 

specification of a commercial quota that 

is apportioned among the coastal states 

from Florida through Maine. The 

process to set the annual commercial 

quota and the percent allocated to each 

state are described in § 648.160. 

Two or more states, under mutual 

agreement and with the concurrence of 

the Administrator, Northeast Region, 

NMFS (Regional Administrator), can 

transfer or combine bluefish commercial 

quota under § 648.160(f). The Regional 

Administrator is required to consider 

the criteria set forth in § 648.160(f)(1) in 

the evaluation of requests for quota 

transfers or combinations. 

Maryland has agreed to transfer 

45,000 lb (20,412 kg) of its 2006 

commercial quota to Rhode Island. 

Delaware has agreed to transfer 15,000 

lb (6,804 kg) of its 2006 commercial 

quota to Rhode Island. The Regional 

Administrator has determined that the 

criteria set forth in § 648.160(f)(1) have 

been met for each of these transfers. The 

revised quotas for calendar year 2006 

are: Rhode Island, 602,101 lb (273,108 

kg); Maryland, 194,021 lb (88,006 kg); 

and Delaware, 134,553 (61,032 kg). 

Classification 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

part 648 and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

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

Dated: December 20, 2006. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–9878 Filed 12–21–06; 2:17 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 060216045–6045–01; I.D. 

122006D] 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Arrowtooth Flounder 

and Flathead Sole in the Bering Sea 

and Aleutian Islands Management Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; apportionment 

of reserves; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS apportions amounts of 

the non-specified reserve of groundfish 

to the initial total allowable catch 

(ITAC) for arrowtooth flounder and 

flathead sole in the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands management area 

(BSAI). This action is necessary to allow 

the fishery to continue operating. It is 

intended to promote the goals and 

objectives of the fishery management 

plan for the BSAI. 


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