Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 26, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 65823 

(A) For the 2023–2024 fishing year, 

652,817 lb (296,113 kg). 

(B) For the 2024–2025 fishing year, 

569,019 lb (258,103 kg). 

(C) For the 2025–2026 fishing year, 

544,990 lb (247,203 kg). 

(D) For the 2026–2027 and subsequent 

fishing years, 538,933 lb (244,456 kg). 

(ii) For the period of September 1 

through the end of February each year. 

(A) For the 2023–2024 fishing year, 

435,212 lb (197,409 kg). 

(B) For the 2024–2025 fishing year, 

379,346 lb (172,068 kg). 

(C) For the 2025–2026 fishing year, 

363,327 lb (164,802 kg). 

(D) For the 2026–2027 and subsequent 

fishing years, 359,288 lb (162,970 kg). 

* * * * * 

■ 6. In § 622.191, revise paragraph (a)(5) 

to read as follows: 

§ 622.191 Commercial trip limits. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(5) Until the applicable commercial 

quota specified in § 622.190(a)(3) is 

reached—1,200 lb (544 kg). See 

§ 622.190(c)(1) for the limitations 

regarding greater amberjack after the 

applicable commercial quota is reached. 

* * * * * 

■ 7. In § 622.193, revise the section 

heading and paragraph (k) to read as 

follows: 

§ 622.193 Annual catch limits (ACLs) and 

accountability measures (AMs). 

* * * * * 

(k) Greater amberjack—(1) 

Commercial sector. 

(i) If commercial landings for greater 

amberjack, as estimated by the SRD, 

reach or are projected to reach the 

applicable commercial ACL 

(commercial quota) specified in 

§ 622.190(a)(3), the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the commercial 

sector for that portion of the fishing year 

applicable to the respective quota. 

Applicable restrictions after a 

commercial quota closure are specified 

in § 622.190(c). 

(ii) If commercial landings for greater 

amberjack, as estimated by the SRD, 

exceed the commercial ACL, and the 

combined commercial and recreational 

ACL as specified in paragraph (k)(3) of 

this section is exceeded during the same 

fishing year, and the species is 

overfished based on the most recent 

Status of U.S. Fisheries Report to 

Congress, the AA will file a notification 

with the Office of the Federal Register 

to reduce the commercial ACL in the 

following fishing year by the amount of 

the commercial ACL overage in the 

prior fishing year. The total commercial 

ACL is 1,088,029 lb (493,522 kg), gutted 

weight, for the 2023–2024 fishing year; 

948,365 lb (430,171 kg), gutted weight, 

for the 2024–2025 fishing year; 908,317 

lb (412,006 kg), gutted weight, for the 

2025–2026 fishing year; and 898,221 lb 

(407,426 kg), gutted weight, for the 

2026–2027 and subsequent fishing 

years. 

(2) Recreational sector. (i) If 

recreational landings for greater 

amberjack, as estimated by the SRD, 

reach or are projected to reach the 

recreational ACL, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the recreational 

sector for the remainder of the fishing 

year regardless of whether the stock is 

overfished, unless NMFS determines 

that no closure is necessary based on the 

best scientific information available. On 

and after the effective date of such a 

notification, the bag and possession 

limits for greater amberjack in or from 

the South Atlantic EEZ are zero. The 

recreational ACL is 2,101,450 lb 

(953,202 kg), round weight, for the 

2023–2024 fishing year; 1,831,700 lb 

(830,845 kg), round weight, for the 

2024–2025 fishing year; 1,754,350 lb 

(795,760 kg), round weight, for the 

2025–2026 fishing year; and 1,734,850 

lb (786,915 kg), round weight, for the 

2026–2027 and subsequent fishing 

years. 

(ii) If recreational landings for greater 

amberjack, as estimated by the SRD, 

exceed the recreational ACL, then 

during the following fishing year 

recreational landings will be monitored 

for a persistence in increased landings, 

and if necessary, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to reduce the length of 

the recreational fishing season and 

recreational ACL by the amount of the 

recreational ACL overage, if the species 

is overfished based on the most recent 

Status of U.S. Fisheries Report to 

Congress, and if the combined 

commercial and recreational ACL 

specified in paragraph (k)(3) of this 

section, is exceeded during the same 

fishing year. The AA will use the best 

scientific information available to 

determine if reducing the length of the 

recreational season and recreational 

ACL is necessary. When the recreational 

sector is closed as a result of NMFS 

reducing the length of the recreational 

fishing season and ACL, the bag and 

possession limits for greater amberjack 

in or from the South Atlantic EEZ are 

zero. 

(3) Combined commercial and 

recreational ACLs. The combined 

commercial and recreational ACL for 

greater amberjack is 3,233,000 lb 

(1,466,464 kg), round weight, for the 

2023–2024 fishing year; 2,818,000 lb 

(1,278,223 kg), round weight, for the 

2024–2025 fishing year; 2,699,000 lb 

(1,224,246 kg), round weight, for the 

2025–2026 fishing year; and 2,669,000 

lb (1,210,638 kg), round weight, for the 

2026–2027 and subsequent fishing 

years. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2023–20798 Filed 9–25–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 221223–0282; RTID 0648– 

XD393] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Summer Flounder Fishery; 

Quota Transfer From North Carolina to 

Virginia 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notification of quota transfer. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

State of North Carolina is transferring a 

portion of its 2023 commercial summer 

flounder quota to the Commonwealth of 

Virginia. This adjustment to the 2023 

fishing year quota is necessary to 

comply with the Summer Flounder, 

Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery 

Management Plan quota transfer 

provisions. This announcement informs 

the public of the revised 2023 

commercial quotas for North Carolina 

and Virginia. 

DATES: Effective September 25, 2023, 

through December 31, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura Deighan, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978) 281–9184. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the summer 

flounder fishery are found in 50 CFR 

648.100 through 648.111. These 

regulations require annual specification 

of a commercial quota that is 

apportioned among the coastal states 

from Maine through North Carolina. The 

process to set the annual commercial 

quota and the percent allocated to each 

state is described in § 648.102 and final 

2023 allocations were published on 

January 3, 2023 (88 FR 11). 

The final rule implementing 

Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as 


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65824 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 26, 2023 / Rules and Regulations 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), 

provided a mechanism for transferring 

summer flounder 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 transfer or combine summer 

flounder commercial quota under 

§ 648.102(c)(2). The Regional 

Administrator is required to consider 

three criteria in the evaluation of 

requests for quota transfers or 

combinations: the transfer or 

combinations would not preclude the 

overall annual quota from being fully 

harvested; the transfer addresses an 

unforeseen variation or contingency in 

the fishery; and the transfer is 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 

three criteria have been met for the 

transfer approved in this notification. 

North Carolina is transferring 20,441 

lb (9,272 kg) to Virginia through a 

mutual agreement between the states. 

This transfer was requested to repay 

landings made by out-of-state permitted 

vessels under safe harbor agreements. 

The revised summer flounder quotas for 

2023 are North Carolina, 3,281,083 lb 

(1,488,274 kg), and Virginia, 2,764,904 

lb (1,254,139 kg). 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

648.102(c)(2)(i) through (iv), 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: September 20, 2023. 

Kelly Denit, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20874 Filed 9–25–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

[Docket No. 230508–0124; RTID 0648– 

XD334] 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Modification of the West Coast Salmon 

Fisheries; Inseason Action #19–26 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Inseason modification of 2023 

management measures. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces eight 

inseason actions for the 2023–2024 

ocean salmon fishing season. These 

inseason actions modify the recreational 

and commercial salmon fisheries in the 

area from the U.S./Canada border to 

Cape Falcon, Oregon. 

DATES: The effective dates for these 

inseason actions are set out in this 

document under the heading ‘‘Inseason 

Actions’’ and the actions remain in 

effect until superseded or modified. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shannon Penna, 562–980–4239, 

Shannon.Penna@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The annual management measures for 

the 2023 and early 2024 ocean salmon 

fisheries (88 FR 30235, May 11, 2023) 

govern the commercial and recreational 

fisheries in the area from the U.S./ 

Canada border to the U.S./Mexico 

border, effective from 0001 hours Pacific 

Daylight Time (PDT), May 16, 2023, 

until the effective date of the 2024 

management measures, as published in 

the Federal Register. NMFS is 

authorized to implement inseason 

management actions to modify fishing 

seasons and quotas as necessary to 

provide fishing opportunity while 

meeting management objectives for the 

affected species (50 CFR 660.409). 

Inseason actions in the salmon fishery 

may be taken directly by NMFS (50 CFR 

660.409(a)—Fixed inseason 

management provisions) or upon 

consultation with the Chairman of the 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

(Council), and the appropriate State 

Directors (50 CFR 660.409(b)—Flexible 

inseason management provisions). 

Management of the salmon fisheries is 

divided into two geographic areas: north 

of Cape Falcon (NOF) (U.S./Canada 

border to Cape Falcon, OR), and south 

of Cape Falcon (SOF) (Cape Falcon, OR, 

to the U.S./Mexico border). The actions 

described in this document affect the 

NOF commercial salmon troll and 

recreational fisheries, as set out under 

the heading Inseason Actions below. 

Consultation with the Council 

Chairman on these inseason actions 

occurred on July 26, 2023, August 15, 

2023, August 17, 2023, and August 25, 

2023. These consultations included 

representatives from NMFS, Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

Oregon Department of Fish and 

Wildlife, and California Department of 

Fish and Wildlife. Representatives from 

the Salmon Advisory Subpanel and 

Salmon Technical Team (STT) were also 

present. A Council representative was 

present on August 15, 2023. 

These inseason actions were 

announced on NMFS’ telephone hotline 

and U.S. Coast Guard radio broadcast on 

the date of the consultations (50 CFR 

660.411(a)(2)). 

Inseason Actions 

Inseason Action #19 

Description of the action: Inseason 

action #19 modifies the NOF ocean 

salmon recreational fishery from the 

Queets River to Leadbetter Point 

(Westport Subarea—Marine Area 2). 

Retention of Chinook salmon is 

prohibited on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Possession of Chinook salmon is illegal 

when retention is prohibited in the area. 

Effective dates: Inseason action #19 

takes effect on July 28, 2023, at 12:01 

a.m., and remains in effect until 

superseded. 

Reason and authorization for the 

action: Inseason action #19 was 

necessary to not exceed the Chinook 

salmon guideline due to high Chinook 

salmon catch and preserve the length of 

the season while continuing to allow 

access to coho salmon. The NMFS West 

Coast Regional Administrator (RA) 

determined that this inseason action is 

necessary to meet management and 

conservations goals for the 2023–2024 

management measures after considering 

the best available information on the 

2023 abundance forecasts for Chinook 

salmon stocks, landings and effort 

patterns to date, anticipated fishery 

effort and projected catch, the timing of 

the action relative to the length of the 

season, and the other factors and 

considerations set forth in 50 CFR 

660.409. This inseason action modified 

recreational bag limits under 50 CFR 

660.409(b)(1)(iii). 

Inseason Action #20 

Description of the action: Inseason 

action #20 modifies the NOF 


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