[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 7, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 52275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26577]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 961210346-7035-02; I.D. 100197A]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Available for New Jersey

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

ACTION: Commercial quota availability.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that summer flounder commercial quota is 
available to the State of New Jersey to allow a reopening of the State 
to landings of summer flounder. Vessels issued a commercial Federal 
fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may resume landings of 
summer flounder in New Jersey for the remainder of calendar year 1997, 
or until the remaining quota allocation is harvested.

DATES: Effective October 3, 1997 through December 31, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina L. Spallone, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, (978) 281-9221.

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 
states from North Carolina through Maine. The process to set the annual 
commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state are described 
in Sec.  648.100. The initial total commercial quota for summer 
flounder for the 1997 calendar year was set equal to 11,111,298 lb 
(5,040,000 kg) (62 FR 10473, March 7, 1997). The percent allocated to 
vessels landing summer flounder in New Jersey is 16.72499 percent, or 
1,858,363 lb (842,939 kg) in 1997. After deducting a 510,771 lb 
(231,682 kg) overage landed in 1996, as specified in section 
648.100(d)(2), New Jersey was left with an adjusted 1997 commercial 
quota of 1,347,592 lb (611,257 kg) (62 FR 37741, July 15, 1997). 
Section 648.101(b) requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator), to monitor state commercial quotas and to 
determine when a state's commercial quota is harvested. Based on dealer 
reports and other available information, the Regional Administrator 
determined that the commercial quota available to New Jersey had been 
harvested, and no quota was available for that State for the remainder 
of 1997. Thus, effective September 24, 1997 (62 FR 50525, September 26, 
1997), summer flounder landings in the State of New Jersey by federally 
permitted vessels, and purchases by federally permitted dealers, were 
prohibited for the remainder of 1997. The closure of the State to 
landings was based on projections of landings from dealer reports. 
However, due to State action to control landings through trip limits, 
actual landings have fallen short of projections. Specifically, prior 
to the NMFS closure, New Jersey closed its directed fishery and 
landings dropped off significantly. The State now has a bycatch trip 
limit in place for the remainder of the year (10 percent of total fish 
on board, up to a maximum of 100 lb/trip (45 kg/trip) until November 
1st; 200 lb/trip (91 kg/trip) after that date). Thus, available data 
indicate that approximately 50,000 lb (22,680 kg) remain in New 
Jersey's annual commercial quota of 1,347,592 lb (611,257 kg). Since 
summer flounder commercial quota is available to New Jersey to be 
harvested, and in order to allow the State to receive the full benefit 
of its annual allocation of quota, the closure, published on September 
26, 1997, is rescinded.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12286.

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

    Dated: October 2, 1997.
Gary Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-26577 Filed 10-3-97; 10:48 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F