60586 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 198 / Thursday, October 12, 2000 / Rules and Regulations

DC. The complete text of this decision

may also be purchased from the

Commission’s copy contractor,

International Transcription Service,

Inc., (202) 857–3805, 1231 M Street,

NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 00–26192 Filed 10–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 000119014-0137-02; I.D.

100400D]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United

States; Scup Fishery; Commercial

Quota Harvested for Winter II Period

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest for

Winter II period.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the

Winter II period scup commercial

fishery will close 0001 hours November

3, 2000. Federally permitted commercial

vessels may not land scup in any state

from Maine through North Carolina for

the remainder of the 2000 Winter II

quota period (through December 31,

2000). Regulations governing the scup

fishery require publication of this

notification to advise the coastal states

from Maine through North Carolina that

the quota has been harvested and to

advise Federal vessel permit holders

and Federal dealer permit holders that

no commercial quota is available for

landing for the remainder of the Winter

II period.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, November

3, 2000, through 2400 hours, December

31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer L. Anderson, Fishery

Management Specialist, (978) 281-9226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulations governing the scup fishery

are found at 50 CFR part 648. The

regulations require annual specification

of a commercial quota that is allocated

into three quota periods. The Winter II

commercial quota (November through

December) is distributed to the coastal

states from Maine through North

Carolina on a coastwide basis. The

process to set the annual commercial

quota and the seasonal allocation is

described in § 648.120.

The total commercial quota for scup

for the 2000 calendar year was set at

2,534,160 lb (1,149,476 kg) (65 FR

33486; May 24, 2000). The Winter II

period quota was initially set at 403,945

lb (183,226 kg). As specified in §

648.120, landings in excess of the

commercial quota in the 1999 Winter II

period were deducted from the Winter

II period allocation this year, resulting

in a final Winter II quota allocation of

70,356 lb (31,913 kg)(65 FR 50463).

Section 648.121 requires the

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS

(Regional Administrator) to monitor the

commercial scup quota for each quota

period and, based upon dealer reports,

state data, and other available

information, to determine when the

commercial quota for a period has been

harvested. NMFS is required to publish

notification in the Federal Register

advising that, effective upon a specific

date, the scup commercial quota has

been harvested, and notifying vessel and

dealer permit holders that no

commercial quota is available for

landing scup for the remainder of the

period. The Regional Administrator has

determined, based on the limited Winter

II quota allocation and historic landings

information, that the scup commercial

quota for the 2000 Winter II period will

be harvested in 48 hours and that no

further quota is available through

December 31, 2000.

Section 648.4(b) provides that Federal

scup moratorium permit holders agree

as a condition of the permit not to land

scup in any state after NMFS has

published a notification in the Federal

Register stating that the commercial

quota for the period has been harvested

and that no commercial quota for scup

is available. Therefore, effective 0001

hours, November 3, 2000, further

landings of scup by vessels holding

Federal scup moratorium permits are

prohibited through December 31, 2000.

Should the Winter II quota not be

harvested during the 48-hour opening,

the fishery may reopen at a later time to

allow attainment of the period’s

allocation. The Winter I period for

commercial scup harvest will open on

January 1, 2001. Effective 0001 hours,

November 3, 2000, federally permitted

dealers are also advised that they may

not purchase scup from federally

permitted vessels that land in coastal

states from Maine through North

Carolina for the remainder of the Winter

II period (through December 31, 2000).

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: October 5, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–26187 Filed 10–6–00; 3:39 pm]

BILLING CODE: 3510–22 –S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 100400C]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United

States; Atlantic Surf Clam and Ocean

Quahog Fishery; Suspension of

Minimum Surf Clam Size for 2001

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration,

Commerce.

ACTION: Suspension of surf clam

minimum size limit.

SUMMARY: NMFS suspends the

minimum size limit of 4.75 inches

(12.07 cm) for Atlantic surf clams for the

2001 fishing year. This action is taken

under the authority of the implementing

regulations for this fishery, which allow

for the annual suspension of the

minimum size limit based upon set

criteria. The intended effect is to relieve

the industry from a regulatory burden

that is not necessary, as the majority of

surf clams harvested are larger than the

minimum size limit.

DATES: Effective January 1, 2001,

through December 31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer L. Anderson, Fishery

Management Specialist, 978-281-9226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

648.72(c) of the regulations

implementing the Fishery Management

Plan (FMP) for the Atlantic Surf Clam

and Ocean Quahog Fisheries allows the

Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS

(Regional Administrator) to suspend

annually, by publication of a

notification in the Federal Register, the

minimum size limit for Atlantic surf

clams. This action may be taken unless

discard, catch, and survey data indicate

that 30 percent of the Atlantic surf clam

resource is smaller than 4.75 inches

(12.07 cm) and the overall reduced size

is not attributable to harvest from beds