[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 3478-3480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1545]



[[Page 3478]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 971015246-7293-02; I.D. 010798C]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder and 
Scup Fisheries; Adjustments to the 1998 Quotas; Commercial Summer 
Period Scup Quota Harvested for Massachusetts

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

ACTION: Commercial quota adjustment, notice of commercial quota 
harvest.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notification announcing preliminary 
adjustments to the 1998 summer flounder commercial state quotas and the 
1998 scup Summer period state quotas. This action complies with 
regulations that implement the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which require that 
landings in excess of a state's annual summer flounder commercial quota 
and Summer period scup commercial quota be deducted from a state's 
respective quota the following year. The public is advised that 
preliminary quota adjustments have been made and is informed of the 
revised quotas for the affected states.

DATES: January 16, 1998, through December 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina L. Spallone, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 508-281-9221.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summer Flounder

    Regulations implementing summer flounder management measures are 
found at 50 CFR part 648, subparts A and G. The regulations require 
annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned among 
the Atlantic coastal states from North Carolina through Maine. The 
process to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to 
each state is described in Sec. 648.100. The final specifications for 
the 1998 summer flounder fishery, adopted to ensure achievement of a 
fishing mortality rate (F) of 0.24 for 1998, set a commercial quota 
equal to 11,105,636 lb (5.0 million kg) (62 FR 66304, December 18, 
1997).
    Section 648.100(d)(2) provides that all landings for sale in a 
state shall be applied against that state's annual commercial quota. 
Any landings in excess of the state's quota must be deducted from that 
state's annual quota for the following year. NMFS published final 
specifications and noted that associated adjustments to states' 1998 
quotas as a result of 1997 overages would be made. These data are 
presented as preliminary because some states remained open to 1997 
summer flounder landings when these data were assembled by NMFS for the 
purposes of this notice. Since it is likely that additional data will 
be received from the states that would alter the figures, including 
late landings reported from either federally permitted dealers or state 
statistical agencies in a state that is currently closed to landings, 
an additional adjustment will be necessary.
    The final quota figures reflect the approval of a commercial summer 
flounder quota transfer of 24,118 lb (10,940 kg) from New Jersey to 
Connecticut. The notification of approval of that transfer was filed 
with the Federal Register prior to the end of the 1997 quota year and 
was published on January 6, 1998 (63 FR 444).
    Based on dealer reports and other available information, NMFS has 
determined that the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, 
Maryland, and North Carolina exceeded their 1997 quotas. The remaining 
States of Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Virginia did not 
exceed their 1997 quotas. The final preliminary 1997 landings and 
resulting overages for all states are given in Table 1. The resulting 
adjusted 1998 commercial quota for each state is given in Table 2.

  Table 1.--Preliminary 1997 Summer Flounder Commercial Landings, and Resulting Overages by State, for Landings 
                                       Reported Through December 27, 1997                                       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           1997 Quota             Preliminary 1997         1997 state overages  
                                   --------------------------         landings         -------------------------
               State                                         --------------------------                         
                                         Lb        (Kg)\1\         Lb          (Kg)          Lb          (Kg)   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME................................       2,342        1,062        2,835        1,286          493          224 
NH................................          51           23   ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
MA................................     709,229      321,701      745,105      337,974       35,876       16,273 
RI................................   1,596,443      724,134    1,584,641      718,781   ...........  ...........
CT................................     246,924      112,003      246,924      112,003   ...........  ...........
NY................................     754,343      342,164      814,027      369,236       59,684       27,072 
NJ................................   1,323,474      600,318    1,316,837      597,307   ...........  ...........
DE................................   \2\(5,662)      (2,568)       4,393        1,993       10,055        4,561 
MD................................     188,254       85,391      203,961       92,515       15,707        7,125 
VA................................   2,294,793    1,040,901    2,253,809    1,022,311   ...........  ...........
NC................................   1,273,605      577,698    1,455,212      660,073      181,607       82,376 
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total \3\.....................   8,383,796    3,802,826    8,627,744    3,913,479      303,422      137,630 
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\1\ Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.                                  
\2\ Parentheses indicate a negative number.                                                                     
\3\ The total 1997 state overages reflect the sum of the individual state overages, and not the overage of the  
  entire year's quota.                                                                                          


                        Table 2.--Preliminary Adjusted Final 1998 Summer Flounder Quotas                        
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                                                                 Final 1998 quota\1\      Preliminary adjusted  
                                                             --------------------------        1998 quota       
                            State                                                      -------------------------
                                                                   Lb        (Kg)\2\         Lb        (Kg)\2\  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME..........................................................       5,284        2,397        4,791        2,173 
NH..........................................................          51           23           51           23 

[[Page 3479]]

                                                                                                                
MA..........................................................     757,841      343,751      721,965      327,478 
RI..........................................................   1,742,583      790,422    1,742,583      790,422 
CT..........................................................     250,791      113,757      250,791      113,757 
NY..........................................................     849,680      385,408      789,996      358,336 
NJ..........................................................   1,858,363      842,939    1,858,363      842,939 
DE..........................................................  \3\ (3,685)      (1,671)     (13,740)      (6,232)
MD..........................................................     226,570      102,770      210,863       95,646 
VA..........................................................   2,368,569    1,074,365    2,368,569    1,074,365 
NC..........................................................   3,049,589    1,383,270    2,867,982    1,300,895 
                                                             ---------------------------------------------------
    Total...................................................  11,105,636    5,037,432   10,802,214    4,899,802 
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\1\ As published on December 18, 1997 (62 FR 66304).                                                            
\2\ Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.                                  
\3\ Parentheses indicate a negative number.                                                                     

Scup

    Regulations implementing scup management measures are found at 50 
CFR part 648, subparts A and H. The regulations require annual 
specification of a commercial quota that is allocated into three 
periods: Winter I, Summer, and Winter II. During Winter I and Winter II 
periods, the commercial quota is distributed to the coastal states from 
Maine through North Carolina on a coastwide basis. During the Summer 
period, the commercial quota is apportioned among the Atlantic coastal 
states from Maine through North Carolina. The process to set the annual 
commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state during the 
Summer period is described in Sec. 648.120. The final specifications 
for the 1998 scup fishery, adopted to ensure achievement in 1998 of a 
target exploitation rate of 47 percent, the rate associate with F=0.72, 
set a commercial quota equal to 4,572,000 lb (2.07 million kg) and a 
Summer period allocation equal to 1,780,794 lb (0.81 million kg) (62 FR 
66304, December 18, 1997).
    Section 648.120(d)(4) provides that all landings for sale in a 
state shall be applied against that state's annual commercial quota. 
Section 648.120(d)(6) provides that any overages of the commercial 
quota landed in any state during the Summer period will be deducted 
from that state's Summer period quota for the following year. NMFS 
published final specifications and noted that associated adjustments to 
states' 1998 Summer period quotas as a result of 1997 overages would be 
made. If additional data are received from any state that would alter 
the figures, including late landings reported from either federally 
permitted dealers or state statistical agencies, an additional 
adjustment will be necessary.
    Based on dealer reports and on other available information, NMFS 
has determined that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of 
North Carolina have exceeded their 1997 Summer period quotas for scup. 
The remaining States of Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New 
Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia did not exceed their 1997 
Summer period quotas. The final preliminary 1997 landings and resulting 
state overages are given in Table 3. The resulting adjusted 1998 
commercial Summer period quota for each state is given in Table 4.

      Table 3.--Preliminary 1997 Summer Period Commercial Landings and Resulting Overages by State for Scup     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    1997 summer period quota   Preliminary 1997 summer     1997 summer overage  
                                   --------------------------         landings         -------------------------
               State                                         --------------------------                         
                                         Lb        (Kg) \1\        Lb          (Kg)          Lb          (Kg)   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME................................        3,048        1,383  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
NH................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
MA................................      362,029      164,214    1,428,183      647,813    1,066,154      483,599
RI................................    1,415,425      642,026      398,880      180,929  ...........  ...........
CT................................       79,431       36,029       40,858       18,533  ...........  ...........
NY................................      398,527      180,769      221,320      100,389  ...........  ...........
NJ................................       73,453       33,318        2,056          933  ...........  ...........
DE................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
MD................................          301          137          162           73  ...........  ...........
VA................................        4,157        1,886          148           67  ...........  ...........
NC................................          628          285          888          403          260          118
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    Total \2\.....................    2,336,999    1,060,045    2,092,495      949,140    1,066,414      483,717
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\1\ Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.                                  
\2\ The total 1997 state overages reflect the sum of the individual state overages, and not the overage of the  
  entire period's quota.                                                                                        


[[Page 3480]]


                       Table 4.--Preliminary Adjusted Final 1998 Summer Period Scup Quotas                      
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                                                              Final 1998 summer quotas    Preliminary adjusted  
                                                             --------------------------    1998 summer quotas   
                            State                                                      -------------------------
                                                                   Lb        (Kg)\1\         Lb          (Kg)   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME..........................................................       2,322        1,053        2,322        1,053 
NH..........................................................           1   ...........           1   ...........
MA..........................................................     275,866      125,131   \2\ (790,28             
                                                                                                 8)    (358,469)
RI..........................................................   1,078,554      489,224    1,078,554      489,224 
CT..........................................................      60,526       27,454       60,526       27,454 
NY..........................................................     303,678      137,746      303,678      137,746 
NJ..........................................................      55,972       25,388       55,972       25,388 
DE..........................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
MD..........................................................         229          104          229          104 
VA..........................................................       3,167        1,437        3,167        1,437 
NC..........................................................         479          217          219           99 
                                                             ---------------------------------------------------
    Total...................................................   1,780,794      807,755      714,380      324,037 
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\1\ Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.                                  
\2\ Parentheses indicate a negative number.                                                                     

    Section 648.121(b) requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, 
NMFS (Regional Administrator) to monitor the Summer period state 
commercial quotas and determine the date when a state's commercial 
quota is harvested. NMFS is required to publish notification in the 
Federal Register advising a state and notifying vessel and dealer 
permit holders that, effective upon a specific date, a state's Summer 
period commercial quota has been harvested and that no Summer period 
commercial quota is available for landing scup for the remainder of the 
period.
    Since this adjustment reduces the 1998 Massachusetts Summer period 
commercial quota allocation from 275,866 lb (125,131 kg) to -790,288 lb 
(-358,469 kg), this notification also serves to announce that the 
Summer period quota available to Massachusetts has been harvested and 
that no commercial quota is available for landings during the 1998 
Summer period.
    The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) provide that Federal scup 
commercial permit holders agree as a condition of the permit not to 
land scup in any state that the Regional Administrator has determined 
no longer has commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 
hours May 1, 1998, until 2400 hours October 31, 1998, landings of scup 
in Massachusetts by vessels holding Federal commercial scup fisheries 
permits are prohibited, unless additional quota becomes available 
through a transfer and is announced in the Federal Register. Federally 
permitted dealers are also advised that they may not purchase scup from 
federally permitted scup vessels that land in Massachusetts for the 
Summer period, or until additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer. If Massachusetts fails to obtain this quota transfer, it is 
probable that the scup fishery in the Commonwealth will remain closed 
for additional Summer periods beyond 1998. The fishery may remain 
closed until its allocated quota is sufficient to allow the fishery to 
reopen.

Classification

    This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from 
review under E.O. 12866.

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

    Dated: January 15, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-1545 Filed 1-16-98; 3:41 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P