3478 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Rules and Regulations

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.

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 § 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

State

1997 Quota Preliminary 1997 landings 1997 state overages

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

1Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.

2Parentheses indicate a negative number.

3The 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

State

Final 1998 quota1 Preliminary adjusted

1998 quota

Lb (Kg)2

Lb (Kg)2

ME .................................................................................................................................... 5,284 2,397 4,791 2,173

NH ..................................................................................................................................... 51 23 51 23
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Rules and Regulations 3479

TABLE 2.—PRELIMINARY ADJUSTED FINAL 1998 SUMMER FLOUNDER QUOTAS—Continued

State

Final 1998 quota1 Preliminary adjusted

1998 quota

Lb (Kg)2

Lb (Kg)2

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

1As published on December 18, 1997 (62 FR 66304).

2Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.

3Parentheses 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

§ 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

State

1997 summer period quota Preliminary 1997 summer

landings

1997 summer overage

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

Total 2 ......................................................................... 2,336,999 1,060,045 2,092,495 949,140 1,066,414 483,717

1Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.

2The total 1997 state overages reflect the sum of the individual state overages, and not the overage of the entire period’s quota.
3480 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 15 / Friday, January 23, 1998 / Rules and Regulations

TABLE 4.—PRELIMINARY ADJUSTED FINAL 1998 SUMMER PERIOD SCUP QUOTAS

State

Final 1998 summer quotas Preliminary adjusted 1998

summer quotas

Lb (Kg)1

Lb (Kg)

ME .................................................................................................................................... 2,322 1,053 2,322 1,053

NH ..................................................................................................................................... 1 .................... 1 ....................

MA .................................................................................................................................... 275,866 125,131 2 (790,288) (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

1Kilograms, converted from pounds, may not necessarily add due to rounding.

2Parentheses 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 § 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