[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2001)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 27043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12325]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 010208032-1109-02; I.D. 050801D]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish 
Fishery; Commercial Quota Harvested for North Carolina

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

ACTION: Commercial quota harvest; closure.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Atlantic bluefish commercial quota 
available to the State of North Carolina has been harvested. Vessels 
issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the Atlantic bluefish 
fishery may not land Atlantic bluefish in North Carolina for the 
remainder of calendar year 2001, unless additional quota becomes 
available through a transfer. Regulations governing the Atlantic 
bluefish fishery require publication of this notification to advise the 
State of 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 Atlantic bluefish in North 
Carolina.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, May 15, 2001, through 2400 hours, December 
31, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Myles A. Raizin, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, (978) 281-9273.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish 
fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual 
specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned on a percentage 
basis among the 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.  648.160.
    The initial total commercial quota for Atlantic bluefish for the 
2001 calendar year was set equal to 9,583,010 lb (4,348,008 kg)(66 FR 
23625, May 9, 2001). The percent allocated to vessels landing Atlantic 
bluefish in North Carolina is 32.0608 percent, or 3,072,386 lb 
(1,394,005 kg).
    Section 648.161(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. NMFS will then 
publish a notification in the Federal Register advising a state and 
notifying Federal vessel and dealer permit holders that, effective upon 
a specific date, the state's commercial quota has been harvested and no 
commercial quota is available for landing Atlantic bluefish in that 
state. The Regional Administrator has determined, based upon dealer 
reports and other available information, that the State of North 
Carolina has attained its quota for 2001.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.4(b) provide that Federal permit 
holders agree as a condition of the permit not to land Atlantic 
bluefish in any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no 
longer has commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, 
May 15, 2001, further landings of Atlantic bluefish in North Carolina 
by vessels holding Atlantic bluefish commercial Federal fisheries 
permits are prohibited for the remainder of the 2001 calendar year, 
unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer and is 
announced in the Federal Register. Effective 0001 hours, May 15, 2001, 
federally permitted dealers are also advised that they may not purchase 
Atlantic bluefish from federally permitted vessels that land in North 
Carolina for the remainder of the calendar year, or until additional 
quota becomes available through a transfer.

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: May 10, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-12325 Filed 5-11-01; 1:07 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S