64952 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 222 / Monday, November 19, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 060418103–6181–02] 

RIN 0648–XD92 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Spiny Dogfish Fishery; 

Commercial Period 2 Quota Harvested 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Closure of spiny dogfish fishery. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

spiny dogfish commercial quota 

available to the coastal states from 

Maine through Florida for the semiannual quota period, November 1, 2007 

- April 30, 2008, has been harvested. 

Therefore, effective 0001 hours, 

November 16, 2007, federally permitted 

commercial vessels may not fish for, 

possess, transfer, or land spiny dogfish 

until May 1, 2008, when the 2008 

Period 1 quota becomes available. 

Federally permitted dealers are also 

advised that they may not purchase 

spiny dogfish from federally permitted 

spiny dogfish vessels through April 30, 

2007. Regulations governing the spiny 

dogfish fishery require publication of 

this notification to advise the coastal 

states from Maine through Florida that 

the quota has been harvested and to 

advise vessel permit holders and dealer 

permit holders that no Federal 

commercial quota is available for 

landing spiny dogfish in these states. 

This action is necessary to prevent the 

fishery from exceeding its Period 2 

quota and to allow for effective 

management of this stock. 

DATES: Effective at 0001 hr local time, 

November 16, 2007, through 2400 hr 

local time April 30, 2008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don 

Frei, Fisheries Management Specialist, 

at (978) 281–9221, or 

Don.Frei@Noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the spiny dogfish 

fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. 

The regulations require annual 

specification of a commercial quota, 

which is allocated into two quota 

periods based upon percentages 

specified in the fishery management 

plan. The commercial quota is 

distributed to the coastal states from 

Maine through Florida, as described in 

§ 648.230. 

The initial total commercial quota for 

spiny dogfish for the 2007 fishing year 

is 4 million lb (1.81 million kg) (71 FR 

40436, July 17, 2006 ). The commercial 

quota is allocated into two periods (May 

1 through October 31, and November 1 

through April 30). Vessel possession 

limits are intended to preclude directed 

fishing, and they are set at 600 lb (272 

kg) for both quota Periods 1 and 2. 

Quota Period 1 is allocated 2.3 million 

lb (1.05 million kg), and quota Period 2 

is allocated 1.7 million lb (763,849 kg) 

of the commercial quota. The total quota 

cannot be exceeded, so landings in 

excess of the amount allocated to quota 

Period 1 have the effect of reducing the 

quota available to the fishery during 

quota Period 2. 

The Administrator, Northeast Region, 

NMFS (Regional Administrator) 

monitors the commercial spiny dogfish 

quota for each quota period and, based 

upon dealer reports, state data, and 

other available information, determines 

when the total commercial quota will be 

harvested. NMFS is required to publish 

a notification in the Federal Register 

advising and notifying commercial 

vessels and dealer permit holders that, 

effective upon a specific date, the 

Federal spiny dogfish commercial quota 

has been harvested and no Federal 

commercial quota is available for 

landing spiny dogfish for the remainder 

of that quota period. 

Section 648.4(b) provides that Federal 

spiny dogfish permit holders agree, as a 

condition of the permit, not to land 

spiny dogfish in any state after NMFS 

has published notification in the 

Federal Register that the commercial 

quota has been harvested and that no 

commercial quota for the spiny dogfish 

fishery is available. Therefore, effective 

0001 hr local time, November 16, 2007, 

landings of spiny dogfish in coastal 

states from Maine through Florida by 

vessels holding commercial Federal 

fisheries permits are prohibited through 

April 30, 2008, 2400 hr local time. The 

2008 Period 1 quota will be available for 

commercial spiny dogfish harvest on 

May 1, 2008. Effective November 16, 

2007, federally permitted dealers are 

also advised that they may not purchase 

spiny dogfish from vessels issued 

Federal spiny dogfish permits that land 

in coastal states from Maine through 

Florida. 

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: November 13, 2007. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 07–5731 Filed 11–14–07; 1:17 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 660 

RIN 0648–AV57 

[Docket No. 070510101–7101–01] 

Fisheries off West Coast States; 

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 

Emergency Rule Extension 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; emergency 

action extended. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is extending the 

temporary rule to prohibit vessels 

without sector-specific participation 

history in the directed Pacific whiting 

(whiting) fishery off the West Coast from 

participating in the whiting fishery. 

This emergency rule extension is 

necessary to prevent serious 

conservation and management problems 

that could be caused by new entrants 

and to maintain status quo participation 

while the Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) completes its efforts 

to develop a vessel license limitation 

program through an amendment to the 

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery 

Management Plan (FMP.) 

DATES: Effective from November 14, 

2007, through May 13, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Finding of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI) and its 

supporting Environmental Assessment 

(EA) for the emergency rule are 

available from Frank D. Lockhart, 

Assistant Regional Administrator for 

Sustainable Fisheries, Northwest 

Region, NMFS 7600 Sand Point Way, 

NE, Seattle, WA 98115–0070. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Frank Lockhart (Northwest Region, 

NMFS,) phone: 206–526–6142; fax: 206–

526–6736; and email: 

frank.lockhart@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access 

The temporary rule also is accessible 

via the Internet at the Office of the 

Federal Register’s website at http:// 


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