[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 10, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52634-52635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-20996]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 071212833-8179-02 ]
RIN 0648-XK04


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

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

ACTION: Closure of commercial fishery.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Atlantic bluefish commercial quota 
available to Massachusetts has been harvested. Vessels issued a 
commercial Federal fisheries permit for the Atlantic bluefish fishery 
may not land bluefish in Massachusetts for the remainder of calendar 
year 2008, unless additional quota becomes available through a 
transfer. Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish fishery require 
publication of this notification to advise Massachusetts that the quota 
has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and dealer 
permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing 
bluefish in Massachusetts.

DATES: Effective 0001 hours, September 10, 2008, through 2400 hours, 
December 31, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Bryant, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9244.

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 Florida 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 Federal coastwide commercial quota for Atlantic 
bluefish for the 2008 calendar year was set equal to 4,787,000 lb 
(2,171 mt) (73 FR 9958, February 25, 2008). The initial commercial 
quota was adjusted by transferring 2,918,693 lb (1,324 mt) from the 
initial recreational allocation, resulting in a total commercial quota 
of 7,705,244 lb (3,495 mt). The percent allocated to vessels landing 
bluefish in Massachusetts is 6.7167 percent, resulting in an initial 
commercial quota of 517,538 lb (235 mt). The 2008 allocation was 
reduced to 516,619 lb (234 mt) (73 FR 9958, February 25, 2008) due to 
2008 research set-aside quota allocation.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.161(b) require the Administrator, 
Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), to monitor state 
commercial quotas and to determine when a state's commercial quota has 
been harvested. NMFS then publishes a notification in the Federal 
Register to advise the state and to notify 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 bluefish in that state. The Regional 
Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports and other 
available information, that Massachusetts has harvested its quota for 
calendar year 2008.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.4(b) provide that Federal permit 
holders agree, as a condition of the permit, not to land bluefish in 
any state that the Regional Administrator has determined no longer has 
commercial quota available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, September 
10, 2008, further landings of bluefish in Massachusetts by vessels 
holding Atlantic bluefish commercial Federal fisheries permits are 
prohibited for the remainder of the 2008 calendar year, unless 
additional quota becomes available through a transfer and is announced 
in the Federal Register. Effective 0001 hours, September 10, 2008, 
federally permitted dealers are also notified that they may not 
purchase bluefish from federally permitted

[[Page 52635]]

vessels that land in Massachusetts 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: September 4, 2008.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E8-20996 Filed 9-5-08; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S