Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 168 / Tuesday, August 31, 2010 / Rules and Regulations 53261 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 080228326–0108–03] 

RIN 0648–XY46 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Northeast Skate Complex 

Fishery; Reduction of Skate Wing 

Fishery Possession Limit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason 

adjustment. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the 

reduction of the skate wing fishery 

possession limit for the Skate 

Management Unit for the remainder of 

the 2010 fishing year. Regulations 

governing the skate fishery require 

publication of this notification to advise 

skate-permitted vessels that 80 percent 

of the annual total allowable landings 

(TAL) of skate wings is projected to be 

harvested and to announce that the 

skate wing possession limit is reduced. 

DATES: Effective September 3, 2010, 

through April 30, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tobey Curtis, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

(978) 281–9273. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the Northeast 

Skate Complex fishery are found at 50 

CFR part 648. The regulations at 

§ 648.322(b)(2) require the Northeast 

Regional Administrator to reduce the 

skate wing fishery possession limit 

when 80 percent of the annual total 

allowable landings (TAL) for skate 

wings is projected to be harvested, 

unless the reduction would be expected 

to prevent attainment of the entire TAL. 

In the final rule implementing 

Amendment 3 to the Northeast Skate 

Complex Fishery Management Plan and 

fishing year 2010–2011 skate fishery 

specifications (published in the Federal 

Register June 16, 2010, 75 FR 34049), 

the skate wing TAL for the 2010 fishing 

year was specified at 20.302 million lb 

(9,209 mt), and the initial skate wing 

possession limit was 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) 

wing weight (11,350 lb (5,148 kg) whole 

weight). This final rule requires NMFS 

to publish a notification in the Federal 

Register advising and notifying vessels 

and dealer permit holders when the 

Regional Administrator has determined 

that the skate wing possession limit 

should be reduced. 

Based upon recent projections, the 

Regional Administrator anticipates that 

80 percent of the 2010 skate wing TAL 

(16.242 million lb (7,367 mt)) will be 

fully harvested on or about September 2, 

2010. Furthermore, without adjustment, 

there is a high probability that skate 

wing landings will exceed the TAL 

before the end of the fishing year. To 

maintain the integrity of the 2011 skate 

wing fishery by avoiding quota 

overages, this notice announces the 

reduction of the skate wing possession 

limit for the remainder of the 2010 

fishing year (through April 30, 2011). 

Effective 0001 hour on September 3, 

2010, the skate wing possession limit 

will be reduced from 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) 

wing weight (11,350 lb (5,148 kg) whole 

weight) to 500 lb (227 kg) wing weight 

(1,135 lb (515 kg) whole weight) per 

trip, or any prorated combination of 

skate wings and whole skates based on 

the conversion factor for wing weight to 

whole weight of 2.27. 

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: August 25, 2010. 

Carrie Selberg, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–21714 Filed 8–30–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 


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