66324 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 216 / Friday, November 7, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

meaning that just over 1 percent of the 

butterfish mortality cap has been 

harvested each month. At this rate, 

NMFS has projected that less than 15 

percent of the current (3,884 mt) 

butterfish mortality cap will be 

harvested by December 31, 2014. If 

implementation of this quota transfer is 

delayed to solicit public comment, the 

increase may not be effective prior to 

the end of the 2014 fishing year and 

butterfish that is currently allocated to 

the longfin squid fishery may go 

unutilized, thereby undermining the 

intended economic benefits associated 

with this action. Transferring the 

allocation allows the directed butterfish 

fishery to continue to target butterfish 

while the fish are available. NMFS 

further finds, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3), good cause to waive the 30- 

day delayed effectiveness period for the 

reasons stated above. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: November 3, 2014. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–26413 Filed 11–3–14; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 140214138–4482–02] 

RIN 0648–XD584 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Bluefish Fishery; Quota 

Transfer 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 

State of Florida is transferring a portion 

of its 2014 commercial bluefish quota to 

the State of New York. By this action, 

NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces 

the revised commercial quota for each 

state involved. 

DATES: Effective November 3, 2014 

through December 31, 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carly Bari, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9224. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulations governing the bluefish 

fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. 

The regulations require annual 

specification of a commercial quota that 

is apportioned among the coastal states 

from Florida through Maine. The 

process to set the annual commercial 

quota and the percent allocated to each 

state are described in § 648.162. 

The final rule implementing 

Amendment 1 to the Bluefish Fishery 

Management Plan, which was published 

in the Federal Register on July 26, 2000 

(65 FR 45844), provided a mechanism 

for bluefish quota to be transferred from 

one state to another. Two or more states, 

under mutual agreement and with the 

concurrence of the Administrator, 

Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS 

(Regional Administrator), can transfer or 

combine bluefish commercial quota 

under § 648.162(e). The Regional 

Administrator is required to consider 

the criteria in § 648.162(e)(1) in the 

evaluation of requests for quota transfers 

or combinations. 

Florida has agreed to transfer 250,000 

lb (113,398 kg) of its 2014 commercial 

quota to New York. This transfer was 

prompted by the diligent efforts of state 

officials in New York not to exceed the 

commercial bluefish quota. The 

Regional Administrator has determined 

that the criteria set forth in 

§ 648.162(e)(1) have been met. The 

revised bluefish quotas for calendar year 

2014 are: Florida, 500,309 lb (226,936 

kg); and New York, 1,024,579 lb 

(464,741 kg). 

Classification 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

part 648 and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: November 3, 2014. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–26412 Filed 11–3–14; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 131115973–4885–02] 

RIN 0648–BD74 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Amendment 96 to the 

Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management 

Plan; Management of Community 

Quota Entities 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS publishes regulations 

to implement Amendment 96 to the 

Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) 

and an amendment to the Pacific halibut 

commercial fishery regulations for 

waters in and off Alaska. Amendment 

96 to the FMP and the regulatory 

amendment modify the Individual 

Fishing Quota Program for the FixedGear Commercial Fisheries for Pacific 

Halibut and Sablefish in Waters in and 

off Alaska (IFQ Program). This action 

will remove a regulation that prohibits 

a Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Community 

Quota Entity (CQE) from transferring 

and holding small blocks of halibut and 

sablefish quota share (QS). This action 

will allow CQEs to acquire additional 

QS and facilitate CQE community 

resident participation in the IFQ 

Program. This action promotes the goals 

and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 

1982, the FMP, and other applicable 

law. 

DATES: Effective December 8, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of this 

rule, the Regulatory Impact Review 

(RIR)/Initial Regulatory Flexibility 

Analysis (IRFA) (collectively, Analysis), 

and the proposed rule prepared for 

Amendment 96 and the regulatory 

amendment may be obtained from 

http://www.regulations.gov or from the 

NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http:// 

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. An electronic 

copy of the 2010 Review of the CQE 

Program under the Halibut and 

Sablefish IFQ Program prepared by the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) is available from the 

Council Web site at www.npfmc.org/

community-quota-entity-program. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Peggy Murphy, (907) 586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Regulatory Authority 

NMFS issues regulations to 

implement Amendment 96 to the FMP 

and revise the halibut and sablefish 

provisions of the CQE Program. The 

Council recommended and NMFS 

approved the FMP in 1978 under the 

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 

1801 et seq.). Regulations implementing 

the FMP and general regulations 

governing sablefish appear at 50 CFR 

part 679. Fishing for Pacific halibut 

(Hippoglossus stenolepis) is managed by 


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