72560 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

cooperate with an authorized officer 

during the conduct of an inspection, 

including by facilitating safe boarding. 

ICCAT recommendations require that 

inspections be carried out so that the 

vessel suffers minimum interference 

and inconvenience, and so that 

degradation of the quality of catch is 

avoided. 

■ 5. Section 635.53 is revised to read as 

follows: 

§ 635.53 Prior notification. 

(a) U.S. vessels carrying tuna or tunalike species or other HMS that are 

seeking to enter the port of another 

ICCAT contracting or cooperating party 

must provide to the port State, at least 

72 hours before the estimated time of 

arrival at the port or in accordance with 

any other time period specified by the 

foreign government, the following 

information: 

(1) Vessel identification (External 

identification; Name; Flag State; ICCAT 

Record No., if any; IMO No., if any; and 

international radio call sign); 

(2) Name of the designated port, as 

referred to in the ICCAT register, to 

which it seeks entry and the purpose of 

the port call; 

(3) Fishing authorization or, where 

appropriate, any other authorization 

held by the vessel to support fishing 

operations on ICCAT-managed species 

and/or fish products originating from 

such species; 

(4) Estimated date and time of arrival 

in port; 

(5) In kilograms, the estimated 

quantities of each ICCAT-managed 

species and/or fish products originating 

from such species to be held on board 

and to be landed, with associated catch 

areas; 

(6) Other information, as requested by 

the foreign ICCAT contracting or 

cooperating non-contracting party, to 

determine whether a vessel has engaged 

in IUU fishing, or related activities; 

(b) After receiving information 

pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, 

the foreign ICCAT contracting or 

cooperating non-contracting party 

should decide whether to authorize or 

deny the entry of a vessel into its port. 

■ 6. Section 635.54 is added to read as 

follows: 

§ 635.54 Reports. 

Owners and operators of U.S. vessels 

subject to inspection under § 635.23 are 

hereby notified that the ICCAT 

recommendation establishing a scheme 

for minimum standards for inspection 

in port requires that: 

(a) Upon completion of the 

inspection, the authorized officer shall 

provide the Master of the U.S. fishing 

vessel with the inspection report 

containing the findings of the 

inspection, including any violations 

found and possible subsequent 

measures that could be taken by the 

foreign ICCAT contracting or 

cooperating non-contracting party. The 

Master of the U.S. vessel is entitled to 

add or have added to the report any 

comments or objections, and to add his 

or her own signature as an 

acknowledgement of receipt, 

(b) Copies of the inspection report 

shall also be provided by the port State 

to the ICCAT Secretariat and, as 

appropriate, to NMFS and other 

contracting or cooperating noncontracting parties of ICCAT, 

(c) Any enforcement action taken by 

the foreign ICCAT contracting or 

cooperating non-contracting party in 

response to an infringement shall be 

reported to the United States and to the 

ICCAT Secretariat, and 

(d) The foreign ICCAT contracting or 

cooperating non-contracting party shall 

refer any infringements found that do 

not fall within its jurisdiction, or with 

respect to which it has not taken action, 

to the flag State of the vessel (i.e., to 

NMFS). 

■ 7. In § 635.71: 

■ a. Add paragraph (a)(61); 

■ b. Revise paragraph (b)(21); 

■ c. Remove and reserve paragraph 

(b)(29); 

■ d. Revise paragraphs (c)(2), (d)(5), and 

(e)(5) to read as follows: 

§ 635.71 Prohibitions. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(61) Transfer in port or at sea any 

tuna, tuna-like species, or other HMS, as 

specified in § 635.29(a). 

(b) * * * 

(21) Transfer a tuna, except as may be 

authorized for the transfer of Atlantic 

BFT between purse seine vessels, as 

specified in § 635.29(c). 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(2) Transfer a billfish in port or at sea, 

as specified in§ 635.29(a). 

* * * * * 

(d) * * * 

(5) Transfer a shark in port or at sea, 

as specified in§ 635.29(a). 

* * * * * 

(e) * * * 

(5) Transfer a swordfish in port or at 

sea, as specified in § 635.29(a). 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2014–28628 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 140214138–4482–02] 

RIN 0648–XD638 

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 Maryland is transferring a 

portion of its 2014 commercial bluefish 

quota to the State of Rhode Island. By 

this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas 

and announces the revised commercial 

quota for each state involved. 

DATES: Effective December 3, 2014, 

through December 31, 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid 

Lichwell, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9112. 

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. 

Maryland has agreed to transfer 

50,000 lb (22,679.6 kg) of its 2014 

commercial quota to Rhode Island. This 

transfer was prompted by the diligent 

efforts of state officials in Rhode Island 

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 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 72561 

2014 are: Maryland, 173,891 lb 

(78,875.6 kg); and Rhode Island, 607,786 

lb (275,687 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: December 3, 2014. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28685 Filed 12–3–14; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES