[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 30, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 66788-66789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31065]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 981014259-8312-02; I.D. 122299B]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Scup Fishery;
Commercial Quota Harvested for Winter II Period
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Commercial quota harvest for Winter II period.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the scup commercial quota available in the
Winter II period to the coastal states from Maine to North Carolina has
been harvested. Commercial vessels may not land scup in the northeast
region for the remainder of the 1999 Winter II quota period (through
December 31, 1999). Regulations governing the scup fishery require
publication of this notification to advise the coastal states from
Maine through North Carolina that the quota has been harvested and to
advise vessel permit holders and dealer permit holders that no
commercial quota is available for landing scup in these states.
DATES: DATES: Effective 0001 hours November 26, 1999, through 2400
hours December 31, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst,
(978) 281-9273.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the scup fishery are
found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require annual specification
of a commercial quota that is allocated into three quota periods, based
upon percentages of the annual quota. The Winter II commercial quota
(November through December) is distributed to the coastal states from
Maine through North Carolina. The process to set the annual commercial
quota and the percent allocated to each state is described in
Sec. 648.120.
The initial total commercial quota for scup for the 1999 calendar
year was set equal to 2,534,000 lb (1,149,403 kg)(63 FR 72203, December
31, 1998). The Winter II period quota, which is equal to 15.94 percent
of the annual commercial quota (minus a discard estimate), was set at
403,920 lb (183,215 kg).
Section 648.121 requires the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS
(Regional Administrator) to monitor the commercial scup quota for each
quota period, and based upon dealer reports, state data, and other
available information, to determine when the commercial quota has been
harvested. NMFS is further required to publish notification in the
Federal Register notifying commercial vessels and dealer permit holders
that, effective upon a specific date, the scup commercial quota has
been harvested and no commercial quota is available for landing scup
for the remainder of the Winter II period.
The regulations at Sec. 648.4(b) provide that Federal scup
moratorium permit holders agree as a condition of the permit not to
land scup in any state after NMFS has published a notification in the
Federal Register stating that the commercial quota for the period has
been harvested and that no commercial quota for the scup is available.
The Regional Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports
and other available information, that the scup commercial quota for the
1999 Winter II period has been harvested and that the Winter II period
for scup no longer has commercial quota available. Therefore, effective
0001 hours November 26, 1999, further landings of scup in coastal
states from Maine through North Carolina by vessels holding Federal
scup moratorium permits are prohibited through 2400 hours December 31,
1999.
[[Page 66789]]
The Winter I period for commercial scup harvest will open on January 1,
2000. Effective 0001 hours November 26, 1999, Federally permitted
dealers are also advised that they may not purchase scup from Federally
permitted vessels that land in coastal states from Maine through North
Carolina for the remainder of the Winter II period (through December
31, 1999).
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under E.O. 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 23, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-31065 Filed 11-24-99; 2:17 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
