00-33221. Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Adjustments to the 2000 Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Commercial Quotas
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Start Preamble
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Commercial quota adjustment for 2000; correction.
SUMMARY:
NMFS publishes additional adjustments to the 2000 commercial summer flounder and black sea bass quotas. This action complies with the regulations that implement the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which specifies that summer flounder landings in excess of a given state’s individual commercial quota be deducted from that state’s quota for the following year. Similarly, for black sea bass, the FMP specifies that landings in excess of a quota for a given quarter be deducted from the quota for the same quarter in the following year. The intent of this action is to account for additional 1999 summer flounder landings reported in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Maryland, and to correct Delaware landings downward and the black sea bass landings data for 1999 Quarters 2, 3, and 4.
DATES:
Effective December 29, 2000, through December 31, 2000.
Start Further InfoFOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Paul H. Jones, Fisheries Policy Analyst, (978) 281-9273, fax 978-281-9135, e-mail paul.h.jones@noaa.gov.
Start Printed Page 82946 End Further Info End Preamble Start Supplemental InformationSUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
At 65 FR 33486, May 24, 2000, NMFS published final specifications for the 2000 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries, which included preliminary 1999 landings and quota adjustments. At 65 FR 50463, August 18, 2000, and corrected at 65 FR 69886, November 21, 2000, NMFS announced adjustments to the 2000 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass commercial quotas based on updated 1999 landings data. Additional adjustments are necessary through this notification due to the receipt of late 1999 summer flounder landings data from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the States of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. In addition, some black sea bass landings reported by the State of Delaware in 1999 were double-counted, and landings from non-limited access black sea bass vessels that landed south of Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina, were incorrectly counted, meaning that the final 1999 landings were lower than announced in the August 18, 2000, Federal Register.
Summer Flounder
The 1999 quota, preliminary 1999 landings, and the resulting 1999 overages for all states for summer flounder are given in Table 1. The following states recorded landings of summer flounder different from those reported in the August 18, 2000, and November 21, 2000, Federal Register: MA, +7,357 lb (3,337 kg); NY, +145 lb (66 kg); NJ, +241 lb (109 kg); DE, -376 lb (171 kg); and MD, +16 lb (7 kg).
The resulting adjusted 2000 commercial quota for each state is given in Table 2, taking into account both the 1999 quota overages published in the August 18, 2000, and November 21, 2000, Federal Register and the additional landings previously noted.
Black Sea Bass
The 1999 quotas (by quarter), preliminary 1999 landings (by quarter) and resulting overages for black sea bass for all quarters are given in Table 5. Changes in landings from those reported in the August 18, 2000, Federal Register are as follows: Quarter 1, -3,792 lb (1,720 kg); Quarter 2, -26,088 lb (11,834 kg); Quarter 3, -18,104 lb (8,212 kg); and Quarter 4, -39,377 lb (17,861 kg).
Corrections
In the document published at 65 FR 50643, August 18, 2000 [FR Doc. 00-21100] the following corrections are made.
On page 50464, Tables 1 and 2 are replaced in their entirety as follows.
Table 1. Summer Flounder Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by State
State 1999 Quota Preliminary 1999 Landings 1999 Overage Lb Kg1 Lb Kg1 Lb Kg1 ME 4,450 2,018 5,778 2,621 1,328 602 NH 51 23 0 0 0 0 MA 757,842 343,751 812,540 368,568 54,698 24,811 RI 1,742,583 790,422 1,636,528 742,317 0 0 CT 238,516 108,189 245,219 111,229 6,703 3,040 NY 860,006 390,099 804,048 364,716 0 0 NJ 1,853,926 840,927 1,917,973 869,993 64, 047 29,052 DE (25,739)2 (11,675)2 7,541 3,421 (33,280)2 (15,096)2 MD 202,354 91,786 201,013 91,180 0 0 VA 2,120,696 961,932 2,195,832 996,012 75,136 34,081 NC 2,974,589 1,349,274 2,800,749 1,270,398 0 0 Total3 10,755,013 4,866,746 10,627,221 4,820,455 1 Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding.2 Parentheses indicate a negative number.3 Total quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state with a negative number has an allocation of zero. Total quota and total landings do not equal overage because they reflect positive quota balances in several states. Start Printed Page 82947Table 2. Summer Flounder Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by State
State 2000 Initial Quota 2000 Adjusted Quota Lb Kg1 Lb Kg1 ME 5,284 2,397 3,956 1,794 NH 51 23 51 23 MA 757,834 343,748 703,136 318,943 RI 1,742,566 790,041 1,742,566 790,415 CT 250,788 113,756 244,085 110,715 NY 849,672 385,405 849,672 385,404 NJ 1,858,346 842,931 1,794,299 813,894 DE 1,977 897 (31,303)2 (14,199)2 MD 226,568 102,770 226,568 102,771 VA 2,368,546 1,074,354 2,293,410 1,040,273 NC 3,049,560 1,383,257 3,049,560 1,383,257 Total3 11,109, 214 5,039,055 10,876,000 4,947,489 1 Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding.2 Parentheses indicate a negative number.3 Total quota is the sum of all states having allocation. A state with a negative number has an allocation of zero. On page 50465, Tables 5 and 6 are replaced in their entirety as follows.
Table 5. Black Sea Bass Preliminary 1999 Landings and Overages by Quarter
Quarter 1999 Quota1 Preliminary 1999 Landings 1999 Overage Lb Kg2 Lb Kg2 Lb Kg2 1. (Jan -Mar) 1,168,860 530,186 712,196 323,052 2. (Apr -Jun) 885,115 401,481 1,036,067 469,960 150,952 68,472 3. (Jul -Sep) 372, 983 169,182 507,139 230,038 134,156 60,853 4. (Oct -Dec) 598,043 271,268 705,996 320,240 107,953 48,968 Total 3,025,000 1,372,117 2,961,398 1,343,290 1 Reflects quotas as published on August 26, 1999 (64 FR 46596).2 Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding. Table 6. Black Sea Bass Preliminary Adjusted 2000 Quotas by Quarter
Quarter 2000 Initial Quota 2000 Adjusted Quota Lb Kg1 Lb Kg1 1. (Jan -Mar) 1,168,760 530,141 1,168,760 530,141 2. (Apr -Jun) 885,040 401,447 734,088 332,982 3. (Jul -Sep) 372, 951 169,168 238,795 108,317 4. (Oct -Dec) 597,991 271,244 490,038 222,281 Total 3,024,742 1,372,000 2,631,681 1,193,721 1 Kilograms are as converted from pounds, and the column may not total correctly due to rounding. Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.
Start SignatureDated: December 21, 2000.
Clarence Pautzke,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-33221 Filed 12-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22-S
Document Information
- Effective Date:
- 12/29/2000
- Published:
- 12/29/2000
- Department:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Entry Type:
- Rule
- Action:
- Commercial quota adjustment for 2000; correction.
- Document Number:
- 00-33221
- Dates:
- Effective December 29, 2000, through December 31, 2000.
- Pages:
- 82945-82947 (3 pages)
- Docket Numbers:
- Docket No. 000119014-0137-02, I.D. 080700C
- PDF File:
- 00-33221.pdf
- CFR: (1)
- 50 CFR 648