[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 58051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23142]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 120201086-2418-02]
RIN 0648-XC236
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Bluefish Fishery;
Commercial Quota Harvested for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the 2012 bluefish commercial quota
allocated to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been harvested.
Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the bluefish
fishery may not land bluefish in Massachusetts for the remainder of
calendar year 2012, unless additional quota becomes available through a
transfer from another state. Regulations governing the bluefish fishery
require publication of this notification to advise Massachusetts that
the quota has been harvested and to advise vessel permit holders and
dealer permit holders that no Federal commercial quota is available for
landing bluefish in Massachusetts.
DATES: Effective at 0001 hr local time, September 19, 2012, through
2400 hr local time December 31, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carly Bari, (978) 281-9224, or
Carly.Bari@noaa.gov.
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 on a percentage
basis among the coastal states from Florida through Maine. The process
to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each
state is described in Sec. 648.162.
The initial total commercial quota for bluefish for the 2012
fishing year is 10,317,362 lb (4,679,878 kg) (77 FR 25100, April 27,
2012). The percent allocated to vessels landing bluefish in
Massachusetts is 6.7167 percent, resulting in a commercial quota of
692,986 lb (314,333 kg) after deduction of research set-aside.
The Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator),
monitors the state commercial quotas and determines when a state's
commercial quota has been harvested. NMFS is required to publish
notification in the Federal Register advising and notifying commercial
vessels and dealer permit holders that, effective upon a specific date,
the state's commercial quota has been harvested and no commercial quota
is available for landing bluefish in that state. The Regional
Administrator has determined, based upon dealer reports and other
available information, that Massachusetts has harvested its quota for
2012.
Section 648.4(b) provides that Federal permit holders agree, as a
condition of the permit, not to land bluefish in any state that the
Regional Administrator has determined no longer has commercial quota
available. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, September 19, 2012,
landings of bluefish in Massachusetts by vessels holding Federal
commercial bluefish permits are prohibited for the remainder of the
2012 calendar year, unless additional quota becomes available through a
transfer and is announced in the Federal Register. Effective 0001
hours, September 19, 2012, federally permitted dealers are also
notified that they may not purchase bluefish from federally permitted
vessels that land in Massachusetts for the remainder of the calendar
year, or until additional quota becomes available through a transfer
from another state.
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: September 14, 2012.
Lindsay Fullenkamp,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-23142 Filed 9-14-12; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P