[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 78786-78787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-31070]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 121009528-2729-02]
RIN 0648-XD026
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; 2014 Commercial
Summer Flounder Quota Adjustments
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of 2014 commercial summer flounder state quotas.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is announcing the commercial summer flounder state quotas
for fishing year 2014. The 2014 summer flounder specifications were
established in December 2012. This notice incorporates any previously
unaccounted for overages from fishing year 2012 and any known overages
to date from fishing year 2013. These commercial state quotas may
change as a result of a recent stock assessment and a recommendation by
the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
DATES: Effective January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moira Kelly, Fishery Policy Analyst,
(978) 281-9218.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manage the
summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. Specifications in
these fisheries include the acceptable biological catch (ABC) limit,
various catch and landing subdivisions (such as the commercial and
recreational sector annual catch limits (ACLs)), annual catch targets
(ACTs), sector-specific landing limits (i.e., the commercial fishery
quota and recreational harvest limit (RHL)), and research set-aside
(RSA) established for the upcoming fishing year. Typically, these
specifications are set on an annual basis and announced in the Federal
Register in December of each year. Because the summer flounder stock
assessment was scheduled for July 2013 and the normal specification
schedule would be delayed, the Council established specifications for
the 2014 summer flounder fishery in December 2012 (December 31, 2012;
77 FR 76942). These specifications included the initial state
allocations, as well as the state allocations after adjusting for RSA.
An important component of the annual specifications rulemaking is
the notification of the commercial summer flounder state quota and
overages. Overages are calculated using final landings data from the
previous fishing year and landings from the current fishing year
through October 31. In this case, previously unaccounted for overages
from fishing year 2012 are combined with known overages from fishing
year 2013, through October 31, 2013. As a result, the 2014 summer
flounder state quotas, adjusted for RSA and overages, are as follows:
Table 1--2014 Commercial Summer Flounder State Quotas, as Adjusted by Overages and RSA
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FMP percent
share 2014 Initial quota
2014 Initial quota, less
RSA
Quota overages (through
10/31/13)
Adjusted 2014 quota,
less RSA and overages
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State lb kg lb kg lb kg lb kg
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ME.............................................................. 0.04756 5,579 2,533 5,417 2,457 0 0 5,417 2,457
NH.............................................................. 0.00046 54 24 52 24 0 0 52 24
MA.............................................................. 6.82046 800,091 363,242 776,788 352,345 28,199 12,791 748,589 339,554
RI.............................................................. 15.68298 1,839,732 835,240 1,786,147 810,183 0 0 1,786,147 810,183
CT.............................................................. 2.25708 264,772 120,207 257,061 116,601 0 0 257,061 116,601
NY.............................................................. 7.64699 897,050 407,261 870,922 395,044 79,355 35,995 791,587 359,058
NJ.............................................................. 16.72499 1,961,967 890,735 1,904,823 864,013 0 0 1,904,823 864,013
DE.............................................................. 0.01779 2,087 947 2,026 919 52,384 23,760 -50,358 -22,842
MD.............................................................. 2.03910 239,202 108,598 232,235 105,340 0 0 232,235 105,340
VA.............................................................. 21.31676 2,500,616 1,135,282 2,427,783 1,101,224 0 0 2,427,783 1,101,224
NC.............................................................. 27.44584 3,219,604 1,461,703 3,125,829 1,417,852 0 0 3,125,829 1,417,852
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Total....................................................... 100.00 11,730,754 5,326,000 11,389,082 5,166,000 155,376 70,476 11,284,065 5,118,366
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On October 9, 2013, the Council met to discuss whether adjustments
to the previously established 2014 specifications were necessary as a
result of the updated stock assessment, and to establish fishing year
2015
[[Page 78787]]
specifications for the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass
fisheries. The Council determined that an adjustment was necessary for
the 2014 summer flounder specifications. Table 2 below summarizes the
established 2014 summer flounder specifications, as well as the
specifications that the Council voted to recommend in October 2013. The
Council has not yet submitted the specifications package to be reviewed
by NMFS; nor has NMFS made a determination that these adjustments would
be implemented. The state quotas listed in Table 1 will be in effect
until and unless otherwise changed through proposed and final
rulemaking.
Table 2--Summer Flounder 2014 Specifications and Council Recommended 2014 Specifications
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2014 Specifications October 2013 council
-------------------------------- recommended 2014
specifications
million lb mt -------------------------------
million lb mt
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ABC............................................. 22.24 10,088 21.94 9,950
Commercial ACL.................................. 12.05 5,467 12.87 5,837
Recreational ACL................................ 10.19 4,621 9.07 4,113
Commercial ACT.................................. 12.05 5,467 12.87 5,837
Recreational ACT................................ 10.19 4,621 9.07 4,113
Comm. Quota (less 3% for RSA)................... 11.39 5,166 10.51 4,767
RHL (less 3% for RSA)........................... 7.59 3,444 7.01 3,178
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Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 23, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-31070 Filed 12-26-13; 8:45 am]
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