Rule2021-21676
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; Quota Transfers From VA to RI and NJ to MA
Primary source
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Published
October 5, 2021
Effective
September 30, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces that the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of New Jersey are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial bluefish quota to the State of Rhode Island and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, respectively. These quota adjustments are necessary to comply with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised commercial bluefish quotas for Virginia, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 190 (Tuesday, October 5, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 5, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 54875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21676]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 201209-0332; RTID 0648-XB484]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish
Fishery; Quota Transfers From VA to RI and NJ to MA
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification; quota transfers.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State
of New Jersey are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial
bluefish quota to the State of Rhode Island and the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, respectively. These quota adjustments are necessary to
comply with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan quota
transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the
revised commercial bluefish quotas for Virginia, Rhode Island, New
Jersey, and Massachusetts.
DATES: Effective September 30, 2021, through December 31, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281-9225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the Atlantic bluefish
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.160 through 648.167. These regulations
require annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned
among the coastal states from Maine through Florida. The process to set
the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state is
described in Sec. 648.162, and the final 2021 allocations were
published on December 16, 2020 (85 FR 81421).
The final rule implementing Amendment 1 to the Bluefish Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) published in the Federal Register on July 26,
2000 (65 FR 45844), and provided a mechanism for transferring bluefish
quota from one state to another. Two or more states, under mutual
agreement and with the concurrence of the NMFS Greater Atlantic
Regional Administrator, can request approval to transfer or combine
bluefish commercial quota under Sec. 648.162(e)(1)(i) through (iii).
The Regional Administrator must approve any such transfer based on the
criteria in Sec. 648.162(e). In evaluating requests to transfer a
quota or combine quotas, the Regional Administrator shall consider
whether: The transfer or combinations would preclude the overall annual
quota from being fully harvested; the transfer addresses an unforeseen
variation or contingency in the fishery; and the transfer is consistent
with the objectives of the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Virginia is transferring 20,000 lb (9,072 kg) to Rhode Island, and
New Jersey is transferring 50,000 lb (22,680 kg) to Massachusetts
through mutual agreement of the states. These transfers were requested
to ensure that Rhode Island and Massachusetts would not exceed their
2021 state quota. The revised bluefish quotas for 2021 are: Virginia,
238,800 lb (108,318 kg); Rhode Island, 223,434 lb (101,348 kg); New
Jersey, 320,082 lb (145,187 kg); and, Massachusetts, 235,904 lb
(107,004 kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.162(e)(1)(i) through
(iii), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempted
from review under Executive Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 30, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-21676 Filed 9-30-21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 5, 2021.
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