Rule2021-27650
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; Quota Transfers From VA to NC and FL to RI
Primary source
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Published
December 22, 2021
Effective
December 17, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces that the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Florida are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial bluefish quota to the states of North Carolina and Rhode Island, 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, North Carolina, Florida, and Rhode Island.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 243 (Wednesday, December 22, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 22, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72533-72534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27650]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 201209-0332; RTID 0648-XB659
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish
Fishery; Quota Transfers From VA to NC and FL to RI
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 Florida are transferring a portion of their 2021 commercial bluefish
quota to the states of North Carolina and Rhode Island, 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, North Carolina, Florida, and Rhode Island.
DATES: Effective December 17, 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
[[Page 72534]]
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 70,000 lb (31,751 kg) to North Carolina,
and Florida is transferring 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) to Rhode Island
through mutual agreement of the states. These transfers were requested
to ensure that North Carolina and Rhode Island would not exceed their
2021 state quota. The revised bluefish quotas for 2021 are: Virginia,
168,800 lb (76,566 kg); North Carolina, 1,057,377 lb (479,618 kg);
Florida 238,432 lb (108,151 kg); and Rhode Island, 304,434 lb (138,089
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: December 16, 2021.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-27650 Filed 12-17-21; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 22, 2021.
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