[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 24, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16570-16571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06183]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 181203999-9503-02]
RTID 0648-XX044
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast
Multispecies Fishery; Possession and Trip Limit Increases for the
Common Pool Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; inseason adjustment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action increases the possession and trip limits of
Georges Bank cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, Cape Cod/
Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, American plaice, and witch flounder
for Northeast multispecies common pool vessels for the remainder of the
2019 fishing year. This action will provide the common pool fishery
greater opportunity to harvest, but not exceed, the annual quotas for
these stocks.
DATES: These possession and trip limit adjustments are effective March
23, 2020, through April 30, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-281-9232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations at Sec. 648.86(o) authorize
the Regional Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for
common pool vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest
of the common pool quotas.
Based on most recent catch information, the common pool fishery has
caught low amounts of the following species relative to the annual
quotas for each of these stocks (Table 1): Georges Bank (GB) cod, Gulf
of Maine (GOM) cod, GOM haddock, Cape Cod (CC)/GOM yellowtail flounder,
American plaice, and witch flounder. At the current rate of fishing, we
project that the common pool fishery will not fully harvest the annual
quotas for these stocks by the end of the 2019 fishing year. Providing
vessels an opportunity to possess and land greater amounts of catch
should provide greater incentive to fish and more opportunity to catch
available quota. Based on our review of past fishing effort, we project
that increases in the possession and trip limit for these stocks should
provide additional fishing opportunities and flexibility to catch
available quota while ensuring that the common pool does not exceed its
annual quotas.
Table 1--Summary of Common Pool Catch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2019 catch
Stock (mt) Sub-ACL (mt) Percent caught
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB cod.................................................... 1.4 53.8 2.5
GOM cod................................................... 4.7 10.9 43.1
GOM haddock............................................... 6.9 96.1 7.1
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder................................ 4.5 21.4 21
American plaice........................................... 3.8 31.4 12.2
Witch flounder............................................ 2.6 23.1 11.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effective March 23, 2020, until April 30, 2020, NMFS increases the
possession and trip limits summarized in Tables 2 and 3.
Table 2--Previous Possession and Trip Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small vessel
Stock A days-at-sea Handgear A Handgear B category
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB cod......................... 250 lb (113.4 kg) per 250 lb (113.4 kg) 25 lb (11.3 kg) 250 lb (113.4 kg)
DAS, up to 500 lb per trip. per trip. per trip.
(226.8 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM cod........................ 50 lb (22.7 kg) per 50 lb (22.7 kg) 25 lb (11.3 kg) 50 lb (22.7 kg)
DAS, up to 100 lb per trip. per trip. per trip.
(45.4 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 16571]]
GOM haddock.................... 500 lb (226.8 kg) per 500 lb (226.8 kg) per trip.
DAS, up to 1,000 lb
(453.6 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder..... 750 lb (340.2 kg) per 750 lb (340.2 kg) per trip.
DAS, up to 1,500 lb
(680.4 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
American plaice................ 750 lb (340.2 kg) per 750 lb (340.2 kg) per trip.
DAS, up to 1,500 lb
(680.4 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Witch flounder................. 600 lb (272.2 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The Small Vessel Category trip limit of 300 lb (136 kg) of cod, yellowtail flounder, and haddock combined
remains in place.
Table 3--New Possession and Trip Limits
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small vessel
Stock A days-at-sea Handgear A Handgear B category
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GB cod......................... 500 lb (226.8 kg) per 500 lb (226.8 kg) 25 lb (11.3 kg) 300 lb (136.1 kg)
DAS, up to 1,000 lb per trip. per trip. per trip.
(453.6 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM cod........................ 100 lb (45.4 kg) per 100 lb (45.4 kg) 25 lb (11.3 kg) 100 lb (45.4 kg)
DAS, up to 200 lb per trip. per trip. per trip.
(90.7 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOM haddock.................... 1,500 lb (680.4 kg) 1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip 300 lb (136.1 kg)
per DAS, up to 3,000 per trip.
lb (1,360.8 kg) per
trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC/GOM yellowtail flounder..... 1,000 lb (453.6 kg) 1,000 lb (453.6 kg) per trip 300 lb (136.1 kg)
per DAS, up to 2,000 per trip.
lb (907.2 kg) per
trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
American plaice................ 1,500 lb (680.4 kg) 1,500 lb (680.4 kg) per trip.
per DAS, up to 3,000
lb (1,360.8 kg) per
trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Witch flounder................. 1,200 lb (544.3 kg) per trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly quota monitoring reports for the common pool fishery can be
found on our website at: https://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/ro/fso/reports/h/nemultispecies.html. We will continue to monitor common pool catch
through vessel trip reports, dealer-reported landings, VMS catch
reports, and other available information and, if necessary, we will
make additional adjustments to common pool management measures.
Classification
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, finds good cause
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B) and 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive prior
notice and the opportunity for public comment and the 30-day delayed
effectiveness period because this action relieves possession and
landing restrictions, and delayed implementation would be impracticable
and contrary to the public interest.
The regulations at Sec. 648.86(o) authorize the Regional
Administrator to adjust the possession and trip limits for common pool
vessels in order to help avoid overharvest or underharvest of the
common pool quotas. The available analysis indicates that the increased
possession and trip limit adjustments for these stocks should help the
fishery achieve the optimum yields (OY) for each stock. Any delay in
this action would limit the benefits to common pool vessels that the
increased landing and possession limits are intended to provide.
The time necessary to provide for prior notice and comment, and a
30-day delay in effectiveness, would keep NMFS from implementing the
necessary possession and trip limit before the end of the fishing year
on April 30, 2020, which could prevent the fishery from achieving OY
and cause negative economic impacts to the common pool fishery. This
would undermine management objectives of the Northeast Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan and cause unnecessary negative economic impacts
to the common pool fishery. The public received prior notice and an
opportunity to comment on the Regional Administrator's exercise of this
authority. The fishing industry participants have experienced these
adjustments and have become accustomed to this process. There is
additional good cause to waive the delayed effective period because
this action relieves restrictions on fishing vessels by increasing a
trip limit.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 19, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06183 Filed 3-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P