Final rule, final 2002 specifications, and preliminary commercial quota adjustment; notification of 2002 commercial summer flounder quota harvest for the States of Maine and Delaware.
Category
catch-limit
Species
flounder
Publication date
2001-12-26
Effective date
2002-01-01
NOAA docket
Docket No. 011109274-1301-02
Abstract
NMFS issues final specifications for the 2002 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries and makes preliminary adjustments to the 2002 commercial quotas for these fisheries. This final rule specifies allowed harvest limits for both commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as other commercial management measures, including scup and black sea bass possession limits and gear modifications. This action also prohibits federally permitted commercial vessels from landing summer flounder in the States of Delaware and Maine in 2002. Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery require publication of this notification to advise these states, Federal vessel permit holders and Federal dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in Delaware and Maine in 2002. The intent of this action is to comply with implementing regulations for the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which require NMFS to publish measures for the upcoming fishing year that will prevent overfishing of these fisheries.