Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Swordfish Quotas

NMFS amends the regulations governing the North and South Atlantic swordfish fisheries to implement recommendations adopted at the 2002 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Specifically, NMFS: increases the North Atlantic swordfish quota to 3,877 metric tons (mt) whole weight (ww) in 2003 and to 3,907 mt ww in 2004 and 2005; establishes a dead discard allowance of 80 mt ww for 2003; transfers 25 mt ww of North Atlantic swordfish quota to Canada in 2003, 2004, and 2005; allows up to 200 mt ww of North Atlantic swordfish quota to be caught between 5 degrees North latitude and 5 degrees South latitude; and establishes a South Atlantic swordfish quota of 100 mt ww in 2003, 2004, and 2005 and 120 mt ww in 2006. In addition, NMFS adjusts the 2003 and 2004 directed and reserve quotas based on underharvests from the 2002 and 2003 fishing years, respectively.