Summer Flounder Fishery; Final Specifications for 1997; Adjustment to 1997 State Quotas; Commercial Quota Harvested for Delaware

NMFS issues the final specifications for the 1997 summer flounder fishery that include commercial catch quotas and an increase in commercial minimum fish size, makes adjustments to the commercial quota for the 1997 summer flounder fishery as a result of overages in the 1996 fishing year and, as a consequence of these overages, announces that the summer flounder quota available to the State of Delaware for 1997 has been harvested. The intent of this document is to comply with implementing regulations for the summer flounder fishery that require NMFS to publish measures for the upcoming fishing year that will prevent overfishing of this species, require overages in any state to be deducted from that state's commercial quota for the following year, require publication of a notice to advise the State of Delaware that its quota has been harvested, and to advise vessel and dealer permit holders that no commercial quota is available for landing summer flounder in Delaware.