Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; Closure of the Nantucket Lightship Scallop Access Area to Scallop Vessels

NMFS announces the closure of the Nantucket Lightship Scallop Access Area (NLCA) to scallop vessels until June 15, 2010. This closure is based on a determination by the Northeast Regional Administrator (RA) that scallop vessels will have caught the yellowtail flounder (yellowtail) total allowable catch (TAC) for the NLCA on August 3, 2008. Effective 0001 hours, August 4, 2008, vessels may not fish for scallops in the NLCA. Vessels on a NLCA scallop trip at the time of this announcement must leave the NLCA prior to 0001 hour, August 4, 2008. This action is being taken to prevent the scallop fleet from exceeding the yellowtail TAC allocated to the NLCA for the 2008 scallop fishing year in accordance with the regulations implementing the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP), Northeast (NE) Multispecies FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.