NMFS announces the cancellation of two public hearings that had dates and locations yet to be determined by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and held in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island on the public hearing draft of Amendment 13 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The intent

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS amends the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its implementing regulations to revise the objective to be achieved by the annual specifications for the 2001 summer flounder fishery from obtaining a fishing mortality rate (F) target to obtaining a biomass (B) target and to require that, if a 2000 state

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : Transportation Department

NMFS announces that it is terminating the current deferral of IVR reporting requirements of Atlantic cod and haddock beginning January 28, 2001. One of the management measures for Atlantic cod includes two conditional 1month closures in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) when the trigger of 1.67 million lbs (759 mt) is reached. One management measure for

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

On April 24, 2000, NMFS published a final rule implementing Framework Adjustment 33 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The final rule implementing Framework Adjustment 33 contained errors. The effective date of the increase in the haddock landing limit specified in Sec. 648.86(a)(1)(i) and (ii), and the paragraph numbering of

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the spiny dogfish commercial quota available in Period 2 to the coastal states from Maine through Florida has been harvested. Therefore, the spiny dogfish fishery will remain closed and commercial vessels may not land spiny dogfish from Maine through Florida through April 24, 2001. Regulations governing the spiny dogfish

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the scup commercial quota available in the summer period to the coastal states from Maine to North Carolina has been harvested. Federallypermitted commercial vessels may not land scup in these states for the remainder of the 2000 summer quota period (through October 31, 2000). Regulations governing the scup fishery require

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues regulations to modify the GRAs that were established in the MidAtlantic Bight to reduce scup bycatch in small mesh fisheries; exempt Atlantic mackerel fishing from all of the GRA restrictions and Loligo squid fishing from the November 1 through December 31, 2000, GRA restrictions; modify the procedure and criteria for exempting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that it is terminating the current deferral of IVR reporting requirements of Atlantic cod for a 2month period, beginning May 28, 2000, and ending July 31, 2000. One of the management measures for Atlantic cod includes two conditional 1month closures in the Gulf of Maine (GOM). If the preliminary landings of GOM cod from May 1, 2000,

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes regulations to modify the GRAs that were established in the MidAtlantic Bight to reduce scup bycatch in small mesh fisheries; exempt Atlantic mackerel fishing from all of the GRA restrictions, and Loligo squid fishing from the November 1 December 31, 2000, GRA restrictions; modify the procedure and criteria for exempting smallmesh

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the spiny dogfish commercial quota available in period 1 to the coastal states from Maine through Florida has been harvested. Commercial vessels may not land spiny dogfish from Maine through Florida for the remainder of the 2000 quota period 1 (through October 31, 2000). Regulations governing the spiny dogfish fishery require

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the summer flounder commercial quota available to the State of North Carolina has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in North Carolina for the remainder of calendar year 2000, unless additional quota becomes available through a

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues these final quotas for the Atlantic surf clam, ocean quahog, and Maine mahogany quahog fisheries for the 2000 fisheries. This action is necessary to comply with the regulations governing these fisheries that require NMFS to publish annual quotas for each species for each fishing year. The intent of this action is to specify allowable

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS informs the public that the interim rule published on May 4, 2000, to implement specifications and seasonal trip limits for fishing year 2000 (May 1, 2000, through April 30, 2001) for the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) fishery, is extended through April 24, 2001. The extension maintains the total quota for the 2000 fishing year and sets

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the summer flounder commercial quota available to the State of Connecticut has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in Connecticut for the remainder of calendar year 2000, unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS adjusts the 2000 annual specifications for the Atlantic herring fishery including total joint venture processing (JVPt), joint venture processing (JVP), internal waters processing (IWP), U.S. atsea processing (USAP), and total allowable catch (TAC) for Areas 1A and 1B. The intent is to reapportion allowable catches of herring within the

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : Western Area Power Administration

NMFS issues the final specifications for the 2000 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. The annual specifications for the scup fishery include a new provision to restrict fishing in certain areas during certain time periods to reduce discards of scup in smallmesh fisheries. This action contains preliminary adjustments to the 2000

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the black sea bass commercial quota available in the quarter 4 period to the coastal states from Maine through North Carolina has been harvested. Commercial vessels may not land black sea bass in the Northeast region for the remainder of the 2000 quarter 4 quota period (through December 31, 2000). Regulations governing the

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues this final rule to implement measures contained in Framework Adjustment 13 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Framework Adjustment 34 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. This final rule implements the 2000 Sea Scallop Exemption Program (Exemption Program), creates Sea Scallop Exemption Areas (Exemption Areas)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the summer flounder commercial quota available to the State of New York has been harvested. Vessels issued a commercial Federal fisheries permit for the summer flounder fishery may not land summer flounder in New York for the remainder of calendar year 2000, unless additional quota becomes available through a transfer.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues a listing of additional adjustments to the 2000 commercial summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass quotas. This action complies with the regulations that implement the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP), which specifies that summer flounder landings in excess of a given state's

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues a final rule to amend the existing reporting regulations for dealers and owners whose vessels are federally permitted to operate in the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Atlantic sea scallop, Northeast (NE) multispecies, monkfish, Atlantic mackerel, squid, butterfish, surfclam, ocean quahog, spiny dogfish or Atlantic bluefish

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration