NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), has projected that the total allowable catch (TAC) for Georges Bank (GB) yellowtail flounder allocated for harvest from the U.S./Canada Management Area will be fully harvested prior to the end of the fishing year if the rate of GB yellowtail flounder harvest

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes specifications for the 2006 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. The implementing regulations for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) require NMFS to publish specifications for the upcoming fishing year for each of the species and to provide an opportunity for public comment.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces the closure of the Eastern U.S./Canada Area, including the Eastern U.S./Canada Haddock Special Access Program (SAP) Pilot Program, to limited access Northeast (NE) multispecies daysat sea (DAS) vessels for the remainder of the 2005 fishing year (i.e., through April 30, 2006), unless otherwise notified by the
Administrator, Northeast

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is increasing the 500mt haddock quota for the second participation period (November 16, 2005, through December 31, 2005) of the Closed Area (CA) I Hook Gear Haddock Special Access Program (SAP) to 536.6 mt. Available information indicates that the 500mt quota for

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is eliminating the daily and maximum haddock trip limits for the groundfish fishery for the remainder of the 2005 fishing year, through April 30, 2006. Accordingly, there is no trip limit on the amount of haddock that can be harvested or landed for the rest of

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues final specifications for the 2005 and 2006 summer flounder fisheries and for the 2005 scup and black sea bass fisheries, and makes preliminary adjustments to the 2005 commercial quotas for these fisheries. This final rule specifies allowed harvest limits for both commercial and recreational fisheries, including scup possession limits.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes specifications for the 2006 Atlantic herring fishery, which are the same as the specifications implemented in 2005. The regulations for the Atlantic herring fishery require NMFS to publish specifications for the upcoming year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of the specifications is to conserve and manage

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This final rule implements Framework Adjustment 41 (FW 41) to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP), developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council), which expands participation in the existing Closed Area (CA) I Hook Gear Haddock Special Access Program (SAP) to all NE multispecies limited access daysat

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues final specifications for the 2005 Atlantic Deep- Sea Red Crab (red crab) fishery, which are the same as specifications for the 2004 fishery. The target total allowable catch (TAC) and fleet days at sea (DAS) for fishing year (FY) 2005 is 5.928 million lb (2.69 million kg) and 780 fleet DAS, respectively. Accordingly, since one qualified

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes 2005 fishing year (FY) Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for Georges Bank (GB) cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder in the U.S./Canada Management Area, and provides notice that these TACs may be adjusted during FY 2005, if NMFS determines that the harvest of these stocks in FY 2004 exceeded the TACs specified for FY 2004. The intent of

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is clarifying emergency regulations that closed portions of Federal waters of the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England to the harvest of bivalve shellfish due to the presence of the toxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). This correction will allow for the collection and testing of samples for the toxin that

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This rule corrects inadvertent errors and omissions found in the April 27, 2004, final rule implementing Amendment 13 and the November 19, 2004, interim final rule implementing Framework Adjustment (Framework) 40A to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This rule also clarifies specific regulations to maintain consistency

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This action reinstates the temporary regulations published in the Federal Register on September 9, 2005, and establishes the prohibition that was inadvertently omitted in the September 9, 2005 rule. In the September 9, 2005, temporary rule, NMFS continued the closure through September 30, 2005, of one portion of an area it had previously closed on

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes initial specifications for the 2005 fishing year for Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish (MSB). Regulations governing these fisheries require NMFS to publish proposed specifications for the upcoming fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of this action is to fulfill this requirement and to

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues 2005 specifications for the Atlantic bluefish fishery, including statebystate commercial quotas, a recreational harvest limit, and recreational possession limits for Atlantic bluefish off the east coast of the United States. The final specifications for the fishing year (FY) 2005 are a commercial quota of 10.398 million lb (4.716 million

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS issues this final rule to amend the regulations implementing the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Atlantic bluefish fishery and the FMP for the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. This rule makes administrative changes that will allow NMFS to consider and process state commercial quota transfer requests that address

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the directed fishery for Loligo squid in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will be closed effective 0001 hours, February 20, 2005. Vessels issued a Federal permit to harvest Loligo squid may not retain or land more than 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of Loligo squid per trip for the remainder of the quarter (through March 31, 2005). This

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This final rule amends current regulatory text regarding boundaries for the essential fish habitat (EFH) closures that were established by Framework 16 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop (Scallop) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Framework 39 to the Northeast Multispecies (NE Multispecies) FMP (Joint Frameworks 16/39) in order to reflect recent court

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The following Total Allowable Catches (TACs) in the U.S./ Canada Management Area are implemented for the 2005 fishing year (FY): 260 mt of Georges Bank (GB) cod, 7,590 mt of GB haddock, and 4,260 mt of yellowtail flounder. This action is intended to meet the conservation and management requirements of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is reducing the Georges Bank (GB) yellowtail flounder trip limit from an unlimited amount to 15,000 lb (6,804.1 kg) per trip for Northeast (NE) multispecies DaysatSea (DAS) vessels fishing in both the Western and Eastern U.S./Canada Areas. This action is

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that it has approved the request of the State of New Jersey to transfer 36,333 lb (16,481 kg) of commercial summer flounder quota to the states of Maine, Connecticut, and New York, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in accordance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Addendum XV to the Summer Flounder,

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is required to specify annual catch quotas for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries. NMFS issues this rule to set final allowable harvest levels of Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs from the Exclusive Economic Zone and an allowable harvest level of Maine mahogany ocean quahogs from Atlantic waters north of 43[deg]50' N. lat.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces final specifications for the 2005 fishing year for the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish (MSB) fisheries. This action also implements a 3.0inch (7.62cm) minimum codend mesh size requirement for butterfish otter trawl trips greater than 5,000 lb (2,268 kg). In addition, this action includes three regulatory language changes that

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is promulgating emergency regulations, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to close portions of Federal waters of the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England to the harvest of shellfish (bivalves), with the exception of sea scallop adductor muscles harvested and shucked at sea, due to the presence in those

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS extends for 10 days the public comment period on the proposed rule to implement the management measures contained in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as published on January 14, 2005. NMFS also corrects the description of the qualification years for the proposed modification to the monkfish limited access program

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration