NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia from its 2005 quota. By this action, NMFS adjusts the quotas and announces the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NMFS closed portions of Federal waters of the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England from June 14, 2005, through September 30, 2005, to the harvest for human consumption of certain bivalve molluscan shellfish due to the presence in those waters of the toxin that causes

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes measures to modify the existing reporting and record keeping regulations for federally permitted seafood dealers participating in the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Atlantic sea scallop, Northeast (NE) multispecies, monkfish, Atlantic mackerel, squid, butterfish, Atlantic surfclam, ocean quahog, Atlantic herring, Atlantic

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, April 25, 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 June 30, 2005). This

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), has projected that 100 percent of the quarterly incidental total allowable catch (TAC) of Georges Bank (GB) cod specified to be harvested under the Regular B DaysatSea (DAS) Pilot Program will be harvested by July 18, 2005. Therefore, the use of Regular B DAS

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 0001hrs local time, December 18, 2005. Vessels issued a Federal permit to harvest Loligo squid may not retain or land more than 2,500 lb (1.13 mt) of Loligo squid per trip for the remainder of the year (through December 31,

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS published a temporary rule in the Federal Register on August 2, 2005, to adjust the 2005 Winter II commercial scup quota and possession limit. NMFS has since received information that a substantial amount of scup landed during the 2005 Winter I period were misreported as porgies via the Electronic Dealer Reporting System. This action corrects

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS published in the Federal Register of January 4, 2005, a final rule containing final specifications for the 2005 and 2006 summer flounder fisheries and for the 2005 scup and black sea bass fisheries. Inadvertently, Table 4 of the final rule contained an incorrect Winter I period scup possession limit. This document corrects that error.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS proposes regulations to implement measures in FW 40B to the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). FW 40B was developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (Council) to modify existing effort control programs implemented under Amendment 13 to the FMP to improve the effectiveness of these programs and to create additional

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces the closure of the Closed Area I (CAI) Scallop Access Area for general category scallop vessels for the remainder of the 2005 fishing year (through February 28, 2006). This closure is based on a determination by the Northeast Regional Administrator (RA) that general category scallop vessels will have made all of the 162 allowed

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration