Summer Flounder Commercial Quota Transfer - North Carolina to New Jersey
Summary
NMFS announced a temporary rule implementing a quota transfer of 100,000 lbs of summer flounder commercial quota from North Carolina to New Jersey for the 2026 fishing year. The transfer, effective April 7 through December 31, 2026, adjusts North Carolina's quota to 2,920,221 lbs and New Jersey's to 2,096,380 lbs. The action was approved under the Magnuson-Stevens Act FMP provisions following mutual agreement between the states and concurrence by the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator.
What changed
NMFS published a temporary rule implementing a commercial summer flounder quota transfer of 100,000 lbs from North Carolina to New Jersey for the 2026 fishing year, effective April 7 through December 31, 2026. The transfer was approved under the FMP mechanism in 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2), which requires mutual agreement between states and concurrence from the Regional Administrator. The Administrator determined the transfer meets all three criteria: it will not preclude full quota harvest, addresses an unforeseen variation (New Jersey's need to avoid quota overage), and is consistent with FMP objectives.\n\nAffected parties include commercial fishing operations in both states, as well as seafood dealers and distributors handling summer flounder. The revised quotas are now North Carolina at 2,920,221 lbs and New Jersey at 2,096,380 lbs. Fishing operations should verify their state's current quota status before planning summer flounder harvests, particularly in New Jersey where the additional quota allows for increased landings.
What to do next
- Monitor quota usage against revised allocations
- Ensure compliance with 50 CFR 648.100-648.111 for summer flounder harvest
- Report any unforeseen variations in the fishery to NMFS
Archived snapshot
Apr 8, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Content
ACTION:
Temporary rule; quota transfer.
SUMMARY:
NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2026 commercial summer flounder quota to
the State of New Jersey. This adjustment to the 2026 fishing year quota is necessary to comply with the Summer Flounder, Scup,
and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of the revised
2026 commercial quotas for North Carolina and New Jersey.
DATES:
Effective April 7, 2026, through December 31, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Rigdon, Fishery Management Specialist, (978) 281-9336.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the summer flounder fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.111. These regulations require annual
specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned among the coastal states from Maine through North Carolina. The process
to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each state is described in § 648.102, and the final 2026 allocations
were published on February 19, 2026 (91 FR 7896).
The final rule implementing amendment 5 to the FMP, as published in the
Federal Register
on December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a mechanism for transferring summer flounder commercial quota from one state
to another. Two or more states, under mutual agreement and with the concurrence of the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator,
can transfer or combine summer flounder commercial quota under § 648.102(c)(2). The Regional Administrator is required to
consider three criteria in the evaluation of requests for quota transfers or combinations: (1) the transfers or combinations
would not preclude the overall annual quota from being fully harvested; (2) the transfers address an unforeseen variation
or contingency in the fishery; and (3) the transfers are consistent with the objectives of the FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Regional Administrator has determined these three criteria
have been met for the transfer approved in this notification.
North Carolina is transferring 100,000 pounds (lb; 45,359 kilograms (kg)) of summer flounder to New Jersey through a mutual
agreement between the states. This transfer was requested to ensure that New Jersey would not exceed its 2026 state quota.
The revised summer flounder quotas for 2026 are: North Carolina, 2,920,221 lb (1,324,590 kg); and New Jersey, 2,096,380 lb
(950,902 kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 648.102(c)(2)(i)
through (iv), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and is exempted from review under Executive
Order 12866.
Authority:
16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: April 6, 2026. David R. Blankinship, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2026-06776 Filed 4-7-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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