# Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Closure of the Quarter I Fishery for Loligo Squid
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Closure.
**SUMMARY:**
NMFS announces that the directed fishery for Loligo squid in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) will be closed effective March 25, 2003. Vessels issued a Federal permit to harvest Loligo squid may not possess or land more than 2,500 lb (1.13 mt) of Loligo squid per calendar day for the remainder of the quarter (through March 31, 2003). This action is necessary to prevent the fishery from exceeding its Quarter I quota and allow for effective management of this stock.
**DATES:**
Effective 0001 hours, March 25, 2003, through 2400 hours, March 31, 2003.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Paul H. Jones, Fishery Policy Analyst, 978-281-9273, fax 978-281-9135, e-mail *[email protected]* .
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
Regulations governing the *Loligo* squid fishery are found at 50 CFR part 648. The regulations require specifications for maximum sustainable yield, initial optimum yield, allowable biological catch, domestic annual harvest (DAH), domestic annual processing, joint venture processing and total allowable levels of foreign fishing for the species managed under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. The procedures for setting the annual initial specifications are described in § 648.21.
The 2003 specification of DAH for *Loligo* squid was set at 16,872.5 mt (68 FR 57, January 2, 2003). This amount is allocated by quarter, as shown below.
| Quarter | Percent | Metric Tons | Research Set-aside |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| I (Jan-Mar) | 33.23 | 5,606.7 | N/A |
| II(Apr-Jun) | 17.61 | 2,971.3 | N/A |
| III(Jul-Sep) | 17.3 | 2,918.9 | N/A |
| IV (Oct-Dec) | 31.86 | 5,375.6 | N/A |
| Total | 100 | 16,872.5 | 127.5 |
Section 648.22 requires NMFS to close the directed Loligo squid fishery in the EEZ when 80 percent of the quarterly allocation is harvested in Quarters I, II and III, and when 95 percent of the total annual DAH has been harvested. NMFS is further required to notify, in advance of the closure, the Executive Directors of the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils; mail notification of the closure to all holders of *Loligo* squid permits at least 72 hours before the effective date of the closure; provide adequate notice of the closure to recreational participants in the fishery; and publish notification of the closure in the *Federal Register* . The Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS, based on dealer reports and other available information, has determined that 80 percent of the DAH for *Loligo* squid in Quarter I will be harvested. Therefore, effective 0001 hours, March 25, 2003, the directed fishery for *Loligo* squid is closed and vessels issued Federal permits for Loligo squid may not possess or land more than 2,500 lb (1.13 mt) of Loligo. Such vessels may not land more than 2,500 lb (1.13 mt) of *Loligo* during a calendar day. The directed fishery will reopen effective 0001 hours, April 1, 2003, when the Quarter II quota becomes available.
**Classification**
This action is required by 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from review under E.O. 12866.
**Authority:**
16 U.S.C. 1801 *et seq.*
Dated: March 20, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.