648.76—Maine mahogany quahog zone.
(a) Landing requirements.
(1)
A vessel issued a valid Maine mahogany quahog permit pursuant to § 648.4(a)(4)(i), and fishing for or possessing ocean quahogs within the Maine mahogany quahog zone, must land its catch in the State of Maine.
(2)
A vessel fishing under an individual allocation permit, regardless of whether it has a Maine mahogany quahog permit, fishing for or possessing ocean quahogs within the zone, may land its catch in the State of Maine, or, consistent with applicable state law in any other state that utilizes food safety-based procedures including sampling and analyzing for PSP toxin consistent with those food safety-based procedures used by the State of Maine for such purpose, and must comply with all requirements in §§ 648.70 and 648.75. Documentation required by the state and other laws and regulations applicable to food safety-based procedures must be made available by federally-permitted dealers for inspection by NMFS .
(b) Quota monitoring and closures—
(1) Catch quota.
The annual quota for harvest of mahogany quahogs from within the Maine mahogany quahog zone is 100,000 Maine bushels (35,150 hL). The quota may be revised annually within the range of 17,000 and 100,000 Maine bushels (5,975 and 35,150 hL) following the procedures set forth in § 648.71.
(ii)
All mahogany quahogs landed for sale in Maine by vessels issued a Maine mahogany quahog permit and not fishing for an individual allocation of ocean quahogs under § 648.70 shall be applied against the Maine mahogany quahog quota, regardless of where the mahogany quahogs are harvested.
(iii)
All mahogany quahogs landed by vessels fishing in the Maine mahogany quahog zone for an individual allocation of quahogs under § 648.70 will be counted against the ocean quahog allocation for which the vessel is fishing.
(iv)
The Regional Administrator will monitor the quota based on dealer reports and other available information and shall determine the date when the quota will be harvested. NMFS shall publish notification in the Federal Register advising the public that, effective upon a specific date, the Maine mahogany quahog quota has been harvested and notifying vessel and dealer permit holders that no Maine mahogany quahog quota is available for the remainder of the year.
(2) Maine Mahogany Quahog Advisory Panel.
The Council shall establish a Maine Mahogany Quahog Advisory Panel consisting of representatives of harvesters, dealers, and the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The Advisory Panel shall make recommendations, through the Surf Clam and Ocean Quahog Committee of the Council, regarding revisions to the annual quota and other management measures.
[63 FR 27485, May 19, 1998]