Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 142 / Tuesday, July 24, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 34951 

(3) Rule 230, ‘‘Action on 

Applications,’’ amended on May 3, 

2017. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2018–15727 Filed 7–23–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 0907271173–0629–03] 

RIN 0648–XG357 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2018 

Commercial Accountability Measure 

and Closure for South Atlantic Snowy 

Grouper 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS implements 

accountability measures (AMs) for 

commercial snowy grouper in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 

South Atlantic. NMFS projects 

commercial landings for snowy grouper 

will reach the commercial annual catch 

limit (ACL) by July 24, 2018. Therefore, 

NMFS closes the commercial sector for 

snowy grouper in the South Atlantic 

EEZ on July 24, 2018, and it will remain 

closed until the start of the next 

commercial fishing season on January 1, 

2019. This closure is necessary to 

protect the snowy grouper resource. 

DATES: This rule is effective 12:01 a.m., 

local time, July 24, 2018, until 12:01 

a.m., local time, January 1, 2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional 

Office, telephone: 727–824–5305, email: 

mary.vara@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

snapper-grouper fishery of the South 

Atlantic includes snowy grouper and is 

managed under the Fishery 

Management Plan for the SnapperGrouper Fishery of the South Atlantic 

Region (FMP). The FMP was prepared 

by the South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council and is 

implemented by NMFS under the 

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) by 

regulations at 50 CFR part 622. 

The commercial ACL (commercial 

quota) for snowy grouper in the South 

Atlantic is 144,315 lb (65,460 kg), gutted 

weight, 170,291 lb (77,243 kg), round 

weight, for the current fishing year, 

January 1 through December 31, 2018, 

as specified in 50 CFR 622.190(a)(1)(iv). 

Under 50 CFR 622.193(b)(1), NMFS is 

required to close the commercial sector 

for snowy grouper when the commercial 

quota is reached or projected to be 

reached, by filing a notification to that 

effect with the Office of the Federal 

Register. NMFS projects that 

commercial landings of South Atlantic 

snowy grouper, as estimated by the 

Science and Research Director, will 

reach the commercial quota by July 24, 

2018. Accordingly, the commercial 

sector for South Atlantic snowy grouper 

is closed effective 12:01 a.m., local time, 

July 24, 2018, until 12:01 a.m., local 

time, January 1, 2019. 

The operator of a vessel with a valid 

commercial vessel permit for South 

Atlantic snapper-grouper having snowy 

grouper on board must have landed and 

bartered, traded, or sold such snowy 

grouper prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, 

July 24, 2018. During the commercial 

closure, harvest and possession of 

snowy grouper in or from the South 

Atlantic EEZ is limited to the bag and 

possession limits, as specified in 

§ 622.187(b)(2)(ii) and (c)(1). Also 

during the commercial closure, the sale 

or purchase of snowy grouper taken 

from the EEZ is prohibited. The 

prohibition on sale or purchase does not 

apply to the sale or purchase of snowy 

grouper that were harvested, landed 

ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., 

local time, July 24, 2018, and were held 

in cold storage by a dealer or processor. 

For a person on board a vessel for 

which a Federal commercial or charter 

vessel/headboat permit for the South 

Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery has 

been issued, the bag and possession 

limits and the sale and purchase 

provisions of the commercial closure for 

snowy grouper would apply regardless 

of whether the fish are harvested in state 

or Federal waters, as specified in 50 

CFR 622.190(c)(1)(ii). 

Classification 

The Regional Administrator, 

Southeast Region, NMFS, has 

determined this temporary rule is 

necessary for the conservation and 

management of snowy grouper and the 

South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery 

and is consistent with the MagnusonStevens Act and other applicable laws. 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

622.193(b)(1) and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

These measures are exempt from the 

procedures of the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act, because the temporary rule is 

issued without opportunity for prior 

notice and comment. 

This action responds to the best 

scientific information available. The 

Assistant Administrator for NOAA 

Fisheries (AA), finds that the need to 

immediately implement this action to 

close the commercial sector for snowy 

grouper constitutes good cause to waive 

the requirements to provide prior notice 

and opportunity for public comment 

pursuant to the authority set forth in 5 

U.S.C. 553(b)(B), as such procedures 

would be unnecessary and contrary to 

the public interest. Such procedures are 

unnecessary because the implementing 

final rule for these AMs has already 

been subject to notice and comment, 

and all that remains is to notify the 

public of the closure. Such procedures 

are contrary to the public interest 

because of the need to immediately 

implement this action to protect snowy 

grouper since the capacity of the fishing 

fleet allows for rapid harvest of the 

commercial quota. Prior notice and 

opportunity for public comment would 

require time and would potentially 

result in a harvest well in excess of the 

established commercial quota. 

For the aforementioned reasons, the 

AA also finds good cause to waive the 

30-day delay in the effectiveness of this 

action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: July 18, 2018. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15791 Filed 7–19–18; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 170816769–8162–02] 

RIN 0648–XG309 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Reapportionment of 

the 2018 Gulf of Alaska Pacific Halibut 

Prohibited Species Catch Limits for the 

Trawl Deep-Water and Shallow-Water 

Fishery Categories 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; 

reapportionment. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is reapportioning the 

seasonal apportionments of the 2018 


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