[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81892-81893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23320]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE304]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Secretarial Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-
Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, intends to prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) and conduct scoping to analyze management 
alternatives to be included in a Secretarial Amendment to the Fishery 
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic 
Region (Secretarial Amendment). The EIS will evaluate a range of 
alternatives for setting and managing catch for South Atlantic red 
snapper to end overfishing and support rebuilding objectives of the 
stock. The purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public 
comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
EIS must be received on or before November 8, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document identified by NOAA-
NMFS-2024-0107 by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type NOAA-NMFS-2024-0107, in the Search box. 
Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Karla Gore, Southeast 
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address), confidential business information, 
or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender 
will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter 
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
    The unique identification number for the EIS for the Secretarial 
Amendment is: EISX-006-48-1SE-1726732992.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office, 
telephone: 727-824-5305; or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a1cac0d3cdc08fc6ced3c4e1cfcec0c08fc6ced7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="caa1abb8a6abe4ada5b8af8aa4a5ababe4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS, with the advice of the South Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council), manages the 
snapper-grouper fishery, which includes red snapper, under the Fishery 
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic 
Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP). The South Atlantic Council prepared the 
Snapper-Grouper FMP, and NMFS implements the Snapper-Grouper FMP 
through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). 
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that NMFS and regional fishery 
management councils prevent overfishing and achieve, on a continuing 
basis, the optimum yield from federally managed fish stocks. These 
mandates are intended to ensure that fishery resources are managed for 
the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect 
to providing food production and recreational opportunities and 
protecting marine ecosystems.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Act also provides that the Secretary of 
Commerce (Secretary) may prepare a fishery management plan (FMP) or an 
amendment to any such FMP

[[Page 81893]]

(Secretarial Amendment) under certain circumstances. Section 
304(c)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act provides that the Secretary 
may prepare an FMP or FMP amendment in accordance with the national 
standards, the other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and any 
other applicable law, ``if the appropriate Council fails to develop and 
submit to the Secretary, after a reasonable period of time'' an FMP for 
such fishery, or any necessary amendment to such an FMP, if such 
fishery requires conservation and management.
    The status of the South Atlantic red snapper stock was evaluated in 
the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 73 stock assessment 
that was completed in 2021. The results of SEDAR 73 indicated that the 
South Atlantic red snapper stock remains overfished and is experiencing 
overfishing, and the overfishing is being primarily driven by high 
numbers of dead discards in the recreational sector. Because the South 
Atlantic red snapper stock is overfished, it is managed under a 
rebuilding plan implemented through Amendment 17A to the Snapper-
Grouper FMP (75 FR 76874, December 9, 2010), which specified a 35-year 
rebuilding schedule with the rebuilding timeframe to end in 2044. In a 
letter dated July 23, 2021, NMFS notified the South Atlantic Council of 
the results of SEDAR 73 and that overfishing of red snapper was 
occurring. The South Atlantic Council has discussed how to address or 
end overfishing of this stock since receiving the overfishing 
notification from NMFS, but it has not taken action to meet the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements to end overfishing. To reduce 
overfishing of South Atlantic red snapper in the 2024 fishing year, 
NMFS implemented interim measures that included reducing the commercial 
and recreational annual catch limits (89 FR 50530, June 14, 2024).
    NMFS has determined that red snapper requires conservation and 
management measures to end the overfishing, and is therefore developing 
a Secretarial Amendment to end overfishing of red snapper in accordance 
with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. While developing the EIS and Secretarial 
Amendment, NMFS will consider new information that has become available 
since 2021 for revisions to South Atlantic red snapper management. At 
this time, NMFS intends for this action to be in place during the 2025 
commercial and recreational fishing seasons.
    The EIS to support the Secretarial Amendment would explore 
management strategies to end overfishing of South Atlantic red snapper 
while also considering alternatives to increase fishing opportunities 
for landing red snapper by reducing the amount of fish released dead. 
NMFS will develop an EIS to describe and analyze alternatives to 
address the management needs previously described, including the 
current or ``no action'' alternatives. Possible actions that NMFS may 
consider to include in the EIS are, but are not limited to, adjusting 
catch levels, adjusting accountability measures, and discard reduction 
measures.
    In accordance with the Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative 
Order 216-6A, NMFS has identified preliminary environmental issues as a 
means to initiate discussion for scoping purposes only. The public is 
invited to provide written comments on the preliminary issues, which 
are identified as actions in the EIS. These preliminary issues may not 
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in 
the final EIS associated with the Secretarial Amendment.
    After the draft EIS associated with the Secretarial Amendment is 
completed, it will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA). After filing, the EPA will publish a notice of availability of 
the draft EIS for public comment in the Federal Register. The draft EIS 
will have a 45-day comment period. NMFS currently anticipates 
publishing the draft EIS by January 24, 2025, with the comment period 
to expected to end on March 10, 2025.
    This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the Council on 
Environmental Quality or implementing the procedural provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and the 
Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A.
    NMFS will consider public comments received on the draft EIS in 
developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and the 
record of decision. NMFS will announce, through a document published in 
the Federal Register, all additional public comment periods on the 
final Secretarial Amendment, its proposed implementing regulations, and 
the availability of its associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public 
comments received, whether they are on the draft EIS, final amendment, 
the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action. 
NMFS anticipates publishing the FEIS by April 25, 2025, with a record 
of decision signed by NMFS by May 25, 2025. These specific dates are 
preliminary and are subject to change based on NMFS administrative 
needs.

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

    Dated: October 3, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-23320 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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