Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 69 / Friday, April 10, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 19243 

Dated: March 16, 2015. 

Roy E. Wright, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for 

Mitigation, Federal Insurance and Mitigation 

Administration, Department of Homeland 

Security, Federal Emergency Management 

Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2015–08320 Filed 4–9–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–12–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 130312235–3658–02] 

RIN 0648–XD734 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2015 

Commercial Accountability Measure 

and Closure for South Atlantic 

Vermilion Snapper 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS implements 

accountability measures (AMs) for the 

commercial sector for vermilion snapper 

in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 

the South Atlantic. NMFS projects that 

commercial landings for vermilion 

snapper will reach the commercial 

annual catch limit (ACL) for the January 

1 through June 30, 2015, fishing period 

on April 15, 2015. Therefore, NMFS 

closes the commercial sector for 

vermilion snapper in the South Atlantic 

EEZ on April 15, 2015, and it will 

remain closed until the start of the July 

1 through December 31, 2015, fishing 

period. This closure is necessary to 

protect the South Atlantic vermilion 

snapper resource. 

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

local time, April 15, 2015, until 12:01 

a.m., local time, July 1, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Britni LaVine, NMFS Southeast 

Regional Office, telephone: 727–824– 

5305, email: britni.lavine@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

snapper-grouper fishery of the South 

Atlantic includes vermilion snapper 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 quota for vermilion 

snapper in the South Atlantic is divided 

into separate quotas for two 6-month 

time periods, January through June and 

July through December. For the January 

1 through June 30, 2015, fishing season, 

the commercial quota is 394,829 lb 

(179,091 kg), gutted weight (438,260 lb 

(198,791 kg), round weight), as specified 

in 50 CFR 622.190(a)(4)(i)(C). 

On February 26, 2015, NMFS 

published a temporary rule in the 

Federal Register to reduce the 

commercial trip limit for vermilion 

snapper in or from the EEZ of the South 

Atlantic to 500 lb (227 kg), gutted 

weight, effective 12:01 a.m., local time, 

March 2, 2015, until July 1, 2015, or 

until the quota is reached and the 

commercial sector closes, whichever 

occurs first (80 FR 10392). 

In accordance with regulations at 50 

CFR 622.193(f)(1), NMFS is required to 

close the commercial sector for 

vermilion snapper when the commercial 

quota for that portion of the fishing year 

has been reached, or is projected to be 

reached, by filing a notification to that 

effect with the Office of the Federal 

Register. NMFS has determined that the 

commercial quota for South Atlantic 

vermilion snapper for the January-June 

fishing period will have been reached 

by April 15, 2015. Accordingly, the 

commercial sector for South Atlantic 

vermilion snapper is closed effective 

12:01 a.m., local time, April 15, 2015, 

until 12:01 a.m., local time, July 1, 2015. 

The commercial quota for vermilion 

snapper in the South Atlantic is 394,829 

lb (179,091 kg), gutted weight (438,260 

lb (198,791 kg), round weight), for the 

July 1 through December 31, 2015, 

fishing period, as specified in 50 CFR 

622.190(a)(4)(ii)(C). 

The operator of a vessel with a valid 

commercial vessel permit for South 

Atlantic snapper-grouper having 

vermilion snapper onboard must have 

landed and bartered, traded, or sold 

such vermilion snapper prior to 12:01 

a.m., local time, April 15, 2015. During 

the closure, the bag limit specified in 50 

CFR 622.187(b)(5) and the possession 

limits specified in 50 CFR 622.187(c)(1), 

apply to all harvest or possession of 

vermilion snapper in or from the South 

Atlantic EEZ. During the closure, the 

sale or purchase of vermilion snapper 

taken from the EEZ is prohibited. As 

specified in 50 CFR 622.190(c)(1)(i), the 

prohibition on sale or purchase does not 

apply to the sale or purchase of 

vermilion snapper that were harvested, 

landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 

a.m., local time, April 15, 2015, 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 

vermilion snapper 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 South Atlantic 

vermilion snapper and is consistent 

with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and 

other applicable laws. 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

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

under Executive Order 12866. 

This action responds to the best 

scientific information available. The 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 

NOAA (AA), finds that the need to 

immediately implement this action to 

close the commercial sector for 

vermilion snapper 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 would be 

unnecessary because the rule itself has 

been subject to notice and comment, 

and all that remains is to notify the 

public of the closure. Allowing prior 

notice and opportunity for public 

comment is contrary to the public 

interest because of the need to 

immediately implement this action to 

protect vermilion snapper 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 

likely 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: April 6, 2015. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–08174 Filed 4–6–15; 4:15 pm] 

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