Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 62 / Thursday, March 31, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 18739 

apply to activities conducted as 

authorized by a permit issued in 

accordance with the provisions set forth 

at § 17.72. 

(ii) Any employee or agent of the 

Service or of a State conservation 

agency that is operating a conservation 

program pursuant to the terms of a 

cooperative agreement with the Service 

in accordance with section 6(c) of the 

Act, who is designated by that agency 

for such purposes, may, when acting in 

the course of official duties, remove and 

reduce to possession from areas under 

Federal jurisdiction members of beach 

layia that are covered by an approved 

cooperative agreement to carry out 

conservation programs. 

(iii) You may engage in any act 

prohibited under paragraph (b)(1) of this 

section with seeds of cultivated 

specimens, provided that a statement 

that the seeds are of ‘‘cultivated origin’’ 

accompanies the seeds or their 

container. 

Martha Williams, 

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06740 Filed 3–30–22; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 140501394–5279–02; RTID 

0648–XB887] 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2022 

Recreational Accountability Measure 

and Closure for Blueline Tilefish in the 

South Atlantic Region 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure. 

SUMMARY: NMFS implements 

accountability measures (AMs) for 

recreational blueline tilefish in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 

South Atlantic. NMFS has determined 

that recreational landings for blueline 

tilefish will reach the recreational 

annual catch limit (ACL) by July 26, 

2022. Therefore, NMFS will close the 

recreational sector for blueline tilefish 

in the South Atlantic EEZ at 12:01 a.m., 

local time, July 26, 2022, and it will 

remain closed until the 2023 

recreational fishing season begins on 

May 1, 2023. This closure is necessary 

to protect the blueline tilefish resource. 

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

local time, July 26, 2022, until 12:01 

a.m., local time, January 1, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Region, 

telephone: 727–824–5305, email: 

mary.vara@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

snapper-grouper fishery of the South 

Atlantic includes blueline tilefish 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. 

NMFS implemented management 

measures for blueline tilefish in 

Amendment 32 to the FMP 

(Amendment 32) (80 FR 16583; March 

30, 2015), including current recreational 

AMs. Abbreviated Framework 3 to the 

FMP, which was implemented in 

August 2020 (85 FR 43145; July 16, 

2020), set the recreational ACL for 

blueline tilefish at 116,820 lb, (52,989 

kg), round weight. Under 50 CFR 

622.193(z)(2)(i), NMFS is required to 

close the recreational sector for blueline 

tilefish when the recreational ACL is 

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 

recreational landings for South Atlantic 

blueline tilefish will reach the 

recreational ACL by July 26, 2022. 

Accordingly, the recreational sector for 

South Atlantic blueline tilefish will 

close effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, 

July 26, 2022, until 12:01 a.m., local 

time, January 1, 2023, the start of the 

next fishing year. However, as described 

in 50 CFR 622.183(b)(7), the recreational 

sector for blueline tilefish is also closed 

from January 1 through April 30, and 

September 1 through December 31, each 

year. Therefore, after the effective date 

of the closure on July 26, 2022, the 

recreational sector may not harvest 

blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic 

EEZ until May 1, 2023. 

During the closure, the bag and 

possession limits for blueline tilefish in 

or from the South Atlantic EEZ are zero. 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

622.193(z)(2)(i), issued pursuant to 

section 304(b), and is exempt from 

review under Executive Order 12866. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there 

is good cause to waive prior notice and 

an opportunity for public comment on 

this action, as notice and comment is 

unnecessary and contrary to the public 

interest. Such procedures are 

unnecessary because the regulations 

associated with the closure of the 

blueline tilefish recreational sector have 

already been subject to notice and 

public comment, and all that remains is 

to notify the public of the date of the 

recreational closure. Prior notice and 

opportunity for public comment on this 

action is contrary to the public interest 

because of the need to protect the South 

Atlantic blueline tilefish resource. 

Additionally, providing as much 

advance notice to the public of this 

closure allows charter vessel and 

headboat businesses that fish for 

blueline tilefish to prepare for the rest 

of the fishing season and to schedule or 

reschedule trips for their clients and to 

maximize opportunities for their 

business revenues and profits. 

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

Dated: March 25, 2022. 

Ngagne Jafnar Gueye, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06712 Filed 3–28–22; 8:45 am] 

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