Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 240 / Friday, December 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 100919 

for Gulf reef fish) regardless of which 

state they are from or where they intend 

to land. Once the EEZ off Texas opens 

on June 1, 2025, TPWD will continue to 

monitor private recreational landings, 

and if necessary, will request that NMFS 

again close the EEZ in 2025 to ensure 

the Texas regional management area 

ACL is not exceeded. 

On and after the effective dates of this 

closure in the EEZ off Texas, the harvest 

and possession of red snapper in the 

EEZ off Texas by the private angling 

component is prohibited and the bag 

and possession limits for the red 

snapper private angling component in 

the closed area is zero. 

Classification 

NMFS issues this action pursuant to 

section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 

622.23(c), which was issued pursuant to 

304(b), and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866, and other 

applicable laws. 

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 are 

unnecessary and contrary to the public 

interest. Such procedures are 

unnecessary because the rule 

implementing the area closure authority 

and the state-specific private angling 

ACLs 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 a failure to implement 

the closure by January 1, 2025, would be 

inconsistent with Texas’s state 

management plan and may result in less 

access to red snapper in state waters. 

For the aforementioned reasons, there 

is also 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: December 9, 2024. 

Karen H. Abrams, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29391 Filed 12–12–24; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 648 

[Docket No. 241210–0319; RTID 0648– 

XE309] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab 

Fishery; 2025 Atlantic Deep-Sea Red 

Crab Specifications 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: NMFS is finalizing 

specifications for the 2025 Atlantic 

deep-sea red crab fishery, including an 

annual catch limit and total allowable 

landings limit. This action is necessary 

to fully implement previously projected 

allowable red crab harvest levels that 

will prevent overfishing and allow 

harvesting of optimum yield. This 

action is intended to establish the 

allowable 2025 harvest levels, 

consistent with the Atlantic Deep-Sea 

Red Crab Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP). 

DATES: The final specifications for the 

2025 Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery 

are effective from March 1, 2025, 

through February 28, 2026. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Caroline Potter, Fishery Resource 

Management Specialist, (978) 281–9325. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery is 

managed by the New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council). The 

Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab FMP 

includes a specification process that 

requires the Council to recommend an 

acceptable biological catch (ABC), an 

annual catch limit (ACL), and total 

allowable landings (TAL) every 4 years. 

Collectively, these are the red crab 

specifications. Prior to the start of 

fishing year 2024, the Council 

recommended specifications for the 

2024–2027 fishing years (table 1). 

TABLE 1—COUNCIL-APPROVED 2024–2027 RED CRAB SPECIFICATIONS

Metric tons Millions of pounds 

(lb) 

Acceptable Biological Catch .................................................................................................................. 2,000 4.41 

Annual Catch Limit ................................................................................................................................ 2,000 4.41 

Total Allowable Landings ....................................................................................................................... 2,000 4.41 

On February 8, 2024, NMFS 

published a final rule implementing the 

Council-recommended specifications for 

the 2024 fishing year, effective through 

February 28, 2025, and projecting the 

fishery’s specifications for 2025 through 

2027 (89 FR 8557). At the end of each 

fishing year, we evaluate catch 

information and determine if the quota 

has been exceeded. If a quota is 

exceeded, the regulations at 50 CFR 

648.262(b) require a pound-for-pound 

reduction in a subsequent fishing year. 

We have reviewed available 2023 and 

2024 fishery information against the 

projected 2025 specifications. There 

have been no quota overages, nor is 

there any new biological information 

that would require altering the projected 

2025 specifications published in 2024. 

Based on this information, we are 

finalizing specifications for fishing year 

2025, as projected in the 2024 

specifications rule, and outlined above 

in table 1. These specifications are not 

expected to result in overfishing and 

adequately account for scientific 

uncertainty. NMFS will provide notice 

of the final 2026–2027 specifications, 

and any necessary reductions, prior to 

the start of each respective fishing year. 

Classification 

NMFS is issuing this rule pursuant to 

305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

(MSA), which authorizes the Secretary 

to implement management measures 

necessary to carry out an approved 

fishery management plan. Red crab 

specifications are implemented 

pursuant to the regulations at 50 CFR 

648.260 that were approved and 

implemented by NMFS in Amendment 

3 to the FMP (76 FR 60379; September 

29, 2011). The NMFS Assistant 

Administrator has determined that this 

final rule is consistent with the Atlantic 

Deep-Sea Red Crab FMP, the 2024–2027 

Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab 

specifications, and other applicable law. 

This final rule is exempt from review 

under Executive Order (E.O.) 12866. 

NMFS has determined that this action 

would not have a substantial direct 

effect on one or more Indian Tribes, on 

the relationship between the Federal 

Government and Indian Tribes, or on 


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100920 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 240 / Friday, December 13, 2024 / Rules and Regulations 

the distribution of power and 

responsibilities between the Federal 

Government and Indian Tribes; 

therefore, consultation with Tribal 

officials under E.O. 13175 is not 

required, and the requirements of 

sections (5)(b) and (5)(c) of E.O. 13175 

also do not apply. A Tribal summary 

impact statement under section 

(5)(b)(2)(B) and section (5)(c)(2)(B) of 

E.O. 13175 is not required and has not 

been prepared. 

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

find good cause to waive prior public 

notice and opportunity for public 

comment on the catch limit and 

allocation adjustments, because 

allowing time for notice and comment 

would be contrary to the public interest. 

The proposed rule for the 2024–2027 

specifications, pursuant to the process 

described in the red crab regulations 

(§ 648.260), provided the public with 

the opportunity to comment on the 

specifications, including the projected 

2025 through 2027 specifications (88 FR 

83893, December 1, 2023). We received 

no comments on the proposed rule 

announcing the projected 2025–2027 

specifications and this final rule 

contains no changes from the projected 

2025 specifications that were included 

in both the December 1, 2023, proposed 

rule and the February 8, 2024, final rule 

(89 FR 8557). Through both the 

proposed rule for the 2024–2027 

specifications and the final rule for the 

2024 specifications, we alerted the 

public that we would conduct a review 

of the latest available catch information 

in each of the interim years of the multiyear specifications and announce the 

final quota prior to the March 1 start of 

the fishing year. Thus, the proposed and 

final rules that contained the projected 

2025–2027 specifications provided a 

full opportunity for the public to 

comment on the substance and process 

of this action. 

The Chief Counsel for Regulation, 

Department of Commerce, previously 

certified to the Chief Counsel for 

Advocacy of the Small Business 

Administration (SBA) that the 2024– 

2027 red crab specifications would not 

have a significant economic impact on 

a substantial number of small entities. 

Implementing the 2025 specifications 

will not change the conclusions drawn 

in that previous certification to the SBA. 

No comments were received regarding 

this prior certification. As a result, no 

new regulatory flexibility analysis is 

required and none has been prepared. 

This action does not contain a 

collection of information requirement 

for purposes of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

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

Dated: December 10, 2024. 

Samuel D. Rauch, III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29451 Filed 12–12–24; 8:45 am] 

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