62410 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

RIN 0648–BD86 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coastal 

Migratory Pelagic Resources in the 

Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region; 

Amendment 20B 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and 

South Atlantic Fishery Management 

Councils (Councils) have submitted 

Amendment 20B to the Fishery 

Management Plan for the Coastal 

Migratory Pelagic Resources (CMP) in 

the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 

the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region 

(FMP) (Amendment 20B) for review, 

approval, and implementation by 

NMFS. Amendment 20B includes 

actions to modify Gulf migratory group 

king mackerel trip limits and fishing 

years, allow transit through areas closed 

to king mackerel fishing, create zones 

and quotas for Atlantic migratory group 

king and Spanish mackerel, modify the 

framework procedures for the FMP, 

increase annual catch limits (ACLs) for 

cobia, and create an east coast zone and 

quotas for Gulf migratory group cobia. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before December 16, 

2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on Amendment 20B, identified by 

‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2014–0176’’ by any of 

the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2014- 

0176, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Susan Gerhart, 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 www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

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). Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. 

Electronic copies of Amendment 20B, 

which includes an environmental 

assessment, a Regulatory Flexibility Act 

analysis, and a regulatory impact 

review, may be obtained from the 

Southeast Regional Office Web site at 

http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_

fisheries/gulf_sa/cmp/index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susan Gerhart, Southeast Regional 

Office, NMFS, telephone: 727–824– 

5305; email: Susan.Gerhart@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each 

regional fishery management council to 

submit any FMP or amendment to 

NMFS for review and approval, partial 

approval, or disapproval. The 

Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires 

that NMFS, upon receiving a plan or 

amendment, publish an announcement 

in the Federal Register notifying the 

public that the plan or amendment is 

available for review and comment. 

The FMP being revised by 

Amendment 20B was prepared by the 

Councils and implemented through 

regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under the 

authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 

Background 

The current management regime for 

CMP species (king mackerel, Spanish 

mackerel, and cobia) includes two 

migratory groups for each species, the 

Gulf migratory group and the Atlantic 

migratory group. Each migratory group 

is managed separately. Amendment 20B 

includes changes and additions to 

fishing regulations for each migratory 

group to allow for more targeted 

management of CMP species. 

Actions Contained in Amendment 20B 

Amendment 20B contains actions to 

modify Gulf migratory group king 

mackerel trip limits and fishing years, 

allow transit through areas closed to 

king mackerel fishing, create zones and 

quotas for Atlantic migratory group king 

and Spanish mackerel, modify the 

framework procedures for the FMP, 

increase ACLs for cobia, and create an 

east coast zone and quotas for Gulf 

migratory group cobia. 

Gulf Migratory Group King Mackerel 

Commercial Hook-and-Line Trip Limits 

The Gulf eastern zone’s Florida west 

coast subzone is comprised of two 

subzones, northern and southern. 

Currently, from July 1, each fishing year, 

until 75 percent of the respective 

northern or southern subzone’s hookand-line gear quota has been harvested, 

the commercial trip limit is 1,250 lb 

(567 kg) per day. From the date that 75 

percent of the respective northern or 

southern subzone’s hook-and-line gear 

quota has been harvested, the trip limit 

is reduced to 500 lb (227 kg) per day, 

until a closure of the respective 

northern or southern subzone is 

implemented. Amendment 20B would 

remove the trip limit reduction to 500 

lb (227 kg), which would allow the 

harvest of 1,250 lb (567 kg) per day until 

the quota for the subzone has been met 

or projected to be met and the respective 

subzone is closed to king mackerel 

harvest. 

Gulf Migratory Group Eastern Zone 

Northern and Southern Subzone King 

Mackerel Fishing Years 

Currently the Florida west coast 

northern subzone fishing year begins 

July 1 and ends on June 30, or when the 

quota is reached or projected to be 

reached. Amendment 20B would change 

the Florida west coast northern subzone 

fishing year to October 1 through 

September 30. Because the Councils did 

not select a preferred alternative for the 

southern subzone, the fishing year in 

that zone will remain July through June. 

Transit Through Areas Closed to King 

Mackerel 

Currently, persons who fish with a 

commercial vessel permit for king 

mackerel may not fish for or possess 

king mackerel in a closed zone. 

Amendment 20B would allow vessels 

with king mackerel to transit through 

areas that are closed to king mackerel 

fishing as the result of a quota closure. 

Atlantic Migratory Group King and 

Spanish Mackerel Zones 

Currently, there is one commercial 

quota for Atlantic migratory group king 

mackerel and one commercial quota for 

Atlantic migratory group Spanish 

mackerel. Amendment 20B would 

create northern and southern zones for 

Atlantic migratory group king and 

Spanish mackerel, each with separate 

commercial quotas. The boundary 

between the zones would be a line 

extending from the South Carolina/

North Carolina state line, with 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Proposed Rules 62411 

commercial quota allocation between 

the zones based on landings from the 

2002/2003–2011/2012 fishing years. The 

northern zone allocation would be 

calculated using combined commercial 

landings from North Carolina, Virginia, 

Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New 

Jersey, and New York. The southern 

zone allocation would be calculated 

using combined commercial landings 

from South Carolina, Georgia, and the 

Florida east coast and Florida Keys on 

the Atlantic side. NMFS would monitor 

the commercial quotas, and close 

Federal waters in each zone when the 

respective quota is reached or projected 

to be reached. Transfer of quota between 

zones would be allowed through a 

request to NMFS initiated by North 

Carolina (northern Zone) or Florida 

(southern Zone). The recreational ACLs 

for Atlantic migratory group king and 

Spanish mackerel will remain 

unchanged. 

Modifications to the FMP Framework 

Procedures 

Currently, any changes to acceptable 

biological catches (ABCs) and ABC 

control rules, ACLs and ACL control 

rules, and accountability measures must 

be established through a plan 

amendment. Amendment 20B would 

modify the framework procedures for 

the FMP. The changes would allow 

modification to the management 

measures described above under the 

standard documentation process of the 

open framework procedure. 

Amendment 20B would also modify the 

framework procedures to the FMP to 

allow the appropriate council (Gulf or 

South Atlantic) with jurisdiction for 

proposed management measures to 

approve framework amendments 

establishing those management 

measures without approval from the 

other council. 

Cobia Zones, ACLs, and Annual Catch 

Targets (ACTs) 

Amendment 20B addresses the results 

of the most recent stock assessment for 

Gulf and South Atlantic cobia. In 

Amendment 18 to the FMP, the 

Councils established separate migratory 

groups of cobia using the Councils’ 

boundary in Monroe County. However, 

the most recent stock assessment 

determined that the biological boundary 

should be at the Florida/Georgia line. 

The stock assessment results define 

Georgia north through the Mid-Atlantic 

area for the Atlantic migratory group, 

and the entire east coast of Florida 

through Texas for the Gulf migratory 

group. To adjust for this difference 

between the Councils’ jurisdictional 

areas for cobia and the areas used by the 

stock assessment, Gulf migratory group 

cobia would be divided into a Gulf zone 

(Texas through the Gulf side of the 

Florida Keys) and an east coast zone 

(east coast of Florida and Atlantic side 

of the Florida Keys, i.e., the area within 

the South Atlantic Council’s 

jurisdiction). The Gulf ACL would be 

allocated between the zones based on 

landings from the 1998–2012 fishing 

years. The South Atlantic Council 

would be responsible for regulations for 

the east coast zone, similar to 

management of the east coast subzone 

for king mackerel. Amendment 20B 

would also increase the ACLs for both 

migratory groups, the recreational ACT 

for the Atlantic migratory group, and the 

stock ACT for the Gulf zone. 

A proposed rule that would 

implement measures outlined in 

Amendment 20B has been drafted. In 

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, NMFS is evaluating the proposed 

rule to determine whether it is 

consistent with the FMP, the MagnusonStevens Act, and other applicable law. 

If that determination is affirmative, 

NMFS will publish the proposed rule in 

the Federal Register for public review 

and comment. 

Consideration of Public Comments 

The Council submitted Amendment 

20B for Secretarial review, approval, 

and implementation on May 22, 2014. 

Comments received by December 16, 

2014, whether specifically directed to 

the amendment or the proposed rule, 

will be considered by NMFS in its 

decision to approve, disapprove, or 

partially approve the amendment. 

Comments received after that date will 

not be considered by NMFS in this 

decision. All comments received by 

NMFS on the amendment or the 

proposed rule during their respective 

comment periods will be addressed in 

the final rule. 

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

Dated: October 14, 2014. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24689 Filed 10–16–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

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