70120 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 227 / Tuesday, November 25, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

Under authority delegated in 49 CFR 

part 1.95. 

R. Ryan Posten 

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27885 Filed 11–24–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 120815345–3525–02] 

RIN 0648–XD628 

Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 

Atlantic; 2014 Recreational 

Accountability Measure and Closure 

for Gray Triggerfish in the South 

Atlantic 

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 gray triggerfish in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 

South Atlantic. Because recreational 

landings for gray triggerfish in the 2013 

fishing year exceeded the recreational 

annual catch limit (ACL) for the stock, 

NMFS monitored recreational landings 

in 2014 for a persistence in increased 

landings. Through this temporary rule, 

NMFS now closes the recreational 

sector for gray triggerfish in the South 

Atlantic EEZ on November 26, 2014, as 

NMFS has projected the recreational 

ACL to have been met for the 2014 

fishing year. This closure is necessary to 

protect the gray triggerfish resource. 

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

local time, November 26, 2014, until 

12:01 a.m., local time, January 1, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Catherine Hayslip, telephone: 727–824– 

5305, or email: catherine.hayslip@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

snapper-grouper fishery of the South 

Atlantic, which includes gray 

triggerfish, is managed under the 

Fishery Management Plan for SnapperGrouper Fishery of the South Atlantic 

Region (FMP). The FMP was prepared 

by the South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council and is 

implemented under the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) by regulations 

at 50 CFR part 622. 

The recreational ACL for gray 

triggerfish is 353,638 lb (160,407 kg), 

round weight. In accordance with 

regulations at 50 CFR 622.193(q)(2), if 

the recreational ACL is exceeded, the 

Assistant Administrator, NMFS (AA), 

will file a notification with the Office of 

the Federal Register to reduce the length 

of the following fishing season by the 

amount necessary to ensure landings do 

not exceed the recreational ACL in the 

following fishing year. In the 2013 

fishing year, recreational landings were 

373,983 lb (169,636 kg), round weight, 

and therefore, exceeded the recreational 

ACL by 20,345 lb (9,228 kg), round 

weight. NMFS received landings 

projections on November 12, 2014, that 

indicated the fishery has likely met the 

recreational ACL. Therefore, this 

temporary rule closes the recreational 

sector for gray triggerfish within the 

snapper-grouper fishery in 2014, 

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

November 26, 2014. 

During the closure, the bag and 

possession limit for gray triggerfish in or 

from the South Atlantic EEZ is zero. The 

recreational sector for gray triggerfish 

will reopen on January 1, 2015, the 

beginning of the 2015 recreational 

fishing season. Upon reaching the 

commercial ACL, NMFS closed the 

commercial sector for gray triggerfish 

effective May 12, 2014 (79 FR 26375, 

May 8, 2014). Therefore, on November 

26, 2014, no commercial or recreational 

harvest of gray triggerfish from the 

South Atlantic EEZ is permitted until 

January 1, 2015. 

Classification 

The Assistant Administrator (AA), 

Southeast Region, NMFS, has 

determined this temporary rule is 

necessary for the conservation and 

management of South Atlantic gray 

triggerfish within the South Atlantic 

snapper-grouper fishery and is 

consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act and other applicable laws. 

This action is taken under 50 CFR 

622.193(q)(2) and is exempt from review 

under Executive Order 12866. 

These measures are exempt from the 

procedures of the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act because the temporary rule is issued 

without opportunity for prior notice and 

comment. 

This action responds to the best 

scientific information available recently 

obtained from the fishery. The AA finds 

that the need to immediately implement 

this action to close the recreational 

sector for gray triggerfish 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 are unnecessary and 

contrary to the public interest. Such 

procedures are unnecessary because the 

rule itself has been subject to notice and 

comment, and all that remains is to 

notify the public of the closure. 

Additionally, such procedures are 

contrary to the public interest because 

there is a need to immediately notify the 

public of the recreational closure for 

gray triggerfish for the 2014 fishing year, 

to prevent recreational harvest of gray 

triggerfish from further exceeding the 

ACL, which will help protect this 

resource in the South Atlantic. 

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: November 20, 2014. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27943 Filed 11–21–14; 11:15 am] 

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