Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules 72567 

restricting public access to fishery 

resources. The most recent control date 

was a similar control date for the Gulf 

Red Snapper IFQ program, which 

published on November 30, 2011 (76 FR 

74038). This document considered a 

control date of January 1, 2012, and 

stated that anyone entering the program 

after the control date will not be assured 

future access should a management 

regime that limits participation in the 

program be prepared and implemented. 

To date, the Council and NMFS have 

not implemented any management 

changes to the Gulf Red Snapper IFQ 

Program that utilize this control date. 

The current document does not 

supersede any of the prior documents, 

and is intended only to provide 

additional public notice of potential 

future action being considered relative 

to the Gulf Grouper and Tilefish IFQ 

program. 

The establishment of a control date 

does not commit the Council or NMFS 

to any particular management regime. 

The Council may or may not make use 

of this control date as part of the 

requirements for participation in the 

Gulf Grouper and Tilefish IFQ Program. 

Fishermen are not guaranteed future 

participation in the program, regardless 

of their entry date. The Council may 

take action that would affect 

participants who were in the program 

prior to the control date or the Council 

may choose to take no further action to 

control entry or access to the Gulf 

Grouper and Tilefish IFQ program. 

This notification also gives the public 

notice that interested participants 

should locate and preserve records that 

substantiate and verify their 

participation in the Gulf reef fish 

fishery. 

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

Dated: November 25, 2014. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28625 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 141107936–4988–01] 

RIN 0648–BE55 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery off the Southern 

Atlantic States; Amendment 29 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to 

implement Amendment 29 to the 

Fishery Management Plan for the 

Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 

Atlantic Region (FMP) (Amendment 29), 

as prepared and submitted by the South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council 

(Council). If implemented, Amendment 

29 and this rule would revise annual 

catch limits (ACLs) and recreational 

annual catch targets (ACTs) for four 

unassessed snapper-grouper species and 

three snapper-grouper species 

complexes based on an update to the 

acceptable biological catch (ABC) 

control rule and revised ABCs for 14 

snapper-grouper stocks. Additionally, 

this proposed rule would revise 

management measures for gray 

triggerfish in Federal waters in the 

South Atlantic region, including 

modifying minimum size limits, 

establishing a split commercial season, 

and establishing a commercial trip limit. 

The purpose of this rule is to revise 

ACLs and recreational ACTs for select 

snapper-grouper species using the best 

scientific information available, and to 

address concerns about inconsistent 

minimum size limits among states, and 

early harvest closures in the commercial 

sector for gray triggerfish. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before January 7, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the proposed rule, identified by 

‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2014–0132’’ 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- 

0132, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Karla Gore, 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 29, 

which includes an environmental 

assessment, an initial regulatory 

flexibility analysis (IRFA) and a 

regulatory impact review, may be 

obtained from the Southeast Regional 

Office Web site at http://

sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karla Gore, telephone: 727–824–5305, 

or email: karla.gore@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

snapper-grouper fishery of the South 

Atlantic is managed under the FMP. The 

FMP was prepared by the Council and 

is implemented through regulations at 

50 CFR part 622 under the authority of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

Background 

The Council’s Scientific and 

Statistical Committee (SSC) has 

recommended revising the Council’s 

ABC control rule to incorporate new 

methodology for species without 

assessments but for which there are 

reliable catch data. Amendment 29 

updates the ABC control rule for 

unassessed stocks and revises the ABCs 

for 14 snapper-grouper species through 

application of the new control rule. 

Amendment 29 and this proposed rule 

would revise ACLs and recreational 

ACTs for three snapper-grouper species 

complexes and four snapper-grouper 

species based on the revised ABCs. The 

Council’s SSC determined that these 

management measures are based on the 

best scientific information available. 

A stock assessment for the South 

Atlantic stock of gray triggerfish was 

initiated in 2013 but completion of the 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
72568 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

assessment has been postponed until 

2015. Meanwhile, fishermen have 

approached the Council with requests 

for management measures due to 

concerns about early closures in the 

commercial sector and the stock status 

of gray triggerfish. While the Council 

had intended to wait for the results of 

the stock assessment to make changes to 

management measures for this stock, the 

unforeseen delays in the assessment 

prompted the Council to be proactive 

and consider management measures in 

Amendment 29. These management 

measures include modifying minimum 

size limits for gray triggerfish, and 

establishing a split commercial season, 

and a commercial trip limit for gray 

triggerfish. 

Management Measures Contained in 

This Proposed Rule 

This rule would revise ACLs for three 

species complexes and four snappergrouper species based on the Council’s 

updated ABC control rule and the 

adjusted ABCs for unassessed species 

contained in Amendment 29. In 

addition, this rule would revise 

management measures for gray 

triggerfish in Federal waters of the 

South Atlantic region. 

Amendment 29 To Update the ABC 

Control Rule 

Amendment 29 modifies the ABC 

control rule to use the Only Reliable 

Catch Stocks (ORCS) approach, 

recommended by the Council’s SSC, to 

calculate ABC values for unassessed 

stocks for which there is only reliable 

catch information available. The 

approach involved selection of a ‘‘catch 

statistic’’ based on the maximum 

landings from 1999–2007, similar to the 

period of landings used in the Council’s 

Comprehensive ACL Amendment, and 

to minimize the impact of a decrease in 

landings that may have been caused by 

the economic downturn and the effect of 

recent regulations. The catch statistic 

was then multiplied by a scalar 

(number) ranging from 1.25 to 2, based 

on SSC consensus and expert judgment, 

to denote the stock’s risk of 

overexploitation (how likely the stock is 

to become overfished), and a scalar 

ranging from 0.50 to 0.90 to denote the 

stock’s management risk level. The SSC 

provided the first two criteria for each 

stock at issue and the Council 

developed the risk tolerance level. The 

amendment employed the ORCS 

approach to revise ABC values for the 

following unassessed snapper-grouper 

species: Bar jack, margate, red hind, 

cubera snapper, yellowedge grouper, 

silk snapper, Atlantic spadefish, gray 

snapper, lane snapper, rock hind, 

tomtate, white grunt, scamp, and gray 

triggerfish. 

Revise Annual Catch Limits for Select 

Species 

This rule would revise the ACLs for 

three species complexes and four 

snapper-grouper species based on the 

revised ABCs using the ORCS approach. 

In Amendment 29, the Council defines 

ACL = OY = ABC for the snappers 

complex, grunts complex, shallow-water 

complex, bar jack, Atlantic spadefish, 

and gray triggerfish. For scamp, the 

Council chose to revise the definition to 

ACL = OY = 0.90(ABC) to provide more 

of a buffer between the ABC and the 

ACL for scamp due to concerns about 

stock status of scamp. 

The specified sector allocations and 

the recreational ACT definitions for the 

snapper-grouper species contained in 

Amendment 29 would not change from 

those established in the Comprehensive 

ACL Amendment (77 FR 15916, March 

16, 2012). 

Modify Minimum Size Limit for Gray 

Triggerfish 

This rule would establish a 12-inch 

(30.5-cm), fork length (FL) minimum 

size limit for gray triggerfish in Federal 

waters off North Carolina, South 

Carolina, and Georgia for both the 

commercial and recreational sectors. 

This rule would also increase the 

minimum size limit for gray triggerfish 

off the east coast of Florida from 12 

inches (30.5 cm), total length to 14 

inches (35.6 cm), FL, for both the 

commercial and recreational sectors, 

which is consistent with the commercial 

and recreational minimum size limit in 

place for this species off the west coast 

of Florida, however, this is inconsistent 

with the 12-inch (30.5-cm) FL minimum 

size limit for gray triggerfish in state 

waters off the east coast of Florida. The 

rationale for increasing the minimum 

size limit to 14 inches (35.6 cm), FL, off 

the east coast of Florida is to implement 

consistent regulations for fishermen in 

South Florida, specifically off the 

Florida Keys. The Florida Fish and 

Wildlife Commission is expected to 

discuss implementing compatible 

regulations for state waters off the east 

coast of Florida. 

Establish a Split Commercial Season for 

Gray Triggerfish 

The fishing year for gray triggerfish 

begins on January 1. Weather conditions 

can be poor off North Carolina and 

South Carolina during the early part of 

the year making fishing for gray 

triggerfish difficult. This rule would 

divide the annual commercial fishing 

season for gray triggerfish into two sixmonth fishing seasons to provide 

opportunities to fish for gray triggerfish 

throughout the South Atlantic and 

throughout the calendar year. This rule 

proposes to allocate 50 percent of the 

commercial gray triggerfish ACL for the 

time period January 1 through June 30, 

and 50 percent for the time period July 

1 through December 31. As a result, the 

commercial ACL would be divided into 

two seasonal quotas of equal amounts of 

156,162 lb (70,834 kg), round weight. 

When the quota is reached for a given 

season, the commercial sector would 

close. In addition, any unused portion 

of the quota from the first season would 

be added to the quota in the second 

season. Any unused portion of the quota 

specified in the second season, 

including any addition of quota from 

the first season, would become void and 

would not be added to any subsequent 

quota. 

Establish a Commercial Trip Limit for 

Gray Triggerfish 

This rule would establish a 

commercial trip limit of 1,000 lb (454 

kg), round weight, for gray triggerfish, in 

order to extend the commercial fishing 

season for this species. 

Classification 

Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS 

Assistant Administrator has determined 

that this proposed rule is consistent 

with Amendment 29, the FMP, the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act and other 

applicable law, subject to further 

consideration after public comment. 

This proposed rule has been 

determined to be not significant for 

purposes of Executive Order 12866. 

NMFS prepared an IRFA for this rule, 

as required by section 603 of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 603. 

The IRFA describes the economic 

impact that this proposed rule, if 

implemented, would have on small 

entities. A description of the action, 

why it is being considered, and the 

objectives of and legal basis for this 

action are contained in the preamble. A 

copy of the full analysis is available 

from the NMFS (see ADDRESSES). A 

summary of the IRFA follows. 

The proposed changes to management 

measures would directly apply to 

businesses in the finfish fishing 

industry (NAICS 114111) that harvest 

Atlantic spadefish, bar jack, gray 

triggerfish, scamp, and species of the 

grunts, shallow-water groupers, and 

snapper complexes of the South 

Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery. The 

proposed changes would also directly 

apply to anglers; however, anglers 

aboard for-hire fishing or private and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules 72569 

leased vessels are not considered small 

entities as that term is defined in 5 

U.S.C. 601(6). 

Every commercial fishing vessel in 

the South Atlantic snapper-grouper 

fishery must have a valid commercial 

snapper-grouper vessel permit, which is 

a limited access permit for either an 

unlimited quantity of pounds per trip or 

up to 225 lb (102.1 kg) round weight 

(whole weight) per trip (a 225-lb (102.1- 

kg) whole weight trip-limited permit). It 

is estimated that up to 613 commercial 

fishing businesses own these vessels. 

According to Small Business Act Size 

Standards, a business in the finfish 

fishing industry is small if its annual 

receipts are less than $20.5 million. It is 

expected that a substantial number of 

the commercial finfish fishing 

businesses are small businesses. 

Two proposed changes are 

administrative actions and, as such, do 

not have a direct economic impact on 

any small entity. None of the proposed 

changes would impose additional 

reporting or record-keeping 

requirements on small businesses. 

The proposed increases in the 

commercial ACLs for Atlantic spadefish 

and the shallow-water groupers and 

snappers complexes are expected to 

have no impact on annual landings of 

and dockside revenues from those 

species/complexes because baseline 

landings are less than the current ACLs. 

The proposed decreases in the 

commercial ACLs for scamp and the 

grunts complex are also expected to 

have no impact on annual landings or 

dockside revenues because baseline 

landings are less than the current and 

proposed ACLs. 

The proposed increase in the 

commercial ACL for gray triggerfish is 

expected to increase annual landings of 

gray triggerfish by 22,978 lb (10,423 kg) 

to 34,726 lb (15,751 kg) whole weight 

and dockside revenues from those 

landings from $44,118 to $66,674. The 

proposed increase in the commercial 

ACL for bar jack would increase 

landings of bar jack from 0 lb (0 kg) to 

1,429 lb (648 kg) whole weight and 

dockside revenue from those landings 

from $0 to $1,943. The combined impact 

of those increases would be an annual 

economic benefit from $44,118 to 

$68,617 (2013 dollars). The average 

annual benefit per commercial finfish 

business would range from $72 to $112. 

The proposed minimum size limits 

for gray triggerfish would reduce 

commercial landings of the species. 

Two baselines are used to estimate the 

range of the adverse economic impact of 

this action. Under baseline 1, the total 

loss of annual dockside revenue from 

gray triggerfish landings would range 

from $14,775 to $29,654, while it would 

range from $21,586 to $39,609 under 

baseline 2. When that adverse impact is 

combined with the beneficial economic 

impact from the increase in the 

commercial ACL for gray triggerfish, 

there would be a net increase in annual 

dockside revenue from $22,532 to 

$37,020 (2013 dollars) from gray 

triggerfish landings. 

The combined economic impact of the 

gray triggerfish size limit and increase 

in the commercial ACL would not be 

the same across the states. There would 

be a net economic benefit in Georgia, 

North Carolina, and South Carolina and 

a net economic cost in Florida. 

Businesses in Florida would incur a 

combined annual loss ranging from 

$135 to $11,661 (2013 dollars) and the 

average annual loss of dockside revenue 

from the combined actions would range 

from $0.3 to $26 per Florida business. 

Businesses in Georgia, North Carolina, 

and South Carolina would incur a 

combined annual benefit ranging from 

$33,435 to $38,726 (2013 dollars), and 

the average annual net benefit would 

range from $201 to $233 per business. 

The proposed division of the 

commercial gray triggerfish season into 

two 6-month seasons is expected to 

have no beneficial or adverse economic 

impact beyond the status quo. However, 

the divided commercial season would 

provide fishermen increased 

opportunity to fish for gray triggerfish in 

the summer months when weather 

conditions are more favorable. 

The proposed 1,000-lb (454-kg) whole 

weight commercial trip limit is not 

expected to affect annual landings and 

dockside revenues from those landings, 

but instead would increase the numbers 

of trips and days with gray triggerfish 

landings during a fishing year. The trip 

limit would not affect commercial 

fishing vessels equally. It is estimated 

that 2.29 percent of trips currently land 

more than 1,000 lb (454 kg) whole 

weight. Vessels that make those trips 

may experience economies of scale by 

landing more than 1,000 lb (454 kg) 

whole weight, and the trip limit would 

decrease their net revenue per pound by 

increasing their average cost per pound. 

A considered but not adopted 

alternative of Action 3 would have set 

a larger commercial ACL for scamp and 

smaller commercial ACLs for the other 

species/complexes, particularly bar jack 

and gray triggerfish, which would yield 

smaller beneficial economic impacts 

than the preferred alternative. Two 

other considered but not adopted 

alternatives would further reduce the 

beneficial impacts. 

A larger minimum size limit for gray 

triggerfish in Federal waters off Georgia, 

North Carolina, and South Carolina was 

considered but not adopted for Action 4. 

It would have a larger adverse economic 

impact on small businesses that harvest 

gray triggerfish in Federal waters off 

North Carolina, South Carolina and, 

Georgia. A smaller minimum size limit 

for gray triggerfish in Federal waters off 

Florida was considered but not adopted 

although it would have a smaller 

adverse economic impact on small 

businesses of Florida than the preferred 

alternative. A considered but not 

adopted alternative of Action 5 would 

have allocated a smaller percentage (40 

percent) of the commercial ACL to the 

first half of the season and larger 

percentage (60 percent) to the second 

half, which would result in smaller 

economic benefits in the first half of the 

year and larger economic benefits in the 

second half. However, there would be 

no expected difference in annual 

landings and dockside revenues across 

the various alternatives. 

A lower trip limit was considered but 

not adopted for Action 6, which would 

yield smaller dockside revenues per 

trip. Another considered but not 

adopted alternative would have 

established a higher commercial trip 

limit; however, it would also have 

allowed for a higher rate of landings and 

likely shorter open seasons. There 

would be no expected difference in 

annual landings and dockside revenues 

across the various alternatives. 

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622 

Annual Catch Limit, Annual Catch 

Target, Commercial Trip Limits, 

Fisheries, Fishing, Quotas, Size Limits, 

Snapper-Grouper, South Atlantic. 

Dated: November 25, 2014. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 50 CFR part 622 is proposed 

to be amended as follows: 

PART 622—FISHERIES OF THE 

CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND 

SOUTH ATLANTIC 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 622 

continues to read as follows: 

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

■ 2. In § 622.185, paragraph (c)(2) is 

revised to read as follows: 

§ 622.185 Size limits. 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(2) Gray triggerfish—(i) In the South 

Atlantic EEZ off Florida—14 inches 

(35.6 cm), FL. 


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72570 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

(ii) In the South Atlantic EEZ off 

North Carolina, South Carolina, and 

Georgia—12 inches (30.5 cm), FL. 

* * * * * 

■ 3. In § 622.190, paragraph (a)(8) is 

added and paragraph (c)(1) introductory 

text is revised to read as follows: 

§ 622.190 Quotas. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(8) Gray triggerfish. (i) For the period 

January through June each year— 

156,162 lb (70,834 kg), round weight. 

(ii) For the period July through 

December each year—156,162 lb (70,834 

kg), round weight. 

(iii) Any unused portion of the quota 

specified in paragraph (a)(8)(i) of this 

section will be added to the quota 

specified in paragraph (a)(8)(ii) of this 

section. Any unused portion of the 

quota specified in paragraph (a)(8)(ii) of 

this section, including any addition of 

quota specified in paragraph (a)(8)(i) of 

this section that was unused, will 

become void and will not be added to 

any subsequent quota. 

* * * * * 

(c) * * * 

(1) South Atlantic gag, greater 

amberjack, snowy grouper, golden 

tilefish, vermilion snapper, black sea 

bass, red porgy, wreckfish, and gray 

triggerfish. 

* * * * * 

■ 4. In § 622.191, paragraph (a)(10) is 

added to read as follows: 

§ 622.191 Commercial trip limits. 

* * * * * 

(a) * * * 

(10) Gray triggerfish. Until the 

applicable quota specified in either 

§ 622.190(a)(8)(i) or (ii) is reached, 1,000 

lb (454 kg), round weight. See 

§ 622.190(c)(1) for the limitations 

regarding gray triggerfish after either 

quota specified in § 622.190(a)(8)(i) or 

(ii) is reached or projected to be 

reached. 

* * * * * 

■ 5. In § 622.193, the first sentence of 

paragraphs (i)(1)(i), (i)(2), (j)(1)(i), (j)(2), 

(m)(1)(i), (m)(2), (p)(1)(i), (p)(2), (q)(1)(i), 

(q)(2), (t)(1)(i), and (t)(2) are revised; 

paragraph (x) is revised; and the 

heading for paragraph (p) is revised to 

read as follows: 

§ 622.193 Annual catch limits (ACLs), 

annual catch targets (ACTs), and 

accountability measures (AMs). 

* * * * * 

(i) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings for scamp, 

as estimated by the SRD, reach or are 

projected to reach the commercial ACL 

of 219,375 lb (99,507 kg), round weight, 

the AA will file a notification with the 

Office of the Federal Register to close 

the commercial sector for the remainder 

of the fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for scamp, as estimated by the 

SRD, exceed the recreational ACL of 

116,369 lb (52,784 kg), round weight, 

then during the following fishing year, 

recreational landings will be monitored 

for a persistence in increased landings 

and, if necessary, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register, to reduce the length of 

the following recreational fishing season 

by the amount necessary to ensure 

recreational landings do not exceed the 

recreational ACL in the following 

fishing year. * * * 

(j) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings for other 

SASWG, as estimated by the SRD, reach 

or are projected to reach the commercial 

ACL of 55,542 lb (25,193 kg), round 

weight, the AA will file a notification 

with the Office of the Federal Register 

to close the commercial sector for this 

complex for the remainder of the fishing 

year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for other SASWG, as estimated 

by the SRD, exceed the recreational ACL 

of 48,648 lb (22,066 kg), round weight, 

then during the following fishing year, 

recreational landings will be monitored 

for a persistence in increased landings 

and, if necessary, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register, to reduce the length of 

the following recreational fishing season 

by the amount necessary to ensure 

recreational landings do not exceed the 

recreational ACL in the following 

fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(m) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings for bar jack, 

as estimated by the SRD, reach or are 

projected to reach the commercial ACL 

of 13,228 lb (6,000 kg), round weight, 

the AA will file a notification with the 

Office of the Federal Register to close 

the commercial sector for the remainder 

of the fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for bar jack, as estimated by the 

SRD, exceed the recreational ACL of 

49,021 lb (22,236 kg), round weight, 

then during the following fishing year, 

recreational landings will be monitored 

for a persistence in increased landings 

and, if necessary, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register, to reduce the length of 

the following recreational fishing season 

by the amount necessary to ensure 

recreational landings do not exceed the 

recreational ACL in the following 

fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(p) Other snappers complex 

(including cubera snapper, gray 

snapper, lane snapper, dog snapper, 

and mahogany snapper)— 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings combined 

for this other snappers complex, as 

estimated by the SRD, reach or are 

projected to reach the complex 

commercial ACL of 344,884 lb (156,437 

kg), round weight, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the commercial 

sector for this complex for the 

remainder of the fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If the 

combined recreational landings for this 

other snappers complex, as estimated by 

the SRD, exceed the recreational ACL of 

1,172,832 lb (531,988 kg), round weight, 

then during the following fishing year, 

recreational landings will be monitored 

for a persistence in increased landings 

and, if necessary, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register, to reduce the length of 

the following recreational fishing season 

by the amount necessary to ensure 

recreational landings do not exceed the 

recreational ACL for this complex in the 

following fishing year. * * * 

(q) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings for gray 

triggerfish, as estimated by the SRD, 

reach or are projected to reach the 

applicable commercial ACL 

(commercial quota) specified in 

§ 622.190(a)(8)(i) or (ii), the AA will file 

a notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the commercial 

sector for that portion of the fishing year 

applicable to the respective quota. 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for gray triggerfish, as 

estimated by the SRD, exceed the 

recreational ACL of 404,675 lb (183,557 

kg), round weight, then during the 

following fishing year, recreational 

landings will be monitored for a 

persistence in increased landings and, if 

necessary, the AA will file a notification 

with the Office of the Federal Register, 

to reduce the length of the following 

recreational fishing season by the 

amount necessary to ensure recreational 


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landings do not exceed the recreational 

ACL in the following fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(t) * * * 

(1) * * * 

(i) If commercial landings for Atlantic 

spadefish, as estimated by the SRD, 

reach or are projected to reach the 

commercial ACL of 150,552 lb (68,289 

kg), round weight, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the commercial 

sector for the remainder of the fishing 

year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for Atlantic spadefish, as 

estimated by the SRD, exceed the 

recreational ACL of 661,926 lb (300,245 

kg), round weight, then during the 

following fishing year, recreational 

landings will be monitored for a 

persistence in increased landings and, if 

necessary, the AA will file a notification 

with the Office of the Federal Register, 

to reduce the length of the following 

recreational fishing season by the 

amount necessary to ensure recreational 

landings do not exceed the recreational 

ACL in the following fishing year. * * * 

* * * * * 

(x) Grunts complex (including white 

grunt, sailor’s choice, tomtate, and 

margate)—(1) Commercial sector. (i) If 

commercial landings for the grunts 

complex, as estimated by the SRD, reach 

or are projected to reach the commercial 

complex ACL of 217,903 lb (98,839 kg), 

round weight, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register to close the commercial 

sector for this complex for the 

remainder of the fishing year. On and 

after the effective date of such a 

notification, all sale or purchase of the 

grunts complex, is prohibited, and 

harvest or possession of these species in 

or from the South Atlantic EEZ is 

limited to the bag and possession limit. 

This bag and possession limit applies in 

the South Atlantic on board a vessel for 

which a valid Federal commercial or 

charter vessel/headboat permit for 

South Atlantic snapper-grouper has 

been issued, without regard to where 

such species were harvested, i.e., in 

state or Federal waters. 

(ii) If the combined commercial 

landings for the grunts complex exceed 

the ACL, and at least one of the species 

in the complex is overfished, based on 

the most recent Status of U.S. Fisheries 

Report to Congress, the AA will file a 

notification with the Office of the 

Federal Register, at or near the 

beginning of the following fishing year 

to reduce the ACL for that following 

year by the amount of the overage in the 

prior fishing year. 

(2) Recreational sector. If recreational 

landings for the grunts complex, as 

estimated by the SRD, exceed the 

recreational ACL of 618,122 lb (280,375 

kg), round weight, then during the 

following fishing year, recreational 

landings will be monitored for a 

persistence in increased landings and, if 

necessary, the AA will file a notification 

with the Office of the Federal Register, 

to reduce the length of the following 

recreational fishing season for the grunts 

complex by the amount necessary to 

ensure recreational landings do not 

exceed the recreational ACL in the 

following fishing year. However, the 

length of the recreational season will 

not be reduced during the following 

fishing year if the RA determines, using 

the best scientific information available, 

that a reduction in the length of the 

following fishing season is unnecessary. 

* * * * * 

[FR Doc. 2014–28626 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 679 

[Docket No. 141021887–4887–01] 

RIN 0648–XD587 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands; 2015 and 2016 

Harvest Specifications for Groundfish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes 2015 and 

2016 harvest specifications, 

apportionments, and prohibited species 

catch allowances for the groundfish 

fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands (BSAI) management area. This 

action is necessary to establish harvest 

limits for groundfish during the 2015 

and 2016 fishing years, and to 

accomplish the goals and objectives of 

the Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area. The 

intended effect of this action is to 

conserve and manage the groundfish 

resources in the BSAI in accordance 

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

January 7, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this document, identified by NOAA– 

NMFS–2014–0134, 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- 

0134, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

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), 

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 the Alaska 

Groundfish Harvest Specifications Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (Final 

EIS), Record of Decision (ROD), 

Supplementary Information Report 

(SIR), and the Initial Regulatory 

Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) prepared for 

this action may be obtained from http:// 

www.regulations.gov or from the Alaska 

Region Web site at http://

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov. The final 2013 

Stock Assessment and Fishery 

Evaluation (SAFE) report for the 

groundfish resources of the BSAI, dated 

November 2013, is available from the 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) at 605 West 4th 

Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 

99501–2252, phone 907–271–2809, or 

from the Council’s Web site at http://

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc. The 

draft 2014 SAFE report for the BSAI will 

be available from the same sources in 

November 2014. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Whitney, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federal 

regulations at 50 CFR part 679 

implement the Fishery Management 

Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea 

and Aleutian Islands Management Area 

(FMP) and govern the groundfish 

fisheries in the BSAI. The Council 

prepared the FMP and NMFS approved 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS