Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/10/09/2012-24791/snapper-grouper-fishery-off-the-southern-atlantic-states-snapper-grouper-management-measures
Timestamp: 2019-12-07 16:48:14
Document Index: 550887280

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622', '§\u2009622']

A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 10/09/2012
This rule is effective October 9, 2012 except regulations at Sec. 622.49(b)(1)(ii) which will be effective November 8, 2012. The commercial sector for golden tilefish will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on October 9, 2012 and will remain open until the end of the fishing year or until further notice is published in the Federal Register.
61295-61299 (5 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-24791 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-24791
This PDF is the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on 10/03/2012 at 4:15 pm.
NMFS issues this final rule to implement a regulatory amendment (Regulatory Amendment 12) to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). Regulatory Amendment 12 revises the optimum yield (OY) for golden tilefish in the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and modifies the golden tilefish annual catch limit (ACL) to be equal to the OY. Regulatory Amendment 12 also revises the recreational accountability measures (AMs). This rule specifies the revised commercial and recreational ACLs for golden tilefish and the revised recreational AMs for golden tilefish. Additionally, through this final rule, NMFS announces the reopening of the golden tilefish commercial sector with a commercial trip limit of 300 lb (136 kg) for the 2012 fishing year. The intent of this rule is to modify management measures for golden tilefish in the commercial and recreational sectors in the South Atlantic based on new stock assessment analyses.
This rule is effective October 9, 2012 except regulations at § 622.49(b)(1)(ii) which will be effective November 8, 2012. The commercial sector for golden tilefish will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on October 9, 2012 and will remain open until the end of the fishing year or until further notice is published in the Federal Register.
Electronic copies of Regulatory Amendment 12, which includes an environmental assessment, regulatory flexibility analysis, regulatory impact review, and fishery impact statement, may be obtained from the Southeast Regional Office Web site at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SASnapperGrouperHomepage.htm.
The golden tilefish fishing year extends from January 1 through December 31 each year. NMFS closed the commercial sector for golden tilefish on February 17, 2012, because the commercial ACL (equal to the commercial quota) was projected to have been reached by that date (77 FR 8750, February 15, 2012). However, due to the increased commercial ACL implemented through this final rule, NMFS has determined based on current information that additional golden tilefish may be harvested. Therefore, NMFS announces the reopening of the commercial sector for golden tilefish through this final rule. The commercial sector for golden tilefish will reopen at 12:01 a.m. on October 9, 2012. Regulations at § 622.44(c)(2)(ii) state that after 75 percent of the fishing year quota (commercial ACL) specified in § 622.42(e)(2) is reached, the trip limit for the commercial sector of golden tilefish is 300 lb (136 kg), gutted weight. NMFS has determined that 75 percent of the commercial quota (commercial ACL) has been landed and, thus, reopens the commercial sector for golden tilefish with the reduced trip limit of 300 lb (136 kg), gutted weight, for the remainder of the fishing year, or until the new ACL is reached or projected to be reached. If the new ACL is reached or projected to be reached before the end of the fishing year, NMFS will file a notification with the Office of the Federal Register to close the commercial sector for golden tilefish for the remainder of the fishing year.
NMFS updates regulations at § 622.49(b)(1)(i) for the golden tilefish commercial sector AMs to clarify that the commercial quota is equal to the commercial ACL.
Response: Current regulations specify that the trip limit for the golden tilefish commercial sector is reduced from 4,000 lb (1,814 kg), gutted weight, to 300 lb (136 kg), gutted weight, after 75 percent of the quota (ACL) is met. If 75 percent of the fishing-year ACL has not been taken on or before September 1, the trip limit will not be reduced. Based on landings information for 2012, NMFS has determined that 75 percent of the revised ACL was landed before September 1. Therefore, NMFS is reopening the commercial sector with a trip limit of 300 lb (136 kg), gutted weight.
Comment 6: Regulatory Amendment 12 does not address the need to reduce participation in the golden tilefish component of the snapper-grouper fishery so that the fishing season can be extended and the ACL is not exceeded.
Response: NMFS agrees that Regulatory Amendment 12 does not address reducing participation in the golden tilefish component of the snapper-grouper fishery. Amendment 18B, under review by the Secretary, would establish an endorsement program for golden tilefish to limit participation in the longline component, and allocate a portion of the quota to the hook-and-line and longline components of the commercial sector. These measures, if implemented, would be expected to extend the fishing season.
A total of 142 vessels using hook-and-line gear and 38 vessels using longline gear landed golden tilefish in any one year during 2005-2010. Vessels using hook-and-line gear landed an annual average of about 27,000 lb (12,247 kg), gutted weight, of golden tilefish and 220,000 lb (99,790 kg), gutted weight, of other snapper-grouper species. Gross revenues of these vessels annually averaged $76,000 (2010 dollars) from golden tilefish and $567,000 (2010 dollars) from other snapper-grouper species. For 2005-2010, vessels using longline gear landed an annual average of about 298,000 lb (135,172 kg), gutted weight, of golden tilefish and 153,000 lb (69,400 kg), gutted weight, of other snapper-grouper species. For this period, their revenues annually averaged $802,000 from golden tilefish and $286,000 from other snapper-grouper species. On average, vessels using hook-and-line gear depended on other snapper-grouper species for a majority of their revenues while vessels using longline gear depended on golden tilefish as their major source of revenues. Some vessels using hook-and-line gear could be expected to be more dependent on golden tilefish as a major source of revenues. Similarly, some vessels using longline gear could be more dependent on other snapper-grouper species as a major source of revenues. These vessels, using hook-and-line or longline gear, are considered to comprise the universe of commercial vessels directly affected by actions in this regulatory amendment, including the ACL alternatives. With the ACL increase, other commercial vessels may enter or re-enter the golden tilefish portion of the snapper-grouper fishery, but it is not reasonably possible to determine how many vessels would do so.
Three provisions in this final rule are exempt from the requirement to delay the effectiveness of a final rule by 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1). Specifically, the following provisions relieve restrictions on the regulated community: The increases in the commercial and recreational ACLs for golden tilefish set forth in § 622.42(e)(2) and § 622.49(b)(1)(ii), and the reopening of the commercial sector to allow for the harvest of the new commercial ACL and achievement of OY. However, the recreational ACL is contained in the same paragraph in the regulations as the recreational AMs for golden tilefish. The provisions that implement the in-season AM and revise the post-season AM for the recreational sector for golden tilefish do not relieve a restriction and are therefore subject to the 30-day delay in effectiveness. Further, because the increased recreational ACL has already been reached, and the recreational sector will not reopen, the increased recreational ACL does not need to be effective immediately. Therefore, the paragraph in the regulations containing both the recreational ACL and AMs for golden tilefish, § 622.49(b)(1)(ii), will be effective 30 days after publication of this final rule.
(2) Golden tilefish—541,295 lb (245,527 kg).
3. In § 622.49, the section heading is revised, and paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (b)(1)(ii) are revised to read as follows: