Rule2021-12004
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2021 Red Snapper Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons
Primary source
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Published
June 8, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces the limited opening of commercial and recreational red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic for the 2021 fishing year. This notice announces the 2021 red snapper commercial season opening date and the opening and closing dates for the red snapper recreational season, according to the accountability measures (AMs). This season announcement for South Atlantic red snapper allows fishers to maximize their opportunity to harvest the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs) while also managing harvest to protect the red snapper resource.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30393-30394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12004]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 1710319998630-02]
RTID 0648-XB091
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2021 Red Snapper
Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; 2021 fishing seasons notice.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the limited opening of commercial and
recreational red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the
South Atlantic for the 2021 fishing year. This notice announces the
2021 red snapper commercial season opening date and the opening and
closing dates for the red snapper recreational season, according to the
accountability measures (AMs). This season announcement for South
Atlantic red snapper allows fishers to maximize their opportunity to
harvest the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs)
while also managing harvest to protect the red snapper resource.
DATES: The 2021 commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m.,
local time, July 12, 2021. The 2021 recreational red snapper season
opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 9, 2021, and closes at 12:01
a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021, unless changed by subsequent
notification in the Federal Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#305d5142491e46514251705e5f51511e575f46"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fd909c8f84d38b9c8f9cbd93929c9cd39a928b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery
includes red snapper and is managed under the Fishery Management Plan
for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). The
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) prepared the FMP,
and the FMP is implemented by NMFS under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
by regulations at 50 CFR part 622.
For South Atlantic red snapper, the commercial AM requires the
sector to close when commercial landings reach or are projected to
reach the commercial ACL. The recreational AM is the length of the
recreational season, with NMFS projecting the season length based on
catch rate estimates from previous years.
The commercial ACL is 124,815 lb (56,615 kg), round weight, and in
2020, NMFS closed the commercial sector on September 5 as a result of
the commercial ACL being projected to be met (85 FR 54943; September 3,
2020). Subsequent to the commercial closure it was determined that the
commercial ACL was exceeded in 2020 by 9,650 lb (4,377 kg), round
weight. The recreational ACL is 29,656 fish, and preliminary landings
information show this ACL was exceeded in the 4-day fishing season in
2020 by 13,116 fish. For 2021, NMFS has determined that the landings
from the recreational sector are expected to reach the recreational ACL
in 3 days.
The commercial season for South Atlantic red snapper begins each
year on the second Monday in July and closes when the commercial ACL is
reached or is projected to be reached. Accordingly, the 2021 commercial
season opens on July 12, 2021, and will remain open until 12:01 a.m.,
local time, on January 1, 2022, unless the commercial ACL is reached or
projected to be reached prior to this date. During the commercial
fishing season, the commercial trip limit is 75 lb (34 kg), gutted
weight. NMFS will monitor commercial landings during the open season,
and if commercial landings reach or are projected to reach the
commercial ACL, then NMFS will file a notification with the Office of
the Federal Register to close the commercial
[[Page 30394]]
sector for red snapper for the remainder of the fishing year.
The recreational season for South Atlantic red snapper begins on
the second Friday in July. Accordingly, the 2021 recreational red
snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 9, 2021, and
closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021. During the
recreational season, the recreational bag limit is one red snapper per
person, per day. After the recreational sector closure, the bag and
possession limits for red snapper are zero.
There is not a red snapper minimum or maximum size limit for the
commercial and recreational sectors during the open seasons.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.183(b)(5)(i) and
622.193(y), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempt
from review under Executive Order 12866.
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 would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest.
Such procedures are unnecessary because the rule establishing the red
snapper ACLs and AMs has already been subject to notice and comment,
and all that remains is to notify the public of the respective
commercial and recreational fishing seasons. In addition, providing
prior notice and an opportunity for public comment is contrary to the
public interest because the seasons begin in early July and announcing
the length of the fishing seasons now allows each sector to prepare for
the upcoming harvest, provides opportunity to for-hire fishing vessels
to book trips that could increase their revenues and profits, and gives
the South Atlantic states just enough time to prepare for their
respective data collection needs for the season.
For the aforementioned reasons, the Acting Assistant Administrator
for NMFS 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: June 3, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-12004 Filed 6-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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