Rule2023-11218
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2023 Red Snapper Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons
Primary source
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Published
May 25, 2023
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 2023 fishing year. This notification announces the 2023 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 88 Issue 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 33838-33839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11218]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 1710319998630-02; RTID 0648-XC946]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2023 Red Snapper
Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; 2023 fishing seasons notification.
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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 2023 fishing year. This notification announces
the 2023 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 2023 commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m.,
local time, July 10, 2023, until 12:01 a.m., local time, January 1,
2024, unless changed by subsequent notification in the Federal
Register. The 2023 recreational red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m.,
local time, on July 14, 2023, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on
July 16, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#adc0ccdfd483dbccdfccedc3c2cccc83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="036e62717a2d75627162436d6c62622d646c75">[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
2022, NMFS closed the commercial sector on August 31 as a result of the
commercial ACL being projected to be met (87 FR 52859, August 30,
2022). The recreational ACL is 29,656 fish, and NMFS has determined
that recreational landings are expected to reach the recreational ACL
in a 2-day season.
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 2023 commercial
season opens on July 10, 2023, and will remain open until 12:01 a.m.,
local time, on January 1, 2024, 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 sector for red snapper for
the remainder of the fishing year.
[[Page 33839]]
The recreational season for South Atlantic red snapper begins on
the second Friday in July. Accordingly, the 2023 recreational red
snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 14, 2023, and
closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 16, 2023. During the
recreational season, the recreational bag limit is one red snapper per
person, per day. After the closure of the recreational sector, 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 were 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 the time
needed to prepare for their respective data collection needs for the
season.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 22, 2023.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-11218 Filed 5-22-23; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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