Rule2025-13012
2025 Recreational Harvest Closure for Gulf Gag
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 11, 2025
Effective
September 15, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the gag recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf for the 2025 fishing year. NMFS has projected that the 2025 recreational annual catch target (ACT) for gag will be reached by September 15, 2025. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for Gulf gag on September 15, 2025, and it will remain closed through the end of the fishing year on December 31, 2025. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf gag resource.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 131 (Friday, July 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 131 (Friday, July 11, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30827-30828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13012]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[RTID 0648-XE986; Docket No. 240506-0129]
2025 Recreational Harvest Closure for Gulf Gag
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
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SUMMARY: NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the gag
recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf
for the 2025 fishing year. NMFS has projected that the 2025
recreational annual catch target (ACT) for gag will be reached by
September 15, 2025. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for
Gulf gag on September 15, 2025, and it will remain closed through the
end of the fishing year on December 31, 2025. This closure is necessary
to protect the Gulf gag resource.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective from 12:01 a.m. local time on
September 15, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Helies, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, 727-824-5305, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80e6f2e1eeebaee8e5ece9e5f3c0eeefe1e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1d7b6f7c73763375787174786e5d73727c7c337a726b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the Gulf reef fish fishery that
includes gag under the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf (FMP). The Gulf Council (Council) prepared the
FMP, which was approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and NMFS
implements the FMP under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) through
regulations at 50 CFR part 622. All weights described in this temporary
rule are in gutted weight.
On June 1, 2024, NMFS implemented a final rule for Amendment 56 to
the FMP that modified management of gag in the Gulf EEZ (89 FR 40419,
May 10, 2024). For gag, that final rule revised the commercial and
recreational catch levels, the recreational AMs, and the recreational
fishing season. For the recreational sector, the unadjusted
recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for 2025 is 399,000 pounds
(lb)(180,983 kilograms (kg)), and the recreational ACT is 319,000 lb
(144,696 kg) (50 CFR 622.41(d)(2)(i)).
The recreational AM states that if recreational landings reach or
are projected to reach the applicable recreational ACT, then NMFS will
close the recreational sector for the remainder of the fishing year (50
CFR 622.41(d)(2)(ii)). The recreational AMs also state that if NMFS
estimates that gag recreational landings have exceeded the applicable
recreational ACL and gag is overfished, then in the following fishing
year, the recreational ACL and recreational ACT will be reduced by the
amount of the recreational ACL overage in the prior fishing year unless
the best scientific information available determines that greater,
lesser, or no overage adjustment is necessary (50 CFR
622.41(d)(2)(iii)). The final rule also implemented a seasonal closure
of the gag recreational sector to prohibit harvest annually from
January 1 through August 31 in the Gulf EEZ (50 CFR 622.34(e)).
In the 2024 fishing year, in accordance with the recreational AM at
50 CFR 622.41(d)(2)(iii), NMFS reduced the recreational ACL and ACT for
the 2024 fishing year based on an overage of the recreational ACL
during the 2023 fishing year (89 FR 53883, June 28, 2024). For the 2024
fishing year, the resulting adjusted recreational ACL was 163,376 lb
(74,106 kg) and the adjusted recreational ACT was 105,376 lb (47,798
kg). NMFS has determined that in 2024, recreational landings exceeded
the 2024 adjusted ACL by 88,891 lb (40,320 kg). Therefore, for the 2025
fishing year, the adjusted recreational ACL is 310,009 lb (140,618 kg)
and the adjusted recreational ACT is 230,009 lb (104,330 kg).
The 2025 recreational fishing season opens on September 1, and NMFS
projects that the 2025 adjusted recreational ACT for Gulf will be
reached as of September 15, 2025. This closure date was informed by a
review of 2022-2024 landings data derived from multiple sources
including Marine Recreational Information Program charter data, Texas,
Parks and Wildlife and Louisiana Creel surveys, the Southeast Region
Headboat Survey, and Florida's State Reef Fish Survey. This information
generated closure dates ranging from September 14, 2025, to September
26, 2025. To decrease the likelihood of another recreational ACL
overage in 2025 and required reduction to the recreational ACL and ACT
in 2026, NMFS is acting conservatively and implementing a September 15
closure date. Accordingly, this temporary rule closes the recreational
sector for Gulf gag effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, on September
15, 2025,
[[Page 30828]]
through the end of the fishing year on December 31, 2025.
During the recreational closure, the bag and possession limits of
gag in or from the Gulf EEZ are zero. The prohibition on possession of
gag also applies in state waters of the Gulf for any vessel issued a
valid Federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.41(d)(2)(ii) and
(iii), which were issued pursuant to section 304(b) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, 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 are unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such
procedures are unnecessary because the regulations associated with the
closure of recreational harvest of gag at 50 CFR 622.41(d)(2)(ii) and
the reduction of the gag recreational ACL and ACT at 50 CFR
622.41(d)(2)(iii) have already been subject to notice and public
comment, and all that remains is to notify the public of the closure
based on the adjusted ACT. Prior notice and opportunity for public
comment are contrary to the public interest. Prior notice and
opportunity for public comment would require time and those affected by
the length of the recreational fishing seasons, particularly for-hire
operations that book trips for clients in advance, need as much notice
as NMFS is able to provide to adjust their business plans to account
for changes to the recreational fishing season.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 9, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-13012 Filed 7-9-25; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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