Rule2026-02275
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of America and Atlantic Region; 2025-2026 Commercial Closure for Spanish Mackerel in the Atlantic Southern Zone
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
February 4, 2026
Effective
February 7, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS closes commercial harvest for the Atlantic migratory group of Spanish mackerel in the southern zone. NMFS projects that landings of Spanish mackerel will soon reach the commercial quota for the Atlantic southern zone in the 2025-2026 fishing year. Accordingly, NMFS closes the Atlantic southern zone to commercial harvest of Spanish mackerel. This closure is necessary to protect the Spanish mackerel resource in the Atlantic.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5092-5093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02275]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 140819687-5583-02; RTID 0648-XF497]
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of America and
Atlantic Region; 2025-2026 Commercial Closure for Spanish Mackerel in
the Atlantic Southern Zone
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
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SUMMARY: NMFS closes commercial harvest for the Atlantic migratory
group of Spanish mackerel in the southern zone. NMFS projects that
landings of Spanish mackerel will soon reach the commercial quota for
the Atlantic southern zone in the 2025-2026 fishing year. Accordingly,
NMFS closes the Atlantic southern zone to commercial harvest of Spanish
mackerel. This closure is necessary to protect the Spanish mackerel
resource in the Atlantic.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective from February 7, 2026, through
February 28, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c515d4e45124a5d4e5d7c52535d5d125b534a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="650804171c4b13041704250b0a04044b020a13">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fishery for coastal migratory pelagic
fish in the Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ) includes king
mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia on the east coast of Florida, and
is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory
Pelagic Resources of the Gulf and Atlantic Region (FMP). The FMP was
prepared by NMFS and the Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils. NMFS implements the FMP through regulations at 50 CFR part
622 under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
All weights described in this document for the Atlantic migratory
group of Spanish mackerel (Atlantic Spanish mackerel) apply as either
round or gutted weight. The metric conversion for the imperial
measurement used in this document is 1 pound (lb) equals approximately
0.45 kilograms.
For management purposes, the commercial sector of Atlantic Spanish
mackerel is divided into northern and southern zones. The southern zone
for Atlantic Spanish mackerel consists of Federal waters off South
Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida as specified in 50 CFR
622.369(b)(2)(ii).
[[Page 5093]]
The southern zone boundaries extend from the border of North Carolina
and South Carolina, which is a line extending in a direction of
135[deg]34'55'' from true north beginning at 33[deg]51'07.9'' N
latitude and 78[deg]32'32.6'' W longitude to the intersection point
with the outward boundary of the EEZ, to a line at 25[deg]20'24'' N
latitude, which is the border of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties in
Florida (table 2 to Sec. 622.369).
The southern zone commercial quota for Atlantic Spanish mackerel is
2,667,330 lb [50 CFR 622.384(c)(2)(ii)]. Regulations at 50 CFR
622.388(d)(1)(i) require NMFS to close the commercial sector for
Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the southern zone when the commercial
quota is projected to be reached by filing a notification to that
effect with the Office of the Federal Register. NMFS projects that the
commercial quota for Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the southern zone
will be reached by February 7, 2026. Accordingly, the commercial sector
for Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the southern zone is closed from
February 7, 2026, through February 28, 2026, which is the end of the
current fishing year.
During the commercial closure, a person on a vessel issued a valid
Federal permit to harvest Atlantic Spanish mackerel may continue to
retain this species in the southern zone under the recreational bag and
possession limits as long as the recreational sector for Atlantic
Spanish mackerel is open [50 CFR 622.384(e)(1)]. Regulations at 50 CFR
622.382(a)(1)(iii) and (a)(2) specify the bag and possession limits.
Also during the commercial closure, Atlantic Spanish mackerel
harvested from the southern zone, including those harvested under the
bag and possession limits, may not be purchased or sold. This
prohibition does not apply to Atlantic Spanish mackerel from the
southern zone that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to the
closure and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor [50 CFR
622.384(e)(2)].
The 2026-2027 fishing year for Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the
northern and southern zones begins on March 1, 2026.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.388(d)(1)(i), which
was 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 is unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such
procedure is unnecessary because the regulation associated with the
commercial closure for Atlantic Spanish mackerel has already been
subject to notice and public comment, and all that remains is to notify
the public of the commercial closure. Prior notice and opportunity for
public comment on this action is contrary to the public interest
because of the need to immediately implement the commercial closure to
protect the Atlantic Spanish mackerel resource. The capacity of the
fishing fleet allows for rapid harvest of the commercial quota, and any
delay in the commercial closure could result in the exceedance of the
commercial quota. Prior notice and opportunity for public comment would
require time and would potentially result in a harvest that exceeds the
commercial quota.
For the same reasons just stated, there is good cause under 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in effectiveness of this
action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 2, 2026.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-02275 Filed 2-2-26; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 4, 2026.
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