Rule2026-05517
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; 2026-2027 Recreational Fishing Season for Black Sea Bass
Primary source
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Published
March 20, 2026
Effective
April 20, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS announces that the recreational fishing season for black sea bass in South Atlantic Federal waters will extend throughout its 2026-2027 fishing year. Announcing the length of the recreational fishing season for black sea bass is one of the accountability measures (AMs) for the recreational sector. This announcement allows recreational fishers to maximize their opportunity to harvest the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for black sea bass while NMFS manages harvest to protect the black sea bass resource.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 54 (Friday, March 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 13520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05517]
[[Page 13520]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 130403320-4891-02; RTID 0648-XF560]
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; 2026-2027
Recreational Fishing Season for Black Sea Bass
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; recreational fishing season.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the recreational fishing season for black
sea bass in South Atlantic Federal waters will extend throughout its
2026-2027 fishing year. Announcing the length of the recreational
fishing season for black sea bass is one of the accountability measures
(AMs) for the recreational sector. This announcement allows
recreational fishers to maximize their opportunity to harvest the
recreational annual catch limit (ACL) for black sea bass while NMFS
manages harvest to protect the black sea bass resource.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective from April 20, 2026, through
March 31, 2027.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nikhil Mehta, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdd3d4d6d5d4d193d0d8d5c9dcfdd3d2dcdc93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4927202221202567242c213d280927262828672e263f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The snapper-grouper fishery in the South
Atlantic includes black sea bass south of 35[deg]15.19' N latitude,
which is due east of Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina, and is
managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper
Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). NMFS prepared the FMP in
collaboration with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
(Council), and 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). Black sea bass
occurring in Federal waters north of 35[deg]15.19' N latitude are
managed under a different fishery management plan and are regulated by
50 CFR part 648.
The recreational fishing year for black sea bass is April 1 through
March 31. One of the recreational AMs for black sea bass requires that,
before the start of each recreational fishing year, NMFS will project
the length of the recreational fishing season based on when NMFS
projects recreational landings of black sea bass will reach the sector
ACL, and announce the season end date in the Federal Register [50 CFR
622.193(e)(2)]. The purpose of this AM is to allow recreational
fishermen to maximize their opportunities to harvest the recreational
ACL through a more predictable recreational season while NMFS manages
harvest within the recreational ACL to protect the stock from
experiencing adverse biological consequences. The metric conversion for
the imperial measurements used in this document is 1 pound (lb) equals
approximately 0.45 kilograms.
The recreational ACL for black sea bass during the 2026-2027
fishing year is 310,602 lb in gutted weight or 366,510 lb in round
weight [50 CFR 622.193(e)(2)]. NMFS estimates that recreational
landings of black sea bass during the 2026-2027 fishing year will be
less than the 2026-2027 recreational ACL. To make this determination,
NMFS compared recreational landings of black sea bass in the last 3
fishing years for which data are available (2022-2023 through 2024-
2025) to the recreational ACL for the 2026-2027 fishing year.
Recreational landings in each of these past 3 fishing years have been
less than the 2026-2027 recreational ACL, and NMFS expects similar
landings for the 2026-2027 fishing season. Therefore, because NMFS
projects that the recreational landings of black sea bass will be less
than the 2026-2027 recreational ACL, NMFS does not expect to close the
recreational harvest of black sea bass during the fishing year.
Accordingly, the season end date for the recreational harvest of black
sea bass in South Atlantic Federal waters is March 31, 2027.
The Council recently approved potential new management measures for
black sea bass through Regulatory Amendment 37 under the FMP. If
approved and implemented by NMFS, those changes could further restrict
allowable recreational harvest by establishing a recreational annual
catch target that is lower than the current recreational ACL and
revising AMs for black sea bass to close recreational harvest if
landings reach the annual catch target. It is currently unknown whether
the timing for Regulatory Amendment 37 could affect the 2026-2027
fishing year for black sea bass. However, if NMFS does implement
Regulatory Amendment 37, NMFS would inform fishermen and the public
about how that action would affect the length of the recreational
season for black sea bass at the time of implementation.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.193(e)(2), 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 is unnecessary. Such procedures are unnecessary because the
rule establishing the recreational AM has already been subject to
notice and comment, and all that remains is for NMFS to notify the
public of the recreational season length.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 18, 2026.
David R. Blankinship,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-05517 Filed 3-19-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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