[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 129 (Thursday, July 3, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 38139-38143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15151]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 070718369-8731-02]
RIN 0648-AV34


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Amendment 30A

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 30A to the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of 
Mexico (FMP) prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council 
(Council). This final rule establishes accountability measures for the 
commercial and recreational fisheries for greater amberjack and gray 
triggerfish, establishes commercial quotas for greater amberjack and 
gray triggerfish, establishes a recreational quota for greater 
amberjack and recreational catch limits for gray triggerfish, increases 
the commercial and recreational minimum size limit for gray 
triggerfish, increases the recreational minimum size limit for greater 
amberjack, and reduces the greater amberjack bag limit to zero for 
captain and crew of a vessel operating as a charter vessel or headboat. 
In addition, Amendment 30A establishes management targets and 
thresholds for gray triggerfish consistent with the requirements of the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act. This final rule is intended to end 
overfishing of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish and to rebuild 
these stocks to sustainable levels.

DATES: This final rule is effective August 4, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (FSEIS), the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (FRFA), 
and the Record of Decision (ROD) may be obtained from Peter Hood, NMFS, 
Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; telephone 727-824-5305; fax 727-824-5308; e-mail 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Hood, telephone 727-824-5305; 
fax 727-824-5308; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico 
is

[[Page 38140]]

managed under the FMP. The FMP was prepared by the Council and is 
implemented through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under the authority 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act).
    On March 31, 2008, NMFS published a notice of availability of 
Amendment 30A and requested public comments (73 FR 16829). On April 8, 
2008, NMFS published the proposed rule to implement Amendment 30A and 
requested public comments (73 FR 19040). NMFS approved Amendment 30A on 
June 20, 2008. The rationale for the measures in Amendment 30A is 
provided in the amendment and in the preamble to the proposed rule and 
is not repeated here.

Comments and Responses

    NMFS received one public comment on Amendment 30A and the proposed 
rule. The following is a summary of the comment and NMFS' response.
    Comment 1: Although management measures appear to be sufficient to 
rebuild greater amberjack and gray triggerfish stocks, increases in 
size limits can lead to an increased number of dead discards if 
assumptions about angler behavior, bycatch mortality, and the 
reproductive benefits to the stock are not met. Therefore, it is 
important that accountability measures are sufficient to identify and 
to ensure pay back of any overage in mortality in a timely fashion so 
as not to derail the rebuilding process.
    Response: Levels of total allowable catch (TAC) required for 
greater amberjack and gray triggerfish stock rebuilding to occur within 
their respective rebuilding periods do consider discard mortality. This 
is a factor considered in the stock assessment, subsequent stock 
projections, and reductions in harvest derived from raising size 
limits. To ensure stock rebuilding is constrained to the rebuilding 
plan, the accountability measures (AMs) for each stock close the 
fisheries if the commercial or recreational quotas are reached or are 
projected to be reached. For the commercial greater amberjack and gray 
triggerfish fisheries, should the quota be exceeded, the following 
year's quota would be reduced to account for the overage. To ensure 
stock rebuilding is proceeding as anticipated, periodic assessment 
updates are planned to evaluate stock rebuilding. Based on these 
updates, any appropriate adjustments will be identified and addressed 
through subsequent rulemaking as necessary.

Classification

    The Administrator, Southeast Region, NMFS, determined that 
Amendment 30A is necessary for the conservation and management of the 
greater amberjack and gray triggerfish fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico 
and that it is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other 
applicable laws.
    This final rule has been determined to be not significant for 
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
    NMFS prepared an SEIS for this amendment. A notice of availability 
for the draft SEIS was published on December 14, 2007 (72 FR 71137). A 
notice of availability for the FSEIS was published on April 18, 2008 
(73 FR 21124).
    An FRFA was prepared. The FRFA incorporates the initial regulatory 
flexibility analysis, a summary of the significant economic issues 
raised by public comments, NMFS responses to those comments, and a 
summary of the analyses completed to support the action. A copy of the 
full analysis is available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). A summary of the 
FRFA follows.
    This final rule will directly affect vessels that operate in the 
Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery and for-hire reef fish 
fisheries, and reef fish dealers or processors. The Small Business 
Administration (SBA) has established size criteria for all major 
industry sectors in the U.S. including fish harvesters, for-hire 
operations, fish processors, and fish dealers. A business involved in 
fish harvesting is classified as a small business if it is 
independently owned and operated, is not dominant in its field of 
operation (including its affiliates), and has combined annual receipts 
not in excess of $4.0 million (NAICS code 114111, finfish fishing) for 
all affiliated operations worldwide. For for-hire operations, the other 
qualifiers apply, and the annual receipts threshold is $6.5 million 
(NAICS code 713990, recreational industries). For seafood processors 
and dealers, rather than a receipts threshold, the SBA uses an employee 
threshold of 500 or fewer persons on a full-time, part-time, temporary, 
or other basis, at all affiliated operations for a seafood processor 
and 100 or fewer persons for a seafood dealer.
    Due to incomplete 2006 and 2007 data at the time the assessments 
were conducted, 2005 fishing data were used to evaluate the expected 
economic impacts of the final actions. A commercial reef fish permit is 
required to operate in the Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery, 
and a moratorium on the issuance of new permits has been in effect 
since 1992. On July 1, 2005, 1,209 commercial reef fish permits were 
either active (i.e., not expired--1,118 permits) or expired but 
eligible for renewal (91 permits), and this is considered to comprise 
the universe of commercial harvest operations in the fishery. However, 
1,285 vessels reported reef fish landings in 2005, including vessels 
that transferred permits during the year. While all commercial reef 
fish permitted vessels can harvest greater amberjack or gray 
triggerfish, only 519 vessels landed greater amberjack, and 477 vessels 
landed gray triggerfish in 2005.
    The annual average gross revenue and net income per vessel for 
vessels in the greater amberjack or gray triggerfish fishery is 
unknown. For all vessels in the commercial reef fish fishery, the 
average annual gross and net revenue, respectively, for vertical line 
vessels are estimated to range from approximately $24,100 (2005 
dollars; $6,800 net revenue) to $110,100 ($28,500 net revenue), while 
the values for bottom longline vessels are approximately $87,600 (2005 
dollars; $15,000 net revenue) to $117,000 ($25,500 net revenue). Some 
fleet behavior is known to exist in the commercial reef fish fishery, 
but the extent of such is unknown, though the maximum number of permits 
reported to be owned by the same entity is six. Additional permits in 
this and other fisheries (and associated revenues) may be linked 
through affiliation rules, but these links cannot be made using 
existing data. Nevertheless, based on the average annual gross revenue 
information for all commercial reef fish vessels, NMFS determines, for 
the purpose of this analysis, that all commercial reef fish entities 
potentially affected by this final rule are small business entities.
    An estimated 1,692 vessels are permitted to operate in the Gulf of 
Mexico reef fish for-hire fishery. It is unknown how many of these 
vessels operate as headboats or charterboats, a distinction which is 
based on pricing behavior, and individual vessels may operate as both 
types of operations at different times. However, 76 vessels participate 
in the Federal headboat logbook program. Several entities own multiple 
for-hire permits, with at least one entity owning as many as 12 
permits.
    The average charterboat is estimated to generate approximately 
$77,000 (2005 dollars) in annual revenues, while the comparable figure 
for an average headboat is approximately $404,000 (2005 dollars). Based 
on the average annual gross revenue information for these vessels, NMFS 
determines, for the

[[Page 38141]]

purpose of this analysis, that all for-hire entities potentially 
affected by this final rule are small business entities.
    An estimated 227 dealers are permitted to buy and sell Gulf of 
Mexico reef fish species. Based on vessel logbook records for 2005, 192 
of these dealers actively bought and sold greater amberjack, while 177 
bought and sold gray triggerfish. All reef fish processors would be 
included in this total since a processor must be a dealer. Dealers 
often hold multiple types of permits and operate in both Federal and 
state fisheries. It is unknown what percentage of any of the average 
dealer's business comes from either greater amberjack or gray 
triggerfish.
    Average employment information per reef fish dealer is unknown. 
Although dealers and processors are not synonymous entities, total 
employment for reef fish processors in the Southeast is estimated at 
approximately 700 individuals, both part- and full-time. While all 
processors must be dealers, a dealer need not be a processor. Further, 
processing is a much more labor-intensive exercise than dealing. 
Therefore, given the employment estimate for the processing sector and 
the total number of dealers operating in the reef fish fishery, NMFS 
determines that the average number of employees per dealer and 
processor does not surpass the SBA employment benchmark and, NMFS 
determines, for the purpose of this analysis, that all dealers 
potentially affected by this rule are small entities.
    This final action will reduce greater amberjack harvests by 26 
percent in the recreational sector and 43 percent in the commercial 
sector, and gray triggerfish harvests by 60 percent and 61 percent for 
the recreational and commercial sectors, respectively. Although the 
expected harvest reductions are large, the subsequent impact on vessel 
profits will depend on the importance of these species to vessel 
revenues. In the commercial reef fish fishery, only 120 vessels landed 
more than 1,000 lb (454 kg) of greater amberjack in 2005 and only 31 
vessels landed more than 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) of greater amberjack. For 
gray triggerfish, 44 vessels landed more than 1,000 lb (454 kg), and no 
vessels landed more than 10,000 lb (4,536 kg). Thus, 399 vessels, or 
approximately 77 percent of the fleet, landed less than 1,000 lb (454 
kg) of greater amberjack, while 433 vessels, or approximately 91 
percent of the fleet landed less than 1,000 lb (454 kg) of gray 
triggerfish. This suggests that relatively few vessels in the 
commercial reef fish fishery are dependent on greater amberjack, and 
even fewer would be expected to be dependent on gray triggerfish.
    The final actions for greater amberjack are projected to result in 
a reduction of approximately $1.3 million in net revenues to commercial 
reef fish vessels over the 2008-2012 rebuilding period, or 
approximately $260,000 per year. This annual loss equates to an average 
of approximately $500 if distributed across all vessels landing greater 
amberjack (519) or $2,200 per vessel if distributed across just vessels 
landing greater than 1,000 lb (454 kg) (120). The final actions for 
gray triggerfish are projected to result in a reduction of 
approximately $716,000 in net income during the 2008-2012 rebuilding 
period, or $145,200 per year. This annual loss equates to approximately 
$300 per vessel if distributed among all vessels landing gray 
triggerfish (477) or $3,300 if distributed across only those vessels 
landing more than 1,000 lb (454 kg) of gray triggerfish (44).
    While for-hire vessels do not derive revenues from greater 
amberjack or gray triggerfish sales, most vessels target these species 
at some time during the year. Assuming angler demand declines in 
response to the restrictions for these species, revenue and profit 
reductions can be projected. As a result of the final actions for 
greater amberjack, the for-hire sector is projected to experience a 
loss in net income of approximately $763,000 per year, while the final 
actions for gray triggerfish are projected to result in a loss of 
approximately $514,000 per year. If these losses were distributed 
equally across all vessels in the fishery, the resulting loss per 
vessel would be less than $800 per vessel. Some vessels are likely more 
dependent on these species than other vessels due to where they fish 
and client preferences and, thus, may be more severely impacted by the 
management measures.
    Three alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to modify the greater amberjack rebuilding plan. The final 
action, which is the status quo, will maintain the current stepped 
rebuilding plan, but will update the plan with data from the 2006 stock 
assessment. The first alternative to the final action would use the 
same yield projections as the final action, but would increase the TAC 
annually instead of stepped increases. The second alternative to the 
final action would also increase the TAC annually but would limit the 
total harvest over the 5 years of the plan to equal that under the 
final action. These alternatives were not selected for the final action 
because the Council believed the step increases will allow greater 
stability to the fishery while still allowing harvest to progressively 
increase.
    Three alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to specify accountability measures for greater amberjack. 
The final action will implement corrective action based on single-year 
fishery harvest totals. Because the greater amberjack fishery is nearer 
the end of the rebuilding plan, the single-year approach provides the 
greatest probability of ending overfishing and rebuilding the stock. 
The first alternative to the final action, the status quo, would not 
specify accountability measures and would not satisfy the requirements 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and was therefore rejected. The second 
alternative to the final action would trigger accountability measures 
on the single year projections for the 2008 fishing season, but would 
trigger accountability measures through multi-year analyses thereafter. 
This alternative was not selected for the final action because multi-
year assessments and corrective actions would be expected to delay 
stock rebuilding, resulting in slower realization of benefits from a 
rebuilt stock.
    Five alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to establish management measures for the greater amberjack 
recreational fishery. The first alternative to the final suite of 
management measures, the status quo, would not alter current management 
measures and would not result in sufficient harvest reduction to 
satisfy the rebuilding plan. This alternative would not, therefore, 
achieve the Council's objective. The second alternative to the final 
action would impose a higher size limit and, thus, was rejected because 
it would result in more adverse economic impacts. The third alternative 
to the final action would impose a 2-month seasonal closure. Since a 
closure would result in trip cancellations, this alternative would 
result in more adverse economic impacts than the final action which 
will simply restrict the catch but otherwise allow the fishery to 
remain open. The last alternative to the final action would impose both 
a seasonal closure and a higher size limit, and, thus, was rejected 
because it would result in even more adverse economic impacts.
    Five alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to establish management measures for the greater amberjack 
commercial fishery. The first alternative to the final suite of 
management measures, the status quo, would not alter current management 
measures and would not result in

[[Page 38142]]

sufficient harvest reduction to satisfy the rebuilding plan. This 
alternative would not, therefore, achieve the Council's objective and 
thus was rejected. The second alternative to the final action would 
impose a trip limit. Although this alternative would achieve the same 
reduction as the final action, it was rejected because it would tend to 
impose more restrictive limits on fishing operations as to eventually 
result in more adverse economic impacts. The third alternative to the 
final action would impose an even lower trip limit and thus it was 
rejected because it was estimated to result in more adverse economic 
impacts than the final action. The last alternative to the final action 
would add a 3-month seasonal closure to the existing 3-month closure. 
Although this would achieve about the same harvest reduction as the 
final action, fishermen have already indicated they lost a good part of 
their market to the existing 3-month closure so that adding three more 
months to the existing closed months would only exacerbate the 
situations fishermen would face. For these reasons, this alternative 
was rejected.
    Three alternatives, including sub-options and the status quo, were 
considered for the action to define stock benchmarks for gray 
triggerfish. The first alternative to the final action, the status quo, 
would maintain current definitions of optimum yield and maximum fishing 
mortality threshold, but would not set an overfished threshold (minimum 
stock size threshold (MSST)), which is a required component of a 
fishery management plan. This alternative would not, therefore, achieve 
the Council's objective and thus was rejected. The second alternative 
to the final action would establish a less conservative MSST, which 
would increase the risk of not maintaining a healthy resource relative 
to the final action. For this reason, this alternative was rejected.
    Three alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to establish a gray triggerfish rebuilding plan. The first 
alternative to the final rebuilding plan, the status quo, would not 
establish a gray triggerfish rebuilding plan and thus it was rejected 
because it would not achieve the Council's objective. The second 
alternative to the final rebuilding plan would establish a stepped plan 
rather than the constant fishing mortality rebuilding plan under the 
final action. This alternative is projected to result in greater 
adverse short-term economic impacts than the final action, and thus was 
rejected.
    Five alternatives were considered for the action to specify 
accountability measures for gray triggerfish. The final action will 
impose accountability measures for the recreational sector, with the 
period of evaluation increasing from a 1-year to a 2-year to a 3-year 
running average of landings as the rebuilding plan progresses. For the 
commercial sector, the final action will evaluate landings on an annual 
basis. The first alternative to the final gray triggerfish 
accountability measures, the status quo, would not specify 
accountability measures and thus it was rejected because it would not 
satisfy the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The second and 
third alternatives to the final accountability measures would require 
corrective action only if the combined harvests of both the commercial 
and recreational sectors exceed the overall target levels, differing by 
the type of corrective action, allowing either a range of management 
harvest reduction tools, such as trip, bag, season, or minimum size 
adjustments, or limiting the corrective action to season length 
(closure). These alternatives were not chosen for the final action 
because they would not preserve the balance of sector allocations and 
would not achieve the enhanced stock recovery benefits of the final 
action. The fourth alternative to the final accountability measures 
would impose the same sector-specific and period-of-assessment 
requirements of the final action, but would result in a delay of 
corrective action because such action could only be imposed via 
temporary rulemaking as opposed to simple notice under the final 
action. This delay would be expected to increase the severity of 
corrective actions, thereby imposing greater adverse economic impacts 
relative to the final action.
    Two alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for the 
action on regional gray triggerfish management. The final action is the 
status quo, which will not establish different gray triggerfish 
management measures for the eastern and western Gulf. The only other 
alternative to the final action would divide the management area for 
gray triggerfish into two regions, namely, east and west of the 
Mississippi River, and limit all gray triggerfish restrictive measures 
to the region east of the Mississippi River. This alternative would be 
inconsistent with the identification of the species as a single stock 
throughout the Gulf of Mexico and would not rebuild the resource 
uniformly throughout its range and, thus, would not achieve the 
Council's objective.
    Four alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for 
the action to establish management measures for the recreational gray 
triggerfish fishery. The first alternative to the final suite of 
management measures, the status quo, would not alter current management 
measures and would not result in sufficient harvest reduction to 
satisfy the rebuilding plan. For these reasons, this alternative was 
rejected. The second alternative to the final action would establish a 
bag limit and increase the size limit for gray triggerfish while the 
third alternative to the final action would impose an even lower bag 
limit but retain the size limit for gray triggerfish. These two 
additional alternatives would not achieve the necessary harvest 
reductions for the recreational sector and would not, therefore, 
achieve the Council's objective. Thus these alternatives were rejected.
    Six alternatives, including the status quo, were considered for the 
action to establish management measures for the commercial gray 
triggerfish fishery. The first alternative to the final suite of 
management measures, the status quo, would not alter current management 
measures and would not result in sufficient harvest reduction to 
satisfy the rebuilding plan. Thus this alternative was rejected. The 
other four alternatives to the final action would: (1) Establish a very 
low trip limit; (2) increase the size limit; (3) increase the size 
limit and impose a trip limit; and, (4) slightly increase the size 
limit and impose a lower trip limit. These four other alternatives are 
projected to result in greater harvest reductions than are required to 
satisfy the rebuilding plan. Also, these alternatives were not selected 
for the final action because specifying a quota in addition to the 
minimum size limit, as will occur under the final action, was expected 
to provide greater control over total harvest and better ensure that 
rebuilding plan goals are realized.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622

    Fisheries, Fishing, Puerto Rico, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Virgin Islands.

    Dated: June 27, 2008
John Oliver,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.

0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 622 is amended as 
follows:

[[Page 38143]]

PART 622--FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF, AND SOUTH ATLANTIC

0
1. The authority citation for part 622 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

0
2. In Sec.  622.2, the definitions of ``accountability measures'' and 
``annual catch limit'' are added in alphabetical order to read as 
follows:


Sec.  622.2  Definitions and acronyms.

* * * * *
    Accountability measure means a management control implemented such 
that overfishing is prevented, where possible, and mitigated if it 
occurs.
* * * * *
    Annual catch limit (ACL) means the level of catch that serves as 
the basis for invoking accountability measures.
* * * * *

0
3. In Sec.  622.37, paragraphs (d)(3)(i) and (d)(3)(iv) are revised to 
read as follows:


Sec.  622.37  Size limits.

* * * * *
    (d) * * *
    (3) * * *
    (i) Gray triggerfish -14 inches (35.6 cm), fork length.
* * * * *
    (iv) Greater amberjack -30 inches (76 cm), fork length, for a fish 
taken by a person subject to the bag limit specified in Sec.  
622.39(b)(1)(i) and 36 inches (91.4 cm), fork length, for a fish taken 
by a person not subject to the bag limit.
* * * * *

0
4. In Sec.  622.39, paragraph (b)(1)(i) is revised to read as follows:


Sec.  622.39  Bag and possession limits.

* * * * *
    (b) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (i) Greater amberjack--1. However, no greater amberjack may be 
retained by the captain or crew of a vessel operating as a charter 
vessel or headboat. The bag limit for such captain and crew is zero.
* * * * *

0
5. In Sec.  622.42, paragraphs (a)(1)(v) and (a)(1)(vi) are added, and 
paragraph (a)(2) is revised to read as follows:


Sec.  622.42  Quotas.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (v) Greater amberjack--503,000 lb (228,157 kg), round weight.
    (vi) Gray triggerfish--(A) For fishing year 2008--80,000 lb (36,287 
kg), round weight.
    (B) For fishing year 2009 -93,000 lb (42,184 kg), round weight.
    (C) For fishing year 2010 and subsequent fishing years--106,000 lb 
(48,081 kg), round weight.
    (2) Recreational quotas. The following quotas apply to persons who 
fish for Gulf reef fish other than under commercial vessel permits for 
Gulf reef fish and the applicable commercial quotas specified in 
paragraph (a)(1) of this section.
    (i) Recreational quota for red snapper. The recreational quota for 
red snapper is 2.45 million lb (1.11 million kg), round weight.
    (ii) Recreational quota for greater amberjack. The recreational 
quota for greater amberjack is 1,368,000 lb (620,514 kg), round weight.
* * * * *

0
6. In Sec.  622.43, paragraph (a)(1)(iii) is added to read as follows:


Sec.  622.43  Closures.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (iii) Recreational quota for greater amberjack. The bag and 
possession limit for greater amberjack in or from the Gulf EEZ is zero.
* * * * *

0
7. Section 622.49 is added to subpart C to read as follows:


Sec.  622.49  Accountability measures.

    (a) Gulf reef fish--(1) Greater amberjack--(i) Commercial fishery. 
If commercial landings, as estimated by the SRD, reach or are projected 
to reach the applicable quota specified in Sec.  622.42(a)(1)(v), the 
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA, (AA) will file a 
notification with the Office of the Federal Register to close the 
commercial fishery for the remainder of the fishing year. In addition, 
if despite such closure, commercial landings exceed the quota, the AA 
will file a notification with the Office of the Federal Register, at or 
near the beginning of the following fishing year to reduce the quota 
for that following year by the amount of the overage in the prior 
fishing year.
    (ii) Recreational fishery. If recreational landings, as estimated 
by the SRD, reach or are projected to reach the applicable recreational 
quota specified in Sec.  622.42(a)(2)(ii), the AA will file a 
notification with the Office of the Federal Register, to close the 
recreational fishery for the remainder of the fishing year. In 
addition, if despite such closure, recreational landings exceed the 
quota, the AA will file a notification with the Office of the Federal 
Register, at or near the beginning of the following fishing year, to 
reduce the length of the recreational fishing season for the following 
fishing year by the amount necessary to recover the overage from the 
prior fishing year. Further, during that following year, if necessary, 
the AA may file additional notification with the Office of the Federal 
Register to readjust the reduced fishing season to ensure recreational 
harvest achieves but does not exceed the intended harvest level.
    (2) Gray triggerfish--(i) Commercial fishery. If commercial 
landings, as estimated by the SRD, reach or are projected to reach the 
applicable quota specified in Sec.  622.42(a)(1)(vi), the AA will file 
a notification with the Office of the Federal Register to close the 
commercial fishery for the remainder of the fishing year. In addition, 
if despite such closure, commercial landings exceed the applicable 
annual catch limit (ACL), the AA will file a notification with the 
Office of the Federal Register, at or near the beginning of the 
following fishing year, to reduce the quota for that following year by 
the amount the prior-year ACL was exceeded. The applicable ACLs are 
105,000 lb (47,627 kg) for 2008, 122,000 lb (55,338 kg) for 2009, and 
138,000 lb (62,596 kg) for 2010 and subsequent fishing years.
    (ii) Recreational fishery. If recreational landings, as estimated 
by the SRD, exceed the applicable ACL, the AA will file a notification 
with the Office of the Federal Register reducing the length of the 
following recreational fishing season by the amount necessary to ensure 
recreational landings do not exceed the recreational target total 
allowable catch for that following fishing year. The applicable ACLs 
are 394,000 lb (178,715 kg) for 2008, 426,000 lb (193,230 kg) for 2009, 
and 457,000 lb (207,291 kg) for 2010 and subsequent fishing years. The 
recreational target total allowable catches are 356,000 lb (161,479 kg) 
for 2009 and 405,000 lb (183,705 kg) for 2010 and subsequent fishing 
years. Recreational landings will be evaluated relative to the 
applicable ACL as follows. For 2008, only 2008 recreational landings 
will be compared to the ACL; in 2009, the average of 2008 and 2009 
recreational landings will be compared to the ACL; and in 2010 and 
subsequent fishing years, the 3-year running average recreational 
landings will be compared to the ACL.
    (b) [Reserved]
[FR Doc. E8-15151 Filed 7-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S