[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5325-5326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2125]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 110114034-1033-01]
RIN 0648-BA33


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Control Date

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

ACTION: Advanced notice of proposed rulemaking; consideration of a 
control date.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that it is establishing a new control date to 
control future access to the snapper-grouper fishery operating in the 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. If changes to the 
management regime are developed and implemented under the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
a control date could be used to further limit the number of 
participants in the fishery. This announcement is intended, in part, to 
promote awareness of the potential eligibility criteria for future 
access so as to discourage speculative entry into the fishery while the 
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS consider 
whether and how access to the snapper-grouper fishery should be 
controlled.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., eastern 
time, March 2, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by 0648-BA33, by any one 
of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
     Fax: Attn: Karla Gore 727-824-5308.
     Mail: Karla Gore, NMFS Southeast Regional Office, 
Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 
FL 33701.
    Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without 
change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, 
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business

[[Page 5326]]

Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required 
fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 
Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; toll free 1-866-
SAFMC-10 or 843-571-4366; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the September 2010 meeting, the Council 
voted to establish a new control date of September 17, 2010, for the 
snapper-grouper fishery in the South Atlantic, due to concern that the 
previous control date established for the snapper-grouper fishery of 
October 14, 2005 (70 FR 60058; October 14, 2005), was almost five years 
old.
    The control date would apply to persons who are contemplating 
entering the snapper-grouper fishery in the EEZ of the South Atlantic 
region. The Council requested that this control date be published in 
the Federal Register to notify fishermen that if they enter such a 
fishery after September 17, 2010, they may not be assured of future 
access if the Council and/or NMFS decide to further limit entry or 
impose other measures to manage the snapper-grouper fishery.
    Establishment of the new control date for the snapper-grouper 
fishery would allow the Council to evaluate the level of participation 
in the snapper-grouper fishery and address any level of overcapacity. 
Control dates are intended to discourage speculative entry into a 
fishery, as new entrants entering the fishery after the control date 
are forewarned that they are not guaranteed future participation in the 
fishery.
    Establishment of this control date does not commit the Council or 
NMFS to any particular management regime or criteria for entry into the 
snapper-grouper fishery. Fishermen are not guaranteed future 
participation in the fishery regardless of their level of participation 
before or after the control date. The Council may recommend a different 
control date or it may recommend a management regime that does not 
involve a control date. Other criteria, such as documentation of 
landings or fishing effort, may be used to determine eligibility for 
participation in a limited access fishery. The Council and/or NMFS also 
may choose to take no further action to control entry or access to the 
fisheries, in which case the control date may be rescinded. Any action 
by the Council will be taken pursuant to the requirements for fishery 
management plan and amendment development established under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    This notification also gives the public notice that interested 
participants should locate and preserve records that substantiate and 
verify their participation in the snapper-grouper fishery in the South 
Atlantic EEZ.

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

    Dated: January 25, 2011.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-2125 Filed 1-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P