[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 64327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26931]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA727


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery; South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper 
Fishery

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

ACTION: Request for designation; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) has 
proposed to remove Nassau grouper from the fishery management unit in 
the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of 
Mexico (Reef Fish FMP). Subsequently, in a September 16, 2011, letter 
to NMFS, the GMFMC has requested that the Secretary of Commerce 
(Secretary) designate the SAFMC as the responsible council to manage 
Nassau grouper throughout the South Atlantic region and the Gulf of 
Mexico under the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 
Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP). The intent of this notice is to 
solicit public comments concerning this proposed designation.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern standard 
time, on November 17, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application by any of the 
following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
``NASSAU''.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Steve Branstetter, 
Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 
FL 33701.
    The application and related documents are available for review upon 
written request to any of the above addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Branstetter, 727-824-5305; e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GMFMC has submitted a Generic Annual 
Catch Limits/Accountability Measures Amendment for the GMFMC's Red 
Drum, Reef Fish, Shrimp, and Coral and Coral Reefs Fishery Management 
Plans (Generic ACL Amendment) for purposes of review by the Secretary 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). A Notice of Availability for the Generic ACL 
Amendment was published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2011 
(76 FR 59373). As part of this amendment, the GMFMC has selected to 
remove Nassau grouper from the Reef Fish FMP. This proposed action is 
based on an October 20, 2010, letter from the SAFMC informing the GMFMC 
of its willingness to accept responsibility for managing Nassau grouper 
throughout South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Federal waters. The 
SAFMC currently manages Nassau grouper in its area of jurisdiction 
through the Snapper-Grouper FMP.
    In accordance with section 304(f) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, on 
September 16, 2011, the GMFMC formally requested that the Secretary 
designate the SAFMC as the responsible Council for continued management 
of the species in Federal waters of the South Atlantic region and to 
manage the species in the Federal waters of the Gulf.
    Currently, the harvest of Nassau grouper is prohibited in Federal 
waters by regulations implemented through the GMFMC's Reef Fish FMP and 
the SAFMC's Snapper-Grouper FMP. Additionally, the harvest of Nassau 
grouper in Florida state waters is prohibited by the applicable Florida 
regulations. With the approval and implementation of the GMFMC's 
Generic ACL Amendment, which proposes to remove Nassau grouper from the 
Reef Fish FMP, all harvesting restrictions for Nassau grouper in 
Federal waters of the Gulf would be removed. If the SAFMC is designated 
as the responsible council for the management of Nassau grouper in the 
Gulf, the SAFMC is expected to extend the prohibition on harvest in the 
Gulf. Any action to remove the current prohibitions in the Gulf could 
have a delayed effective date, so that it was implemented 
simultaneously with SAFMC action to extend the prohibition.
    NMFS requests public comment on the GMFMC's request to designate 
the SAMFC as the responsible council for managing Nassau grouper in 
both the Gulf and South Atlantic. Public comments will be reviewed and 
considered prior to NMFS' decision on this request.

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

    Dated: October 13, 2011.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-26931 Filed 10-17-11; 8:45 am]
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