[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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