[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 153 (Thursday, August 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 37441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16894]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF542


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 43

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

ACTION: Notice announcing the preparation of an environmental 
assessment (EA).

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SUMMARY: The NMFS Southeast Region, in collaboration with the South 
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), is preparing an EA in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for 
Amendment 43 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-
Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 43). This 
notice is intended to inform the public of the change from the 
preparation of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to an EA 
for Amendment 43. Additionally, this notice serves to announce the 
change of the scope of actions being considered in Amendment 43 by the 
Council. The purpose of Amendment 43 is to revise annual catch limits 
(ACLs) for red snapper in the South Atlantic to provide fishing access 
while preventing overfishing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Helies, NMFS Southeast Regional 
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305; or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: According to the most recent stock 
assessment, the red snapper stock in the South Atlantic is undergoing 
overfishing and is overfished (2016 Southeast Data, Assessment, and 
Review (SEDAR) 41). Currently, the commercial and recreational ACLs are 
set at zero and red snapper seasons are determined through an annual 
process established in Amendment 28 to the FMP (78 FR 44461, July 24, 
2013). Red snapper removals (total landings and dead discards) in the 
2014, 2015, and 2016 fishing years exceeded the stock's acceptable 
biological catch and therefore harvest and possession of red snapper 
was not allowed in the 2015, 2016, or 2017 fishing years. Despite the 
overfishing determination resulting from SEDAR 41, NMFS notified the 
Council in March 2017, that adequate management action has been taken 
to address overfishing and continue to rebuild the stock through the 
harvest prohibition in 2015 and 2016.
    On January 6, 2017, NMFS published a notice of intent (NOI) in the 
Federal Register to prepare a draft EIS for Amendment 43 (82 FR 1720). 
As originally developed, Amendment 43 considered changes to commercial 
and recreational ACLs and the recreational annual catch target by 
modifying the annual process in Amendment 28. Amendment 43 also 
included actions to modify red snapper management reference points, 
establish seasonal and area closures, reduce discard mortality, and 
improve the quantity and quality of data collected from recreational 
fishermen. NMFS also announced scoping meeting dates, times, and 
locations that were scheduled to occur in January and February 2017.
    In June 2017, the Council decided to reduce the scope of actions 
considered in Amendment 43. The amendment now would only modify the 
process implemented through Amendment 28 by revising the process to 
determine the commercial and recreational ACLs for red snapper. The 
Council may consider the other actions specified in the NOI in a future 
amendment. The scope of Amendment 43 was reconsidered by the Council to 
increase the likelihood that the revised ACL action in the amendment 
would be implemented by the red snapper commercial and recreational 
season starting dates in July 2018.
    Consequently, NMFS reassessed the action in the amendment relative 
to NEPA. Based on the reduced scope of actions being considered in 
Amendment 43, NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop an 
EA rather than proceeding with the development of a draft EIS. If the 
EA results in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), the EA and 
FONSI will be the final environmental documents prepared to inform this 
decision. If the EA reveals that significant environmental impacts may 
be reasonably expected to result from the proposed actions, NMFS and 
the Council will develop a draft EIS to further evaluate those impacts. 
The Council will hold public hearings to discuss the actions included 
in Amendment 43 in webinars in August 2017, and will take public 
comment on the document at the September 2017, Council meeting in 
Charleston, SC. Exact dates, times, and locations of any future public 
hearings will be announced by the Council. A copy of the Amendment 43 
draft options paper is available at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/sg/index.html.
    NMFS will announce, through a document published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its 
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of its 
associated EA. NMFS will consider all public comments received during 
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final amendment, 
the proposed regulations, or the EA, prior to final agency action.

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

    Dated: August 7, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-16894 Filed 8-9-17; 8:45 am]
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