[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 45924-45925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-18926]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 181009921-8999-02]
RIN 0648-XS011


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
2019 Commercial Closure for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.

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SUMMARY: NMFS implements a closure for Atlantic migratory group cobia 
(Atlantic cobia) that are sold (commercial) and harvested from Atlantic 
Federal waters. NMFS projects that commercial landings of Atlantic 
cobia have reached the commercial quota. Therefore, NMFS closes the 
commercial sector for Atlantic cobia in Federal waters on September 4, 
2019, and it will remain closed until the start of the next fishing 
year on January 1, 2020. This closure is necessary to protect the 
Atlantic cobia resource.

DATES: This temporary rule is effective from September 4, 2019, through 
December 31, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional 
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fishery for Atlantic cobia in Federal 
waters is managed under the authority of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries 
Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) by regulations at 50 
CFR part 697.
    Separate migratory groups of cobia are managed in the Gulf of 
Mexico and Atlantic. Atlantic cobia is managed from Georgia through New 
York. The southern boundary for Atlantic cobia is a line that extends 
due east of the Florida and Georgia state border at 30[deg]42'45.6'' N 
lat. The northern boundary for Atlantic cobia is the jurisdictional 
boundary between the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management 
Councils, as specified in 50 CFR 600.105(a).
    Amendment 31 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Coastal 
Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region 
(Amendment 31) and the implementing final rule removed Atlantic cobia 
from Federal management under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act, while also implementing comparable regulations in 
Federal waters under the Atlantic Coastal Act (84 FR 4733, February 19, 
2019). Under the authority of the Atlantic Coastal Act, that final rule 
implemented the same commercial quota, recreational bag and possession 
limits, and commercial trip limits in Federal waters as had been in 
place prior to implementation of Amendment 31.
    Atlantic cobia are unique among federally managed species in the 
southeast region, because no commercial permit is required to harvest 
and sell them, and so the distinction between the commercial and 
recreational sectors is not as clear as with other federally managed 
species in the southeast region. However, for purposes of this 
temporary rule, Atlantic cobia that are sold are considered 
commercially caught, and those that are not sold are considered 
recreationally caught.
    As specified in 50 CFR 697.28(f)(1), the commercial quota for 
Atlantic cobia is 50,000 lb (22,680 kg) in round or gutted weight for 
the 2019 fishing year, which runs from January 1 through December 31.
    The regulations for the commercial sector of Atlantic cobia, 
specified at 50 CFR 697.28(f)(1), requires that NMFS file a 
notification with the Office of the Federal Register to prohibit the 
sale and purchase of Atlantic cobia for the remainder of the fishing 
year if commercial landings reach or are projected to reach the 
commercial quota specified in 50 CFR 697.28(f)(1). NMFS projects that 
commercial landings of Atlantic cobia will reach the commercial quota 
on September 4, 2019. Accordingly, the commercial sector for Atlantic 
cobia is closed in Federal waters beginning on September 4, 2019, and 
remains closed until the

[[Page 45925]]

start of the next fishing year on January 1, 2020.
    During the commercial closure, the sale and purchase of Atlantic 
cobia is prohibited. The recreational bag and possession limits for 
Atlantic cobia, specified at 50 CFR 697.28(e), apply while the 
recreational sector is open. The prohibition on sale and purchase does 
not apply to Atlantic cobia that were harvested, landed ashore, and 
sold before September 4, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a 
dealer or processor.

Classification

    The Regional Administrator for the NMFS Southeast Region has 
determined this temporary rule is necessary for the conservation and 
management of Atlantic cobia and is consistent with the Atlantic 
Coastal Act and other applicable laws.
    This action is taken under 50 CFR 697.28(f)(1) and is exempt from 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    These measures are exempt from the procedures of the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act because the temporary rule is issued without 
opportunity for prior notice and comment.
    This action is based on the best scientific information available. 
The Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries (AA) finds good cause to 
waive the requirements to provide prior notice and opportunity for 
public comment, pursuant to the authority set forth at 5 U.S.C. 
553(b)(B), as such prior notice and opportunity for public comment is 
unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such procedures are 
unnecessary because the regulations associated with the commercial 
quota for Atlantic cobia have already been subject to notice and 
comment, and all that remains is to notify the public of the commercial 
closure for the remainder of the 2019 fishing year. Prior notice and 
opportunity for public comment on this action is contrary to the public 
interest, because of the need to immediately implement the commercial 
closure to protect Atlantic cobia, since the capacity of the fishing 
fleet allows for rapid harvest of the commercial quota. Prior notice 
and opportunity for public comment would require time and would 
potentially result in a harvest that exceeds the commercial quota.
    For the aforementioned reasons, the AA also finds good cause to 
waive the 30-day delay in the effectiveness of this action under 5 
U.S.C. 553(d)(3).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.

    Dated: August 28, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-18926 Filed 8-28-19; 4:15 pm]
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