[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 115 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 36165-36166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12093]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 1710319998630-02; RTID 0648-XS029]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2020 Red Snapper 
Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; 2020 fishing seasons notice.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the limited opening of commercial and 
recreational red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 
South Atlantic for the 2020 fishing year. This notice announces the red 
snapper commercial season opening date and the opening and closing 
dates for the red snapper recreational season, according to the 
accountability measures (AMs). This season announcement for South 
Atlantic red snapper allows fishers to maximize their opportunity to 
harvest the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs) 
while also managing harvest to protect the red snapper resource.

DATES: The 2020 commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., 
local time, July 13, 2020. The 2020 recreational red snapper season 
opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 10, 2020, and closes at 12:01 
a.m., local time, on July 13, 2020; then reopens at 12:01 a.m., local 
time, on July 17, 2020, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 
18, 2020, unless changed by subsequent notification in the Federal 
Register.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery 
includes red snapper and is managed under the Fishery Management Plan 
for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). The 
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) prepared the FMP, 
and the FMP is implemented by NMFS under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) 
by regulations at 50 CFR part 622.
    The final rule implementing Amendment 43 to the FMP (83 FR 35428; 
July 26, 2018) describes red snapper management measures including the 
specific timing for red snapper commercial and recreational fishing 
seasons. The final rule also revised the commercial and recreational 
ACLs for red snapper. The commercial AM requires the sector to close 
when commercial landings reach or are projected to reach the commercial 
ACL. The recreational AM is the length of the recreational season, with 
NMFS projecting the season length based on catch rate estimates from 
previous years.

[[Page 36166]]

    The commercial ACL is 124,815 lb (56,615 kg), and this ACL was not 
exceeded in 2019. The recreational ACL is 29,656 fish, and preliminary 
landings information show this ACL was exceeded in the 5-day fishing 
season in 2019. For 2020, NMFS has determined that the landings from 
the recreational sector are expected to reach the recreational ACL in 4 
days.
    At the March 2020 Council meeting, NMFS presented estimates showing 
a possible 3-day recreational red snapper season for 2020. Subsequent 
to that meeting, NMFS determined that a 4-day recreational red snapper 
season was appropriate.
    For South Atlantic red snapper, the commercial season begins each 
year on the second Monday in July and closes when the commercial ACL is 
reached or is projected to be reached. Accordingly, the 2020 commercial 
season opens on July 13, 2020. The commercial season will remain open 
until 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2021, unless the commercial 
ACL is reached or projected to be reached prior to this date. During 
the commercial fishing season, the commercial trip limit is 75 lb (34 
kg), gutted weight. NMFS will monitor commercial landings during the 
open season, and if commercial landings reach or are projected to reach 
the commercial ACL, then NMFS will file a notification with the Office 
of the Federal Register to close the commercial sector for red snapper 
for the remainder of the fishing year.
    The recreational season begins on the second Friday in July. 
Accordingly, the 2020 recreational red snapper season opens at 12:01 
a.m., local time, on July 10, 2020, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local 
time, on July 13, 2020; then reopens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 
17, 2020, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 18, 2020. 
During the recreational season, the recreational bag limit is one red 
snapper per person, per day. After the recreational sector closure, the 
bag and possession limits for red snapper are zero.
    Additionally, during both the commercial and recreational open 
seasons, there is not a red snapper minimum or maximum size limit for 
either sector.

Classification

    The Regional Administrator, Southeast Region, NMFS, has determined 
this temporary rule is necessary for the conservation and management of 
South Atlantic red snapper and is consistent with the FMP, the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws.
    This action is taken under 50 CFR 622.183(b)(5)(i) and 622.193(y) 
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 responds to the best scientific information available. 
The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA), finds that the 
need to implement the notice of the dates for the red snapper fishing 
seasons constitutes good cause to waive the requirements to provide 
prior notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to the 
authority set forth in 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), because prior notice and 
opportunity for public comment on this temporary rule is unnecessary. 
Such procedures are unnecessary because the rule establishing the red 
snapper ACLs and AMs has already been subject to notice and comment, 
and all that remains is to notify the public of the respective 
commercial and recreational fishing seasons. Additionally, announcing 
the fishing seasons now allows each sector to prepare for the upcoming 
harvest and provides opportunity to for-hire fishing vessels to book 
trips that could increase their revenues and profits.

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

    Dated: June 1, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-12093 Filed 6-10-20; 4:15 pm]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P