[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 30393-30394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12004]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 1710319998630-02]
RTID 0648-XB091


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2021 Red Snapper 
Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; 2021 fishing seasons notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the limited opening of commercial and 
recreational red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the 
South Atlantic for the 2021 fishing year. This notice announces the 
2021 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 2021 commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., 
local time, July 12, 2021. The 2021 recreational red snapper season 
opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 9, 2021, and closes at 12:01 
a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021, unless changed by subsequent 
notification in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, 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.
    For South Atlantic 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.
    The commercial ACL is 124,815 lb (56,615 kg), round weight, and in 
2020, NMFS closed the commercial sector on September 5 as a result of 
the commercial ACL being projected to be met (85 FR 54943; September 3, 
2020). Subsequent to the commercial closure it was determined that the 
commercial ACL was exceeded in 2020 by 9,650 lb (4,377 kg), round 
weight. The recreational ACL is 29,656 fish, and preliminary landings 
information show this ACL was exceeded in the 4-day fishing season in 
2020 by 13,116 fish. For 2021, NMFS has determined that the landings 
from the recreational sector are expected to reach the recreational ACL 
in 3 days.
    The commercial season for South Atlantic red snapper 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 2021 commercial 
season opens on July 12, 2021, and will remain open until 12:01 a.m., 
local time, on January 1, 2022, 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

[[Page 30394]]

sector for red snapper for the remainder of the fishing year.
    The recreational season for South Atlantic red snapper begins on 
the second Friday in July. Accordingly, the 2021 recreational red 
snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 9, 2021, and 
closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021. 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.
    There is not a red snapper minimum or maximum size limit for the 
commercial and recreational sectors during the open seasons.

Classification

    NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.183(b)(5)(i) and 
622.193(y), which was issued pursuant to section 304(b), and is exempt 
from review under Executive Order 12866.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior 
notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice 
and comment would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. 
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. In addition, providing 
prior notice and an opportunity for public comment is contrary to the 
public interest because the seasons begin in early July and announcing 
the length of the fishing seasons now allows each sector to prepare for 
the upcoming harvest, provides opportunity to for-hire fishing vessels 
to book trips that could increase their revenues and profits, and gives 
the South Atlantic states just enough time to prepare for their 
respective data collection needs for the season.
    For the aforementioned reasons, the Acting Assistant Administrator 
for NMFS 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. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: June 3, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-12004 Filed 6-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P