[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 33838-33839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11218]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[Docket No. 1710319998630-02; RTID 0648-XC946]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Resources of the South Atlantic; 2023 Red Snapper 
Commercial and Recreational Fishing Seasons

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

ACTION: Temporary rule; 2023 fishing seasons notification.

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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 2023 fishing year. This notification announces 
the 2023 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 2023 commercial red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., 
local time, July 10, 2023, until 12:01 a.m., local time, January 1, 
2024, unless changed by subsequent notification in the Federal 
Register. The 2023 recreational red snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., 
local time, on July 14, 2023, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on 
July 16, 2023.

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 
2022, NMFS closed the commercial sector on August 31 as a result of the 
commercial ACL being projected to be met (87 FR 52859, August 30, 
2022). The recreational ACL is 29,656 fish, and NMFS has determined 
that recreational landings are expected to reach the recreational ACL 
in a 2-day season.
    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 2023 commercial 
season opens on July 10, 2023, and will remain open until 12:01 a.m., 
local time, on January 1, 2024, 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.

[[Page 33839]]

    The recreational season for South Atlantic red snapper begins on 
the second Friday in July. Accordingly, the 2023 recreational red 
snapper season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 14, 2023, and 
closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 16, 2023. During the 
recreational season, the recreational bag limit is one red snapper per 
person, per day. After the closure of the recreational sector, 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 were 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 the time 
needed to prepare for their respective data collection needs for the 
season.

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

    Dated: May 22, 2023.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-11218 Filed 5-22-23; 4:15 pm]
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