[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81892-81893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23320]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE304]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Secretarial Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-
Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, intends to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) and conduct scoping to analyze management
alternatives to be included in a Secretarial Amendment to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Region (Secretarial Amendment). The EIS will evaluate a range of
alternatives for setting and managing catch for South Atlantic red
snapper to end overfishing and support rebuilding objectives of the
stock. The purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public
comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
EIS must be received on or before November 8, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document identified by NOAA-
NMFS-2024-0107 by either of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type NOAA-NMFS-2024-0107, in the Search box.
Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Karla Gore, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address), confidential business information,
or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender
will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
The unique identification number for the EIS for the Secretarial
Amendment is: EISX-006-48-1SE-1726732992.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office,
telephone: 727-824-5305; or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS, with the advice of the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council), manages the
snapper-grouper fishery, which includes red snapper, under the Fishery
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP). The South Atlantic Council prepared the
Snapper-Grouper FMP, and NMFS implements the Snapper-Grouper FMP
through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that NMFS and regional fishery
management councils prevent overfishing and achieve, on a continuing
basis, the optimum yield from federally managed fish stocks. These
mandates are intended to ensure that fishery resources are managed for
the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect
to providing food production and recreational opportunities and
protecting marine ecosystems.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act also provides that the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) may prepare a fishery management plan (FMP) or an
amendment to any such FMP
[[Page 81893]]
(Secretarial Amendment) under certain circumstances. Section
304(c)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act provides that the Secretary
may prepare an FMP or FMP amendment in accordance with the national
standards, the other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and any
other applicable law, ``if the appropriate Council fails to develop and
submit to the Secretary, after a reasonable period of time'' an FMP for
such fishery, or any necessary amendment to such an FMP, if such
fishery requires conservation and management.
The status of the South Atlantic red snapper stock was evaluated in
the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 73 stock assessment
that was completed in 2021. The results of SEDAR 73 indicated that the
South Atlantic red snapper stock remains overfished and is experiencing
overfishing, and the overfishing is being primarily driven by high
numbers of dead discards in the recreational sector. Because the South
Atlantic red snapper stock is overfished, it is managed under a
rebuilding plan implemented through Amendment 17A to the Snapper-
Grouper FMP (75 FR 76874, December 9, 2010), which specified a 35-year
rebuilding schedule with the rebuilding timeframe to end in 2044. In a
letter dated July 23, 2021, NMFS notified the South Atlantic Council of
the results of SEDAR 73 and that overfishing of red snapper was
occurring. The South Atlantic Council has discussed how to address or
end overfishing of this stock since receiving the overfishing
notification from NMFS, but it has not taken action to meet the
Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements to end overfishing. To reduce
overfishing of South Atlantic red snapper in the 2024 fishing year,
NMFS implemented interim measures that included reducing the commercial
and recreational annual catch limits (89 FR 50530, June 14, 2024).
NMFS has determined that red snapper requires conservation and
management measures to end the overfishing, and is therefore developing
a Secretarial Amendment to end overfishing of red snapper in accordance
with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. While developing the EIS and Secretarial
Amendment, NMFS will consider new information that has become available
since 2021 for revisions to South Atlantic red snapper management. At
this time, NMFS intends for this action to be in place during the 2025
commercial and recreational fishing seasons.
The EIS to support the Secretarial Amendment would explore
management strategies to end overfishing of South Atlantic red snapper
while also considering alternatives to increase fishing opportunities
for landing red snapper by reducing the amount of fish released dead.
NMFS will develop an EIS to describe and analyze alternatives to
address the management needs previously described, including the
current or ``no action'' alternatives. Possible actions that NMFS may
consider to include in the EIS are, but are not limited to, adjusting
catch levels, adjusting accountability measures, and discard reduction
measures.
In accordance with the Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative
Order 216-6A, NMFS has identified preliminary environmental issues as a
means to initiate discussion for scoping purposes only. The public is
invited to provide written comments on the preliminary issues, which
are identified as actions in the EIS. These preliminary issues may not
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in
the final EIS associated with the Secretarial Amendment.
After the draft EIS associated with the Secretarial Amendment is
completed, it will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). After filing, the EPA will publish a notice of availability of
the draft EIS for public comment in the Federal Register. The draft EIS
will have a 45-day comment period. NMFS currently anticipates
publishing the draft EIS by January 24, 2025, with the comment period
to expected to end on March 10, 2025.
This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the Council on
Environmental Quality or implementing the procedural provisions of the
National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and the
Companion Manual to NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A.
NMFS will consider public comments received on the draft EIS in
developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and the
record of decision. NMFS will announce, through a document published in
the Federal Register, all additional public comment periods on the
final Secretarial Amendment, its proposed implementing regulations, and
the availability of its associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public
comments received, whether they are on the draft EIS, final amendment,
the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
NMFS anticipates publishing the FEIS by April 25, 2025, with a record
of decision signed by NMFS by May 25, 2025. These specific dates are
preliminary and are subject to change based on NMFS administrative
needs.
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)
Dated: October 3, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-23320 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
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