Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 27, 57337-57339 [2013-22730]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules
2. What are the specific, quantifiable
costs and benefits associated with
requiring certified DBEs to submit
additional documents with the annual
no change affidavit from the perspective
of a certifying entity and a certified
DBE;
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requiring good faith efforts
documentation when bids are due and
requiring additional documents (i.e.,
DBE and non-DBE quotes, DBE
subcontracts) from the perspective of a
prime contractor, a DBE, and the
recipient letting the contract.
Any person wishing to participate in
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section of this notice at least five
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listening session (October 2, 2013). The
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emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Extension of Comment Period
To accommodate the public listening
session and to provide interested parties
the opportunity to submit comments in
response to views or information
provided at the public listening session,
the Department is reopening the
comment period for this rulemaking
from September 18, 2013 to October 30,
2013. You may submit comments
(identified by the agency name and DOT
Docket ID Number OST–2012–0147) by
any of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to
www.regulations.gov and follow the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
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online instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility,
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Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001. Materials
may also be submitted directly to DOT
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• Fax: 202–493–2251.
Issued this 9th day of September, 2013 at
Washington, DC, under authority delegated
in 49 CFR 1.27.
Kathryn B. Thomson,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2013–22708 Filed 9–17–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
RIN 0648–BD05
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery Off the Southern
Atlantic States; Amendment 27
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
The South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) has
submitted Amendment 27 (Amendment
27) to the Fishery Management Plan for
the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the
South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review,
approval, and implementation by
NMFS. Amendment 27 would extend
the South Atlantic Council’s jurisdiction
for management of Nassau grouper into
the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive
economic zone (EEZ); increase the
number of allowable crew members to
four on dual-permitted snapper-grouper
vessels (i.e., vessels holding a South
Atlantic Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit
for Snapper-Grouper and a commercial
South Atlantic Unlimited or a 225Pound Trip Limit Snapper-Grouper
Permit) that are fishing commercially;
remove the prohibition on retaining any
fish under the aggregate bag limit for
grouper and tilefish or the vermilion
snapper bag limit by captain and crew
SUMMARY:
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57337
of federally-permitted for-hire vessels;
modify the snapper-grouper framework
procedures to allow acceptable
biological catch levels (ABCs), annual
catch limits (ACLs), and annual catch
targets (ACTs) to be adjusted via an
abbreviated framework process; and
remove blue runner from the FMP.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before November 18,
2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the amendment identified by
‘‘NOAA-NMFS–2013–0085’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic submissions: Submit
electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130085, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Kate Michie, 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 www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
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). Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
Electronic copies of Amendment 27
may be obtained from the Southeast
Regional Office Web site at https://
sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. Amendment 27
includes a Regulatory Impact Review
and a Fishery Impact Statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate
Michie, telephone: 727–824–5305, or
email: Kate.Michie@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each
regional fishery management council to
submit any fishery management plan or
amendment to NMFS for review and
approval, partial approval, or
disapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving
a plan or amendment, publish an
announcement in the Federal Register
E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM
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57338
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules
notifying the public that the plan or
amendment is available for review and
comment.
Actions Contained in Amendment 27
Extension of Management Authority for
Nassau Grouper to the South Atlantic
Council
Amendment 27 includes an action to
extend the South Atlantic Council’s
jurisdiction for management of Nassau
grouper into the Gulf. On December 16,
2011, NMFS published a notice of
agency action (76 FR 78245) designating
the South Atlantic Council as the
responsible Council to manage Nassau
grouper in the Gulf, pursuant to requests
by the South Atlantic and Gulf Fishery
Management Councils. Therefore,
through Amendment 27, the South
Atlantic Council would assume
management responsibility for Nassau
grouper in Federal waters of the Gulf.
The current restrictions on the harvest
or possession of Nassau grouper in the
Gulf EEZ and South Atlantic EEZ would
continue if Amendment 27 is approved
for implementation.
Increase in Crew Member Limit for DualPermitted Vessels
Currently, there is a crew size limit of
three for vessels with both a South
Atlantic Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit
for Snapper-Grouper and a South
Atlantic Unlimited or 225-Pound Permit
for Snapper-Grouper (referred to as
‘‘dual-permitted’’ vessels) that are
fishing commercially. For commercial
spearfishing operations, this crew size
limit prevents fishermen from diving in
pairs using the buddy system while
having a standby diver and captain at
the surface as recommended by the U.S.
Coast Guard diving operations manual.
Therefore, Amendment 27 would
increase the crew size from three to
four, which would allow two persons to
remain on the vessel while there are two
divers in the water.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Removal of Captain and Crew Bag Limit
Retention Restrictions for SnapperGrouper Species
Amendment 16 to the FMP
(Amendment 16) prohibited the captain
and crew of vessels operating as a
charter vessel or headboat (i.e., vessels
with a valid South Atlantic Charter
Vessel/Headboat Permit for SnapperGrouper) from retaining gag, black
grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind,
rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin
grouper, yellowmouth grouper,
yellowedge grouper, snowy grouper,
misty grouper, vermilion snapper, sand
tilefish, blueline tilefish, and golden
tilefish to help end overfishing of gag
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and vermilion snapper. Subsequent to
the implementation of Amendment 16,
ACLs and AMs for all of these species
have been established to end and/or
prevent overfishing from occurring.
Analysis contained in Amendment 27
indicates allowing captain and crew to
retain bag limit quantities of the species
listed above would not negatively
impact snapper-grouper stocks,
including vermilion snapper and gag.
Therefore, Amendment 27 would
remove the current restriction for
captain and crew on a vessel operating
as a charter vessel or headboat to retain
the bag limits of these snapper-grouper
species.
Modify the Framework Procedures in
the FMP
Currently, the Framework Procedures
in the FMP allow ABCs, ACLs, and
ACTs to be modified for snappergrouper species via the regulatory
amendment process, which can be
lengthy. The lag time between when
new scientific information becomes
available and when catch levels can be
adjusted has the potential to result in
adverse impacts on the economic and
biological environments of the snappergrouper fishery. Therefore, Amendment
27 would allow ABCs, ACLs, and ACTs,
to be modified using an abbreviated
framework procedure, whereby after the
South Atlantic Council has taken final
action to change an ABC, ACL, or ACT,
the Council would submit a letter with
supporting data and information to the
NMFS Southeast Regional
Administrator (RA) requesting the
desired changes to those applicable
harvest parameters.
The RA would determine whether or
not the requested modification may be
warranted. If the modification may be
warranted, NMFS would develop the
appropriate documentation and analysis
to comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act and other
applicable laws and propose the action
through rulemaking. NMFS anticipates
this expedited process will shorten the
time it would take to make routine
changes to harvest limits in response to
new information.
Remove Blue Runner From the FMP
Blue runner was originally included
in the FMP because it was thought to cooccur with other, more economically
desirable species. Amendment 27
reevaluated the need for Federal
management of blue runner based on
updated information. The majority (99
percent) of commercial and recreational
blue runner harvest occurs off the state
of Florida (in Federal and state waters
combined), with 76 percent of blue
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
runner landings harvested in state
waters (using landings data from 2005–
2011) and a large portion of the
recreational landings harvested from
shore. Florida manages blue runner in
state waters and blue runner is
primarily used as bait, is not commonly
retained for human consumption, and is
exempt from any Federal bag and
possession limit restrictions.
Based on this new information, the
South Atlantic Council determined blue
runner could be removed from the FMP
without jeopardizing the health or
sustainability of the stock. Therefore,
Amendment 27, if approved, would
remove blue runner from the FMP.
The Council has submitted
Amendment 27 for Secretarial review,
approval, and implementation. NMFS’
decision to approve, partially approve,
or disapprove Amendment 27 will be
based, in part, on consideration of
comments, recommendations, and
information received during the
comment period on this notice of
availability. After consideration of these
factors, and consistent with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act and other
applicable law, NMFS will publish a
notice of agency action in the Federal
Register announcing the Agency’s
decision to approve, partially approve,
or disapprove Amendment 27.
Proposed Rule for Amendment 27
A proposed rule that would
implement Amendment 27 has been
drafted. In accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is
evaluating the proposed rule to
determine whether it is consistent with
the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
and other applicable law. If that
determination is affirmative, NMFS will
publish the proposed rule in the Federal
Register for public review and
comment.
Consideration of Public Comments
Comments received by November 18,
2013, whether specifically directed to
the amendment or the proposed rule,
will be considered by NMFS in its
decision to approve, disapprove, or
partially approve the amendment.
Comments received after that date will
not be considered by NMFS in this
decision. All comments received by
NMFS on the amendment or the
proposed rule during their respective
comment periods will be addressed in
the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules
Dated: September 13, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–22730 Filed 9–17–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
RIN 0648–BD21
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico and South Atlantic; Revisions
to Headboat Reporting Requirements
for Species Managed by the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
Notice of availability; request
for comments.
ACTION:
The South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (South Atlantic
Council) approved the Joint South
Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico Generic
Charter/Headboat Reporting in the
South Atlantic Amendment (For-Hire
Reporting Amendment) during its
March 2013 meeting, and the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council
(Gulf Council) approved the amendment
at its February 2013 meeting. The
Councils submitted the amendment to
NMFS for agency review under
procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The ForHire Reporting Amendment includes
Amendment 31 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for the
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region; Amendment 6 to the
FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo
Fishery of the Atlantic; and Amendment
22 to the FMP for the Coastal Migratory
Pelagic Resources in the Atlantic and
the Gulf of Mexico. If approved, the ForHire Reporting Amendment would
amend the FMPs to modify data
reporting for for-hire vessels in the
South Atlantic. Under the preferred
alternative, headboat vessels in the
South Atlantic would be required to
submit electronic fishing records to the
NMFS’ Southeast Fisheries Science
Center (SEFSC) Science and Research
Director (SRD) weekly, or at intervals
shorter than a week if notified by the
SRD.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:23 Sep 17, 2013
Jkt 229001
Written comments must be
received on or before November 18,
2013.
DATES:
You may submit comments,
identified by ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2013–
0080’’, by any one of the following
methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130080, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ 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 www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
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). Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
Electronic copies of the For-Hire
Reporting Amendment may be obtained
from the Southeast Regional Office Web
site at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/
SASnapperGrouperHomepage.htm. The
For-Hire Reporting Amendment
includes a draft environmental
assessment, a Regulatory Flexibility Act
analysis, a Regulatory Impact Review,
and a Fishery Impact Statement.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karla Gore, telephone: 727–824–5305;
email: Karla.Gore@noaa.gov.
The
Magnuson-Stevens Act requires each
regional fishery management council to
submit any fishery management plan or
amendment to NMFS for review and
approval, partial approval, or
disapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving
a plan or amendment, publish an
announcement in the Federal Register
notifying the public that the plan or
amendment is available for review and
comment.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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57339
Background
At its September 2012 meeting, the
South Atlantic Council expressed
concern on the inability to receive
estimates of headboat catches in a
timely manner. Delays in receiving and
processing headboat data could
contribute to the recreational annual
catch limit (ACL) being exceeded. The
South Atlantic Council concluded that
improving data reporting could reduce
the chance that the recreational ACLs
are exceeded and accountability
measures are triggered.
The preferred alternative in this
amendment, which would require
headboats in the South Atlantic to
report through electronic means on a
weekly basis, would improve NMFS’
ability to produce in-season harvest
estimates for all species in the subject
FMPs.
The South Atlantic Council has
submitted the For-Hire Reporting
Amendment to NMFS for agency review
under procedures of the MagnusonStevens Act. The South Atlantic Council
approved the amendment during its
March 2013 meeting. The Gulf Council
approved the amendment at its February
2013 meeting. Gulf Council approval
was necessary because the South
Atlantic and Gulf Councils jointly
manage the Coastal Migratory Pelagics
species under the Coastal Migratory
Pelagics FMP.
Management Measures Contained in
This Amendment
This amendment would require
electronic reporting for headboat vessels
in the South Atlantic snapper-grouper,
Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, and South
Atlantic coastal migratory pelagic
fisheries, increase the reporting
frequency for those headboat vessels,
and prohibit those headboats from
continuing to fish if they are delinquent
in submitting their reports.
Mandatory Electronic Reporting for
Headboat Vessels
Currently, headboats selected to
report by the SRD must maintain a
fishing record for each trip, or a portion
of such trips, as specified by the SRD,
and on forms provided by the SRD.
Until January 1, 2013, the SRD provided
federally-permitted headboats with
paper forms to submit their logbook
data. However, as of January 1, 2013, the
SRD has requested that federallypermitted headboats in the South
Atlantic report electronically. The ForHire Reporting Amendment would
explicitly require that headboat vessels
submit fishing records through an
electronic reporting system developed
E:\FR\FM\18SEP1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57337-57339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22730]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
RIN 0648-BD05
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 27
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has
submitted Amendment 27 (Amendment 27) to the Fishery Management Plan
for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for
review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 27 would extend
the South Atlantic Council's jurisdiction for management of Nassau
grouper into the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone (EEZ);
increase the number of allowable crew members to four on dual-permitted
snapper-grouper vessels (i.e., vessels holding a South Atlantic Charter
Vessel/Headboat Permit for Snapper-Grouper and a commercial South
Atlantic Unlimited or a 225-Pound Trip Limit Snapper-Grouper Permit)
that are fishing commercially; remove the prohibition on retaining any
fish under the aggregate bag limit for grouper and tilefish or the
vermilion snapper bag limit by captain and crew of federally-permitted
for-hire vessels; modify the snapper-grouper framework procedures to
allow acceptable biological catch levels (ABCs), annual catch limits
(ACLs), and annual catch targets (ACTs) to be adjusted via an
abbreviated framework process; and remove blue runner from the FMP.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before November 18,
2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the amendment identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2013-0085'' by any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit electronic comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0085, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Kate Michie, 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
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 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). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
Electronic copies of Amendment 27 may be obtained from the
Southeast Regional Office Web site at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
Amendment 27 includes a Regulatory Impact Review and a Fishery Impact
Statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Michie, telephone: 727-824-5305,
or email: Kate.Michie@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each regional
fishery management council to submit any fishery management plan or
amendment to NMFS for review and approval, partial approval, or
disapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon
receiving a plan or amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal
Register
[[Page 57338]]
notifying the public that the plan or amendment is available for review
and comment.
Actions Contained in Amendment 27
Extension of Management Authority for Nassau Grouper to the South
Atlantic Council
Amendment 27 includes an action to extend the South Atlantic
Council's jurisdiction for management of Nassau grouper into the Gulf.
On December 16, 2011, NMFS published a notice of agency action (76 FR
78245) designating the South Atlantic Council as the responsible
Council to manage Nassau grouper in the Gulf, pursuant to requests by
the South Atlantic and Gulf Fishery Management Councils. Therefore,
through Amendment 27, the South Atlantic Council would assume
management responsibility for Nassau grouper in Federal waters of the
Gulf. The current restrictions on the harvest or possession of Nassau
grouper in the Gulf EEZ and South Atlantic EEZ would continue if
Amendment 27 is approved for implementation.
Increase in Crew Member Limit for Dual-Permitted Vessels
Currently, there is a crew size limit of three for vessels with
both a South Atlantic Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit for Snapper-
Grouper and a South Atlantic Unlimited or 225-Pound Permit for Snapper-
Grouper (referred to as ``dual-permitted'' vessels) that are fishing
commercially. For commercial spearfishing operations, this crew size
limit prevents fishermen from diving in pairs using the buddy system
while having a standby diver and captain at the surface as recommended
by the U.S. Coast Guard diving operations manual. Therefore, Amendment
27 would increase the crew size from three to four, which would allow
two persons to remain on the vessel while there are two divers in the
water.
Removal of Captain and Crew Bag Limit Retention Restrictions for
Snapper-Grouper Species
Amendment 16 to the FMP (Amendment 16) prohibited the captain and
crew of vessels operating as a charter vessel or headboat (i.e.,
vessels with a valid South Atlantic Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit for
Snapper-Grouper) from retaining gag, black grouper, red grouper, scamp,
red hind, rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth
grouper, yellowedge grouper, snowy grouper, misty grouper, vermilion
snapper, sand tilefish, blueline tilefish, and golden tilefish to help
end overfishing of gag and vermilion snapper. Subsequent to the
implementation of Amendment 16, ACLs and AMs for all of these species
have been established to end and/or prevent overfishing from occurring.
Analysis contained in Amendment 27 indicates allowing captain and
crew to retain bag limit quantities of the species listed above would
not negatively impact snapper-grouper stocks, including vermilion
snapper and gag. Therefore, Amendment 27 would remove the current
restriction for captain and crew on a vessel operating as a charter
vessel or headboat to retain the bag limits of these snapper-grouper
species.
Modify the Framework Procedures in the FMP
Currently, the Framework Procedures in the FMP allow ABCs, ACLs,
and ACTs to be modified for snapper-grouper species via the regulatory
amendment process, which can be lengthy. The lag time between when new
scientific information becomes available and when catch levels can be
adjusted has the potential to result in adverse impacts on the economic
and biological environments of the snapper-grouper fishery. Therefore,
Amendment 27 would allow ABCs, ACLs, and ACTs, to be modified using an
abbreviated framework procedure, whereby after the South Atlantic
Council has taken final action to change an ABC, ACL, or ACT, the
Council would submit a letter with supporting data and information to
the NMFS Southeast Regional Administrator (RA) requesting the desired
changes to those applicable harvest parameters.
The RA would determine whether or not the requested modification
may be warranted. If the modification may be warranted, NMFS would
develop the appropriate documentation and analysis to comply with the
National Environmental Policy Act and other applicable laws and propose
the action through rulemaking. NMFS anticipates this expedited process
will shorten the time it would take to make routine changes to harvest
limits in response to new information.
Remove Blue Runner From the FMP
Blue runner was originally included in the FMP because it was
thought to co-occur with other, more economically desirable species.
Amendment 27 reevaluated the need for Federal management of blue runner
based on updated information. The majority (99 percent) of commercial
and recreational blue runner harvest occurs off the state of Florida
(in Federal and state waters combined), with 76 percent of blue runner
landings harvested in state waters (using landings data from 2005-2011)
and a large portion of the recreational landings harvested from shore.
Florida manages blue runner in state waters and blue runner is
primarily used as bait, is not commonly retained for human consumption,
and is exempt from any Federal bag and possession limit restrictions.
Based on this new information, the South Atlantic Council
determined blue runner could be removed from the FMP without
jeopardizing the health or sustainability of the stock. Therefore,
Amendment 27, if approved, would remove blue runner from the FMP.
The Council has submitted Amendment 27 for Secretarial review,
approval, and implementation. NMFS' decision to approve, partially
approve, or disapprove Amendment 27 will be based, in part, on
consideration of comments, recommendations, and information received
during the comment period on this notice of availability. After
consideration of these factors, and consistent with the Magnuson-
Stevens Act and other applicable law, NMFS will publish a notice of
agency action in the Federal Register announcing the Agency's decision
to approve, partially approve, or disapprove Amendment 27.
Proposed Rule for Amendment 27
A proposed rule that would implement Amendment 27 has been drafted.
In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is evaluating the
proposed rule to determine whether it is consistent with the FMP, the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. If that determination
is affirmative, NMFS will publish the proposed rule in the Federal
Register for public review and comment.
Consideration of Public Comments
Comments received by November 18, 2013, whether specifically
directed to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered by
NMFS in its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the
amendment. Comments received after that date will not be considered by
NMFS in this decision. All comments received by NMFS on the amendment
or the proposed rule during their respective comment periods will be
addressed in the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
[[Page 57339]]
Dated: September 13, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-22730 Filed 9-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
