Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Amendment 16, 3937-3939 [2015-01320]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 16 / Monday, January 26, 2015 / Proposed Rules
released January 9, 2015. The full text
of this Commission decision is available
for inspection and copying during
normal business hours in the FCC’s
Reference Information Center at Portals
II, CY–A257, 445 12th Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20554. This document
may also be purchased from the
Commission’s duplicating contractors,
Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th
Street SW., Room CY–B402,
Washington, DC 20554, telephone 1–
800–378–3160 or via email
www.BCPIWEB.com. This document
does not contain proposed information
collection requirements subject to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. In addition,
therefore, it does not contain any
proposed information collection burden
‘‘for small business concerns with fewer
than 25 employees,’’ pursuant to the
Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of
2002, Public Law 107–198, see 44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(4).
Provisions of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act of l980 do not apply to
this proceeding.
Members of the public should note
that from the time a Notice of Proposed
Rule Making is issued until the matter
is no longer subject to Commission
consideration or court review, all ex
parte contacts are prohibited in
Commission proceedings, such as this
one, which involve channel allotments.
See 47 CFR 1.1204(b) for rules
governing permissible ex parte contacts.
For information regarding proper
filing procedures for comments, see 47
CFR 1.415 and 1.420.
List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73
Radio, Radio broadcasting.
Federal Communications Commission.
Nazifa Sawez,
Assistant Chief, Audio Division, Media
Bureau.
For the reasons discussed in the
preamble, the Federal Communications
Commission proposes to amend 47 CFR
part 73 as follows:
PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST
SERVICES
1. The authority citation for part 73
continues to read as follows:
■
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 303, 334, 336
and 339.
2. In § 73.202, the Table of FM
Allotments in paragraph (b), under NEW
YORK, is amended by adding an entry
for Shelter Island, Channel 277A in
alphabetical order to read as follows:
■
§ 73.202
*
*
Table of Allotments.
*
VerDate Sep<11>2014
*
*
18:26 Jan 23, 2015
Jkt 235001
(b) Table of FM Allotments.
Channel No.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
NEW YORK.
*
*
Shelter Island ........................
*
*
*
277A
*
*
[FR Doc. 2015–01194 Filed 1–23–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 140903744–5015–01]
RIN 0648–BE46
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp
Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico;
Amendment 16
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes regulations to
implement Amendment 16 to the
Fishery Management Plan for the
Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico
(FMP), as prepared and submitted by
the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Fishery
Management Council (Council). If
implemented, this proposed rule would
revise the annual catch limit (ACL) for
royal red shrimp, remove the royal red
shrimp quota, and revise the
accountability measures (AMs) for royal
red shrimp to remove an inconsistency
in the regulations. The intent of this rule
is to prevent overfishing of the royal red
shrimp resource while helping to
achieve optimum yield and reconcile
conflicting Federal regulations.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before February 25, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the proposed rule, identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2014–0030’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
3937
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20140030, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Susan Gerhart, 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 16,
which includes an environmental
impact statement, a Regulatory
Flexibility Act analysis, and a regulatory
impact review, may be obtained from
the Southeast Regional Office Web site
at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/
sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/
shrimp/2014/am16/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Gerhart, telephone: 727–824–
5305, or email: Susan.Gerhart@
noaa.gov.
The
shrimp fishery in the Gulf is managed
under the FMP. The FMP was prepared
by the Council and implemented
through regulations at 50 CFR part 622
under the authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens
Act).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The FMP was established in 1981,
and the maximum sustainable yield for
royal red shrimp was estimated at
392,000 lb (177.9 mt), tail weight,
annually and specified as a fixed annual
quota (46 FR 27489, May 20, 1981). This
quota has remained in effect since that
time. The Federal shrimp permit for the
commercial harvest of penaeid shrimp
in the Gulf exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) has been placed under a
moratorium since 2007 (71 FR 56039,
September 26, 2006). The Gulf royal red
shrimp endorsement is an endorsement
to the Gulf Federal shrimp permit that
allows Gulf shrimp permit holders to
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
3938
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 16 / Monday, January 26, 2015 / Proposed Rules
commercially harvest royal red shrimp
in the Gulf EEZ. On January 30, 2012,
NMFS implemented regulations
developed through the Generic ACL
Amendment to multiple fishery
management plans, including the
Shrimp FMP (December 29, 2011, 76 FR
82044). That amendment included
actions to establish the commercial ACL
and AM for royal red shrimp. However,
the ‘‘no action’’ alternatives and
discussions in the Generic ACL
Amendment incorrectly stated that there
were currently no catch limits or AMs
for royal red shrimp, even though a
quota and in-season quota closure were
in the regulations. As a consequence,
through the Generic ACL Amendment,
both a royal red shrimp ACL and AM
were added to the regulations, but the
existing quota and in-season quota
closure provision were not removed. On
March 11, 2014, NMFS published a
notice of intent to prepare a
supplemental environmental impact
statement for Amendment 16 and
requested public comment (79 FR
13623).
Federal regulations currently include
a royal red shrimp ACL of 334,000 lb
(151,000 kg), tail weight, and a quota of
392,000 lb (177.8 mt), tail weight. This
rule would remove the royal red shrimp
quota and update the ACL to 337,000 lb
(152,861 kg), tail weight, which is equal
to the acceptable biological catch as
recommended by the Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee at
its March 2014 meeting.
Federal regulations currently include
a royal red shrimp in-season closure if
the quota is met or projected to be met,
based on in-season monitoring (which
functions as an AM), and include an
AM that implements in-season
monitoring and an ACL closure in the
year following any ACL overage. The
presence of two AMs in the regulations
presents an inconsistency in the
management of royal red shrimp. This
rule would remove the in-season quota
closure associated with the royal red
shrimp quota and retain the AM
associated with the ACL.
Gulf royal red shrimp commercial
landings have not exceeded the
proposed ACL of 337,000 lb (152,861
kg), tail weight, in the past 50 years.
There has been a decline in the pounds
of royal red shrimp landed over the past
10 years, and the number of vessels
actively targeting royal red shrimp
during that time has been less than 20
vessels, with fewer than 10 vessels
landing royal red shrimp in most years.
Therefore, there are likely to be no
impacts on the Gulf shrimp fishery or
the royal red shrimp stock resulting
from this rule.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:26 Jan 23, 2015
Jkt 235001
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the NMFS
Assistant Administrator has determined
that this proposed rule is consistent
with Amendment 16, the FMP, other
provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, and other applicable law, subject to
further consideration after public
comment.
This proposed rule has been
determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of
the Department of Commerce certified
to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the
Small Business Administration (SBA)
that this rule, if adopted, would not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
The factual basis for this determination
is as follows:
A description of this proposed rule,
why it is being considered, and the
objectives of this proposed rule are
contained in the preamble and in the
SUMMARY section of the preamble. The
Magnuson-Stevens Act provides the
basis for this proposed rule.
This proposed rule is expected to
directly affect commercial fishermen
holding valid or renewable Federal Gulf
shrimp permits with accompanying
royal red shrimp endorsements. The
SBA established size criteria for all
major industry sectors in the U.S.
including fish harvesters and for-hire
operations. A business involved in
shellfish harvesting is classified as a
small business if it is independently
owned and operated, is not dominant in
its field of operation (including its
affiliates), and its combined annual
receipts are not in excess of $5.5 million
(NAICS code 114112, shellfish fishing)
for all of its affiliated operations
worldwide.
The Federal shrimp permit for the
commercial harvest of penaeid shrimp
in the Gulf exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) has been placed under a
moratorium since 2007 (71 FR 56039,
September 26, 2006). At the start of the
moratorium, 1,933 vessels qualified for
and received the shrimp permits. Over
time, the number of permitted shrimp
vessels has declined, and in 2013 there
were 1,546 such permitted vessels. The
Gulf royal red shrimp endorsement is an
endorsement to the Gulf Federal shrimp
permit that allows Gulf shrimp permit
holders to commercially harvest royal
red shrimp in the Gulf EEZ. From 2008
through 2013, the total number of Gulf
royal red shrimp endorsements averaged
344 annually, and as of November 26,
2014, there were 288 such endorsements
in issuance.
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
From 2008 through 2013, the number
of vessels with Gulf royal red shrimp
endorsements that actually landed royal
red shrimp ranged from four to nine and
averaged six annually, which is
significantly less than the number of
vessels issued endorsements for those
years. On average, during those years, a
vessel with a Gulf royal red shrimp
endorsement annually landed 29,688 lb
(13,466 kg), tail weight, of royal red
shrimp and 101,430 lb (46,008 kg), tail
weight, of other shrimp species valued
at $170,073 and $428,079, respectively.
For the time period, the average vessel
generated revenues of $598,152 from all
shrimp species. For the period of 2008
through 2013, royal red shrimp
accounted for about 17.0 percent to 35.9
percent of all shrimp landings and about
18.7 percent to 44.7 percent of revenues
from all shrimp species landed by
vessels with royal red shrimp
endorsements. All landings are heads
off (tail weight) and all dollar values are
in 2011 dollars.
Based on the revenue figures above,
all vessels expected to be directly
affected by this proposed rule are
determined for the purpose of this
analysis to be small business entities.
Since the recording of Gulf royal red
shrimp landings started in 1962, the
proposed ACL of 337,000 lb (152,861
kg), tail weight, has never been
exceeded. In more recent years (2008–
2013), royal red shrimp landings
averaged about 168,000 lb (76,204 kg),
tail weight, annually. Based on
historical and current harvest
conditions, it is unlikely that the
proposed ACL would be reached or
exceeded. As a consequence, the AM for
royal red shrimp would also unlikely be
triggered. This rule removes an
inconsistency by eliminating the royal
red shrimp quota and maintaining the
ACL for triggering the AM, and would
have no effects on the profits of affected
shrimp vessels. Therefore, it is expected
that the measures contained in this
proposed rule would have no effects on
the profits of any affected shrimp
vessels.
No duplicative, overlapping, or
conflicting Federal rules have been
identified. In addition, no new
reporting, record-keeping, or other
compliance requirements are introduced
by this proposed rule. Accordingly, this
rule does not implicate the Paperwork
Reduction Act.
The information provided above
supports a determination that this rule
would not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities. Because this rule, if
implemented, is not expected to have a
significant economic impact on any
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 16 / Monday, January 26, 2015 / Proposed Rules
small entities, an initial regulatory
flexibility analysis is not required and
none has been prepared.
PART 622—FISHERIES OF THE
CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND
SOUTH ATLANTIC
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622
■
1. The authority citation for part 622
continues to read as follows:
Accountability measures, Annual
catch limit, Fisheries, Fishing, Gulf of
Mexico, Royal Red Shrimp, Shrimp.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
§ 622.57
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, 50 CFR part 622 is proposed
to be amended as follows:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:26 Jan 23, 2015
Jkt 235001
[Amended]
2. Section 622.57 is removed and
reserved.
■ 3. In § 622.58, paragraph (a)(1) is
revised to read as follows:
■
Dated: January 20, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
§ 622.58 Annual catch limits (ACLs),
annual catch targets (ACTs), and
accountability measures (AMs).
(a) * * *
(1) Commercial sector. If commercial
landings, as estimated by the SRD,
exceed the commercial ACL, then
during the following fishing year, if
commercial landings reach or are
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
3939
projected to reach the commercial ACL,
the AA will file a notification with the
Office of the Federal Register to close
the commercial sector for the remainder
of that fishing year. When the
commercial sector is closed, royal red
shrimp in or from the Gulf EEZ may not
be retained, and the sale or purchase of
royal red shrimp taken from the Gulf
EEZ is prohibited. This prohibition on
sale or purchase during a closure for
royal red shrimp does not apply to royal
red shrimp that were harvested, landed
ashore, and sold prior to the effective
date of the closure and were held in
cold storage by a dealer or processor.
The commercial ACL for royal red
shrimp is 337,000 lb (152,861 kg), tail
weight.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2015–01320 Filed 1–23–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3937-3939]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01320]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 140903744-5015-01]
RIN 0648-BE46
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Amendment 16
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 16 to the
Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico
(FMP), as prepared and submitted by the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Fishery
Management Council (Council). If implemented, this proposed rule would
revise the annual catch limit (ACL) for royal red shrimp, remove the
royal red shrimp quota, and revise the accountability measures (AMs)
for royal red shrimp to remove an inconsistency in the regulations. The
intent of this rule is to prevent overfishing of the royal red shrimp
resource while helping to achieve optimum yield and reconcile
conflicting Federal regulations.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 25,
2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed rule, identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2014-0030'' by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2014-0030, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Susan Gerhart, 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 16, which includes an environmental
impact statement, a Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis, and a
regulatory impact review, may be obtained from the Southeast Regional
Office Web site at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/shrimp/2014/am16/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Gerhart, telephone: 727-824-
5305, or email: Susan.Gerhart@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The shrimp fishery in the Gulf is managed
under the FMP. The FMP was prepared by the Council and implemented
through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act).
Background
The FMP was established in 1981, and the maximum sustainable yield
for royal red shrimp was estimated at 392,000 lb (177.9 mt), tail
weight, annually and specified as a fixed annual quota (46 FR 27489,
May 20, 1981). This quota has remained in effect since that time. The
Federal shrimp permit for the commercial harvest of penaeid shrimp in
the Gulf exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has been placed under a
moratorium since 2007 (71 FR 56039, September 26, 2006). The Gulf royal
red shrimp endorsement is an endorsement to the Gulf Federal shrimp
permit that allows Gulf shrimp permit holders to
[[Page 3938]]
commercially harvest royal red shrimp in the Gulf EEZ. On January 30,
2012, NMFS implemented regulations developed through the Generic ACL
Amendment to multiple fishery management plans, including the Shrimp
FMP (December 29, 2011, 76 FR 82044). That amendment included actions
to establish the commercial ACL and AM for royal red shrimp. However,
the ``no action'' alternatives and discussions in the Generic ACL
Amendment incorrectly stated that there were currently no catch limits
or AMs for royal red shrimp, even though a quota and in-season quota
closure were in the regulations. As a consequence, through the Generic
ACL Amendment, both a royal red shrimp ACL and AM were added to the
regulations, but the existing quota and in-season quota closure
provision were not removed. On March 11, 2014, NMFS published a notice
of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement for
Amendment 16 and requested public comment (79 FR 13623).
Federal regulations currently include a royal red shrimp ACL of
334,000 lb (151,000 kg), tail weight, and a quota of 392,000 lb (177.8
mt), tail weight. This rule would remove the royal red shrimp quota and
update the ACL to 337,000 lb (152,861 kg), tail weight, which is equal
to the acceptable biological catch as recommended by the Council's
Scientific and Statistical Committee at its March 2014 meeting.
Federal regulations currently include a royal red shrimp in-season
closure if the quota is met or projected to be met, based on in-season
monitoring (which functions as an AM), and include an AM that
implements in-season monitoring and an ACL closure in the year
following any ACL overage. The presence of two AMs in the regulations
presents an inconsistency in the management of royal red shrimp. This
rule would remove the in-season quota closure associated with the royal
red shrimp quota and retain the AM associated with the ACL.
Gulf royal red shrimp commercial landings have not exceeded the
proposed ACL of 337,000 lb (152,861 kg), tail weight, in the past 50
years. There has been a decline in the pounds of royal red shrimp
landed over the past 10 years, and the number of vessels actively
targeting royal red shrimp during that time has been less than 20
vessels, with fewer than 10 vessels landing royal red shrimp in most
years. Therefore, there are likely to be no impacts on the Gulf shrimp
fishery or the royal red shrimp stock resulting from this rule.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the
NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that this proposed rule is
consistent with Amendment 16, the FMP, other provisions of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law, subject to further
consideration after public comment.
This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for
purposes of Executive Order 12866.
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce
certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business
Administration (SBA) that this rule, if adopted, would not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The factual basis for this determination is as follows:
A description of this proposed rule, why it is being considered,
and the objectives of this proposed rule are contained in the preamble
and in the SUMMARY section of the preamble. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
provides the basis for this proposed rule.
This proposed rule is expected to directly affect commercial
fishermen holding valid or renewable Federal Gulf shrimp permits with
accompanying royal red shrimp endorsements. The SBA established size
criteria for all major industry sectors in the U.S. including fish
harvesters and for-hire operations. A business involved in shellfish
harvesting is classified as a small business if it is independently
owned and operated, is not dominant in its field of operation
(including its affiliates), and its combined annual receipts are not in
excess of $5.5 million (NAICS code 114112, shellfish fishing) for all
of its affiliated operations worldwide.
The Federal shrimp permit for the commercial harvest of penaeid
shrimp in the Gulf exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has been placed under
a moratorium since 2007 (71 FR 56039, September 26, 2006). At the start
of the moratorium, 1,933 vessels qualified for and received the shrimp
permits. Over time, the number of permitted shrimp vessels has
declined, and in 2013 there were 1,546 such permitted vessels. The Gulf
royal red shrimp endorsement is an endorsement to the Gulf Federal
shrimp permit that allows Gulf shrimp permit holders to commercially
harvest royal red shrimp in the Gulf EEZ. From 2008 through 2013, the
total number of Gulf royal red shrimp endorsements averaged 344
annually, and as of November 26, 2014, there were 288 such endorsements
in issuance.
From 2008 through 2013, the number of vessels with Gulf royal red
shrimp endorsements that actually landed royal red shrimp ranged from
four to nine and averaged six annually, which is significantly less
than the number of vessels issued endorsements for those years. On
average, during those years, a vessel with a Gulf royal red shrimp
endorsement annually landed 29,688 lb (13,466 kg), tail weight, of
royal red shrimp and 101,430 lb (46,008 kg), tail weight, of other
shrimp species valued at $170,073 and $428,079, respectively. For the
time period, the average vessel generated revenues of $598,152 from all
shrimp species. For the period of 2008 through 2013, royal red shrimp
accounted for about 17.0 percent to 35.9 percent of all shrimp landings
and about 18.7 percent to 44.7 percent of revenues from all shrimp
species landed by vessels with royal red shrimp endorsements. All
landings are heads off (tail weight) and all dollar values are in 2011
dollars.
Based on the revenue figures above, all vessels expected to be
directly affected by this proposed rule are determined for the purpose
of this analysis to be small business entities.
Since the recording of Gulf royal red shrimp landings started in
1962, the proposed ACL of 337,000 lb (152,861 kg), tail weight, has
never been exceeded. In more recent years (2008-2013), royal red shrimp
landings averaged about 168,000 lb (76,204 kg), tail weight, annually.
Based on historical and current harvest conditions, it is unlikely that
the proposed ACL would be reached or exceeded. As a consequence, the AM
for royal red shrimp would also unlikely be triggered. This rule
removes an inconsistency by eliminating the royal red shrimp quota and
maintaining the ACL for triggering the AM, and would have no effects on
the profits of affected shrimp vessels. Therefore, it is expected that
the measures contained in this proposed rule would have no effects on
the profits of any affected shrimp vessels.
No duplicative, overlapping, or conflicting Federal rules have been
identified. In addition, no new reporting, record-keeping, or other
compliance requirements are introduced by this proposed rule.
Accordingly, this rule does not implicate the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The information provided above supports a determination that this
rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. Because this rule, if implemented, is not
expected to have a significant economic impact on any
[[Page 3939]]
small entities, an initial regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required and none has been prepared.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622
Accountability measures, Annual catch limit, Fisheries, Fishing,
Gulf of Mexico, Royal Red Shrimp, Shrimp.
Dated: January 20, 2015.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 622 is
proposed to be amended as follows:
PART 622--FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND SOUTH
ATLANTIC
0
1. The authority citation for part 622 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Sec. 622.57 [Amended]
0
2. Section 622.57 is removed and reserved.
0
3. In Sec. 622.58, paragraph (a)(1) is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 622.58 Annual catch limits (ACLs), annual catch targets (ACTs),
and accountability measures (AMs).
(a) * * *
(1) Commercial sector. If commercial landings, as estimated by the
SRD, exceed the commercial ACL, then during the following fishing year,
if commercial landings reach or are projected to reach the commercial
ACL, the AA will file a notification with the Office of the Federal
Register to close the commercial sector for the remainder of that
fishing year. When the commercial sector is closed, royal red shrimp in
or from the Gulf EEZ may not be retained, and the sale or purchase of
royal red shrimp taken from the Gulf EEZ is prohibited. This
prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for royal red shrimp
does not apply to royal red shrimp that were harvested, landed ashore,
and sold prior to the effective date of the closure and were held in
cold storage by a dealer or processor. The commercial ACL for royal red
shrimp is 337,000 lb (152,861 kg), tail weight.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2015-01320 Filed 1-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P