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]


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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
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