Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Modifications to Greater Amberjack Recreational Fishing Year and Fixed Closed Season, 3670-3672 [2018-01374]
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3670
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 2018 / Proposed Rules
previous section found significant
driver confusion over the legal
obligations applying to drivers when
they encounter a school bus with
flashing signal warning lamps. (This is
distinct from the confusion Mr.
Thompson identifies as a safety risk,
which is over the meaning of the signal
warning lamps themselves.) Given there
is evidence drivers are already confused
about laws relating to stop-arm
violations, we do not think it would be
beneficial for safety to make the signal
warning lamp activation sequence more
complex than it already is (as would be
the case under Mr. Thompson’s
request).
For these reasons in accordance with
49 CFR part 552, Mr. Thompson’s
October 28, 2012, petition for
rulemaking is denied.
Issued on January 12, 2018, in Washington,
DC, under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.95
and 501.5.
Heidi R. King,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018–01403 Filed 1–25–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 171017999–8036–01]
RIN 0648–BH32
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish
Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico;
Modifications to Greater Amberjack
Recreational Fishing Year and Fixed
Closed Season
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes to implement
management measures described in a
framework action to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP),
as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council (Council).
If implemented, this proposed rule
would change the recreational fishing
year and modify the recreational fixed
closed season for greater amberjack in
the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive
economic zone (EEZ). The purposes of
this proposed rule and the framework
action are to constrain recreational
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:24 Jan 25, 2018
Jkt 244001
harvest to assist in ending overfishing,
and to rebuild the greater amberjack
stock in the Gulf, while maximizing
optimum yield (OY) of the greater
amberjack stock in the Gulf.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before February 10, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the proposed rule, identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2017–0149’’ 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-2017-0149, click the
‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, complete the
required fields, and enter or attach your
comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Kelli O’Donnell, 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),
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).
Electronic copies of the framework
action, which includes an
environmental assessment, a regulatory
impact review, and a Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) analysis may be
obtained from the Southeast Regional
Office website at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.
gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/
reef_fish/2017/GAJ_Fishing%20Year/
final_action_modify_rec_fishing_yr.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelli O’Donnell, NMFS SERO,
telephone: 727–824–5305, email:
Kelli.ODonnell@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf
reef fish fishery, which includes greater
amberjack, is managed under the FMP.
The Council prepared the FMP and
NMFS implements the FMP under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) through
regulations at 50 CFR part 622.
Background
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires
NMFS and regional fishery management
councils to prevent overfishing and to
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
achieve, on a continuing basis, the OY
from federally managed fish stocks to
ensure that fishery resources are
managed for the greatest overall benefit
to the nation.
The greater amberjack resource in the
Gulf was declared overfished by NMFS
on February 9, 2001. The most recent
Southeast Data Assessment and Review
stock assessment was completed in
2016, and indicated the Gulf greater
amberjack stock remained overfished,
was undergoing overfishing, and would
not be rebuilt by 2019, as was
previously estimated. In response to the
assessment results, the Council
established new annual catch limits
(ACLs) and annual catch targets (ACTs)
(codified as quotas) that will be effective
on January 27, 2018 (82 FR 61485;
December 28, 2017). Under these new
harvest levels, NMFS estimates the Gulf
greater amberjack stock will be rebuilt
by 2027. The Council also modified
recreational fixed closed season from
June through July each year to January
through June. The Council intended this
change to the fixed closed season to be
a short-term measure to protect the Gulf
greater amberjack stock during its
spawning season (March through April)
and allow the Council time to develop
this current framework action and
proposed rule to establish two separate
recreational fishing seasons.
Management Measures Contained in
This Proposed Rule
This proposed rule would revise the
recreational fishing year and the
recreational closed season for greater
amberjack in the Gulf.
Greater Amberjack Recreational Fishing
Year
The current Gulf recreational fishing
year for greater amberjack is January 1
through December 31 and was
established in the original FMP (49 FR
39548; October 9, 1984). This proposed
rule would revise the Gulf greater
amberjack recreational fishing year to be
August 1 through July 31. This change
would allow for greater amberjack
harvest to occur later in the year and
provide an opportunity to harvest
greater amberjack when harvest of many
other reef fish species is prohibited due
to in-season quota closures. Starting the
fishing year in August, when fishing
effort is lower, is also expected to result
in enough quota remaining to allow for
fishing during May of the following
calendar year.
Consistent with the change in the
fishing year, this proposed rule would
revise the years associated with the
greater amberjack recreational ACLs and
quotas. Currently, the recreational ACLs
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 2018 / Proposed Rules
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
and quotas are defined by the calendar
year, which is also the fishing year.
With the proposed change to the
recreational fishing year, the
recreational ACLs and quotas would
apply across calendar years. Therefore,
this proposed rule would assign the
recently implemented 2018 ACL and
quota to the remainder of the August 1,
2017, through July 31, 2018, recreational
fishing year. The 2019 recreational ACL
and quota would correspond to the
2018–2019 recreational fishing year, and
the recreational ACL and quota for 2020
and beyond would correspond to all
subsequent fishing years.
Greater Amberjack Recreational Closed
Season
The final rule for Amendment 35 to
the FMP established a greater amberjack
recreational closed season from June 1
to July 31 to restrict harvest during
times of peak fishing (77 FR 67574;
November 13, 2012). This closed season
was expected to reduce harvest enough
to avoid an in-season closure as a result
of the quota being met. However, the
recreational sector has closed early each
year since 2014. Therefore, the Council
decided to modify the recreational
closed season. As explained above,
NMFS recently published a final rule
that changed the closed season from
June through July each year to January
through June (82 FR 61485; December
28, 2017) to allow the Council the time
to further modify the closed season to
create two separate recreational fishing
seasons.
This proposed rule would modify the
recreational fixed closed season for
greater amberjack to be from January 1
through April 30, June 1 through July
31, and November 1 through December
31, each year. This means that
recreational harvest would be allowed
in May and from August through
October each calendar year unless an inseason closure was necessary to
constrain harvest to the recreational
quota. Because this proposed rule
would also change the recreational
fishing year, NMFS would begin
monitoring landings as compared to the
applicable quota on August 1 each year
and, therefore, any in-season quota
closure would occur later in the fall or
during May of the following year. The
proposed recreational fixed closed
season is expected to reduced landings,
which would reduce the likelihood of
an in-season closure and recreational
landings exceeding the recreational
ACL. This rulemaking is also expected
to protect greater amberjack during peak
spawning months in the majority of the
Gulf (March through April), thereby
contributing to rebuilding the greater
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:24 Jan 25, 2018
Jkt 244001
amberjack stock within the rebuilding
time period.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Assistant
Administrator has determined that this
proposed rule is consistent with the
framework action, the FMP, 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 proposed 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 the proposed rule,
why it is being considered, and the
objectives of, and legal basis for this
proposed rule are contained at the
beginning of this section in the
preamble and in the SUMMARY section of
the preamble. The Magnuson-Stevens
Act provides the statutory basis for this
rule. No duplicative, overlapping, or
conflicting Federal rules have been
identified. In addition, no new
reporting, recordkeeping, or other
compliance requirements are introduced
by this proposed rule. Accordingly, this
proposed rule does not implicate the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
The proposed rule would modify the
recreational greater amberjack fishing
year and fixed closed season. As a
result, this proposed rule would affect
recreational anglers and federally
permitted charter vessels and headboats
(for-hire) fishing for greater amberjack in
the Gulf. Only recreational anglers are
directly affected by this proposed rule,
and they are not considered business
entities under the RFA. For-hire vessels
would be affected by this action but
only in an indirect way. For-hire
businesses (charter vessels and
headboats) operate in the recreational
sector, but these businesses only sell
fishing services to recreational anglers.
For-hire vessels provide a platform for
the opportunity to fish and not a
guarantee to catch or harvest any
species, though expectations of
successful fishing, however defined,
likely factor into the decision by anglers
to purchase these services. Because the
effects on for-hire vessels would be
indirect, they fall outside the scope of
the RFA.
The information provided above
supports a determination that this
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
3671
proposed rule would not have a
significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
Because this proposed rule, if
implemented, is not expected to have a
significant economic impact on any
small entities, an initial regulatory
flexibility analysis is not required and
none has been prepared.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622
Commercial, Fisheries, Fishing,
Fishing season, Fishing year, Greater
amberjack, Gulf, Recreational, Reef fish.
Dated: January 19, 2018.
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
1. The authority citation for part 622
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
2. In § 622.7, add paragraph (h) to read
as follows:
■
§ 622.7
Fishing years.
*
*
*
*
*
(h) Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack
recreational sector—August 1 through
July 31. (Note: The fishing year for the
commercial sector for greater amberjack
is January 1 through December 31).
■ 3. In § 622.34, revise paragraph (c) to
read as follows:
§ 622.34 Seasonal and area closures
designed to protect Gulf reef fish.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) Seasonal closure of the
recreational sector for greater
amberjack. The recreational sector for
greater amberjack in or from the Gulf
EEZ is closed from January 1 through
April 30, June 1 through July 31, and
November 1 through December 31, each
year. During the closure, the bag and
possession limit for greater amberjack in
or from the Gulf EEZ is zero.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 4. In § 622.39, revise paragraph
(a)(2)(ii) to read as follows:
§ 622.39
Quotas.
*
*
*
*
*
(a) * * *
(2) * * *
(ii) Recreational quota for greater
amberjack.
(A) For the 2017–2018 fishing year—
716,173 lb (324,851 kg).
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
3672
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 2018 / Proposed Rules
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with PROPOSALS
(B) For the 2018–2019 fishing year—
902,185 lb (409,224 kg).
(C) For the 2019–2020 fishing year
and subsequent fishing years—
1,086,985 lb (493,048 kg).
*
*
*
*
*
■ 5. In § 622.41, revise paragraph
(a)(2)(iii) to read as follows:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:24 Jan 25, 2018
Jkt 244001
§ 622.41 Annual catch limits (ACLs),
annual catch targets (ACTs), and
accountability measures (AMs).
(a) * * *
(2) * * *
(iii) The applicable recreational ACL
for greater amberjack, in round weight,
is 862,860 lb (391,387 kg) for the 2017–
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
2018 fishing year, 1,086,970 lb (493,041
kg) for the 2018–2019 fishing year, and
1,309,620 lb (594,034 kg) for 2019–2020
fishing year and subsequent fishing
years.
*
*
*
*
*
[FR Doc. 2018–01374 Filed 1–25–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\26JAP1.SGM
26JAP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3670-3672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01374]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 171017999-8036-01]
RIN 0648-BH32
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Modifications to Greater
Amberjack Recreational Fishing Year and Fixed Closed Season
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in a
framework action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP), as prepared by the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). If implemented, this
proposed rule would change the recreational fishing year and modify the
recreational fixed closed season for greater amberjack in the Gulf of
Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The purposes of this
proposed rule and the framework action are to constrain recreational
harvest to assist in ending overfishing, and to rebuild the greater
amberjack stock in the Gulf, while maximizing optimum yield (OY) of the
greater amberjack stock in the Gulf.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 10,
2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed rule, identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2017-0149'' 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-2017-0149, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Kelli O'Donnell,
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), 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).
Electronic copies of the framework action, which includes an
environmental assessment, a regulatory impact review, and a Regulatory
Flexibility Act (RFA) analysis may be obtained from the Southeast
Regional Office website at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/reef_fish/2017/GAJ_Fishing%20Year/final_action_modify_rec_fishing_yr.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelli O'Donnell, NMFS SERO, telephone:
727-824-5305, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf reef fish fishery, which includes
greater amberjack, is managed under the FMP. The Council prepared the
FMP and NMFS implements the FMP under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act)
through regulations at 50 CFR part 622.
Background
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires NMFS and regional fishery
management councils to prevent overfishing and to achieve, on a
continuing basis, the OY from federally managed fish stocks to ensure
that fishery resources are managed for the greatest overall benefit to
the nation.
The greater amberjack resource in the Gulf was declared overfished
by NMFS on February 9, 2001. The most recent Southeast Data Assessment
and Review stock assessment was completed in 2016, and indicated the
Gulf greater amberjack stock remained overfished, was undergoing
overfishing, and would not be rebuilt by 2019, as was previously
estimated. In response to the assessment results, the Council
established new annual catch limits (ACLs) and annual catch targets
(ACTs) (codified as quotas) that will be effective on January 27, 2018
(82 FR 61485; December 28, 2017). Under these new harvest levels, NMFS
estimates the Gulf greater amberjack stock will be rebuilt by 2027. The
Council also modified recreational fixed closed season from June
through July each year to January through June. The Council intended
this change to the fixed closed season to be a short-term measure to
protect the Gulf greater amberjack stock during its spawning season
(March through April) and allow the Council time to develop this
current framework action and proposed rule to establish two separate
recreational fishing seasons.
Management Measures Contained in This Proposed Rule
This proposed rule would revise the recreational fishing year and
the recreational closed season for greater amberjack in the Gulf.
Greater Amberjack Recreational Fishing Year
The current Gulf recreational fishing year for greater amberjack is
January 1 through December 31 and was established in the original FMP
(49 FR 39548; October 9, 1984). This proposed rule would revise the
Gulf greater amberjack recreational fishing year to be August 1 through
July 31. This change would allow for greater amberjack harvest to occur
later in the year and provide an opportunity to harvest greater
amberjack when harvest of many other reef fish species is prohibited
due to in-season quota closures. Starting the fishing year in August,
when fishing effort is lower, is also expected to result in enough
quota remaining to allow for fishing during May of the following
calendar year.
Consistent with the change in the fishing year, this proposed rule
would revise the years associated with the greater amberjack
recreational ACLs and quotas. Currently, the recreational ACLs
[[Page 3671]]
and quotas are defined by the calendar year, which is also the fishing
year. With the proposed change to the recreational fishing year, the
recreational ACLs and quotas would apply across calendar years.
Therefore, this proposed rule would assign the recently implemented
2018 ACL and quota to the remainder of the August 1, 2017, through July
31, 2018, recreational fishing year. The 2019 recreational ACL and
quota would correspond to the 2018-2019 recreational fishing year, and
the recreational ACL and quota for 2020 and beyond would correspond to
all subsequent fishing years.
Greater Amberjack Recreational Closed Season
The final rule for Amendment 35 to the FMP established a greater
amberjack recreational closed season from June 1 to July 31 to restrict
harvest during times of peak fishing (77 FR 67574; November 13, 2012).
This closed season was expected to reduce harvest enough to avoid an
in-season closure as a result of the quota being met. However, the
recreational sector has closed early each year since 2014. Therefore,
the Council decided to modify the recreational closed season. As
explained above, NMFS recently published a final rule that changed the
closed season from June through July each year to January through June
(82 FR 61485; December 28, 2017) to allow the Council the time to
further modify the closed season to create two separate recreational
fishing seasons.
This proposed rule would modify the recreational fixed closed
season for greater amberjack to be from January 1 through April 30,
June 1 through July 31, and November 1 through December 31, each year.
This means that recreational harvest would be allowed in May and from
August through October each calendar year unless an in-season closure
was necessary to constrain harvest to the recreational quota. Because
this proposed rule would also change the recreational fishing year,
NMFS would begin monitoring landings as compared to the applicable
quota on August 1 each year and, therefore, any in-season quota closure
would occur later in the fall or during May of the following year. The
proposed recreational fixed closed season is expected to reduced
landings, which would reduce the likelihood of an in-season closure and
recreational landings exceeding the recreational ACL. This rulemaking
is also expected to protect greater amberjack during peak spawning
months in the majority of the Gulf (March through April), thereby
contributing to rebuilding the greater amberjack stock within the
rebuilding time period.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the
Assistant Administrator has determined that this proposed rule is
consistent with the framework action, the FMP, 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 proposed 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 the proposed rule, why it is being considered, and
the objectives of, and legal basis for this proposed rule are contained
at the beginning of this section in the preamble and in the SUMMARY
section of the preamble. The Magnuson-Stevens Act provides the
statutory basis for this rule. No duplicative, overlapping, or
conflicting Federal rules have been identified. In addition, no new
reporting, recordkeeping, or other compliance requirements are
introduced by this proposed rule. Accordingly, this proposed rule does
not implicate the Paperwork Reduction Act.
The proposed rule would modify the recreational greater amberjack
fishing year and fixed closed season. As a result, this proposed rule
would affect recreational anglers and federally permitted charter
vessels and headboats (for-hire) fishing for greater amberjack in the
Gulf. Only recreational anglers are directly affected by this proposed
rule, and they are not considered business entities under the RFA. For-
hire vessels would be affected by this action but only in an indirect
way. For-hire businesses (charter vessels and headboats) operate in the
recreational sector, but these businesses only sell fishing services to
recreational anglers. For-hire vessels provide a platform for the
opportunity to fish and not a guarantee to catch or harvest any
species, though expectations of successful fishing, however defined,
likely factor into the decision by anglers to purchase these services.
Because the effects on for-hire vessels would be indirect, they fall
outside the scope of the RFA.
The information provided above supports a determination that this
proposed rule would not have a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. Because this proposed rule, if
implemented, is not expected to have a significant economic impact on
any small entities, an initial regulatory flexibility analysis is not
required and none has been prepared.
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 622
Commercial, Fisheries, Fishing, Fishing season, Fishing year,
Greater amberjack, Gulf, Recreational, Reef fish.
Dated: January 19, 2018.
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.
0
2. In Sec. 622.7, add paragraph (h) to read as follows:
Sec. 622.7 Fishing years.
* * * * *
(h) Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack recreational sector--August 1
through July 31. (Note: The fishing year for the commercial sector for
greater amberjack is January 1 through December 31).
0
3. In Sec. 622.34, revise paragraph (c) to read as follows:
Sec. 622.34 Seasonal and area closures designed to protect Gulf reef
fish.
* * * * *
(c) Seasonal closure of the recreational sector for greater
amberjack. The recreational sector for greater amberjack in or from the
Gulf EEZ is closed from January 1 through April 30, June 1 through July
31, and November 1 through December 31, each year. During the closure,
the bag and possession limit for greater amberjack in or from the Gulf
EEZ is zero.
* * * * *
0
4. In Sec. 622.39, revise paragraph (a)(2)(ii) to read as follows:
Sec. 622.39 Quotas.
* * * * *
(a) * * *
(2) * * *
(ii) Recreational quota for greater amberjack.
(A) For the 2017-2018 fishing year--716,173 lb (324,851 kg).
[[Page 3672]]
(B) For the 2018-2019 fishing year--902,185 lb (409,224 kg).
(C) For the 2019-2020 fishing year and subsequent fishing years--
1,086,985 lb (493,048 kg).
* * * * *
0
5. In Sec. 622.41, revise paragraph (a)(2)(iii) to read as follows:
Sec. 622.41 Annual catch limits (ACLs), annual catch targets (ACTs),
and accountability measures (AMs).
(a) * * *
(2) * * *
(iii) The applicable recreational ACL for greater amberjack, in
round weight, is 862,860 lb (391,387 kg) for the 2017-2018 fishing
year, 1,086,970 lb (493,041 kg) for the 2018-2019 fishing year, and
1,309,620 lb (594,034 kg) for 2019-2020 fishing year and subsequent
fishing years.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2018-01374 Filed 1-25-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
