Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2025 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for Snowy Grouper in the South Atlantic, 13309-13310 [2025-04805]
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 54 / Friday, March 21, 2025 / Rules and Regulations
pursuant to the Convention and the
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982.
The publication of these regulations
in the Federal Register provide the
affected public with notice that the
IPHC management measures are in
effect. Furthermore, no other law
requires prior notice and public
comment for this rule. Because 5 U.S.C.
553 or any other law does not require
prior notice and an opportunity for
public comment for this notification of
the effectiveness of the IPHC’s 2025
management measures, the analytical
requirements of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., are
not applicable. This final rule is exempt
from review under Executive Order
12866.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
requires consideration of the impact of
recordkeeping and other information
collection burdens imposed on the
public. Alaska state law establishes
information collection requirements
regarding harvest records for individual
recreational anglers. See Alaska Admin.
Code tit. 5, section 75.006(a) (2023).
This final rule contains no new
recordkeeping requirements beyond
those contained in existing Alaska State
or Federal law and therefore involves no
additional collection of information
burden. Moreover, because there is, at
present, no annual limit on the number
of Pacific halibut that may be retained
by a charter vessel angler as defined at
50 CFR 300.61, the recordkeeping
requirements referenced in section
29(1)(h) of the IPHC’s Annual
Management Measures do not apply
during 2025.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq.
Dated: March 17, 2025.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025–04803 Filed 3–20–25; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 231127–0277; RTID 0648–
XE720]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2025
Recreational Accountability Measure
and Closure for Snowy Grouper in the
South Atlantic
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
AGENCY:
NMFS implements an
accountability measure (AM) for the
recreational harvest of snowy grouper in
South Atlantic Federal waters. NMFS
reduces the length of the 2025
recreational fishing season to prevent
landings from exceeding the
recreational annual catch limit (ACL) as
they did in 2024. Accordingly, NMFS
announces the adjusted closure date in
2025 for the recreational harvest of
snowy grouper in South Atlantic
Federal waters to protect the snowy
grouper resource.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective
from June 9 through December 31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727–824–5305, email:
mary.vara@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
snapper-grouper fishery of the South
Atlantic includes snowy grouper and is
managed under the Fishery
Management Plan for the SnapperGrouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Region (FMP). The FMP was prepared
by the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council and NMFS, was
approved by the Secretary of Commerce,
and is implemented by NMFS through
regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
Regulations at 50 CFR 622.193(b)(2)
specify the 2025 recreational ACL for
snowy grouper and the recreational
AMs. The recreational AM states that if
recreational landings of snowy grouper
exceed its ACL, then NMFS will reduce
the recreational fishing season during
the following fishing year to prevent
recreational landings from again
exceeding the recreational ACL [50 CFR
622.193(b)(2)(ii)]. On January 2, 2024,
NMFS implemented the final rule for
SUMMARY:
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13309
Amendment 51 to the FMP (88 FR
83860, December 1, 2023). One of the
measures implemented by that final rule
reduced the recreational ACL to 1,713
fish for 2025. The final rule also revised
the recreational AMs for the species. If
recreational landings exceed the
recreational ACL, NMFS would reduce
the length of the recreational fishing
season in the following year by the
amount necessary to prevent the
recreational ACL from being exceeded.
Because this condition was met in 2024,
NMFS is reducing the length of the 2025
recreational season to prevent the
recreational ACL from being exceeded.
The 2025 recreational season for
snowy grouper will start on May 1 and
normally would continue through June
30. However, data from the NMFS
Southeast Fisheries Science Center have
informed NMFS’ projection that
recreational landings will reach the
recreational ACL for 2025 by June 9.
Therefore, NMFS announces that the
recreational season for snowy grouper in
South Atlantic Federal waters will be
closed beginning on June 9 and
continues through December 31, 2025.
During the recreational closure, the bag
and possession limits for snowy grouper
in or from South Atlantic Federal waters
are zero. The next recreational fishing
season for snowy grouper begins on May
1, 2026.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to
section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. This action is required by 50 CFR
622.193(c)(2)(ii), which was issued
pursuant to section 304(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and is exempt
from review under Executive Order
12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there
is good cause to waive prior notice and
an opportunity for public comment on
this action, as notice and comment are
unnecessary and contrary to the public
interest. Such procedures are
unnecessary because the rule that
established the recreational AM for
snowy grouper has already been subject
to public notice and comment, and all
that remains is to notify the public of
the end date of the recreational season.
Prior notice and opportunity for public
comment on this action is contrary to
the public interest because of the need
to protect the resource of South Atlantic
snowy grouper. Additionally, providing
as much advance notice to the public of
this shortened fishing season and
closure allows recreational fishermen,
including businesses that operate
charter vessels and headboats, to
prepare for the change to the
recreational season for snowy grouper
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 54 / Friday, March 21, 2025 / Rules and Regulations
and to schedule or reschedule their
trips.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Date: March 17, 2025.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025–04805 Filed 3–18–25; 4:15 pm]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 231215–0305; RTID 0648–
XE732]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Summer Flounder Fishery;
Quota Transfer From North Carolina to
Virginia
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces that the
State of North Carolina is transferring a
portion of its 2025 commercial summer
flounder quota to the Commonwealth of
Virginia. This adjustment to the 2025
fishing year quota is necessary to
comply with the Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) quota transfer
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SUMMARY:
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provisions. This announcement informs
the public of the revised 2025
commercial quotas for North Carolina
and Virginia.
DATES: Effective March 20, 2021,
through December 31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Rigdon, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281–9336.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulations governing the summer
flounder fishery are found in 50 CFR
648.100 through 648.111. These
regulations require annual specification
of a commercial quota that is
apportioned among the coastal states
from Maine through North Carolina. The
process to set the annual commercial
quota and the percent allocated to each
state is described in § 648.102, and the
final 2025 allocations were published
on December 10, 2024 (89 FR 99138).
The final rule implementing
Amendment 5 to the FMP, as published
in the Federal Register on December 17,
1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a
mechanism for transferring summer
flounder commercial quota from one
state to another. Two or more states,
under mutual agreement and with the
concurrence of the NMFS Greater
Atlantic Regional Administrator, can
transfer or combine summer flounder
commercial quota under § 648.102(c)(2).
The Regional Administrator is required
to consider three criteria in the
evaluation of requests for quota transfers
or combinations: (1) the transfers or
combinations would not preclude the
overall annual quota from being fully
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harvested; (2) the transfers address an
unforeseen variation or contingency in
the fishery; and (3) the transfers are
consistent with the objectives of the
FMP and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). The Regional
Administrator has determined these
three criteria have been met for the
transfer approved in this notification.
North Carolina is transferring 3,520
pounds (lb; 1,597 kilograms (kg)) of
summer flounder to Virginia through a
mutual agreement between the states.
This transfer was requested to repay
landings made by an out-of-state
permitted vessel under a safe harbor
agreement. The revised summer
flounder quotas for 2025 are: North
Carolina, 2,408,923 lb (1,092,669 kg);
and Virginia, 1,877,227 lb (851,496 kg).
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to
section 305(d) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act. This action is required by 50 CFR
648.102(c)(2)(i) through (iv), which was
issued pursuant to section 304(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and is exempted
from review under Executive Order
12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 18, 2025.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025–04880 Filed 3–20–25; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 54 (Friday, March 21, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 13309-13310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04805]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 231127-0277; RTID 0648-XE720]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
2025 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for Snowy Grouper
in the South Atlantic
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the
recreational harvest of snowy grouper in South Atlantic Federal waters.
NMFS reduces the length of the 2025 recreational fishing season to
prevent landings from exceeding the recreational annual catch limit
(ACL) as they did in 2024. Accordingly, NMFS announces the adjusted
closure date in 2025 for the recreational harvest of snowy grouper in
South Atlantic Federal waters to protect the snowy grouper resource.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective from June 9 through December
31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Vara, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The snapper-grouper fishery of the South
Atlantic includes snowy grouper and is managed under the Fishery
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Region (FMP). The FMP was prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council and NMFS, was approved by the Secretary of Commerce,
and is implemented by NMFS through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under
the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).
Regulations at 50 CFR 622.193(b)(2) specify the 2025 recreational
ACL for snowy grouper and the recreational AMs. The recreational AM
states that if recreational landings of snowy grouper exceed its ACL,
then NMFS will reduce the recreational fishing season during the
following fishing year to prevent recreational landings from again
exceeding the recreational ACL [50 CFR 622.193(b)(2)(ii)]. On January
2, 2024, NMFS implemented the final rule for Amendment 51 to the FMP
(88 FR 83860, December 1, 2023). One of the measures implemented by
that final rule reduced the recreational ACL to 1,713 fish for 2025.
The final rule also revised the recreational AMs for the species. If
recreational landings exceed the recreational ACL, NMFS would reduce
the length of the recreational fishing season in the following year by
the amount necessary to prevent the recreational ACL from being
exceeded. Because this condition was met in 2024, NMFS is reducing the
length of the 2025 recreational season to prevent the recreational ACL
from being exceeded.
The 2025 recreational season for snowy grouper will start on May 1
and normally would continue through June 30. However, data from the
NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center have informed NMFS' projection
that recreational landings will reach the recreational ACL for 2025 by
June 9. Therefore, NMFS announces that the recreational season for
snowy grouper in South Atlantic Federal waters will be closed beginning
on June 9 and continues through December 31, 2025. During the
recreational closure, the bag and possession limits for snowy grouper
in or from South Atlantic Federal waters are zero. The next
recreational fishing season for snowy grouper begins on May 1, 2026.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.193(c)(2)(ii), which
was issued pursuant to section 304(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and
is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice
and comment are unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. Such
procedures are unnecessary because the rule that established the
recreational AM for snowy grouper has already been subject to public
notice and comment, and all that remains is to notify the public of the
end date of the recreational season. Prior notice and opportunity for
public comment on this action is contrary to the public interest
because of the need to protect the resource of South Atlantic snowy
grouper. Additionally, providing as much advance notice to the public
of this shortened fishing season and closure allows recreational
fishermen, including businesses that operate charter vessels and
headboats, to prepare for the change to the recreational season for
snowy grouper
[[Page 13310]]
and to schedule or reschedule their trips.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Date: March 17, 2025.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04805 Filed 3-18-25; 4:15 pm]
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