National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May 9, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action reduces the in-season possession limit adjustment trigger for northern red hake due to an annual catch limit overage in fishing year 2015. Reduction of the trigger is a non-discretionary action intended to minimize the potential for catch overages in the future. This action reinstates regulatory text that we inadvertently removed during a previous rule making action. The intent of this action is to inform the public of this reduction in the possession limit trigger. The regulatory correction is intended to clarify the original purpose of the regulation.

NMFS issues regulations to implement measures described in Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) (Reef Fish FMP), Amendment 7 to the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of Puerto Rico and the USVI (Spiny Lobster FMP), and Amendment 6 to the FMP for Corals and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates of Puerto Rico and the USVI (Coral FMP), as prepared and submitted by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule refers to these amendments, in combination, as the Accountability Measure (AM) Timing Amendment. This final rule to implement the AM Timing Amendment modifies the date for the implementation of AM-based closures for all species and species groups managed by the Council under the subject FMPs. The purpose of the AM Timing Amendment and this final rule is to minimize, to the extent practicable, the adverse socio-economic impacts of AM-based closures, while constraining catch levels to the applicable annual catch limits (ACLs) and preventing overfishing.