NOAA Fisheries Service Seeks Public Comment on the South Atlantic
Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment for the South Atlantic Region. The notice of availability for the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment was published on October 20, 2011 (76 FR 65153), with a comment period ending on December 19, 2011.
The Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment proposes to establish annual catch limits and accountability measures for species in the Snapper-Grouper, Dolphin-Wahoo, and Golden Crab Fishery Management Plans not subject to overfishing (rate of removal is too high). Annual catch limits are set at levels that prevent overfishing from occurring. Accountability measures are management controls to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded, and to correct overages of annual catch limits if they occur.
Other actions contained within the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment include:
• Changes to the species managed by the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, including removing some species from the Fishery Management Plan, designating ecosystem component species, and grouping some species together.
• Specification of an acceptable biological catch for species in Fishery Management Plans for snapper-grouper, dolphin-wahoo, golden crab, and Sargassum. Acceptable biological catch is the level of a stock or stock complex’s annual catch that accounts for scientific uncertainty.
• Annual catch targets to account for management uncertainty for dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species.
• Allocations: Jurisdictional (between South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico) for black grouper, mutton snapper, and yellowtail snapper; and Sector (between commercial and recreational sectors) for dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species.
• Management measures for wreckfish and dolphin.
Request for Comments
Comments on this amendment must be received no later than December 19, 2011, in order to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments.
Addresses
Electronic copies of the amendment may be obtained from the NOAA Fisheries Service Web site http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SAACLAmend.htm, or the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov.
To request a CD of the amendment, contact:
Sustainable Fisheries Division
Southeast Regional Office
NOAA Fisheries Service
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505
Phone: 727-824-5305
You may submit comments by the following method:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. After selecting “submit a comment,” enter the following docket number into the “Search” box: NOAA-NMFS-2011-0087. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin may not be considered.
Southeast Fishery Bulletin
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
NOAA Fisheries Service Seeks Public Comment on the South Atlantic
Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment for the South Atlantic Region. The notice of availability for the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment was published on October 20, 2011 (76 FR 65153), with a comment period ending on December 19, 2011.
The Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment proposes to establish annual catch limits and accountability measures for species in the Snapper-Grouper, Dolphin-Wahoo, and Golden Crab Fishery Management Plans not subject to overfishing (rate of removal is too high). Annual catch limits are set at levels that prevent overfishing from occurring. Accountability measures are management controls to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded, and to correct overages of annual catch limits if they occur.
Other actions contained within the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment include:
• Changes to the species managed by the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, including removing some species from the Fishery Management Plan, designating ecosystem component species, and grouping some species together.
• Specification of an acceptable biological catch for species in Fishery Management Plans for snapper-grouper, dolphin-wahoo, golden crab, and Sargassum. Acceptable biological catch is the level of a stock or stock complex’s annual catch that accounts for scientific uncertainty.
• Annual catch targets to account for management uncertainty for dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species.
• Allocations: Jurisdictional (between South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico) for black grouper, mutton snapper, and yellowtail snapper; and Sector (between commercial and recreational sectors) for dolphin, wahoo, and snapper-grouper species.
• Management measures for wreckfish and dolphin.
Request for Comments
Comments on this amendment must be received no later than December 19, 2011, in order to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments.
Addresses
Electronic copies of the amendment may be obtained from the NOAA Fisheries Service Web site http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/SAACLAmend.htm, or the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
To request a CD of the amendment, contact:
Sustainable Fisheries Division
Southeast Regional Office
NOAA Fisheries Service
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505
Phone: 727-824-5305
You may submit comments by the following method:
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. After selecting “submit a comment,” enter the following docket number into the “Search” box: NOAA-NMFS-2011-0087. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin may not be considered.
Southeast Fishery Bulletin
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701