The final rule for Amendment 35 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 35) published on May 23, 2016 (81 FR 32249). Regulations will be effective June 22, 2016.
The final rule will:
- Remove dog snapper, black snapper, mahogany snapper, and schoolmaster from the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. These species have extremely low landings, and regulations governing their harvest differ in state and federal waters. The State of Florida has indicated that it will extend state regulations for Florida registered vessels for these species into federal waters if they are removed from the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, thereby creating a more consistent regulatory environment.
- Revise regulations for the use of golden tilefish longline endorsements. Specifically, this final rule will clarify that vessels that have valid or renewable golden tilefish longline endorsements, anytime during the golden tilefish fishing year, are not eligible to fish for golden tilefish under the hook-and-line quota. This rule will ensure that fishery participants holding longline endorsements are not allowed to fish under both the hook-and-line quota and the longline quota within the same fishing year. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council reaffirmed that this was their intent when it implemented the longline endorsement program for golden tilefish under Amendment 18B to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan (78 FR 23858, April 23, 2013).
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
More Information
For more information on Amendment 35 and its rule-making, please follow this link to the Frequently Asked Questions:
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/sg/2014/am35/index.html
This Fishery Bulletin is forwarded as a courtesy of the
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
Questions or comments should be addressed to
NOAA Fisheries using the contact information provided in the Bulletin.
