Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Re-Opening of the Commercial Sector for Blueline Tilefish in the South Atlantic

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 622 [Docket No. 140501394-5279-02; RTID 0648-XD317] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; re-opening. SUMMARY: NMFS announces the re-opening of the commercial sector for blueline tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic through this temporary rule. The most recent data for commercial landings of blueline tilefish indicate the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2023 fishing year has not yet been reached. Therefore, NMFS re-opens the commercial sector to harvest blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ for 6 days. The purpose of this temporary rule is to allow for the commercial ACL of blueline tilefish to be harvested while minimizing the risk of exceeding the commercial ACL. DATES: This temporary rule is effective from 12:01 a.m. eastern time on September 11, 2023, through September 16, 2023. 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 blueline tilefish 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 (Council) and is implemented by NMFS under the autho…