BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 200124-0029; RTID 0648-XD967]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South
Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 2024 Red
Snapper Private Angling Component Accountability Measure in
Federal Waters off Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule, accountability measure.
SUMMARY: Through this temporary rule, NMFS implements
accountability measures for the red snapper recreational
sector private angling component in the Gulf of Mexico
(Gulf) off Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi for the 2024
fishing year. Based on information provided by the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR),
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC),
and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR),
NMFS has determined that landings in each of these States
exceeded the State’s 2023 regional management area private
angling component annual catch limits (ACL) for Gulf red
snapper. Therefore, NMFS reduces the Alabama, Florida, and
Mississippi 2024 private angling component ACLs. This
reduction will remain in effect through the remainder of the

current fishing year on December 31, 2024.
DATES: This temporary rule is effective from 12:01 a.m.,
local time, on June 13, 2024, until 12:01 a.m., local time,
on January 1, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Helies, NMFS
Southeast Regional Office, 727-824-5305,
frank.helies@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the Gulf reef fish
fishery, which includes red snapper, under the Fishery
Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of
Mexico (FMP). The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
prepared the FMP, which was approved by the Secretary of
Commerce, and NMFS implements the FMP through regulations at
50 CFR part 622 under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens
Act). All red snapper weights discussed in this temporary
rule are in round weight.
In 2015, Amendment 40 to the FMP established two
components within the recreational sector fishing for red
snapper: the private angling component, and the Federal
charter vessel and headboat (for-hire) component (80 FR
22422, April 22, 2015). In 2020, NMFS implemented Amendments
50 A-F to the FMP, which delegated authority to the Gulf
States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas)
to establish specific management measures for the harvest of
red snapper in Federal waters of the Gulf by the private

angling component of the recreational sector (85 FR 6819,
February 6, 2020). These amendments allocated a portion of
the private angling ACL to each State, and each State is
required to constrain landings to its allocation as part of
State management.
As described at 50 CFR 622.39(a)(2)(i), the Gulf red
snapper recreational sector quota (ACL) is 7,991,900 pounds
(lb) (3,625,065 kilograms(kg)) and the recreational private
angling component quota (ACL) is 4,611,326 lb (2,091,662
kg). These catch limits are based, in part, on landings
estimates generated by the Marine Recreational Information
Program (MRIP) and, prior to the 2023 fishing year, the
State-specific ACLs for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi were also MRIP-based. These MRIP-based State
ACLs are not directly comparable to the landings estimates
produced by each State’s survey. Therefore, in 2023, NMFS
implemented a framework action under the FMP to calibrate
the red snapper ACLs for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and
Mississippi so they could be directly compared to the
landings estimates produced by each of those State’s data
collection program (Calibration Framework)(87 FR 74014,
December 2, 2022). This framework action established Statespecific calibration ratios that NMFS applied to the MRIPbased ACLs to establish State-survey based ACLs, which allow
a direct comparison to the landings estimates produced by
each State.

On May 14, 2024, NMFS published a final rule for a
framework action to the FMP that modified the State-specific
ratios for Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi and modified
each of these State’s private angling component ACL based on
the new ratios (89 FR 41896). That final rule will be
effective on June 13, 2024, and adjusts the State-survey
based ACLs as follows: the Alabama regional management area
private angling component ACL will be 664,552 lb (301,436
kg) (50 CFR 622.23(a)(1)(ii)(A)); the Florida regional
management area private angling component ACL will be
2,769,631 lb (1,256,283 kg) (50 CFR 622.23(a)(1)(ii)(B)),
and the Mississippi regional management area private angling
component ACL will be 82,342 lb (37,350 kg) (50 CFR
622.23(a)(1)(ii)(D)). The MRIP-based State ACLs, described
in the regulations as the Federal equivalent, will remain
the same.
Regulations at 50 CFR 622.23(b) require that if a
State's red snapper private angling component landings
exceed the applicable State's component ACL, then in the
following fishing year, that State's private angling ACL
will be reduced by the amount of that ACL overage in the
prior fishing year. Based on data provided by the ADCNR,
NMFS has determined that 2023 landings of red snapper in
Alabama for the private angling component, which includes
landings for State charter vessels, were 596,083 lb (270,379
kg); which is 4,898 lb (2,222 kg) greater than the 2023

Alabama State-survey based ACL. Based on data provided by
the FWC, NMFS has determined that 2023 landings of red
snapper in Florida for the private angling component, which
includes landings for State charter vessels, were 2,204,136
lb (999,779 kg); which is 12,821 lb (5,816 kg) greater than
the 2023 Florida State-survey based ACL. Based on data
provided by the MDMR, NMFS has determined that 2023 landings
of red snapper in Mississippi for the private angling
component, which includes landings for State charter
vessels, were 80,675 lb (36,594 kg); which is 17,813 lb
(8,080 kg) greater than the 2023 Mississippi State-survey
based ACL. Accordingly, for the 2024 fishing year, this
temporary rule reduces the Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi
2024 State-survey based ACLs by the amount of the overages.
These reductions results in a revised 2024 private angling
ACL for Alabama of 659,654 lb (299,214 kg), a revised 2024
private angling ACL for Florida of 2,756,810 lb (1,250,468
kg), and a revised 2024 private angling ACL for Mississippi
of 64,529 lb (29,270 kg).
The recreational private angling component ACLs for the
other Gulf State management areas (Louisiana and Texas) for
2024 are unaffected by this temporary rule. The reductions
in the 2024 red snapper private angling component ACLs for
the Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi regional management
areas are effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 13,
2024, and will remain in effect until 12:01 a.m., local

time, on January 1, 2025.
The ADCNR, FWC, and MDMR are responsible for ensuring
that 2024 private angling component landings in each
applicable State’s regional management area do not exceed
the adjusted 2024 Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi ACLs.
NMFS notes that after the ADCNR, FWC, and MDMR identified
that ACL overages had occurred in 2023, they adjusted their
respective 2024 red snapper private angling fishing seasons
to account for the reduction in the ACLs as required by the
regulations at 50 CFR 622.23(b) and implemented through this
temporary rule.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This action is required under 50
CFR 622.23(b) 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 opportunity for public comment on
this action. Such procedures are unnecessary because the
rule implementing the post-season ACL adjustment authority
has already been subject to notice and comment, and all that
remains is to notify the public of the ACL overage
adjustment to reduce the private angling component ACLs for
the Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi regional management
areas. Such procedures are contrary to the public interest

because a failure to implement the ACL overage adjustments
immediately may result in confusion among the public about
what ACL is in effect for Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi
for the 2024 fishing year. This action is based on the best
scientific information available.
For the aforementioned reasons, there is also good
cause to waive the 30-day delay in the effectiveness of the
action under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 5, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2024-12693 Filed: 6/10/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/11/2024]