NOAA Seeks Public Comment for King Mackerel & Spanish Mackerel

NOAA Seeks Public Comment on Revised Control Date for
Atlantic King and Spanish Mackerel

NOAA Fisheries Service announces (76 FR 5326) the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is establishing a revised control date of September 17, 2010, for king and Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic exclusive economic zone. The revised control date replaces an existing June 15, 2004, control date for king (71 FR 70492) and Spanish mackerel (70 FR 67985). This notice announces the Council may, in the future, consider management measures to limit participation or effort for king and Spanish mackerel using the September 17, 2010, control date as part of a management strategy.
The revision of this control date does not commit the Council or NOAA Fisheries Service to any particular management regime or criteria for entry into the coastal migratory pelagic fishery. Fishermen are not guaranteed future participation in the fishery regardless of their level of participation before or after the control date.
The Council may recommend a different control date or it may recommend a management regime that does not involve a control date. Other criteria, such as documentation of landings or fishing effort, may be used to determine eligibility for participation in a limited access fishery. The Council and/or NOAA Fisheries Service also may choose to take no further action to control entry or access to the fishery, in which case the control date may be rescinded. Any action by the Council will be taken pursuant to the requirements for fishery management plan and amendment development established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Request for Comments
Comments on the establishment of control dates for thisfishery must be submitted by March 2, 2011. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
● Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. No comments will be posted for public viewing after the comment period closes. 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. To submit comments enter “NOAA- NMFS-2010-0283” in the keyword search and then check the box “send a comment or submission.” Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
● Mail: Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office, NOAA Fisheries Service, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
If you would like to receive these fishery bulletins via e-mail as soon as they are published, please e-mail us at SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov. You will still receive a hard copy of these bulletins in the mail.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the information regarding the existing regulations. Any discrepancies between this bulletin and the regulations as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register.
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