Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Off the Atlantic States

NMFS issues this final rule to implement the approved measures of the Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States (FMP). For the dolphin and wahoo fishery in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Atlantic states (Maine through the east coast of Florida), this final rule will require vessel owners to obtain commercial vessel and charter vessel/headboat permits and, if selected, submit reports; require operators of commercial vessels, charter vessels, and headboats to obtain operator permits; require dealers to obtain permits and, if selected, submit reports; establish bag limits and a minimum size limit (dolphin only); close the longline fisheries in areas closed to the use of such gear for highly migratory pelagic species; prohibit sale without a commercial vessel permit; specify allowable gear; and establish a framework procedure by which the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) could establish and modify certain management measures in a timely manner. The FMP also specifies maximum sustainable yield (MSY), optimum yield (OY), the determinants of overfishing (maximum fishing mortality threshold (MFMT)) and overfished (minimum stock size threshold (MSST)), the management unit, the fishing year, and essential fish habitat (EFH) and EFH habitat areas of particular concern (EFH-HAPCs). In addition, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this final rule and publishes the OMB control numbers for those collections. The intended effects are to conserve and manage dolphin and wahoo and to ensure that no new fisheries for dolphin and wahoo develop.