Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment for the South Atlantic Region

NMFS issues this final rule to implement the Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 (CE-BA1) to the following South Atlantic fishery management plans (FMPs): The FMP for Coral, Coral reefs, and Live/Hard Bottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (Coral FMP); the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery off the Atlantic States (Dolphin and Wahoo FMP); the FMP for Golden Crab of the South Atlantic Region (Golden Crab FMP); the FMP for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Shrimp FMP); and the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council); as well as the FMP for Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Resources (CMP FMP); and the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (Spiny Lobster FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils. This final rule establishes Deepwater Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (Deepwater Coral HAPCs) off the coast of the southern Atlantic states in which the use of specified fishing gear and methods and the possession of coral is prohibited. Within the Deepwater Coral HAPCs, fishing zones have been established that allow continued fishing on the historical grounds for golden crab and deepwater shrimp. This rule protects what is thought to be the largest distribution of pristine deepwater coral ecosystems in the world while minimizing the effects on traditional fishing in the Deepwater Coral HAPCs. Additionally, the amendment updates existing Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) information in the area off the southern Atlantic states, thus, addressing the need for spatial representation of designated EFH and EFH-HAPCs.