Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 9

NMFS issues this final rule to implement Amendment 9 (Amendment 9) to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule revises the criteria and procedures by which a South Atlantic state may request a concurrent closure of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to the commercial harvest of penaeid shrimp (brown, pink, and white shrimp) when state waters close as a result of severe winter weather. Amendment 9 also revises the overfished and overfishing status determination criteria for pink shrimp. The purpose of this rule is to increase the flexibility and timeliness of the criteria and process for implementing a concurrent closure of penaeid shrimp harvest in the EEZ to maximize protection of overwintering white shrimp in the South Atlantic.