Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Amendment 15; OMB Control Numbers

NMFS issues this final rule to implement the approved measures in Amendment 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP). Amendment 15 and this rule replace the current commercial red snapper endorsement and trip limit system with a system comprised of two classes of transferrable red snapper licenses and trip limits; split the red snapper commercial fishing season into two time periods, the first commencing February 1 with two-thirds of the annual quota available and the second commencing on September 1 with the remainder of the annual quota available; open the red snapper commercial fishery at noon on the first of each month and close it at noon on the 15th of each month during the commercial season; prohibit the possession of reef fish in excess of the bag limit on a vessel that has on board, or is tending, a trap other than a fish, stone crab, or spiny lobster trap; limit the harvest of greater amberjack to the bag limit each year during March through May; remove sea basses (black, bank, and rock sea bass), grunts, and porgies from the FMP; and remove certain species from the aggregate bag limit for reef fish. As approved in Amendment 15, the increase in the minimum size limit for vermilion snapper, currently in effect as an interim measure, is continued indefinitely. In addition, this rule excludes certain species from the prohibition on their harvest using powerheads in the stressed area and corrects and clarifies the regulations. Finally, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this rule, publishes the OMB control number for these collections, and corrects the list of control numbers applicable to Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The intended effects of this rule are to conserve and manage the reef fish resources of the Gulf of Mexico. This rule also extends indefinately the effectiveness of the inter