Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Golden Crab Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 8; OMB Control Numbers

NMFS issues this final rule to implement the approved measures in Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). This final rule limits access to the commercial snapper-grouper fishery; allows the retention of snapper-grouper in excess of the bag limits on a permitted vessel that has a single bait net or cast nets on board; and, subject to specific conditions, exempts snapper-grouper lawfully harvested in Bahamian waters from the requirement that they be maintained on board a vessel in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic with head and fins intact. This final rule also corrects the regulations for golden crab. 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 snapper-grouper resources off the southern Atlantic states.