Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Snapper Management Measures and Closure of the Recreational Fishery

This emergency interim rule releases the remaining 1998 recreational and commercial quota reserves for Gulf of Mexico red snapper. In so doing, it supersedes certain provisions of the interim rule that was published in the Federal Register on April 14, 1998. In addition, NMFS closes the recreational fishery for red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico, effective 12:01 a.m., local time, September 30, 1998, through December 31, 1998. The intended effects are to avoid unnecessary restrictions and associated adverse economic and social impacts, to make the appropriate quotas available to the recreational and commercial sectors consistent with the best available scientific information, and to protect the red snapper resource.