Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States; Certification of Bycatch Reduction Devices; OMB Control Numbers

NMFS issues this final rule to prescribe additional procedures for the testing and certification of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) for use in penaeid shrimp trawls in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South Atlantic. The use of BRDs in all such trawls became mandatory under the final rule implementing Amendment 2 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). This rule completes implementation of the Testing Protocol for BRD Certification and includes a paragraph providing details on the testing and certification procedures. It also adds four previously omitted measures to the list of measures that may be implemented or modified through the framework procedures contained in Amendment 2 for adjusting management measures. Finally, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirement associated with this rule and publishes the OMB control number for this collection. The testing and certification procedures prescribed by this rule are intended to foster the development of alternative BRDs that meet the bycatch reduction criterion for Spanish mackerel and weakfish, while minimizing inconvenience to fishermen and/or loss of shrimp. The addition of management measures that may be adjusted via the framework procedures is intended to fully implement the amendment's provisions for enhancing the ability of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS to react in a timely manner to changes in the fishery or to new data.