NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Amendment 38 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico Comment period ends December 11, 2012

October 15, 2012    Below is a Southeast Fishery Bulletin recently distributed by NOAA Fisheries Service announcing public comment period for Reef Fish Amendment 38. SOUTHEAST FISHERY BULLETIN   FB12-076     Steve Branstetter 727-824-5305   October 12, 2012        NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Amendment 38 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico Comment period ends December 11, 2012 NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on Amendment 38 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources in the Gulf of Mexico. The amendment proposes modifying accountability measures for shallow-water grouper and changing the framework procedure for the reef fish fishery management plan. Accountability measures help keep landings within the catch limits or catch targets, or make adjustments if those levels are exceeded. The framework is a procedure that allows faster development of routine changes to regulations. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 38 to NOAA Fisheries for review, approval, and implementation. The Notice of Availability for public comment on this amendment published in the Federal Register on October 12, 2012. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries developed Amendment 38 to address the following issues: Currently, if recreational landings exceed the catch limit for gag or red grouper in a year, the recreational season for all shallow-water groupers will be shortened the following year. This amendment would modify the accountability measure to shorten the season only for the stock which exceeded the catch limit, avoiding unnecessary closures for other shallow-water grouper. The current method for triggering accountability measures uses a three-year moving average of recreational catches compared to the annual catch limit. However, the use of a moving average has not been practical due to frequent changes in the gag annual catch limit. This amendment would change the trigger method to one that compares one year of landings to the annual catch limit. Currently, a change to accountability measures requires an amendment to the fishery management plan. This amendment would allow changes to accountability measures through the framework procedure, which should result in faster implementation of these measures. It also adds general language to replace specific references that are no longer accurate. For more information on Amendment 38 please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions on the NOAA Fisheries Web site. Request for Comments NOAA Fisheries must receive comments on this amendment no later than December 11, 2012. We will address all comments specifically directed to the amendment or the proposed rule in the final rule. You may obtain electronic copies of the proposed rule and the amendment from the NOAA Fisheries Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/GrouperSnapperandReefFish.htm or the e-Rule Making Portalhttp://www.regulations.gov. How to Submit Comments You may submit comments by either of the following methods. Comments received through other means may not be considered. Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov  Enter the following docket number into the "Search" box: NOAA-NMFS-2012-0149. Select the appropriate title, and click "Submit a Comment." This will display the comment Web form. Attachments to electronic comments (up to 10 MB) will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Mail:   Steve Branstetter  NOAA Fisheries,Southeast Regional Office  Sustainable Fisheries Division  263 13th Avenue South  St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505 All comments will be part of the public record, and generally posted for public viewing tohttp://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter, may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. Anonymous comments will be accepted. To view a complete list of Fishery Bulletins, visit the NOAA Fisheries' Southeast RegionalOffice website at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. This announcement is forwarded as a courtesy of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.       Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Charlene Ponce Public Information Officer 888-833-1844 ext. 229

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