Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; For-Hire Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States; Control Date

Résumé

NMFS announces that it is considering, and is seeking public comment on proposed rulemaking to control future access to the South Atlantic for-hire fishery. If a management regime is developed and implemented under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the control date would limit the number of participants in the fishery. This announcement is intended, in part, to promote awareness of the potential eligibility criteria for future access so as to discourage speculative entry into the fishery while the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS consider whether and how access to the for-hire fishery should be controlled.