Coral and Coral Reefs of the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic

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NMFS publishes this interim emergency rule at the request of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council) to prohibit the taking of live rock in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) from the Pasco/Hernando County line in Florida to the Alabama/Mississippi boundary; and, in the Gulf EEZ off Florida south of the Pasco/Hernando County line, to prohibit the use of power-assisted tools to break up or dislodge pieces of live rock and to establish a daily vessel harvest and possession limit for live rock of 25 5-gallon (19-liter) buckets. The intended effect of this rule is to protect live rock resources and fishery habitat in the Gulf.