[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 65 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 14915-14916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05938]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 250402-0059; RTID 0648-XE621]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Monkfish Fishery;
2025 Monkfish Specifications
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is implementing specifications for the 2025 monkfish
fishery. This action is necessary to ensure allowable monkfish harvest
levels that will prevent overfishing and allow harvesting of optimum
yield. This action is intended to establish the allowable 2025 harvest
levels, consistent with the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan and
previously announced multi-year specifications.
DATES: The final specifications for the 2025 monkfish fishery are
effective May 7, 2025, through April 30, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Policy
Analyst, (978) 281-9232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Councils (together, the Councils) jointly manage the
monkfish fishery. The Monkfish Fishery Management Plan includes a
specifications process that requires the Councils to recommend quotas
on a triennial basis. This action finalizes 2025 specifications
approved by the Councils in Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish
Fishery Management Plan, which included specifications for fishing
years 2023-2025.
On August 11, 2023, NMFS published a final rule approving Framework
13 measures for the 2023 fishing year (88 FR 54495), based on a recent
stock assessment update and consistent with the New England Council's
Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations. At that time,
NMFS also projected a continuation of those same specifications for
2024 and 2025. As stated in the preamble of that final rule, the
regulations at 50 CFR 648.96(d) require the Councils to revise the
monkfish ACT if the annual catch limit is exceeded in any given year;
if the Councils failed to act, NMFS would revise the monkfish ACT, and
any revisions to the specifications in the event of an overage would be
published in the Federal Register. NMFS has reviewed the available
information on fishing years 2023 and 2024. There have been no annual
catch limit overages, nor is there any new biological information that
would require altering the projected 2025 specifications. Based on
this, we are implementing the fishing year 2025 specifications
announced in the Framework 13 final rule.
The final total allowable landings in both the Northern and
Southern Fishery Management Areas for 2025 are summarized in table 1.
The 2025 measures are the same as those implemented in 2023 and 2024.
The 2025 specifications will be effective until April 30, 2026. This
final rule makes no modification to other management measures for the
monkfish fishery (e.g., trip limits, Days-At-Sea allocations, etc.).
Table 1--Monkfish Specifications for Fishing Year 2025
[In metric tons]
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Catch limits Northern area Southern area
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Acceptable Biological Catch........... 6,224 5,861
Annual Catch Limit.................... 6,224 5,861
Management Uncertainty (3 percent).... 187 176
Annual Catch Target (Total Allowable 6,038 5,685
Landings + discards).................
Expected Discards..................... 729 2,205
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Total Allowable Landings.......... 5,309 3,481
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Classification
NMFS is issuing this rule pursuant to 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. In a previous action taken pursuant to section 304(b), the
FMP authorized NMFS to take this action pursuant to MSA section 305(d).
See 50 CFR 648.96(c)(1)(iii). The NMFS Assistant Administrator has
determined that this final rule is consistent with the Monkfish Fishery
Management Plan, other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and
other applicable law.
This final rule is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866
and is not a regulatory action under Executive Order 14192.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B), we find good cause to waive
prior public notice and opportunity for public comment on the catch
limit and allocation adjustments because allowing time for notice and
comment is unnecessary. This action follows the substance and process
set forth in the Framework 13 final rule. The Framework 13 proposed
rule provided the public with the opportunity to comment on the 2023-
2025 specifications (88 FR 25351, April 26, 2023). Two comments were
received on the proposed rule, only one of which specifically addressed
the 2023-2025 specifications. This comment supported these
specifications. Thus, the proposed and final rules that contained the
projected 2023-2025 specifications provided a full opportunity for the
public to comment on the substance and process of this action. No
circumstances or conditions have changed in the monkfish fishery that
would cause new concern or necessitate reopening the comment period and
the final 2025 specifications being implemented by this rule are
unchanged from those projected in the Framework 13 final rule.
The Chief Counsel for Regulation, Department of Commerce,
previously certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration (SBA) that the 2023-2025 monkfish
specifications would not have a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. Implementing status quo
specifications for 2025 will not change the conclusions drawn in that
previous certification to the SBA. Because advance notice and the
opportunity for public comment are not required for this action under
the Administrative Procedure Act, or any other law, the analytical
requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C.
[[Page 14916]]
601 et seq., do not apply to this rule. Therefore, no new regulatory
flexibility analysis is required and none has been prepared.
This final rule contains no information collection requirements
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: April 2, 2025.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-05938 Filed 4-4-25; 8:45 am]
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