0648-BG88 201804 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 0648 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA 0600 Department of Commerce DOC Regulatory Amendment 6 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

This rule revised how accountability measures are triggered for stocks and stock complexes with sector-specific management that fall under the Caribbean Fishery Management Council's reef fish fishery management plan i.e., those in Federal waters off the coast of Puerto Rico. The objective is to increase the likelihood that optimum yield is achieved for those stocks and stock complexes. This action requires application of an accountability measure only if the total (combined recreational and commercial) annual catch limit for a stock or stock complex is exceeded. Previously, accountability measures were triggered through a sector-specific determination regarding whether annual catch limit has been exceeded. The rule maintains sector-specific accountability measures while continuing to prevent overfishing, and would minimize, to the extent practicable, adverse socio-economic effects of accountability measure-based closures.

]]> Substantive, Nonsignificant Previously Published in The Unified Agenda Completed Actions No No Deregulatory 50 CFR 622 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. No NPRM 09/19/2017 82 FR 43733 NPRM Comment Period End 10/19/2017 Final Action 12/01/2017 82 FR 56917 Final Action Effective 01/02/2018 No Businesses None No No No No Roy Crabtree E. Regional Administrator, Southeast Region 0648 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA 727 824-5305 727 824-5308 roy.crabtree@noaa.gov 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg FL 33701