Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 37

NMFS implements management measures described in Amendment 37 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 37), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council). This final rule modifies the fishery management unit (FMU) boundaries for hogfish in the South Atlantic by establishing two hogfish stocks, a Georgia through North Carolina (GA/NC) stock and a Florida Keys/East Florida (FLK/EFL) stock; establishes a rebuilding plan for the FLK/EFL hogfish stock; specifies fishing levels and accountability measures (AMs), and modifies or establishes management measures for the GA/NC and FLK/EFL stocks of hogfish. The purpose of this final rule is to manage hogfish using the best scientific information available while ending overfishing and rebuilding the FLK/EFL hogfish stock.