NOAA Announces Final Amendment 6 to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species FMP

Effective August 18, 2015

Final Amendment 6 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 6) implements a range of management measures for the Atlantic commercial shark fisheries. 

Who is affected?

 Amendment 6 could affect:

• Any commercial shark fisherman.
• Any dealers who buy or sell sharks or shark products (information specific to dealers will be disseminated separately). 

What will it do?

The full range of alternatives considered can be found in the final environmental impact statement and/or final rule, which can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am6/index.html

This action implements the following measures: 

• Commercial Retention Limit: Increases the large coastal shark (LCS) retention limit for shark directed limited access permit holders to a maximum of 55 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip with a default of 45 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip; 
• Adjusts the sandbar shark research fishery quota to 90.7 mt dw (199,943 lb dw).

NMFS may adjust the commercial retention limit and sandbar shark research fishery quota before the next fishing season or mid-season based on various factors including the fishing rates from the current or previous years.  

• Atlantic Regional Quotas (Figure 1): 

-Establishes a management boundary in the Atlantic region along 34° 00′ N. latitude (approximately at Wilmington, North Carolina) for the small coastal shark (SCS) fishery; maintains the non-blacknose SCS quota linkage with the blacknose shark quota south of the 34° 00′ N. latitude; and prohibits the retention and landings of blacknose sharks north of the 34° 00′ N. Latitude.

-Establishes a non-blacknose SCS Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 489.3 mt dw and increases the SCS commercial quota to 264.1 mt dw (582,333 lb dw).

Figure 1: Map depicting the modifications to the quota linkages for the non-blacknose SCS and blacknose quotas along the new management boundary in the Atlantic region

• Gulf of Mexico Regional and Sub-Regional Quotas (Figure 2): 

-Splits the Gulf of Mexico regional commercial quotas for aggregated LCS, blacktip, and hammerhead sharks along 88° 00′ W. longitude;

-Establishes a non-blacknose SCS TAC of 999.0 mt dw and increases the non-blacknose SCS commercial quota to 112.6 mt dw (248,215 lb dw); and

-Prohibits the retention of blacknose sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Figure 2: Map depicting new Gulf of Mexico blacktip, aggregated LCS, and hammerhead shark sub-regions and sub-regional quotas

• Commercial Vessel Upgrading Restrictions: Remove current upgrading restrictions for shark limited access permit holders.

The following fisheries will remain open or will re-open as a result of this action:

• In the Atlantic Region:
  • The non-blacknose SCS fishery north of 34° 00′ N. Latitude will re-open with 63 percent (165.5 mt dw) of the 264.1 mt dw quota reminding.
  • The aggregated LCS (blacktip, bull, tiger, spinner, silky, nurse, and lemon) and hammerhead shark (scalloped, great, and smooth) fisheries have been open since July 1 and will remain open; the commercial retention limit for these fisheries will increase from 36 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip to 45 LCS other than sandbar sharks per trip. 
• In the Gulf of Mexico Region:
  • The non-blacknose SCS fishery will re-open with 59 percent (66.4 mt dw) of the 112.6 mt dw quota remaining.