Saving Seafood

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on November 29, 2020

November 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 29, 2020.  During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2020 July through December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. The unused portion of the catch limit from the January through June season is added to the July through December catch season.  The new catch limit is used to project trip limit reductions and closures.  Commercial landings are projected to reach the July through December commercial catch limit.  According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 29, 2020, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
  • The commercial gray triggerfish 2020 fishing season in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2021, with a catch limit of 156,162 pounds whole weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations.  Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Study finds some sport fish are caught repeatedly – which could throw off population estimates

November 18, 2020 — A new study reports that, for several species of oceanic sport fish, individual fish that are caught, released and recaught are more likely to be caught again than scientists anticipated. The findings raise some interesting questions for policy makers tasked with preserving sustainable fisheries.

The study makes use of data from tagging programs, in which researchers tag  and release them into the wild. When those fish are caught, and the tag information is returned to the researchers, it can give scientists information that informs fishery policies.

“Fisheries researchers who work in tagging programs have long noticed that certain fish seem to get caught repeatedly, and we set out to determine the implications of this phenomenon,” says Jeff Buckel, co-author of the study and a professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University.

To that end, researchers examined decades’ worth of Atlantic coast tagging datasets on four : black sea bass (Centropristis striata), gray triggerfish (Balistes capriscus), red grouper (Epinephelus morio), and Warsaw grouper (Hyporthodus nigritus). Using a computational model, the researchers determined that—for the black sea bass and both types of grouper—survival was significantly higher after the second, third, and fourth release as compared to the first release.

“Think of it this way,” says Brendan Runde, first author of the study and a Ph.D. student at NC State. “Let’s say you tagged 1,000 fish and recaptured 100 of them for a first time. After re-releasing those 100 fish, you would only expect to recapture 10 of them a second time. But that’s not what we’re seeing. We’re seeing much higher numbers of fish getting recaptured after the second time.

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Recreational Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico Will Reopen September 1, 2020, and Close on October 26, 2020

August 31, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN/WHERE:

  • Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will reopen at 12:01 am, local time, on September 1, 2020, and close at 12:01 am, local time, on October 26, 2020.
  • Recreational harvest will reopen in the Gulf for the 2021 fishing season at 12:01 am, local time, on March 1, 2021, when the January-February seasonal closure ends.
  • NOAA Fisheries will publish a closure notice when the annual catch target is reached or projected to be reached.

WHY THIS REOPENING IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2020 recreational annual catch target is 217,100 pounds whole weight.  Projections indicated that recreational landings of gray triggerfish were expected to meet the annual catch target as of May 2, 2020, and recreational harvest was subsequently closed.
  • Updated landings information for 2020 indicate the annual catch target has not been met.
  • This opening will allow the recreational annual catch target to be caught, while minimizing the risk of it being exceeded.

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on October 27, 2019

October 23, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 27, 2019. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

The 2019 July through December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the July through December commercial catch limit. According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.

The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 27, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

The commercial gray triggerfish 2020 fishing season in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2020, with a catch limit of 156,162 pounds whole weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Triggerfish and amberjack seasons cut short by feds

March 25, 2019 — Better hurry if you want to catch a triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico.

And get ready to wait a long time before you can put an amberjack in the icebox.

The recreational season for gray triggerfish will close on May 11, and will not reopen again until March of 2020. The 2019 season is just 72 days, instead of the usual 173 days. It is possible, depending on federal estimates of the 2019 harvest, that triggerfish could remain closed even longer.

Greater amberjack season, meanwhile, which would normally reopen on May 1 will remain closed until August. That’s because federal officials estimated that fishermen caught the entire annual quota of amberjack for the last year during August, September and October of 2018.

Read the full story at AL.com

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on November 6, 2018

November 2, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:
  • The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 6, 2018, andwill open on January 1, 2019, for the 2019 January through June fishing season. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
  • The 2018 July-December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the 2018 July-December commercial catch limit on November 6, 2018.  According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.
AFTER THE CLOSURE:
  • The closure and prohibition on sale applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 6, 2018,and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on June 13, 2018

June 11, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 A.M., LOCAL TIME, ON JUNE 13, 2018. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

* The 2018 January through June commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the January through June commercial catch limit on JUNE 13, 2018. According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

* The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.

* The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 A.M., LOCAL TIME, ON JUNE 13, 2018, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

* The commercial gray triggerfish July through December fishing season in the South Atlantic will open on July 1, 2018, with a catch limit of 156,162 pounds whole weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on November 8, 2017

November 6, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 8, 2017. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

 WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2017 July-December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. In addition, the unused portion of the January 1 through June 30, 2017, commercial catch limit (20,278 pounds whole weight) was added to the July 1 through December 31, 2017, commercial catch limit for a revised catch limit of 176,440 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach that revised July-December commercial catch limit on November 8, 2017.  According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 8, 2017,and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.

 

LOUISIANA: State’s gray triggerfish season will remain closed for 2017

December 19, 2016 — Louisiana’s season for recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will remain closed in state waters for all of the 2017 season.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the season was originally scheduled to re-open Jan. 1, however the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced that accountability measures are being enacted which led to a closure of the entire 2017 season in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They asked that Louisiana state waters also remain closed for that period.

NOAA Fisheries has estimated that the adjusted annual catch limit of 201,223 pounds for the Gulf in 2016 has been exceeded by 221,213 pounds.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Daily Comet

Commercial Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters Will Close on December 16, 2016

December 14th, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) December 16, 2016. Landings data and projections indicate that commercial harvest of gray triggerfish is projected to reach the 2016 July through December quota.  As a result, commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will be closed for the remainder of the fishing year.  The 2017 January through June fishing season reopens at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2017.

The operator of a vessel with a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper who is landing gray triggerfish for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such gray triggerfish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time,

December 16, 2016. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of gray triggerfish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) December 16, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor. 

 During the commercial closure:

  • Harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
  • The bag and possession limits for gray triggerfish and the prohibition on sale/purchase apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.

This closure is necessary to protect the gray triggerfish resource by preventing the commercial quota from being exceeded.