South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Archives - Page 38 of 40

SAFMC to Meet in Cocoa Beach, FL on June 13-17, 2016

May 27, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Meeting Location:

Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront

1550 N. Atlantic Avenue

Cocoa Beach FL 32931

Phone: 800-445-8667 or 321-799-0003

Agenda Highlights

Mackerel Committee – Discussion on Atlantic cobia management.
Snapper Grouper Committee – Discussions on management of mutton snapper, red snapper, and hogfish.
Data Collection Committee – Discussion on electronic reporting for charter vessels.
Joint Dolphin Wahoo/Snapper Grouper Committees – Discussion on allocations for dolphinfish and yellowtail snapper.

Virginia Defies Federal Mandate That Restricts Cobia Fishing Season

May 27, 2016 — This past Tuesday, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 5-4 to keep the Commonwealth’s cobia season open until August 30th of this year. The debate lasted well over four hours. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a South Atlantic Marine Fishery Council order that would have closed the cobia fishery starting June 20th spanning from Georgia to New York. As a response, this order didn’t sit well with Virginia anglers and others serviced by the fishing industry in the state.

Here is the deal the commission reached regarding the cobia fishery in Virginia:

The Commission did raise the size limit from 37 to 40 inches, kept a one-fish per person possession limit, instituted a two-fish daily vessel limit, allowing only one of those fish to be more than 50 inches, for all vessels including for-hire (charter and head boats). The Commission also voted prohibited the gaffing of cobia by recreational anglers. In addition, the Commission decided to close the fishery on August 30 and will begin a reporting system for recreational anglers to report their cobia catches to the agency. The Commission had been requested by the National Marine Fisheries Service to close the recreational cobia fishery on June 20 because federal data showed the Georgia-New York allowable recreational catch of cobia was greatly exceeded in 2015 and Virginia alone caught the entire coastal quota.

Read the full story at Wide Open Spaces

Commercial Harvest of Blueline Tilefish in South Atlantic Federal Waters Will Close on June 1, 2016

May 25, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

Commercial harvest of blueline tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 1, 2016. The 2016 commercial annual catch limit is 26,766 pounds whole weight. Updated landings data indicate that commercial harvest of blueline tilefish will likely reach the annual catch limit by that date. As a result, commercial harvest will be closed in federal waters of the South Atlantic.

The operator of a vessel that has been issued a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and having blueline tilefish on board must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such blueline tilefish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time,

June 1, 2016. The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to sale or purchase of blueline tilefish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 1, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the closure:

Sale or purchase of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is prohibited.
Harvest or possession of blueline tilefish in or from federal waters in the South Atlantic is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
These bag and possession limits 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.

Note: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved an action in Regulatory Amendment 25 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 25) to increase the 2016 commercial annual catch limit for blueline tilefish from 26,766 pounds whole weight to 87,521 pounds whole weight. The proposed rule is currently under review. If approved, regulations increasing the commercial annual catch limit for blueline tilefish could be implemented later this year, and the commercial fishery would reopen.

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Regulations for Snapper- Grouper in the South Atlantic

May 23, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The final rule for Amendment 35 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 35) published on May 23, 2016 (81 FR 32249). Regulations will be effective June 22, 2016.

The final rule will:

Remove dog snapper, black snapper, mahogany snapper, and schoolmaster from the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. These species have extremely low landings, and regulations governing their harvest differ in state and federal waters. The State of Florida has indicated that it will extend state regulations for Florida registered vessels for these species into federal waters if they are removed from the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, thereby creating a more consistent regulatory environment.
Revise regulations for the use of golden tilefish longline endorsements. Specifically, this final rule will clarify that vessels that have valid or renewable golden tilefish longline endorsements, anytime during the golden tilefish fishing year, are not eligible to fish for golden tilefish under the hook-and-line quota. This rule will ensure that fishery participants holding longline endorsements are not allowed to fish under both the hook-and-line quota and the longline quota within the same fishing year. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council reaffirmed that this was their intent when it implemented the longline endorsement program for golden tilefish under Amendment 18B to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan (78 FR 23858, April 23, 2013).

North Carolina votes to keep cobia season open

May 20, 2016 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Commission voted Thursday to keep its state-waters cobia fishery open past a federally-ordered June 20 closing, putting the state in non-compliance with the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council.

But the commission made several drastic changes to size and bag limits, and severely cut the number of days that recreational anglers could keep the coveted species.

From May 23 to Sept. 30, charter boats will be able to fish every day with a four-fish limit per boat, with each fish measuring at least 37 inches. Pier and surf anglers also can fish every day, with one 37-inch minimum fish per person per day.

Read the full story at the Virginian-Pilot

NOAA Fisheries Announces Red Snapper Will Remain Closed in South Atlantic Federal Waters in 2016

May 20, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries announces red snapper will remain closed to commercial and recreational fishing in South Atlantic federal waters in 2016. Red snapper remains closed as the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2015 exceeded the allowable catch level.

In 2013, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed, and NOAA Fisheries implemented, a standardized process that specifies harvest may only occur in a given year if total removals (landings plus dead discards) in the previous year were less than the number allowed for population rebuilding. The total removals allowable for 2015 were 114,000 fish. After evaluating landings and discard information for 2015, NOAA Fisheries determined the estimates of total removals were 276,729 fish; therefore, the fishery remains closed in 2016.

NOAA Fisheries will utilize the same process identified by the South Atlantic Council to determine if the fishery can sustain a 2017 season.

For additional sources of information, including Frequently Asked Questions, details of the standardized process, and the report of 2015 estimates of red snapper total removals in the South Atlantic Region, please go here.

New Blueline Tilefish Regs Proposed

May 10, 2016 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved measures to establish management of blueline tilefish in Federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. Blueline tilefish are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Florida to North Carolina, and there are currently no regular federal regulations north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. Last year, after catches of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic increased markedly, the Council requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement emergency measures to constrain landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. These measures, which include a commercial trip limit of 275 pounds (gutted) and a recreational bag limit of 7 fish per person, are set to expire on June 3, 2016.

If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the amendment would establish a separate blueline tilefish management unit in Federal waters north of the North Carolina/Virginia border extending up to the boundary with Canada. The management objectives for blueline tilefish would be the same as for golden tilefish, with the addition that “management will reflect blueline tilefish’s susceptibility of overfishing and the need for an analytical stock assessment.”

Read the full story at The Fisherman

NOAA Announces Modifications to Gag, Black Grouper Regs in Gulf of Mexico

April 27, 2016 — NOAA Fisheries Announces Modifications to Gag and Black Grouper Recreational Management Measures in the Gulf of Mexico

Small Entity Compliance Guide

NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule changing gag and black grouper recreational management measures in the Gulf of Mexico. These changes include:

An increase in the gag recreational minimum size limit from 22 inches total length to 24 inches total length.
An increase in the black grouper recreational minimum size limit from 22 inches total length to 24 inches total length.
A lengthening of the gag recreational fishing season from July 1 – December 2, to June 1 – December 31.

Need for Action:
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has chosen to increase the recreational minimum size limits for gag and black grouper from 22 inches total length to 24 inches total length. This increase is expected to provide more opportunity for gag and black grouper to mature before entering the fishery, and creates consistent recreational size regulations with those developed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and State of Florida for gag and black grouper.

Read the full story at The Fishing Wire

Federal Fishery Management Measures Approved for Blueline Tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic

April 26, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved measures to establish management of blueline tilefish in Federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. The Blueline Tilefish Amendment includes a suite of measures that will incorporate blueline tilefish as a managed species in the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

Blueline tilefish are managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Florida to North Carolina, and there are currently no regular federal regulations north of the North Carolina/Virginia border. Last year, after catch of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic increased markedly, the Council requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implement emergency measures to constrain landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. These measures, which include a commercial trip limit of 275 pounds (gutted) and a recreational bag limit of 7 fish per person, are set to expire on June 3, 2016.

Based on the recommendation of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Council adopted an Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) of 87,031 pounds for 2017. The Council voted to allocate 73% of total allowable landings to the recreational fishery and 27% to the commercial sector. This allocation was based on the median of annual commercial-recreational catch ratios from 2009-2013.

For the commercial fishery, the Council adopted a trip limit of 300 pounds gutted weight (head and fins must be attached). In addition, the amendment would require a joint golden/blueline tilefish open access commercial permit to retain blueline tilefish, subject to the applicable trip limit. Standard reporting of catch would be required for commercial vessels and dealers landing blueline tilefish.

For the recreational fishery, the Council recommended an open season from May 1 to October 31, when blueline tilefish are available to most anglers throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Recreational bag limits would be set at 7 fish per person for inspected for-hire vessels, 5 fish per person for uninspected for-hire vessels, and 3 fish per person for private vessels. In addition, the Council recommended mandatory permitting and reporting of golden and blueline tilefish for both for-hire and private recreational fishing in order to develop better information on recreational tilefish landings in the Mid-Atlantic.

“One of the challenges with developing this amendment has been the lack of data about the abundance and historical landings of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Council Chairman Rick Robins. “As we transition from emergency management to regular management of the fishery, it will be important for us to seek continual improvement in information on the status, productivity, and catch of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic. The Council will be working to encourage progress on the research needs identified by our SSC and will also be highly engaged in developing new information through the upcoming SouthEast Data, Assessment, and Review Assessment (SEDAR) for blueline tilefish.”

The public will have an opportunity to comment on the measures recommended by the Council during the comment period associated with the NMFS proposed rule. Publication of the proposed rule is expected this summer.

South Atlantic Council to Convene Scientific & Statistical Committee and Socio-Economic Panel on May 3-5, 2016 in Charleston, SC

April 22, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

SAFMC Scientific & Statistical Committee and Socio-Economic Panel Scheduled to Meet May 3-5,2016 in Charleston, SC.

Socio-Economic Panel Meeting (May 3, 2016, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

Agenda items include a discussion of Optimum Yield, review of an economic decision tool for Snapper Grouper Amendment 37 dealing with hogfish, provide input on red snapper management, and discuss recent and upcoming council actions in the South Atlantic region.

Scientific & Statistical Committee Meeting (May 3-5, 2016)

The SSC will review and provide input on proposed management measures for hogfish, mutton snapper, and electronic reporting in the for-hire sector; review the stock assessments and provide fishing level recommendations for red snapper; and more.