Control Date for the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program

November 30, 2011
FB11-096

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Gerhart or Susan.Gerhart@noaa.gov
727-824-5305, FAX 727-824-5308

Control Date for the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program

On November 30, 2011, NOAA Fisheries Service published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to set a control date of January 1, 2012, for the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper IFQ Program. This notice informs current and potential future participants that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) is considering additional restrictions limiting participation.

Beginning January 1, 2012, all U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens are eligible to receive transfers of Red Snapper IFQ shares or allocation. This notice informs current and potential future participants of the IFQ Program that possession of IFQ shares or allocation after this date may not ensure participation under future management of the program. The Council is considering a provision to require shareholders to “use,” as defined by the provision, all or some portion of their allocation, or be subject to losing their shares. Other options include re-establishing a requirement to possess a Gulf commercial reef fish permit to receive shares or allocation under the program.

Implementation of any new restrictions would require preparation of an amendment to the fishery management plan and publication of a notice of availability and proposed rule with pertinent public comment periods. If the Council prepares an amendment to restrict participation in the IFQ program in relation to this control date, an analysis of specific biological, economic, and social effects will be prepared at that time.

Over time, the Council has established a total of five control dates for various aspects of the reef fish fishery. As stated in the notices, they were intended to provide additional notice to the public that the Council was considering certain future management actions potentially restricting public access to fishery resources. The most recent control date was December 31, 2008, which related to potential future actions to address overcapacity in the commercial sector of the reef fish fishery. The current notice does not supersede any of the prior notices, and is intended only to provide additional public notice of potential future action being considered relative to the red snapper IFQ program.

The establishment of a control date does not commit the Council or NOAA Fisheries Service to any particular management regime. The Council may or may not make use of this control date as part of the requirements for participation in the IFQ Program. Fishermen are not guaranteed future participation in the program, regardless of their entry date. The Council may take action that would affect participants who were in the program prior to the control date or the Council may choose to take no further action to control entry or access to the IFQ program.

Request for Comments

http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments