Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Will Hold Public Hearings for Spiny Lobster Amendment 11

Press Release January 19, 2011 Reminder - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Will Hold Public Hearings for Spiny Lobster Amendment 11 This notice serves as a reminder that the Gulf Council has scheduled public hearings for Joint Amendment 11 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan. All public hearings begin at 6:00 p.m. local time, and will conclude at the end of public comment, but no later than 9:00 p.m.    Joint Amendment 11 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan addresses a recent Biological Opinion of the spiny lobster fishery that concludes that spiny lobster trap fishing activities put sea turtles, smalltooth sawfish, and staghorn and elkhorn corals at risk. The Biological Opinion specifies ways to minimize the impact of the spiny lobster trap fishery on these protected species and sets requirements for the terms and conditions under which action must be taken. Amendment 11 considers two actions: 1) create new closed areas to reduce the impacts of the lobster traps on protected coral species, and 2) alternatives for spiny lobster trap line markings which would improve identification of trap lines entangling protected species. Final action on this amendment is also scheduled for the January/February Council meeting in Mobile, Alabama. A guide to Amendment 11 can be downloaded here, and comments can be submitted here. The public hearing schedule for Spiny Lobster Amendment 11 is as follows: January 23, 2012                            January 24, 2012 Marathon Government Center             Harvey Government Center 2798 Overseas Highway                      1200 Truman Avenue Marathon, FL                                     Key West, FL   305-289-6036                                    305-295-4385   The full amendment for each plan will soon be posted on the Council web site - http://gulfcouncil.org/resources/scoping_documents.php. About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.       Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Charlene Ponce Public Information Officer 888-833-1844 ext. 229

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