Gulf Council Solicits Public Input on Annual Catch Limits &Accountability Measures

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is required by the reauthorized Magnuson Act to establish annual catch limits and accountability measures for federally managed stocks, and is doing so, in part, through a generic amendment to its Reef Fish, Red Drum, Shrimp, and Coral Fishery Management Plans.

Major actions contained in the amendment include:

• A determination of which stocks need annual catch limits and which may not because of removal from the fishery management plan or delegation to other agencies.
• Species groupings, which allow a single annual catch limit to be set for all species within that group.
• Procedures for determining and implementing annual catch limits and associated management measures.
• Annual catch limits and optional annual catch targets for each species or species group.
• Accountability measures for each species or species group. In-season and post-season accountability measures will be established to keep catch levels within the designated annual catch limits or to restore catch levels to those limits if exceeded.
  

A presentation outlining the proposed actions contained in the amendment can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/26636369.  The complete document can be downloaded from: http://www.gulfcouncil.org/docs/ACLAM062411.pdf. Public comment on this generic amendment is encouraged and will be accepted through August 8, 2011.  Comments can be submitted by visiting http://www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/comment_form.php.  All comments will be summarized and provided to the Council for review and consideration before final action is taken during the August 15 – 19, 2011 Council meeting.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans designed to manage fishery resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. 

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