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Press Release
February 7, 2012
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council February 2012 Update
The
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council met in Mobile, Alabama
January 30 - February 2, 2012, to discuss a number of fishery issues,
including Reef Fish Amendment 35 for Greater Amberjack, a Regulatory
Amendment to increase the Red Snapper Annual Catch Limit, and Joint
Amendment 11 to the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan. During the
weeklong meeting, the Council took the following actions:
Greater Amberjack - Reef Fish Amendment 35
The Council delayed taking final action on this amendment until its April meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The
Council has selected preferred alternatives that would: set the Annual
Catch Limit at 1,780,000 pounds whole weight and establish an Annual
Catch Target of 1,539,000 pounds whole weight; retain the 30"
recreational minimum size limit and a June-July recreational closure,
and; retain the March - May commercial closure and establish a
2000-pound commercial trip limit.
Red Snapper Regulatory Amendment to Adjust Annual Catch Limit
The
Council approved and took final action on a regulatory amendment that
increases the red snapper stock Annual Catch Limit for 2012 and 2013 to
8.080 million pounds and 8.690 million pounds respectively. No Annual
Catch Targets were set. Sector quotas will be set equal to the sector
Annual Catch Limits.
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Year
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Stock ACL
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Comm ACL (51% of ACL)
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Rec ACL (49% of ACL)
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2012
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8.080 mp
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4.121 mp
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3.959 mp
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2013
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8.690 mp
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4.432 mp
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4.258 mp
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The
proposed 2013 increase will occur only if the 2012 stock Annual Catch
Limit is not exceeded. The regulatory amendment will be submitted to the
Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation.
Also
related to red snapper, the Council discussed an options paper for a
regulatory amendment that would consider adjustments to the structure of
the red snapper season by exploring weekend or weekday only red snapper
fishing for both the regular snapper season and for any supplemental
seasons that may occur. The Council selected the no action alternative
as the preferred alternative for both actions, and tabled further
development of the amendment.
Gray Triggerfish Update Assessment
The
latest gray triggerfish update stock assessment continues to show that
the stock is overfished (population is too low) and experiencing
overfishing (rate of removal is too high). As a result, the Gulf
Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee recommended that the gray
triggerfish Acceptable Biological Catch be set at 305,300 pounds whole
weight. As a rule, an Annual Catch Limit cannot be higher than the
Acceptable Biological Catch, so the current stock Annual Catch Limit of
793,000 pounds must be adjusted. The Council initiated the development
of an interim rule for consideration during the April Council meeting
that would reduce the gray triggerfish Annual Catch Limit to 305,000
pounds, reduce the Annual Catch Target, and give NOAA Fisheries
authority to close the season when catch limits are reached. For
comparison, gray triggerfish total catches were 496,000 pounds in 2008, and 482,000 pounds in 2009. In 2010, the year of the Deepwater Horizon incident, landings were 352,000 pounds.
As
a follow-up to the interim rule, which lasts for only 180 days (with a
possible extension of an additional 186 days), the Council also
initiated a framework action to make the interim rule measures
permanent, address a possible bag limit reduction, minimum size limit
adjustments, and extend the timeframe for the rebuilding plan from si
years to 10 years, the maximum allowed.
Spiny Lobster - Joint Amendment 11
The
Council took final action on Joint Amendment 11 to the Spiny Lobster
Fishery Management Plan. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
is expected to take final action in March. The amendment will then be
sent to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation.
This
amendment 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.
Preferred
Alternatives for this amendment include a "No Action" alternative that
results in no trap line marking requirements for spiny lobster traps,
and an alternative that establishes new
closed areas in the federal waters off the Florida Keys with identified
staghorn and elkhorn coral colonies inside straight-line boundaries. In
these closed areas, spiny lobster trapping would be prohibited.
Finally,
after hearing requests from the spiny lobster commercial fishing
industry, the Council moved to subdivide closed area 2 into two closed
areas; area 15 into three closed areas; and area 30 into two closed
areas. This action created 60 closed areas, but reduced the estimate of
closed area from 6.7 square miles to 5.9 square miles.
The Amendment will be sent to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation.
Crew Size and Income Requirement- Reef Fish Amendment 24
The Council took final action on an amendment that eliminates the earned income requirement
necessary for commercial reef fish vessel permit renewal, and it
increases the number of crew allowed on dually permitted (commercial and
charter) vessels from three to four. The amendment will be submitted to
the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation. For more
information see the proposed amendment.
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Amendments 19 and 20
Amendment
19 considers limiting the sale of recreationally caught fish and making
changes to the permit requirements for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic
fishery. Amendment 20 considers modifying
commercial zone boundaries, changing the commercial opening date for
the western zone, establishing a transit provision, and requiring vessel
zone declarations. Scoping meetings for both amendments will be held
this spring. Details will soon be posted on our web site at www.gulfcouncil.org.
Generic Amendment for Dealer Permits and Electronic Reporting
This
amendment proposes changes to seafood dealer reporting requirements for
fishery management plans of the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and two
joint fishery management plans. Three actions are under consideration:
- What dealer permits would be required, and for which species?
- How frequently and by what method would dealers be required to report?
- Are there penalties for non-reporting or late reporting?
Scoping meetings for this generic amendment will also be held in the spring. Details will soon be posted on our web site at www.gulfcouncil.org.
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