Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to Convene a Special Meeting of the Reef Fish Management Committee

Meeting Notice December 14, 2012    Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to Convene a Special Meeting of the Reef Fish Management Committee The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a special meeting of the Reef Fish Management Committee January 7 - 8, 2013, at the Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore Hotel, 2225 North Lois Avenue in Tampa, Florida. The meeting will begin at 1:30 pm Monday and will conclude by 5 pm Tuesday. During the special meeting, the Reef Fish Committee will discuss several issues related to the management of red snapper. The Committee will review an analysis by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of an estimated 1.6 million pound overharvest of red snapper during the 2012 recreational season. The SSC is recommending a 0.38 million pound increase in the acceptable biological catch in 2013 to 8.46 million pounds.   The Committee will also review an analysis on how a bag limit reduction might increase the recreational red snapper season length.  Based on these analyses, the Committee will recommend preferred alternatives in a draft framework action to adjust the red snapper commercial and recreational quotas and the recreational bag limit.    The Committee will also discuss: red snapper sector allocations a 5-year review of the red snapper individual fishing quota (IFQ) program a scoping document on recreational red snapper regional management issues  The agenda also includes an item for an open discussion of red snapper management issues. The recommendations of the Committee will be presented to the full Council at its February 5 - 8, 2013 meeting in Mobile, Alabama. Copies of the agenda and other related materials can be obtained by calling 813-348-1630 or can be downloaded from the Council's ftp site, ftp.gulfcouncil.org.  Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come before the Committee for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Actions of the Committee will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agenda and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take action to address the emergency. This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kathy Pereira at least five working days prior to the meeting. 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.         The Gulf Council has an APP for that - Download it for free!           iPhone         Droid Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Charlene Ponce Public Information Officer 888-833-1844 ext. 229

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