08-04-2011, 03:23 PM
Howdy,
The following is an update on what to expect at the next meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in Austin, Texas on August 15-19, 2011. I encourage you to submit public comment to gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org by August 9, 2011, so that it can be included into the briefing materials given to Council members before the meeting. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly at Emily.muehlstein@gulfcouncil.org.
Your Chum,
Emily Muehlstein
Fisheries Outreach Specialist
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
P.S. You don’t have to like us to “like” us on Facebook
On the Plate - Issues up for Final Action
Reef Fish Amendment 32
This proposed amendment to the reef fish management plan deals with the rebuilding of the gag stock and the management of red grouper. The proposed amendment contains seven actions that address the following:
1. Rebuilding plan for gag
2. Recreational bag limits, size limits, and closed seasons for gag and changes to the red grouper bag limits
3. Commercial gag and shallow-water grouper quota adjustments to account for dead discards
4. Adjustments to commercial multi-use IFQ shares
5. Commercial gag size limit
6. Time and area closures
7. Accountability measures
A guide to the proposed amendment is available at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFMCWeb...ooklet.pdf
Generic Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures Amendment
The Council is required by law (the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to end and prevent overfishing through the use of annual catch limits and accountability measures by the end of this year. These requirements have been, or are being, addressed in different amendments for gag, red grouper, red snapper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and spiny lobster. This generic amendment will address the remaining stocks with the consideration of eight actions:
1. Management of species by other state/federal agencies
2. Removal of stocks from the management plan
3. Species groupings
4. Acceptable biological catch control rule
5. Annual catch limit/annual catch target control rule
6. Generic framework procedure
7. Initial specification of annual catch limits
8. Jurisdictional apportionment of black grouper, yellowtail snapper, and mutton snapper between Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Councils
9. Establish commercial and recreational sector allocations for black grouper
10. Accountability measures
A presentation explaining the proposed amendment can be viewed at:
http://vimeo.com/26636369
Mackerel - Amendment 18
This proposed amendment addresses a number of different measures that deal with cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
1. Modifications to management of cero, dolphin, little tunny, and bluefish.
2. Modification of framework procedure
3. Establishment of separate Atlantic and Gulf Migratory groups of Cobia.
4. Annual Catch Limits, Annual Catch Targets, and accountability measures for cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
A guide to the actions in the amendment can be found at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFMCWeb...ooklet.pdf
Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment
The Scientific and Statistical Committee has recommended that the red grouper Acceptable Biological Catch be set at 7.93 million pounds (mp). The Council has initiated a regulatory amendment that will increase the red grouper Total Allowable Catch for 2011 through 2015. This will increase the Total Allowable Catch as follows:
Year Old Total Allowable Catch New Total Allowable Catch
2011 5.68 mp 6.88 mp
2012 7.22 mp 7.07 mp
2013 7.39 mp 7.27 mp
2014 7.46 mp 7.41 mp
2015+ 7.53 mp 7.52 mp
* mp = millions of pounds
This amendment will also address an increase in the red grouper recreational bag limit (also in the generic Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures amendment).
In the Cooler- Issues that Still Need Preparation Before Final Action
Red Snapper Fall Season- Draft Regulatory Amendment
This proposed amendment would revise the structure of the fall recreational snapper season. At this meeting Council is expected to choose preferred alternatives for actions being considered:
1. Revise or eliminate the October through December fixed closed season. Currently, the recreational red snapper season must end by September, 30th. Pushing the possible closure date back will allow Council to have more red snapper season management options.
2. Provide for weekends only, or weekdays only fishing periods. This would provide Council more options for management in-season and during a supplemental season if the fishery is reopened after being prematurely closed.
3. Increase the 2012 red snapper Total Allowable Catch based on the 2011 red snapper re-run analyses.
Public hearings for this regulatory amendment will be held sometime after the August 2011 Council meeting.
Amberjack Draft Amendment 35
Greater Amberjack stock has been under a rebuilding plan since 2003 because it was determined to be overfished. The Magnuson-Stevens Acts requires that overfished stocks be rebuilt within 10 years, and that deadline is quickly approaching. In March 2011, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the latest greater amberjack stock assessment and determined that the acceptable biological catch should be set at 1.78 million pounds. The Annual Catch Limit can not be set higher than the acceptable biological catch level, so the Council considers adjusting the current stock Annual Catch Limit based on the recommendations made by the Scientific and Statistical Committee. The following proposed actions in this amendment will also consider changes to recreational and commercial management measures:
1. Adjust stock Annual Catch Limits based on Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations
2. Considers adding a trip limit to the commercial sector and modifying the fixed closed season
3. Considers changing the fixed closed season (currently, June and July), adjusting the minimum size limit for the recreational fishery, and exploring proportional fish to angler bag limits.
[signature]
The following is an update on what to expect at the next meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in Austin, Texas on August 15-19, 2011. I encourage you to submit public comment to gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org by August 9, 2011, so that it can be included into the briefing materials given to Council members before the meeting. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly at Emily.muehlstein@gulfcouncil.org.
Your Chum,
Emily Muehlstein
Fisheries Outreach Specialist
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
P.S. You don’t have to like us to “like” us on Facebook
On the Plate - Issues up for Final Action
Reef Fish Amendment 32
This proposed amendment to the reef fish management plan deals with the rebuilding of the gag stock and the management of red grouper. The proposed amendment contains seven actions that address the following:
1. Rebuilding plan for gag
2. Recreational bag limits, size limits, and closed seasons for gag and changes to the red grouper bag limits
3. Commercial gag and shallow-water grouper quota adjustments to account for dead discards
4. Adjustments to commercial multi-use IFQ shares
5. Commercial gag size limit
6. Time and area closures
7. Accountability measures
A guide to the proposed amendment is available at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFMCWeb...ooklet.pdf
Generic Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures Amendment
The Council is required by law (the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to end and prevent overfishing through the use of annual catch limits and accountability measures by the end of this year. These requirements have been, or are being, addressed in different amendments for gag, red grouper, red snapper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and spiny lobster. This generic amendment will address the remaining stocks with the consideration of eight actions:
1. Management of species by other state/federal agencies
2. Removal of stocks from the management plan
3. Species groupings
4. Acceptable biological catch control rule
5. Annual catch limit/annual catch target control rule
6. Generic framework procedure
7. Initial specification of annual catch limits
8. Jurisdictional apportionment of black grouper, yellowtail snapper, and mutton snapper between Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Councils
9. Establish commercial and recreational sector allocations for black grouper
10. Accountability measures
A presentation explaining the proposed amendment can be viewed at:
http://vimeo.com/26636369
Mackerel - Amendment 18
This proposed amendment addresses a number of different measures that deal with cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
1. Modifications to management of cero, dolphin, little tunny, and bluefish.
2. Modification of framework procedure
3. Establishment of separate Atlantic and Gulf Migratory groups of Cobia.
4. Annual Catch Limits, Annual Catch Targets, and accountability measures for cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
A guide to the actions in the amendment can be found at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFMCWeb...ooklet.pdf
Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment
The Scientific and Statistical Committee has recommended that the red grouper Acceptable Biological Catch be set at 7.93 million pounds (mp). The Council has initiated a regulatory amendment that will increase the red grouper Total Allowable Catch for 2011 through 2015. This will increase the Total Allowable Catch as follows:
Year Old Total Allowable Catch New Total Allowable Catch
2011 5.68 mp 6.88 mp
2012 7.22 mp 7.07 mp
2013 7.39 mp 7.27 mp
2014 7.46 mp 7.41 mp
2015+ 7.53 mp 7.52 mp
* mp = millions of pounds
This amendment will also address an increase in the red grouper recreational bag limit (also in the generic Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures amendment).
In the Cooler- Issues that Still Need Preparation Before Final Action
Red Snapper Fall Season- Draft Regulatory Amendment
This proposed amendment would revise the structure of the fall recreational snapper season. At this meeting Council is expected to choose preferred alternatives for actions being considered:
1. Revise or eliminate the October through December fixed closed season. Currently, the recreational red snapper season must end by September, 30th. Pushing the possible closure date back will allow Council to have more red snapper season management options.
2. Provide for weekends only, or weekdays only fishing periods. This would provide Council more options for management in-season and during a supplemental season if the fishery is reopened after being prematurely closed.
3. Increase the 2012 red snapper Total Allowable Catch based on the 2011 red snapper re-run analyses.
Public hearings for this regulatory amendment will be held sometime after the August 2011 Council meeting.
Amberjack Draft Amendment 35
Greater Amberjack stock has been under a rebuilding plan since 2003 because it was determined to be overfished. The Magnuson-Stevens Acts requires that overfished stocks be rebuilt within 10 years, and that deadline is quickly approaching. In March 2011, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the latest greater amberjack stock assessment and determined that the acceptable biological catch should be set at 1.78 million pounds. The Annual Catch Limit can not be set higher than the acceptable biological catch level, so the Council considers adjusting the current stock Annual Catch Limit based on the recommendations made by the Scientific and Statistical Committee. The following proposed actions in this amendment will also consider changes to recreational and commercial management measures:
1. Adjust stock Annual Catch Limits based on Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations
2. Considers adding a trip limit to the commercial sector and modifying the fixed closed season
3. Considers changing the fixed closed season (currently, June and July), adjusting the minimum size limit for the recreational fishery, and exploring proportional fish to angler bag limits.
[signature]