June 1, 2017 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The fishermen and other experienced members of the Council’s 11 advisory panels have historically provided grass root recommendations for management measures considered by the Council. Advisory panel members can now also share their experience and observations to complement scientific and landings data through new Fishery Performance Reports.
The species-specific reports, modeled after those used by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, are designed to provide an annual description of factors that influence fishing effort and catch, market trends, environmental changes, and other factors that may not be fully accounted for in the stock assessment process. According to the Mid-Atlantic Council, the information provided in the reports can become particularly important during the process of setting quotas for data-poor stocks.
Advisory panel members represent a diversity of fishing interests, knowledge and regional experience – recreational, commercial and for-hire/charter captains, seafood dealers, bait & tackle manufacturers, chefs, and others provide input about fisheries in their area. The diversity of the advisory panels provides a unique opportunity to gather information from across the region.
During a series of advisory panel meetings held in April, members were asked to provide answers to specific questions about a fishery in their area. Questions included: “How would you rate the quality of the fishery? What factors have influenced recent landings (market or otherwise)? Are there recent changes you have observed in the fishery? Are current regulations appropriate? If not, how can they be improved?” Background information on the fishery is included in the initial report for discussion purposes.