September 23, 2024 —
Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved two amendments to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan that, if approved by the Secretary of Commerce, would modify current federal regulations for species in the snapper grouper management complex. The Council considered input received during public comment and recommendations from its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical Committee before taking action during its quarterly meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. The following amendments were approved:
Regulatory Amendment 36 – Gag and Black Grouper Recreational Vessel Limits and On-Demand Gear for Black Sea Bass Pot Fishery
The amendment would revise the recreational vessel limits for Gag and Black Grouper. To remain consistent with a bag limit of one Gag or Black Grouper, the amendment would change the aggregate private recreational vessel limit to two fish of either species per day. For-hire (charter and headboat) would have the same vessel limit per trip.
Gag are currently overfished and experiencing overfishing. Black Grouper are included in the amendment due to misidentification issues that occur in some areas within the region. The Council will address Black Grouper regulations again following the results of a management strategy evaluation underway for the species.
The amendment would also revise transit stowage requirements for commercial black sea bass pots with on-demand (ropeless) gear.
Amendment 55 – Scamp, Yellowmouth Grouper, and the Other Shallow Water Grouper Complex
Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper are overfished, but overfishing is not occurring. A rebuilding plan is needed to address the overfished stock status. Measures proposed in Amendment 55 would establish a Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper Complex. A rebuilding plan would be established for the new management complex along with catch levels, sector allocations, and accountability measures.
Updates would be made to the Other Shallow Water Grouper Complex (Rock Hind, Red Hind, Coney, Graysby, and Yellowfin Grouper), to remove Yellowmouth Grouper.
Red Snapper
During its meeting, the Council received a litigation briefing from NOAA General Counsel noting there are three Red Snapper cases currently under litigation. One lawsuit alleges that NOAA Fisheries violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act because it failed to address overfishing of Red Snapper. The settlement agreement for this case was approved on August 22, 2024, and includes NOAA Fisheries agreeing to complete and submit a Secretarial amendment to end overfishing of Red Snapper. The Final Rule for the amendment must be submitted to the Federal Register by June 6, 2025.
The Council will be able to comment on the Secretarial amendment, and there will be opportunities for public comment prior to implementation. For additional details, see the Fishery Bulletin from NOAA Fisheries.
Other Business
The Council continued discussion of management measures proposed for the Black Sea Bass fishery that will be addressed in Snapper Grouper Amendment 56. The amendment will also consider revised catch level recommendations and status determination reference points. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will discuss Black Sea Bass during its October 22-24, 2024 meeting and provide recommendations for the Council to consider when it meets again in December. Public scoping meetings on proposed measures are tentatively scheduled for early 2025.
The Council approved a motion to amend both the Coral and Shrimp Fishery Management Plans to establish a Shrimp Fishery Access Area along the eastern edge of the Northern Oculina Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern, located off the central east coast of Florida. The designated area would allow access to historical fishing areas used by the rock shrimp fishery while minimizing impacts on deepwater coral.
A listening session hosted by the Marine Recreational Information Program, administered by NOAA Fisheries, was held during the meeting week. Fishery managers use data from the program to make management decisions affecting recreational fisheries. Council members received an update on a large-scale study being conducted to determine differences in recreational fishing effort estimates between different survey designs. The program is also re-evaluating approaches to data collection partnerships. Council members provided an extensive list of recommendations and members of the public also provided input.
New Chair and Vice-Chair
During the meeting the Council elected Trish Murphey, representative for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and former vice-chair as the new chair of the Council. She replaces Dr. Carolyn Belcher. Jessica McCawley, state representative for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission was elected vice chair. Both will serve two-year terms.
Additional information about the Council’s September meeting, including final committee reports, is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/events/september-2024-council-meeting/. The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for December 2-6, 2024, in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Photo credit: SC Sea Grant; Return ‘Em Right