March 14, 2016 — South Atlantic Fishery Management Council officials approved five offshore areas as Spawning Special Management Zones, or SMZs on Friday at a meeting in Jekyll Island, Ga.
Among them are three off the South Carolina coast and another off of North Carolina at a meeting.
In addition, NOAA Fisheries announced during the meeting that the recreational fishery for cobia will close on June 20 in federal waters from Georgia to New York, which is the Atlantic group of the species.
The area off the coast of South Carolina that will be closed to snapper-grouper fishing is a 3.03-square mile tract of bottom that is part of the Georgetown Hole, located about 55 miles southeast of the Winyah Bay jetties.
Also to be closed to snapper-grouper fishing are two experimental artificial reef areas established by the state Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) known as Area 51 and Area 53, each approximately 3 square miles in size off the South Carolina coast.
A 5.1-square mile area off the coast of North Carolina known as the South Cape Lookout site will also be closed.
The fifth closure is a 3.6-square mile area off the east coast of the Florida Keys known as the Warsaw Hole, or 50 Fathom Hole.
Fishing for snapper-grouper species would be prohibited and anchoring not permitted in closed areas, but trolling for pelagic species such as wahoo, dolphin, tuna and billfish would be allowed.
If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the five areas ranging in size from 3- to 5-square miles, and be the first such Spawning SMZs designated in federal waters off the South Atlantic coast.
“The selection of the Spawning SMZs has been a long and deliberative process, focusing on sites that are most beneficial for spawning snapper-grouper species such as speckled hind and warsaw grouper while balancing impacts to fishermen,” said South Atlantic Fishery Management Council chairperson Dr. Michelle Duval. “The council chose these areas based on scientific recommendations, input from its advisory panels, a great deal of public input, and the results from cooperative research with fishermen familiar with the unique habitat attracting species at selected sites.”