Releases – August 4, 2016
Federal fishery managers are currently soliciting public input on proposed measures that may affect fishermen fishing in federal waters ranging from 3 to 200 miles offshore along the Atlantic coast. A series of public hearings and scoping meetings are scheduled for August including in-person hearings from Virginia Beach to Key West and online webinars. Written comments are also being accepted until August 19, 2016.
Regulation changes are proposed for Atlantic cobia, a species commonly targeted by recreational fishermen as it migrates northward in the late spring and early summer. The Atlantic cobia stock is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council from Georgia to New York in federal waters. The recreational fishery for Atlantic cobia was closed in federal waters on June 20, 2016. Recreational landings in 2015 exceeded the annual catch limit and accountability measures currently in place were implemented for the following year, resulting in a shorter season. Management measures are being considered to lengthen the recreational season beginning in 2017 and help ensure consistent and stable fishing opportunities.
Changes are also proposed for mutton snapper regulations in South Atlantic federal waters following a recent stock assessment and concerns about fishing pressure during the spring spawning season. The harvest of mutton snapper occurs primarily off the coast of southern Florida. The fish gather in large numbers to spawn during the full moon each spring, making them highly susceptible to fishing efforts. Proposed management measures would reduce fishing pressure during the spawning season and provide further protection to the stock. The Council is coordinating with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to develop compatible regulations.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is also considering options for modifying allocations between commercial and recreational sectors for dolphin (mahi mahi) and yellowtail snapper. The options are being considered based on public input for the need to ensure the longest fishing season for both sectors. Dolphin are managed by the Council in federal waters along the entire Atlantic coast. The current allocation for dolphin is 90% recreational and 10% commercial. The commercial dolphin season closed early in 2015 after reaching its annual catch limit, while approximately 6 million pounds of the recreational catch limit remained at the end of the year. For yellowtail snapper, the allocations are 47.44% recreational and 52.56% commercial. The yellowtail snapper commercial season closed early in 2015 after reaching its annual catch limit, with the recreational sector having a substantial portion of its catch limit remaining at the end of the year. Options are also being considered for separating the commercial annual catch limit for dolphin into two gear-based sectors (hook and line and longline) to help extend the season.
The Council will also consider public comment during its September 12-16, 2016 meeting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Measures proposed for Atlantic cobia (NY to GA) in federal waters include reducing the bag limit from 2 fish to 1 fish per person/day, establishing a vessel limit with the preferred alternative being 3 fish per vessel/day, and increasing the current minimum size limit from 33 inches to a preferred alternative of 36 inches (fork length). The amendment also includes alternatives to modify the current accountability measures for Atlantic cobia and a step down approach to reduce the allowable commercial harvest currently set at 2 fish per day. It is the Council’s intent to have the new regulations in place in time for the 2017 fishing season. Measures to modify the fishing year for Atlantic cobia cannot be addressed through a “framework” amendment and will be considered in a future amendment.
The Mutton Snapper: Snapper Grouper amendment includes measures to modify the current management parameters for mutton snapper, define the spawning months for regulatory purposes and modify regulations including reducing the current 10 fish per person/day bag limit, with a preferred alternative of 3 fish per person/day within the aggregate snapper bag limit year round. The amendment also includes alternatives to increase the current minimum size limit of 16” total length (TL) to a preferred alternative of 18” TL, and establish a commercial trip limit with a preferred of 300 pounds during the “regular season” and a 3 fish per person/day limit during the designated spawning season.
The Council is considering options for ways to shift allocations for dolphin and yellowtail snapper between commercial and recreational sectors to help ensure longer fishing seasons. Options include temporary shifts in allocation on an “as needed” basis, permanent changes to allocation, or removing sector allocations and managing the stocks under single annual catch limits. Various options for gear-based (longline and hook and line) allocations for dolphin are also being considered. Any measures for dolphin would apply in federal waters along the entire Atlantic coast.
Note that scoping comments are being solicited on these options. Scoping is the first step in the management process and the Council will consider all public comment before determining if they wish to move forward with any of the proposed options.
There are several ways to learn more about the proposed management measures prior to providing comment. Information is now available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the Council’s website at www.safmc.net and includes public hearing summaries and video overviews of each document. In addition, new interactive Story Maps are available for each amendment, offering concise details of what is being proposed and why, along with images, graphics, and video.
The Council will hold a series of in-person public hearings, along with public hearings and scoping via webinars. During the public hearing and scoping webinars, Council staff will provide a presentation and then hold an informal Q&A session prior to accepting formal public comment. Registration is required for the webinars. Information is available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page of the website.
The Council requests that written comments be submitted using the online public comment form for each amendment available from the Public Hearing and Scoping Meeting page at www.safmc.net. Comments submitted using the online form are immediately posted to the Council’s website and available for all Council members and the public to view.
Written comments for the amendments may also be submitted via mail and fax. Mail comments to Gregg Waugh, Executive Director, SAFMC, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405. Fax comments to (843) 769-4529. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on August 19, 2016, will be included in the Public Input Overview under the appropriate committee for the September 2016 Council meeting briefing book and included in the administrative record. Additional details on deadlines for submitting public comment are available from the Council’s website.
