Releases – July 30, 2015
The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 20 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region was published on July 21, 2015 (80 FR 43033). Regulations will be effective on August 20, 2015.
The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 20 will:
(1) Increase the commercial and recreational annual catch limits for snowy grouper as a result of the latest population assessment. The annual catch limits will increase during 2015 to 2019, and remain at 2019 levels until a new population assessment takes place. The new values in pounds gutted weight and numbers of fish are:
Current—82,900 Commercial annual catch limit; 4,400 Recreational annual catch limit; 523 Recreational numbers of fish;
2015—115,451 Commercial annual catch limit; 23,647 Recreational annual catch limit; 4,152 Recreational numbers of fish;
2016—125,760 Commercial annual catch limit; 25,758 Recreational annual catch limit; 4,483 Recreational numbers of fish;
2017—135,380 Commercial annual catch limit; 27,729 Recreational annual catch limit; 4,819 Recreational numbers of fish;
2018—144,315 Commercial annual catch limit; 29,558 Recreational annual catch limit; 4,983 Recreational numbers of fish;
2019—153,935 Commercial annual catch limit; 31,529 Recreational annual catch limit; 5,315 Recreational numbers of fish.
(2) Increase the commercial trip limit for snowy grouper from 100 pounds gutted weight to 200 pounds gutted weight. The relatively small increase in the commercial trip limit could help maintain a longer fishing season when combined with the increase in the commercial annual catch limits.
(3) Modify the recreational fishing season for snowy grouper from 1 fish per vessel per day year-round to 1 fish per vessel per day from May through August with no recreational retention during the rest of the year. The recreational annual catch limit was exceeded in 2012, 2013, and 2014, resulting in closures of the recreational sector on May 31 in 2013, on June 7 in 2014, and on July 6 in 2015. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council determined that reducing the current year-round recreational fishing season to May through August would help minimize the risk of exceeding the recreational annual catch limit and provide recreational fishers throughout the South Atlantic the opportunity to fish for snowy grouper when weather conditions are best.
Re-openings Commercial Sector:
The commercial sector for snowy grouper in the South Atlantic Region will reopen on August 20, 2015, with an annual catch limit of 115,451 pounds gutted weight. The commercial sector will close when this new annual catch limit is met or projected to me met. As of July 15, 2015, 86,149 pounds gutted weight have been landed.
Re-openings Recreational Sector:
The recreational sector for snowy grouper in the South Atlantic Region will reopen on August 20, 2015, with an annual catch limit of 23,647 pounds gutted weight or 4,152 fish. The recreational sector will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on August 31, 2015. The recreational sector will re-open on May 1, 2016.
NOAA Fisheries reminds commercial fishermen that the recreational bag limit applies for some species after a commercial closure if the recreational season is open.
After the catch limit is met and the commercial sector is closed for Atlantic dolphin, Atlantic wahoo, or snapper-grouper species (except for wreckfish): (1) The recreational bag limit for these species applies to commercial vessels; (2) If a commercial vessel is on a trip that lasts longer than one day, each person onboard the commercial vessel is limited to only one day’s bag limit; (3) Sale and purchase of these species is prohibited; (4) The commercial closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels with a federal commercial permit; (5) The recreational bag limit for dolphin is 10 per person per day, not to exceed 60 per vessel, whichever is less, except on board a headboat, where the bag limit is 10 per paying passenger; (6) The recreational bag limit for wahoo is 2 fish per person per day; and (7) Recreational bag limits for snapper-grouper species can be found at 50 CFR § 622.187.
These measures apply from: (1) Maine through the east coast of Florida for dolphin and wahoo; (2) North Carolina/Virginia border through the east coast of Florida for snapper-grouper species (except black sea bass and scup); (3) Cape Hatteras, North Carolina through the east coast of Florida for black sea bass and scup.
After the catch limit is met and the commercial sector is closed for Atlantic king or spanish mackerel: (1) There is no recreational bag or possession limit that applies to commercial vessels, and commercial fishermen may NOT fish under the recreational bag limit of king mackerel and Spanish mackerel; and (2) A person aboard a vessel that has both a valid charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic coastal migratory pelagic fish and a valid commercial vessel permit for king or spanish mackerel, may continue to fish under a bag limit, provided the vessel is operating as a charter vessel or headboat.
These measures apply from New York through the east coast of Florida.
Some rivers and creeks in the central coastal area closed to all anchored gill nets at 5 p.m. on July 23 due to interactions with sea turtles.
The action closes Management Unit C under the state’s Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit, which includes the Pamlico, Pungo, Neuse, and Bay rivers and their tributaries. The closure impacts both large-mesh and small-mesh anchored gill nets, including those set under a Recreational Commercial Gear License.
The closure is to comply with a modification to the incidental take permit that consolidates the number of allowed sea turtle takes in Management Units A and C for a total of eight turtles.
Management Unit A, which includes all of Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, and Roanoke sounds and their tributaries, closed to large-mesh and small-mesh anchored gill nets June 12 after staff with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries observed interactions with five live and one dead sea turtles in anchored gill nets. There were two observed interactions with sea turtles in Management Unit C during the current Incidental Take Permit Year.
The total observed interactions with sea turtles in anchored gill nets for Management Units A and C is now at eight, and must close under the Sea Turtle Incidental Take Permit provisions.
“It is our hope that in future years this will provide more flexibility for managing these two areas,” said division Director Louis Daniel.
Waters in Management Unit C will not reopen to anchored gill nets until at least Sept. 1. The reopening could occur later, depending on the abundance of sea turtles in the area at that time.
For more specifics on gill net restrictions in Management Unit C, see Proclamation M-12-2015 at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations.
North Carolina’s estuarine gill net fishery is managed under incidental take permits for sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon. The permits are issued to the state by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The permits authorize limited takes of these species, listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, as part of conservation plans that divide the state’s internal coastal waters into management units. The permits require observer coverage, so that the management units are closely monitored for interactions with sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon. An annual number of allowed interactions with each species is assigned to each gear type in each management unit. If the number of interactions is approached, the management unit must close for the remainder of the season or year.
For more information, contact Jacob Boyd, with the division’s Observer Program, at (252) 808-8088 or via email at Jacob.Boyd@ncdenr.gov.
