South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meetings on snapper and grouper

[jackdaniels]

Protect yourself. Make your voice heard


SAFMC PUBLIC HEARINGS

November 2-16, 2009

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a series of public hearings in November regarding proposed management measures within Amendments 17A, 17B, and Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. During the hearings, Council staff will provide overviews of the management alternatives for Amendments 17A, 17B and Amendment 18 and will be available to answer questions. Area Council members will be on hand to receive comments and recommendations. Formal comments received during the hearings will be recorded and distributed to all Council members for consideration in management decisions.

The Council will accept written comments regarding the amendments from October 19, 2009 until 5:00 PM November 25, 2009. Specific instructions regarding the submission of written comments are included in the Public Hearing documents. Please specify the individual amendment and specific management alternatives that are being addressed in all written comments.


Now Available! PUBLIC HEARING DOCUMENTS ( http://www.safmc.net/Meetings/Public...6/Default.aspx ) - Public Hearing versions of Amendments 17A, 17B and 18 including a comprehensive listing of management alternatives under consideration and appendices plus Public Hearing Summaries for each amendment.

We're going live! Live video of the Public Hearings will be available. Type "SAFMC" in the search block on USTREAM ( http://www.ustream.tv/ )to view the hearings as they occur.

Amendment Highlights

(A complete list of management actions and alternatives will be included in the Public Hearing documents.)

Snapper Grouper Amendment 17A - Red snapper are currently undergoing overfishing and are overfished. Amendment 17A establishes Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) for red snapper, long term management measures to rebuild the red snapper stock, and a monitoring program for red snapper. Management options include closure of the red snapper fishery plus alternatives for area closures for all snapper grouper fishing to address bycatch of red snapper, permitted fishing zone, and various monitoring program alternatives.

Snapper Grouper Amendment 17B - Establishment of ACLs and AMs for 9 remaining species in the snapper-grouper complex currently listed as undergoing overfishing. Alternatives include a proposed deepwater closure, allocations for golden tilefish, aggregate ACLs for gag, black grouper and red grouper, and AMs to close fisheries once the ACL is met.

Snapper Grouper Amendment 18 - Additional measures are being considered for the snapper-grouper complex, including expansion of the management unit northward, limiting access for the golden tilefish fishery, measures for the black sea bass pot fishery, change in fishing year for golden tilefish, improvements in fisheries statistics, and designation of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) as necessary.

Public Hearing schedule:

Note! All Public Hearings are scheduled from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm with the exception of the Newport News, Virginia Public Hearing on November 16 scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.

Monday, 11/2/09
Hilton Garden Inn Charleston Airport
5265 International Boulevard
North Charleston, South Carolina 29418
Phone: 843/308-9330 843/308-9330

Tuesday, 11/3/09
Hilton New Bern Riverfront
100 Middle Street
New Bern, North Carolina 28562
Phone: 252/638-3585 252/638-3585

Thursday, 11/5/09
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, Georgia 31322
Phone: 912/748-8888 912/748-8888

Tuesday, 11/10/09
Key Largo Grande
97000 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, Florida 33037
Phone: 305/852-5553 305/852-5553

Wednesday, 11/11/09
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Phone: 321/784-0000 321/784-0000

Thursday, 11/12/09
Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront
1201 Riverplace Boulevard
Jacksonville, Florida 32207
Phone: 904/398-8800 904/398-8800

Monday, 11/16/09 (*scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm)
Virginia Marine Resources Commission office
2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor
Newport News, VA 23607
Phone: 757/247-2200 757/247-2200

[jackdaniels]

Management Alternatives to End Overfishing Approved for Public Hearings
Options include large area closures for snapper grouper fishing, plus new alternative for special permits

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council considered recommendations received from its advisory panel members and others concerned about proposed management measures to end overfishing for 10 species in the snapper grouper management complex. The Council is considering options to close large areas of federal waters extending from portions of South Carolina through north/central Florida to all snapper grouper fishing in order to end overfishing of red snapper through Amendment 17A to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. “We know these alternatives are going to have significant economic impacts, but the Council must end overfishing – and long-term, that’s a good thing,” said Council Chairman Duane Harris. “But there will certainly be huge consequences to recreational and commercial fishing communities. There doesn’t appear to be any way to avoid these consequences while ending overfishing for red snapper.”
During its meeting last week in Charleston, South Carolina the Council discussed at length the list of recommendations provided by the advisory panels and fishermen, and formulated an additional management alternative that may allow designated “fishing zones” for snapper grouper species within the proposed closed areas. These fishing zones would have stringent requirements, including special permits for both commercial and recreational fishermen, and may require the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems to track fishermen’s movements, electronic logbook reporting, text message reporting for recreational fishermen and other requirements. Fishing for red snapper would still be prohibited within the areas, but some fishermen may be selected to harvest red snapper for biological sampling. The zones would close after a specified amount of red snapper discards have been recorded. “The Council is exploring options to allow some harvest of snapper grouper species to benefit the fishermen as well as the collection of data from these fishermen,” said Chairman Harris.
The 2008 stock assessment for red snapper in the South Atlantic region shows the stock to be overfished and undergoing overfishing at eight times the sustainable level. In March, the Council requested an interim rule to close the red snapper fishery for both commercial and recreational fishermen in order to help meet the mandates of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to end overfishing within one year. The request for a closure is currently being reviewed by NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS) and according to Dr. Roy Crabtree, Regional Administrator for NMFS’s Southeast Regional Office, if approved, a closure is not likely until after the end of October this year. Meanwhile, the red snapper fishery remains open with a current recreational bag limit of 2 fish per person/day included in a 10 snapper aggregate bag limit, and a 20” Total Length size limit for both commercial and recreational fishermen.
Because of the high mortality associated with discarded red snapper, a closure of the fishery will not be sufficient to end overfishing. Long-term measures are being developed through Amendment 17A. Measures to address the remaining species listed as undergoing overfishing: speckled hind, warsaw grouper, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black grouper, black sea bass, gag, red grouper, and vermilion snapper, are being
addressed through Amendment 17B. Alternatives include a deepwater closure, specified quotas, and
allocations for some species. Additional measures for snapper grouper species are being considered in Amendment 18, including expanding the management unit northward (from North Carolina), limiting access for the commercial golden tilefish fishery and black sea bass pot fishery, and use of electronic logbooks.
A series of public hearings will be scheduled the first two weeks in November for members of the public to comment on the proposed management measures within Amendments 17A, 17B, and Amendment 18. “We encourage the public to review the alternatives and attend the public hearings,” stated Chairman Harris. “Bring your recommendations with the understanding that the Council has to end overfishing as mandated by the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act.” Details regarding the dates and locations of the hearings will be publicized as soon as they become available. Public hearing documents will also be posted online once they become available.
The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for December 7-11, 2009 in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. For additional information regarding Council meetings, including briefing book materials and summary motions, visit www.safmc.net or contact the Council office.