The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meets next
week at the Naples Grand Beach Resort in Naples, Florida. You’re welcome to
join us in person or watch a live broadcast of the meeting.
Public comment will be held on Wednesday, June 7 from 1:30 –
5:30 p.m. local time. If you can’t testify in person, visit our “Amendments UnderDevelopment” page to comment on, and learn about, the different issues being
considered.
The meeting agenda and materials will help you prepare for the meeting and decide when to attend. The
following is a quick summary of topics the Council plans to take final action
on at this meeting:
Vermillion Snapper
Maximum Sustainable Yield Proxy and Annual Catch Limit – Reef Fish Amendment 47
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| Photo: NOAA |
The Council will review public comments and take final
action on Amendment 47 which considers advice from the Council’s Scientific and
Statistical Committee to update the vermillion snapper maximum sustainable
yield and annual catch limit. None of the alternatives in the document are
expected to alter vermilion snapper management measures, such as season length
or bag limit.
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| Photo: Jim Green |
The Council plans to take final action on Reef Fish
Amendment 44 after reviewing comments received during public hearing. Minimum
stock size threshold is used to determine whether or not a stock is considered
to be overfished; if the biomass of the stock dips below the threshold then
stock is considered to be overfished. This document considers standardizing the
way minimum stock size threshold is set for gag, red grouper, red snapper,
vermillion snapper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, and hogfish.
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| Photo: NOAA |
The Spiny Lobster Review panel and the Council’s Scientific
and Statistical Committee have recommended that a longer time series of
landings be used to set status determination criteria and acceptable biological
catch for spiny lobster. As a result, this amendment considers increasing the
spiny lobster overfishing limit and annual catch limit and target. Regulatory
Amendment 4 also considers prohibiting the use of traps from recreational
harvest in the federal water of the South Atlantic.
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| Photo: Kathy Hoak |
Modify the Number of
Unrigged Hooks Carried Onboard Bottom Longline Vessels – Abbreviated Framework Action
The Council will review comments gathered on this
abbreviated framework action before taking final action. Currently, bottom
longline vessels are allowed to carry 1,000 hooks, of which no more than 750
can be fished or rigged to fish at any time. The Council is considering whether
or not to modify the number of unrigged hooks allowed onboard bottom longline
vessels. All of the options presented in
the document would still limit vessels to having no more than 750 hooks rigged
for fishing at any one ti
As always, don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any
questions or comments: gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org
