Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Highlights from 2020

As 2020 comes to an end, we have an opportunity to look back on the year behind us and look forward to the year ahead. 2020 was a year filled with new challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way most of us conduct our daily business, and the Council was no exception. We spent most of this year tackling changes to the federal recreational data collection program and incorporation of state recreational data collection programs into management and while attempting to understand the implications of these changes on the health of the fish stocks themselves. The Council took final action on a few regulatory documents and made recommendations on an Executive Order, while seeing a number of new rules publish and become implemented into law this year.  Keep reading for a perspective on what we accomplished in 2020 and where we’re headed in 2021.

COVID-19 was the obviously one of the biggest issues faced by everyone this year. Fishermen across the coast were impacted differently. Initially, the Council asked stakeholders to share how the pandemic had impacted them. We heard that the commercial seafood market was interrupted as restaurants closed; recreational fishermen were also affected when charter businesses were unable to operate, and access to boat ramps was limited. The Council monitored landings throughout the year and tried to anticipate if fishing seasons could be extended or commercial quota needed to be rolled over into next year. To date, as the fishery seems to have stabilized, the Council hasn’t made any recommendations on how to mitigate impacts on the industry. Council meetings have transitioned to a completely virtual format since mid-March. We’re all anxious to return to in-person meetings; however, it’s hard to predict when that will become a safe and feasible option.  We are continuing to look at creative ways to engage stakeholders with a virtual meeting format. 

Arguably, the largest fishery management challenge faced by the Council this year is the transition to using recreational landings from the updated federal recreational data collection system and incorporating data from the new state-based recreational data collection systems. The Marine Recreational Information Program’s Fishing Effort Survey (FES) improved some of the previous system’s sampling protocols which resulted in new landings information that has to be accounted for back in time. Additionally, all of the Gulf States have developed their own recreational data collection programs, and landings data from those programs will likely be incorporated in future stock assessments and quota monitoring. Essentially, we’re transitioning to a new data currency to ensure that we’re using the same units to monitor landings as we do to set catch limits. In some cases, the new landings estimates may change our understanding of the stock size and our estimates of the amount of fish that are harvested. As each new stock assessment is completed, estimates of stock abundance and projections of how much can be harvested are updated. For the Council, this means that we need to transition our catch limits to the new data currency, so they align with stock assessment and quota monitoring units. 

The Council is currently in the process of doing that for red grouper, lane snapper, cobia, vermilion snapper, king mackerel, and red snapper. We expect to finalize management recommendations on a majority of the aforementioned species in 2021 and will continue to work on data currency changes as new stock assessments are completed.

The Council took Final Action on one document this year that recommended prohibiting all fishing year-round in both Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps Marine Protected Areas and prohibiting the possession of any Gulf reef fish species year-round, except for vessels with a vessel monitoring system (VMS) and a valid commercial reef fish permit that are in transit, with all fishing gear stowed. The increased regulations in the Marine Protected Areas were made to ensure that current protections to gag spawning aggregations are working by making regulations that are more enforceable.

A number of new regulations were implemented into law this year: 

• For-Hire historical captain permits were converted to standard for-hire permits. 

• The allowable amount of commercial shrimp trawl fishing in certain areas of  federal waters was increased. 

• The red snapper buffer between the annual catch limit and annual catch target for the for-hire component of the fishery was reduced.

• The Gulf States were given authority to manage fishing season, bag limit, and minimum size limit for the private recreational component of the red snapper fishery. 

• The commercial amberjack trip limit was reduced to 1,000 pounds with a reduction to 250 pounds when 75% of the quota is landed. 

• The cobia minimum size limit increased from 33 to 36 inches fork length. 

• 13 new habitat areas of particular concern were created with fishing regulations, 8 new areas without fishing regulations were established, and regulations in 3 existing areas were modified. 

• Status determination criteria were established for gray snapper and the annual catch limits for gray snapper were reduced by small amount in 2020 and beyond. The annual catch target was removed for gray snapper.  

Next year, we expect two rules to be implemented. First, the Council has recommended modifying for-hire multiday trip limits by allowing anglers on federal for-hire fishing trips that last longer than 30 hours to possess two daily bag or vessel limits at any time during those trips. Next, new electronic for-hire reporting requirements take effect on January 5th. Captains in the Gulf will be required to make a trip declaration (hail-out) every time their vessel leaves the dock and they must complete a fishing report for each fishing trip before offloading fish. Also, position reporting requirements are expected to go into effect sometime later in 2021.  

As we say farewell several colleagues, many of us are eager for the turn of the year.  Personally, and professionally, we hope to learn from our experiences during 2020 which have, if nothing else, taught us some new tricks and helped us prioritize what is important, and what we might want to let go of once we return to “business as usual.” We do know the Council is going to continue to work as hard as we can to provide make management decisions that benefit our fishermen and our fisheries. Thank you for all your hard work this year, on and off the water.

Red Snapper: Higher Harvest Limits on the Horizon

Photo: Joseph Cawthorn

Lately, much of the buzz about red snapper management has been less than positive. With sector separation, ever shortening seasons, and allocation on the roster, it’s easy to overlook the good news.

Here it is: The red snapper stock is getting healthier every year; fishermen, scientists, and managers alike know it, and when that happens, harvest limits can be raised.

In January, the Council’s scientific advisors (the Scientific and Statistical Committee) met to review a red snapper update stock assessment. Although the assessment was completed before 2014 landings data were available, results of the assessment suggest good news. The Council could increase allowable harvest by two million pounds for 2015 and beyond. An increase from 11,000,000 pounds to 13,000,000 pounds would bring the allowable harvest to its highest level in history.

Photo: David Payne

But wait, there’s more. Preliminary landings data from 2014 was reported to the Gulf Council during its most recent meeting in Alabama. The provisional landings estimates for 2014 indicate that the catches last year were lower than they were in 2013.  This means that more fish were left in the water in 2014 to spawn and contribute to stock biomass levels. The stock assessment scientists reviewed the 2014 provisional landings and reported that the acceptable biological catch could potentially be increased by nearly a million more pounds. However, the Council cannot use these increased projections to set 2015 quotas until its scientific advisors review the projections and approve new acceptable biological catch levels.

Photo: Kale Reynolds

In an effort to ensure the highest catch levels possible for this year, the Council has scheduled some special meetings to make the changes necessary to increase the 2015 red snapper annual catch limit.

On February 19, 2015, from 2-4 pm EST, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet via webinar to review the provisional 2014 landings and formally suggest overfishing limits and annual catch limits for 2015 and beyond. You’re welcome to listen to that meeting live.

Then, on March 3, 2015, from 1-4 pm EST, the Council will meet via webinar to review the scientific advisors’ recommendations and decide on an annual catch limit for this year and potentially future years. The Council will host public testimony during that meeting; you’re welcome to listen live andgive testimony.

Gray Triggerfish

Gray Triggerfish

How to measure the 14" fork length minimum size limit

The latest gray triggerfish stock assessment concluded that the stock is both overfished and experiencing overfishing.

The Gulf Council has just asked that an interim rule be put into place to temporarily reduce overfishing until long-term management measures can be developed. The interim rule reduces the triggerfish Annual Catch Limit and Annual Catch Target, and if the Annual Catch Target is met the fishery can be closed for the rest of the year.

The Council is also developing an amendment to the Reef Fish Management Plan (Amendment 37) that will permanently adjust the gray triggerfish Annual Catch Limit and Annual Catch Target once the interim rule expires.  Amendment 37 also considers making changes to commercial size limits and trip limits, and recreational size limits, seasons, and bag limits to keep triggerfish harvest inline with stock rebuilding goals. The document can be found here. 

If you’re on the edge of your seat and want to know more….

Photo: Ocean Triggerfish - NOAA Library

In 2006 a stock assessment indicated that gray triggerfish was experiencing overfishing. The Council developed a rebuilding plan for gray triggerfish in reef fish Amendment 30A that aimed to rebuild the stock in 10 years (by 2017). Unfortunately, the latest gray triggerfish stock assessment concluded that the stock was still experiencing overfishing and the stock is overfished.

The Gulf Council’s scientific advisors recommended that the gray triggerfish Acceptable Biological Catch be set at 305,300 pounds. The current stock Annual Catch Limit (the amount of fish that can be harvested each year) is more than twice as high (659,000 pounds) as the Acceptable Biological Catch, and must be reduced.  

The proposed interim rule will set 2012 Annual Catch Limits and Annual Catch Targets for each sector. The Acceptable Biological Catch will be allocated 79% recreational and 21% commercial, resulting in the following for 2012:

2012	Annual Catch Limit	Annual Catch Target
Commercial	64,100 pounds	60,900 pounds
Recreational	241,200 pounds	217,000 pounds

And, just to add a bit of perspective, this is a graph of the commercial and recreational landings of gray triggerfish from 1981 through 2010:

Commercial and recreational landings of gray triggerfish from 1981 to 2010

As you might notice, in recent years landings of gray triggerfish have declined. In 2009 a total of 482,000 pounds were harvested and in 2010 a total of 352,000 pounds were harvested.

The amendment that is expected to follow the interim rule considers making a number of changes to triggerfish management including:

Photo: Troy Frady

·      Shortening the current rebuilding plan
·      Increasing the commercial minimum size limit
·      Establishing a commercial closed season
·      Establishing a commercial trip limit
·      Increasing the recreational minimum size limit
·      Establishing a recreational closed season
·      Establishing a triggerfish-specific recreational bag limit
·      Enabling NOAA Fisheries to close the fishery if the Annual Catch Target is reached

The Council plans to review a draft of this document in August, and public hearings are expected to take place in September.

As always, don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions.