October Council Meeting Preview

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meets October 22-25, at the Renaissance Battle House in Mobile, Alabama. We invite you to join us in person or watch a live broadcast of the meeting.

Public comment will be held on Wednesday, October 24^th, from 1:30 – 4:30. If testifying in person isn’t an option, visit our “Amendments Under Development” web page to learn about the different issues we’re working on and submit your comments.

The meeting agenda and materials will help you prepare for the meeting. Below, you’ll find a summary of some of the fishery issues the Council plans to address:

Cobia Size and Possession Limits

The Council plans to hear a summary of public comments received and take final action on Costal Migratory Pelagic Framework Action 7. Anglers have expressed concern for what appears to be a dwindling cobia population and asked the Council to address the issue. Landings remained relatively consistent from 2012-2016, however, there was a decrease observed in 2017. The Council is considering reducing cobia harvest by decreasing the bag limit and increasing the minimum size limit.

Photo: David Payne

Watch the public hearing video

Submit comment

Historical Captain Endorsements

The Council will review an abbreviated framework action that considers converting historical for-hire captain endorsements to federal for-hire permits. There are currently 31 historical captains with both reef fish and coastal migratory pelagic (CMP) permits, and one captain with a CMP permit. At this meeting, the Council will consider new options that would modify the passenger capacity associated with the endorsement.

State Management of Red Snapper

The Council will continue to work on a suite of documents that consider permanently allowing each Gulf state to manage a portion of the recreational red snapper quota in federal waters. In addition to a previously considered alternative that would allow the states to collectively decide whether or not to include federal for-hire vessels in state management, the Council will consider new alternatives that could allow individual states the option to manage their federal for-hire vessels.

Carryover of Unharvested Quota

The Council will look at a draft of an amendment that considers allowing the portion of the allowable catch that isn’t harvested, due to an early quota closure, to be rolled over into the following year’s allowable catch.

Photo: Hubbards Marina

Gray Snapper

Based on the current criteria, the latest stock assessment determined that gray snapper is considered overfished and undergoing overfishing. Fortunately, the recommended acceptable biological catch levels that resulted from the assessment are only slightly lower than the current annual catch limits. As a result, the Council will review a draft amendment that considers establishing criteria to determine the overfished and overfishing status of the stock; modifying annual catch limits, and setting other reference points.

Photo: Florida Sea Grant

Shrimp

The Council will look at a draft of Shrimp Amendment 18, which considers increasing the amount of shrimp effort allowed in the special area that is monitored for juvenile red snapper bycatch. Analysis shows that the effort reduction threshold, which requires that shrimp effort in the area be 67% below the effort in the baseline years of 2001-2003 can be reduced to 60% without affecting the rebuilding of the red snapper stock.

Meet the Council: Chair Leann Bosarge

Members of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council make incredibly important decisions about our fishery by balancing their own experience and expertise with input they receive from the public. Each member of the Council is appointed because of their intimate understanding of some aspect of the fishery. Leann Bosarge is no exception.

Leann Bosarge, the Gulf Council Chair, was practically born in a pair of shrimp boots. She comes from a long line of shrimpers and fishermen who were some of the first people to settle the coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama. They set down roots, found a way to make a living, and have thrived in the fishing industry ever since. 

Leann’s father worked in the commercial fishing industry harvesting whatever the season provided; red snapper, oysters, pompano, crabs, and of course, shrimp. Luckily, Leann has always enjoyed the family business and has been working there since she was 13.  She started outside doing anything and everything; heading shrimp, working on refrigeration, running the blasting pot, and even helping to rebuild engines. In fact, she didn’t earn a spot in the office until she was in her mid 20’s.

Although Leann loved her family business, she was encouraged to branch out and try something different - just to make sure she wouldn’t rather do something besides the family business. Leann earned her Bachelors Degree in accounting and finance and began working for a large, publicly traded bank. 

Even with the responsibility of her bank job Leann couldn’t stay away from fishing and the family business. While maintaining her day job, Leann developed a market for a highly sought after baitfish. Her family’s boats harvested these fish with a modified shrimp net specifically designed by the Bosarges. Many mornings she would leave at 3 a.m. to deliver bait to the charter boats in Orange Beach, Alabama before going to work at the bank. Some evenings she would do a second run when the boats returned from their charters. 

Leann earned her Masters degree in Business from the University of South Alabama, and after five years at the bank she was ready for a change. She felt limited in a large company where she was given a specific role and finite responsibility. Leann wanted to take on projects and make strategic decisions, so she returned to the family business. She jokes that she traded her paid time off, health insurance, and retirement for more responsibility and an extra bathroom to clean.

Leann loves working with fishermen. She helps manage the family fleet and even had the opportunity to work as vessel coordinator after the oil spill in 2010. After suffering a hit from Katrina and struggling with overcapitalization and low prices in the shrimp fishery, Leann helped the family’s business diversify and complement their shrimping business. Bosarge Boats does endangered species relocation work. Essentially, using modified nets, they sweep for turtles in front of dredge boats. They’re able to collect scientific data and relocate turtles offshore and out of harm's way. 

Leann answered a few questions to give us some insight on her perspective as a manager of our Gulf Fishery:

What motivates you to serve on the Gulf Council?

“I’ve been in the industry my whole life and it’s an honor to have the opportunity to sit on the Council that shapes the direction of the fishery. I hope to direct policy in ways that address fisheries issues proactively to ensure viability and success for both fishermen and the ecosystem.”

What is the most important issue in the fishery right now?

“The Gulf of Mexico is an amazing marine resource that evolves and changes over time. The humans that use the Gulf change, too. Unfortunately, the human population which depends upon the resource, grows exponentially while the environment does not. The most important task we’re faced with is maintaining a healthy resource and then finding a way to balance the demand for the resource fairly. We all need a better understanding of the different user groups in the Gulf. We must engage commercial and recreational anglers in a productive and respectful atmosphere where they can work together to share the resource in a way that allows the fishery to remain healthy over time”.

Can you share with us a favorite fishing story?

“As a young girl I distinctly remember a specific season opening on my father’s shrimp boat with my dad, mom, two sisters, and one deck hand. It was really rough that year but the shrimp weren’t going to catch themselves, so our entire family went despite big seas and gusty winds. My sisters and I were really seasick. We set out, made some tows and finished the first clock (24 hours). Mom cooked a big meal for everyone - nobody but she and dad could eat it.  At some point I remember my daddy holding my youngest sister, who was no older than four at the time. He had her in his arms at the wheel of the boat when she got sick right into the shrimp boots he was wearing. It was then that he decided it might be too rough and headed in behind the barrier islands to take cover from the storm and clean out his boots!”

January 2016 Council Meeting Preview

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meets next week at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama to make some important decisions about our fishery.

The Council plans to take final action on a number of different issues - regional management of recreational red snapper, shrimp, and electronic reporting for for-hire vessels. Development of amendments on hogfish, yellowtail, triggerfish, and red snapper management for charter vessels and headboats will also be discussed.

You’re welcome to join us in person or watch a live broadcast of the meeting. This agenda will help you figure out when the Council plans to discuss the topics that interest you. Here are all the background materials available you’ll want to follow along.

Photo: Mark Miller

Public comment will be held from 1:30 – 5:30 on Wednesday, January 27.

Below you’ll find a quick explanation of some of the topics that will be addressed next week.

Regional Management of Recreational Red Snapper

The Council plans to take final action on Reef Fish Amendment 39, which considers dividing the recreational red snapper quota among different regions in the Gulf to allow for the creation of different management measures that best suit each area.  The Council will hear summaries of the comments received during public hearings held in December before making final management decisions. Watch this video tutorial on the amendment if you’re interested in knowing more.

Electronic Charter Vessel Reporting Amendment

The Council is scheduled to take final action on this amendment, which considers modifying the frequency and method of reporting for charter and headboats fishing for reef fish and coastal migratory pelagics in the Gulf of Mexico. Before making any decisions, the Council will review the comments that have been submitted. Check out this quick video if you would like to learn more about what’s being considered.

Expiration of the Shrimp Permit Moratorium and the Future of the Royal Red Endorsement

In October of this year, the moratorium on issuing new shrimp permits is scheduled to expire. In Shrimp Amendment 17A, the Council is expected to make a final decision on whether to end or extend the moratorium. The Council will also decided whether to continue requiring shrimpers to hold a Royal Red Shrimp Endorsement to harvest royal reds.

Red Snapper Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels

The Council will review the input received from the public during scoping workshops on Reef Fish Amendment 41 which considers creating a red snapper management plan for federally permitted for-hire vessels fishing under the for-hire component of the recreational red snapper allocation. The Council will discuss the latest draft of the amendment and make suggestions on how to move forward.

Federal Reef Fish Headboat Management

The Council will review scoping comments on Reef Fish Amendment42 which considers creating a management plan for federally permitted headboats fishing for reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. The Council will discuss how to move forward and consider which species to include, and how to manage the fishery.

Photo: Emily Muehlstein

Hogfish Annual Catch Limit, Minimum Size Limit, and Stock Definition

The most recent hogfish stock assessment determined that there are three separate stocks throughout the Gulf and South Atlantic Council jurisdictions. The Gulf Council is considering taking responsibility for the western stock, which is located entirely in the Gulf of Mexico jurisdiction. The Council is also considering setting an annual catch limit and increasing the minimum size limit for hogfish.

Recreational Red Snapper Annual Catch Target

The annual catch target is a level of harvest set below the annual catch limit. The annual catch target provides a buffer to ensure the annual catch limit is not exceeded. Currently the annual catch target for recreational red snapper is set 20% below the catch limit. Since the recreational sector has not met the annual catch limit in recent years, the Council is considering reducing the buffer to allow for a greater level of harvest before the season is closed.

Photo: Chris Phillips

King Mackerel

The Council will review a draft of Amendment 26 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics fishery management plan, which considers changing allocations, stock boundaries, and sale provisions for king mackerel in the Gulf and South Atlantic. Stay tuned, public hearings will be scheduled for February.

Gulf Council Research and Monitoring Priorities 2015 - 2019

The science that informs fishery management is incredibly complicated, and the management decisions that are made using that science can be controversial. While the members of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are knowledgeable about specific aspects of the harvest, conservation, or business of Gulf fisheries, they’re not always scientists - but they don’t have to be. The Council relies on the Southeast Fisheries Science Center to assess fish stocks and provide them with the science necessary to make informed management decisions.

FWRI deploys a video array

Every five years the National Marine Fisheries Service asks the regional fishery management Councils for a “wish-list’ identifying their fishery monitoring and research priorities. The Southeast Fisheries Science Center, which is responsible for the Gulf, Caribbean, and South Atlantic Councils, incorporates the priorities of each Council into its own research plan.

Below you’ll find a summary of the Gulf Council’s highest priority items for 2015 - 2019.  The full document provides a much more comprehensive list of research and monitoring priorities.

The research and monitoring priorities are broken into three categories. The first one focuses on broad, multi-purpose research programs that aim to collect data for a variety of species over a long period of time. The Council has asked for enhanced:

Size data is collected for tag and recapture study

Fisheries-Independent Sampling

Specifically, more video and trawl surveys should be conducted in the eastern Gulf. Vertical, bottom long-line, visual, and larval studies should be conducted to better understand the abundance of various sizes and ages of fish. This will help determine the number of young fish that could become reproductive and harvestable adults.

Fisheries-dependent sampling

Existing recreational and commercial data collection programs should continue to achieve better coverage to collect data on abundance, size and species of fish landed. Electronic data collection systems should be developed for the charter for-hire vessels to improve timeliness and accuracy of reporting.

Social and economic monitoring

A study of human attitudes, behavior, and reliance on marine fisheries should be developed to monitor changes in communities over time, particularly due to changes in recreational and 

commercial fishing regulations.

Hooks ready for longline survey

Estimations of bycatch and discards

Observer coverage and data collection on bycatch from commercial shrimp trawlers, longliners, and vertical line fisheries should be enhanced. Continued development of technologies including cameras, phones, and tablets should be utilized to collect estimations of total discards and discard mortality rates in all sectors.

The next category of research priorities is based on individual species managed by the Gulf Council. The recommendations in this section are based on gaps in data that were identified in recent stock assessments and through the development of management plans. The highest priority items focus on species that are currently in rebuilding plans - research priorities for numerous other species are included in the full document.

Diver performs visual survey

      Red snapper – More efforts should be directed toward determining the effects of the oil spill; the influence of artificial reef structures on the population and spatial distribution across the Gulf; and the ecological effects of population expansion specifically, as it relates to interactions with other species.

Greater amberjack – More age and growth studies should be performed to determine size at age, and work should continue to verify the size of females at reproductive maturity.

Gray triggerfish – Additional studies on the aging, catchability of dominate males during the spawning season, and movement of triggerfish should be conducted.


Next, the Council focuses on economic and socio-cultural research and monitoring needs. Future fishery management challenges will increasingly pertain to the social environment, so a better understanding of the human dimension of fisheries is necessary.

1. Effects of proposed management changes on recreational and commercial fishingEvaluations of the economic benefits, participation rates, and behavior of all modes of recreational and commercial fishing should be performed to enhance understanding of the social implications of management changes including size limits, bag limits, quotas, seasons, and marine reserves.

2. Development of regional economic modelsData should be gathered and tools should be developed to assess the regional economic effects of regulations or environmental events such as hurricanes and red tides.

The role of the Gulf Council in the research and monitoring side of fisheries management is often confused. The Council isn’t responsible for collecting or interpreting fisheries data, nor does the Council assess the health and size of fish stocks. Rather, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center perform and report the science to the Gulf Council for use in management decisions. The Council simply takes an advisory role in directing the scientists on where to focus their research. As you can see, the Gulf Council has identified some very important research and monitoring needs that will help ensure the science fits the needs of the decision makers to better inform fisheries management decisions.