08-22-2011, 02:24 PM
Ahoy,
The following is a summary of lasts weeks meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me directly at Emily.Muehlstein@Gulfcouncil.org
Your Chum,
Emily Muehlstein
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
P.S. you don’t have to like us to ‘like’ us on Facebook
Hot Topic
2011 Red Snapper
The Gulf Council received a report from NOAA fisheries service on the 2011 red snapper landings data. NOAA Fisheries is still waiting for landings data from Texas along with the July headboat landings data. Estimated total landings for the 2011 season exceed the recreational red snapper quota (including the additional 345,000 lbs) by about 10%. If there is no quota leftover from the summer season, then there is no opportunity for a 2011 fall season.
Final Acton
At this meeting the Gulf Council took final action on a few fishery management plan amendments. The following suggested management measures do not become regulations until they are put through a review process by the Secretary of Commerce. Regulation changes will be announced and implemented if, and when, they are made official.
Generic Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures Amendment
The Council is required by law (the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to end and prevent overfishing through the use of annual catch limits and accountably measures by the end of this year. These requirements have already been met for gag, red grouper, red snapper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and spiny lobster. This generic amendment addresses the remaining stocks with the following management measures suggested by the Council:
1. Remove octocorals and Nassau grouper from the Gulf Council fishery management plans. The State of Florida will take over management of octocorals and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will take over responsibility for Nassau grouper.
2. Remove the following from the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan: sand perch, dwarf sand perch, and all other species with average annual landings that are 15,000 pounds or less (unless they would be easily misidentified as a different species or their landings indicate a change in stock status).
3. For the purpose of setting Annual Catch Limits: group species based on NOAA Fisheries sock groups and tilefish groupings. The Annual Catch Limits will be based on a sum of the catch limits of all the species in the group (indicator species will not be used).
4. Adopt the acceptable biological catch control rule that accounts for scientific uncertainty using a tiered system.
5. Establish an initial estimate of the Annual Catch Limits and Catch Targets based on the spreadsheet method and allow the socioeconomic panel to review estimates before final determinations are made.
6. Adopt the base Generic Framework Procedure.
7. Set Annual Catch Limits for stocks and stock groupings equal to the Acceptable Biological Catch and set the Annual Catch Target (as a form or in season accountability measure) at the value indicated by the annual catch limit control rule.
8. Set the Annual Catch Limit for commercial royal red shrimp at 334,000 pounds of tails.
9. Use the Florida Keys (Monroe County) boundary to divide the black grouper, mutton snapper, and yellow tail snapper stocks between the Gulf and South Atlantic Councils.
10. Divide the black grouper annual catch limit between sectors: 27% Recreational and 73% Commercial.
11. Implement in-season accountability measures for vermilion snapper. For other reef fish and for royal red shrimp implement in-season accountability measures only if the annual catch limit is exceeded in the previous year.
Reef Fish Amendment 32- Gag and Red Grouper
This amendment to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan deals with the rebuilding of the gag stock and the management of red grouper. Measures in this amendment include:
1. Establish a rebuilding plan that will rebuild the gag stock in 10 years or less.
2. Set the longest gag season for 2012 possible - July 1 through October 31; the 2-fish bag limit, and 4-fish aggregate bag limit remains intact.
3. Increase the red grouper recreational bag limit from 2 fish to 4 fish per person.
4. Reduce the commercial 2012 gag quota by 14% to compensate for dead discards.
5. Adjust the commercial grouper multi-use individual fishing quota shares.
6. Reduce the commercial gag minimum size limit to 22 inches total length.
7. For the recreational fishery add an overage adjustment when gag or red grouper are considered overfished, and if recreational landings are projected to exceed the annual catch limit close the season early.
Mackerel- Amendment 18
This amendment addresses the establishment of annual catch limits, accountability measures, and possibly annual catch targets for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia. Measures include:
1. Remove Cero, little tunny, dolphin, and bluefish from the management unit.
2. Revise the framework procedure contained within the costal migratory pelagics fishery management plan and adopt the base framework procedure.
3. Establish separate migratory groups of cobia at the South Atlantic and Gulf Council boundary.
4. Adopt the Gulf Council’s acceptable biological catch control rule for cobia, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel.
5. Set the annual catch limit equal to the acceptable biological catch for cobia, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel. Set a single stock annual catch limit for Spanish mackerel and cobia. For king mackerel set separate commercial and recreational annual catch limits and gear specific annual catch limits for the commercial sector.
6. Set a single stock annual catch target that is 90% of the annual catch limit for cobia.
7. For cobia and Spanish mackerel set in-season accountability measures so that the fishery will be closed for the remainder of the fishing year once the annual catch target is reached for a season.
Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment
The Council has approved a regulatory amendment that will increase the red grouper Total Allowable Catch for 2011 through 2015. This amendment will increase total allowable catch as follows, as long as the total allowable catch is not exceeded in the previous year:
Year Preferred Alternative 3 Comm. quota
(76% of TAC) Rec. allocation
(24% of TAC)
2011 6.88 MP 5.23 MP GW 1.65 MP GW
2012 7.07 MP 5.37 MP GW 1.70 MP GW
2013 7.27 MP 5.53 MP GW 1.74 MP GW
2014 7.41 MP 5.63 MP GW 1.78 MP GW
2015 7.52 MP 5.72 MP GW 1.80 MP GW
Also, because the recreational sector has not caught its allocation of red grouper in the last two years, the council has chosen to increase the red grouper bag limit from 2 fish to 4 fish per person.
Drafts
Red Snapper - Fall Season Options and 2012 Total Allowable Catch
Council was presented with a draft proposed regulatory amendment that provides more red snapper season management options and contains options that may increase the 2012 Total Allowable Catch.
The first action in this amendment considers a change to the recreational red snapper season end from the current September 30th closure. (Red snapper season has closed before the September 30th season end for the past 3 years because accountably measures have required NOAA Fisheries Service to close the recreational season when the quota is projected to be met).
The amendment also considers the use of weekend or weekday only season scenarios instead of continuous seasons. And finally, the amendment considers an increase to the 2012 total allowable catch.
The Council is expected to take final action during its meeting in Mobile, Alabama January 29 – February 3, 2012. Public hearings will be held later this year.
To review the current draft amendment, visit www.gulfcouncil.org/news_resources/scoping_documents.php. Staff is currently updating the document to reflect the changes noted above. To submit comments on this amendment, please visit www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/redsnapperregamendcomment.php.
Greater Amberjack- Amendment 35
The Greater Amberjack stock has been under a rebuilding plan since 2003 when it was determined to be overfished. The Magnuson-Stevens Acts requires that overfished stocks be rebuilt within 10 years, and that deadline is quickly approaching. In March 2011, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the latest greater amberjack stock assessment and determined that the acceptable biological catch should be set at 1.78 million pounds. The current total allowable catch, which is effectively the annual catch limit, is 1.87 million pounds.
Because the annual catch limit cannot be set higher than the acceptable biological catch, the Council is looking at options to adjust the current annual catch limit. The following proposed actions in this amendment will also consider changes to recreational and commercial management measures:
1. Adjust stock Annual Catch Limits based on Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations. The Council has selected Alternative 3 as its Preferred Alternative
2. Considers adding a trip limit to the commercial sector and modifying the fixed closed season. No Preferred Alternative has been selected.
3. Considers changing the recreational fixed closed season (currently, June and July), adjusting the minimum size limit for the recreational fishery, and exploring proportional fish to angler bag limits. No Preferred Alternative has been selected.
Public hearings on this amendment will be held later this year. Details will be posted at www.gulfcouncil.org. To view the current draft document, visit www.gulfcouncil.org/news_resources/scoping_documents.php. Staff is currently updating the document to reflect the changes noted above.
To submit comments, please visit www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/RF35GAJ.php.
New issues
Red Snapper Quota Options
Currently, in the red snapper fishery if the Total Allowable Catch is exceeded then the following years Total Allowable Catch cannot be increased as scheduled. In this situation if one sector (commercial or recreational) exceeds their annual quota, and causes the total allowable catch to be exceeded, both sectors experience the consequences when the following years total allowable catch is not increased.
The Staff has been directed to begin developing an amendment to the reef fish fishery management plan that will look into “sector specific pay back provisions” for overages in the red snapper fishery. In other words, if only one sector over runs their quota then the other sector would not be held responsible for that overage.
In the red snapper fishery the recreational sector is at the most risk of exceeding their quota, so this amendment will also include alternatives for annual catch targets and buffers for the recreational fishery designed to reduce the likelihood of that sector exceeding its quota.
Allocation Trading and Shifting
Allocation is the division of the total allowable catch for each fish stock between commercial and recreational fishing sectors.
Staff was directed to begin developing an amendment that will include alternatives that consider the trading of allocation between sectors and that that allow shifts of allocation as a fishery rebuilds.
Recreational Angler Data Collection
The Council has elected to create an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to provide guidance relative to the collection of private recreational angler data. If you are interested in serving on this panel, submit a resume and letter of interest to Phyllis.Miranda@gulfcouncil.org.
Commercial Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota Program Review
The commercial red snapper individual fishing quota (IFQ) program was implemented in 2007, and a five-year review of the program is underway. The Council directed staff to begin developing a plan amendment to address changes to the red snapper IFQ program using recommendations from the ac hoc red snapper IFQ five-year review advisory panel’s July 2011 report as guidance.
The initial establishment of the red snapper IFQ program included a provision that would allow any U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien to buy and sell IFQ shares at the beginning of 2012. The Council initiated a plan amendment that restricts the transfer of red snapper IFQ shares/allocations to only individuals/vessels with a valid commercial reef fish permit.
Commercial Catch-Share Program for New Species
The Council initiated a plan amendment to incorporate the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commercial Reef Fish Advisory Panel to establish a catch-share program using the proposed species, including vermillion snapper, amberjack, gray triggerfish, lesser amberjack, almaco, banded rudderfish, and red porgy. The program may be added to an existing program or set up as a stand alone program.
[signature]
The following is a summary of lasts weeks meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me directly at Emily.Muehlstein@Gulfcouncil.org
Your Chum,
Emily Muehlstein
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
P.S. you don’t have to like us to ‘like’ us on Facebook
Hot Topic
2011 Red Snapper
The Gulf Council received a report from NOAA fisheries service on the 2011 red snapper landings data. NOAA Fisheries is still waiting for landings data from Texas along with the July headboat landings data. Estimated total landings for the 2011 season exceed the recreational red snapper quota (including the additional 345,000 lbs) by about 10%. If there is no quota leftover from the summer season, then there is no opportunity for a 2011 fall season.
Final Acton
At this meeting the Gulf Council took final action on a few fishery management plan amendments. The following suggested management measures do not become regulations until they are put through a review process by the Secretary of Commerce. Regulation changes will be announced and implemented if, and when, they are made official.
Generic Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures Amendment
The Council is required by law (the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to end and prevent overfishing through the use of annual catch limits and accountably measures by the end of this year. These requirements have already been met for gag, red grouper, red snapper, gray triggerfish, greater amberjack, cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and spiny lobster. This generic amendment addresses the remaining stocks with the following management measures suggested by the Council:
1. Remove octocorals and Nassau grouper from the Gulf Council fishery management plans. The State of Florida will take over management of octocorals and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will take over responsibility for Nassau grouper.
2. Remove the following from the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan: sand perch, dwarf sand perch, and all other species with average annual landings that are 15,000 pounds or less (unless they would be easily misidentified as a different species or their landings indicate a change in stock status).
3. For the purpose of setting Annual Catch Limits: group species based on NOAA Fisheries sock groups and tilefish groupings. The Annual Catch Limits will be based on a sum of the catch limits of all the species in the group (indicator species will not be used).
4. Adopt the acceptable biological catch control rule that accounts for scientific uncertainty using a tiered system.
5. Establish an initial estimate of the Annual Catch Limits and Catch Targets based on the spreadsheet method and allow the socioeconomic panel to review estimates before final determinations are made.
6. Adopt the base Generic Framework Procedure.
7. Set Annual Catch Limits for stocks and stock groupings equal to the Acceptable Biological Catch and set the Annual Catch Target (as a form or in season accountability measure) at the value indicated by the annual catch limit control rule.
8. Set the Annual Catch Limit for commercial royal red shrimp at 334,000 pounds of tails.
9. Use the Florida Keys (Monroe County) boundary to divide the black grouper, mutton snapper, and yellow tail snapper stocks between the Gulf and South Atlantic Councils.
10. Divide the black grouper annual catch limit between sectors: 27% Recreational and 73% Commercial.
11. Implement in-season accountability measures for vermilion snapper. For other reef fish and for royal red shrimp implement in-season accountability measures only if the annual catch limit is exceeded in the previous year.
Reef Fish Amendment 32- Gag and Red Grouper
This amendment to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan deals with the rebuilding of the gag stock and the management of red grouper. Measures in this amendment include:
1. Establish a rebuilding plan that will rebuild the gag stock in 10 years or less.
2. Set the longest gag season for 2012 possible - July 1 through October 31; the 2-fish bag limit, and 4-fish aggregate bag limit remains intact.
3. Increase the red grouper recreational bag limit from 2 fish to 4 fish per person.
4. Reduce the commercial 2012 gag quota by 14% to compensate for dead discards.
5. Adjust the commercial grouper multi-use individual fishing quota shares.
6. Reduce the commercial gag minimum size limit to 22 inches total length.
7. For the recreational fishery add an overage adjustment when gag or red grouper are considered overfished, and if recreational landings are projected to exceed the annual catch limit close the season early.
Mackerel- Amendment 18
This amendment addresses the establishment of annual catch limits, accountability measures, and possibly annual catch targets for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia. Measures include:
1. Remove Cero, little tunny, dolphin, and bluefish from the management unit.
2. Revise the framework procedure contained within the costal migratory pelagics fishery management plan and adopt the base framework procedure.
3. Establish separate migratory groups of cobia at the South Atlantic and Gulf Council boundary.
4. Adopt the Gulf Council’s acceptable biological catch control rule for cobia, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel.
5. Set the annual catch limit equal to the acceptable biological catch for cobia, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel. Set a single stock annual catch limit for Spanish mackerel and cobia. For king mackerel set separate commercial and recreational annual catch limits and gear specific annual catch limits for the commercial sector.
6. Set a single stock annual catch target that is 90% of the annual catch limit for cobia.
7. For cobia and Spanish mackerel set in-season accountability measures so that the fishery will be closed for the remainder of the fishing year once the annual catch target is reached for a season.
Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment
The Council has approved a regulatory amendment that will increase the red grouper Total Allowable Catch for 2011 through 2015. This amendment will increase total allowable catch as follows, as long as the total allowable catch is not exceeded in the previous year:
Year Preferred Alternative 3 Comm. quota
(76% of TAC) Rec. allocation
(24% of TAC)
2011 6.88 MP 5.23 MP GW 1.65 MP GW
2012 7.07 MP 5.37 MP GW 1.70 MP GW
2013 7.27 MP 5.53 MP GW 1.74 MP GW
2014 7.41 MP 5.63 MP GW 1.78 MP GW
2015 7.52 MP 5.72 MP GW 1.80 MP GW
Also, because the recreational sector has not caught its allocation of red grouper in the last two years, the council has chosen to increase the red grouper bag limit from 2 fish to 4 fish per person.
Drafts
Red Snapper - Fall Season Options and 2012 Total Allowable Catch
Council was presented with a draft proposed regulatory amendment that provides more red snapper season management options and contains options that may increase the 2012 Total Allowable Catch.
The first action in this amendment considers a change to the recreational red snapper season end from the current September 30th closure. (Red snapper season has closed before the September 30th season end for the past 3 years because accountably measures have required NOAA Fisheries Service to close the recreational season when the quota is projected to be met).
The amendment also considers the use of weekend or weekday only season scenarios instead of continuous seasons. And finally, the amendment considers an increase to the 2012 total allowable catch.
The Council is expected to take final action during its meeting in Mobile, Alabama January 29 – February 3, 2012. Public hearings will be held later this year.
To review the current draft amendment, visit www.gulfcouncil.org/news_resources/scoping_documents.php. Staff is currently updating the document to reflect the changes noted above. To submit comments on this amendment, please visit www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/redsnapperregamendcomment.php.
Greater Amberjack- Amendment 35
The Greater Amberjack stock has been under a rebuilding plan since 2003 when it was determined to be overfished. The Magnuson-Stevens Acts requires that overfished stocks be rebuilt within 10 years, and that deadline is quickly approaching. In March 2011, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the latest greater amberjack stock assessment and determined that the acceptable biological catch should be set at 1.78 million pounds. The current total allowable catch, which is effectively the annual catch limit, is 1.87 million pounds.
Because the annual catch limit cannot be set higher than the acceptable biological catch, the Council is looking at options to adjust the current annual catch limit. The following proposed actions in this amendment will also consider changes to recreational and commercial management measures:
1. Adjust stock Annual Catch Limits based on Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations. The Council has selected Alternative 3 as its Preferred Alternative
2. Considers adding a trip limit to the commercial sector and modifying the fixed closed season. No Preferred Alternative has been selected.
3. Considers changing the recreational fixed closed season (currently, June and July), adjusting the minimum size limit for the recreational fishery, and exploring proportional fish to angler bag limits. No Preferred Alternative has been selected.
Public hearings on this amendment will be held later this year. Details will be posted at www.gulfcouncil.org. To view the current draft document, visit www.gulfcouncil.org/news_resources/scoping_documents.php. Staff is currently updating the document to reflect the changes noted above.
To submit comments, please visit www.gulfcouncil.org/council_meetings/RF35GAJ.php.
New issues
Red Snapper Quota Options
Currently, in the red snapper fishery if the Total Allowable Catch is exceeded then the following years Total Allowable Catch cannot be increased as scheduled. In this situation if one sector (commercial or recreational) exceeds their annual quota, and causes the total allowable catch to be exceeded, both sectors experience the consequences when the following years total allowable catch is not increased.
The Staff has been directed to begin developing an amendment to the reef fish fishery management plan that will look into “sector specific pay back provisions” for overages in the red snapper fishery. In other words, if only one sector over runs their quota then the other sector would not be held responsible for that overage.
In the red snapper fishery the recreational sector is at the most risk of exceeding their quota, so this amendment will also include alternatives for annual catch targets and buffers for the recreational fishery designed to reduce the likelihood of that sector exceeding its quota.
Allocation Trading and Shifting
Allocation is the division of the total allowable catch for each fish stock between commercial and recreational fishing sectors.
Staff was directed to begin developing an amendment that will include alternatives that consider the trading of allocation between sectors and that that allow shifts of allocation as a fishery rebuilds.
Recreational Angler Data Collection
The Council has elected to create an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to provide guidance relative to the collection of private recreational angler data. If you are interested in serving on this panel, submit a resume and letter of interest to Phyllis.Miranda@gulfcouncil.org.
Commercial Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota Program Review
The commercial red snapper individual fishing quota (IFQ) program was implemented in 2007, and a five-year review of the program is underway. The Council directed staff to begin developing a plan amendment to address changes to the red snapper IFQ program using recommendations from the ac hoc red snapper IFQ five-year review advisory panel’s July 2011 report as guidance.
The initial establishment of the red snapper IFQ program included a provision that would allow any U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien to buy and sell IFQ shares at the beginning of 2012. The Council initiated a plan amendment that restricts the transfer of red snapper IFQ shares/allocations to only individuals/vessels with a valid commercial reef fish permit.
Commercial Catch-Share Program for New Species
The Council initiated a plan amendment to incorporate the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commercial Reef Fish Advisory Panel to establish a catch-share program using the proposed species, including vermillion snapper, amberjack, gray triggerfish, lesser amberjack, almaco, banded rudderfish, and red porgy. The program may be added to an existing program or set up as a stand alone program.
[signature]