FYI
SOUTHEAST FISHERY BULLETIN
(South Atlantic)
FB13-020
Rick DeVictor
727-824-5305
March 12, 2013
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Actions for Red Snapper in the South Atlantic
Comment Period Ends May 13, 2013
NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on proposed actions in Amendment 28 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 28). The notice of availability published in the
Federal Register on March 12, 2013 (78 FR 15672). Comments must be submitted by May 13, 2013.
The actions in Amendment 28, if implemented, would establish (1) a process to determine if a fishing season will occur each year, which would include specification of the allowable harvest and season lengths for the commercial and recreational sectors; (2) an equation to determine the annual catch limit amount for each sector; and (3) management measures if fishing is allowed. It is important to note that the proposed actions, if they are implemented, only specify a process to determine if a season would occur.
Process to Determine if a Season is to Occur
If NOAA Fisheries determines that the estimated landings and dead discards that occurred in the previous year are equal to or greater than the acceptable biological catch for the current year, no harvest would be allowed and the annual catch limit would remain equal to zero. However, if NOAA Fisheries determines that the previous year’s estimated landings and dead discards are less than the acceptable biological catch, then the annual catch limit would be set to the amount of harvest that may be allowed for the current year.
Equation to Determine the Allowable Harvest
If a season is allowed, NOAA Fisheries would calculate the season length for each sector based on an evaluation of historical harvest levels and fishing effort. The proposed equation is contained in Section 2.0 of the amendment.
Management Measures
If a red snapper season is allowed, Amendment 28 proposes