Council Motions: March 7-10, 2005 - Birmingham, Alabama
This document contains the full chronology of motions made at the full Council session of the Gulf Council meeting held
March 7-10, 2005 in Birmingham, Alabama. This includes failed, substituted, and amended motions as well as those that passed. Motions that passed (excluding motions to amend) are indicated in bold.
Administrative Policy Committee
Motion:
to give Steve authorization to continue to set up the wireless program.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
to authorize staff to continue to improve the infrastructure of the
meeting room including an improved hard drive and printers.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum Management Committee
Motion:
to accept the alternatives as presented in Tab C, No. 3(a) and the
bundles of alternatives in Tab C, No. 3(b).
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion:
to accept the changes to the Purpose and Need Section under Tab C, No.
3(c): (1) the statement must be
revised to make it clear that species other than those in FMPs may be managed by
the Council; (2) delete Council from the first sentence of the third paragraph;
and (3) delete the last sentence in the last paragraph.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion:
to accept the public hearing locations and dates, switching the dates
Port Isabel and Galveston, under Tab C, No. 4:
Kenner, LA; Biloxi, MS; Orange Beach, AL; Destin, FL; Galveston, TX; Port
Aransas, TX; Port Isabel, TX; Naples, FL; and Madeira Beach, FL.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion:
to adopt red snapper for SEDAR 17 (fall 2009) and greater amberjack,
vermilion snapper, and gray triggerfish for SEDAR 19 (fall 2010).
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion: to accept updates for
goliath grouper (2006), gag grouper (2009), and red grouper stocks (2010), and
for red drum at the earliest possible date.
Motion carried with one
opposed.
Motion to amend the motion:
to remove “and for red drum at the earliest possible date” from the
motion - to accept updates for goliath grouper (2006), gag grouper (2009), and
red grouper stocks (2010).
Amendment failed.
Migratory Species Management Committee
Motion:
to request that the HMS and Billfish plans be kept separate.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that there be mandatory workshops for captains on pelagic longline
vessels.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
to suggest that an interactive web-based tutorial be available.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that the interactive web-based HMS Regulations:
Understanding & Compliance workshops, be made mandatory for
commercial captains.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
to recommend that NMFS implement complementary HMS management measures in
Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps Marine Reserves.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that the Council recommend that time/area closures in the Gulf EEZ
consider a broader bycatch problem than white marlin; for instance, should
include blue marlin, spearfish, sailfish, undersized swordfish, and white marlin
and that time/area closures not be formulated in such a manner that encourages
concentration of long-line operations in any area of the Gulf EEZ
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that the Council request that the HMS regulations acknowledge and comply
with Gulf EEZ EFH and HAPC designations and regulations.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that there be no action in the Gulf for the rebuilding plan for Northern
Albacore.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion: that the Council
recommend that bullet 3: increase
the minimum legal size for white and/or blue marlin be the first management
measure implemented, and that the use of circle hooks when required be limited
to directed HMS fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion:
that in the Gulf only bullet 2 be implemented: clarify that HMS
tournaments must be registered with HMS Management Division & Require
operators to be in receipt of confirmation number from HMS Management Division
before registration is considered complete.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion:
that we request NMFS to adopt the calendar year on BFT.
Motion carried with no objection.
Motion: that the calendar year
seasons apply not only to BFT but also to all HMS and billfish.
Motion to Table: table the
motion until further information is received.
Motion to table the motion
carried by vote of 8 to 4.
Reef Fish Management Committee
Amendment
18A
Motion: to amend Section 5.1.1
Alternative 3 to read “when the vessel is operating under its commercial
permit”
Motion failed by voice vote
Amendment to the motion:
amend Section 5.1.1 Alternative 3 to read “when the vessel is operating
under its commercial permit or has commercial harvest of any reef fish species
aboard”
Amendment failed by voice vote
Motion:
that the intent of the committee that VMS Units, if required, must be on
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Motion carried with one
opposed.
Motion: that the preferred
alternative be Alternative 2: Require
vessels with commercial reef fish vessel permits to comply with the sea turtle
release protocols required for the HMS bottom longline fishery specified in 50
CFR 635.21(a)(3) and 635.21(d)(3), i.e., must possess inside the wheelhouse the
document provided by NMFS entitled, “Careful Release Protocols for Sea Turtle
Release With Minimal Injury”, must post inside the wheelhouse the sea turtle
handling and release guidelines provided by NMFS, and must possess and use line
clippers, dip nets, corrodible hooks and a dehooking device which meets NMFS
standards.
1st Substitute Motion:
add a 5th alternative and make it the preferred alternative to Require
vessels with commercial reef fish permits and vessels with reef fish for hire
permits to comply with the sea turtle release protocols in place for Atlantic
HMS bottom longline vessels be implemented to the maximum extent practicable
(50 CFR 635.21(a)(3) and 635.21(d)(3))
2nd Substitute Motion:
the Council’s preferred actions will be Alternative 2: Require
vessels with commercial reef fish vessel permits to comply to the extent
practicable with the sea turtle release protocols required for the HMS
bottom longline fishery specified in 50 CFR 635.21(a)(3) and 635.21(d)(3),
i.e., must possess inside the wheelhouse the document provided by NMFS
entitled, “Careful Release Protocols for Sea Turtle Release With Minimal
Injury”, must post inside the wheelhouse the sea turtle handling and
release guidelines provided by NMFS, and must possess and use line clippers,
dip nets, corrodible hooks and a dehooking device which meet NMFS standards
and Alternative 4: Require
vessels with recreational for-hire reef fish vessel permits to comply to the
extent practicable with the same sea turtle and smalltooth sawfish release
protocols as selected above for commercial vessels.
2nd Substitute
Motion failed by a vote of 7 to 8
1st Substitute Motion
carried by voice vote
Motion: to move Alternative 2 in
Section 5.3.1 to Considered but Rejected.
Motion failed due to lack of second.
Amendment
26 (Red Snapper IFQ)
Motion:
to leave in the document the “Use it or Lose it” Clause in Section
3.3.1, Action 14.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
to remove Alternative 2D-Section 3.4; Action 17-(individual shares may
not exceed twenty percent), and replace it with “Individual shares may not
exceed 2%”
Motion carried with no
objection.
Red
Grouper Regulatory Amendment
Motion:
that the “preferred” designation given to Alternative 3B (Section
2.1; Action 6) be removed, and that there be no preferred alternative.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that an alternative be added to Section 3.2 for trip limits similar to
those at the bottom of page 8, that would keep the commercial shallow-water
grouper fishing season open year-round (except for the February 15-March 15
fixed closed season).
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that alternatives 3, 4, and 5 in Section 3.3.1 be moved to Considered but
Rejected.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that alternatives be added to reduce the aggregate grouper bag limit to 3
fish and 2 fish (one red grouper)
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that Section 3.3.2 (Recreational Red Grouper Size Limits) be moved to
Considered but Rejected.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that staff develop a series of alternatives examining seasonal closures
in the grouper fishery.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that Council give NMFS authority through emergency or interim rule to
bring the recreational red grouper fishery within their target catch levels in
Secretarial Amendment 1 for 2005.
Motion carried by role call
vote if 15 to 1 with 1 absent.
Greater
Amberjack Fishery
Motion:
to stop any further action on a regulatory amendment to reduce harvest of
greater amberjack until the new greater amberjack stock assessment is completed
later this year.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Shrimp Management Committee
Amendment
13
Motion: that the Council choose
the following as preferred alternatives:
-
Alternative
8.A: Establish Logbooks to Improve Effort Data; Option 1:
No action - Do not establish logbooks.
-
Alternative
8.B: Establish Electronic
Logbooks to Improve Effort Data; Option 3:
Same as Option 2, except that the list of shrimp vessel permit
holders would be used to develop a statistically valid sample of shrimp
vessels operating in the EEZ to participate in the electronic logbook
program.
-
Alternative
8.C: Utilize Observers in a standardize bycatch reporting methodology;
Option 2: Establish a bycatch
reporting methodology by utilizing the existing voluntary observer programs
of the NMFS to determine effort and the amount and type of finfish and
invertebrate bycatch in the shrimp fishery.
The NMFS would then use total effort estimates based on best
available scientific information to extrapolate the observer-collected data
into overall estimates of total annual finfish and invertebrate bycatch
Motion withdrawn.
Motion: that the Council choose
the following as the preferred alternative:
Motion failed by voice vote.
Motion:
Concerning Action 8A the preferred alternative be Option 1:
No action - Do not establish paper logbooks.
Motion carried by a vote of 10
to 5.
Motion: to remove the sentence
“Vessel permits will not be renewed for vessels that do not provide reports
under the schedule established by NMFS” from the top of page 24.
Motion ruled out
of order.
Motion:
that the subset that receives electronic logbooks also be required to
furnish the missing data primarily as listed under Alternative 8.A, Option 3:
a.
the size and number of shrimp trawls deployed for each set
f.
the type of BRD and TED
Motion carried by voice vote.
Motion: that the Vessel Gear
Characterization form be an integral part of the federal shrimp vessel permit.
Motion to Table: table
the motion until the next meeting.
Motion to table the motion
carried by voice vote.
Motion:
to change the preferred alternative in Action 9 to Alternative 9.B:
As a condition for receiving or renewing a federal shrimp vessel permit,
all vessel owners or operators are required to provide to the NMFS a completed
Gulf Shrimp Vessel and Gear Characterization Form that will be provided by NMFS
to the permit holders
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
to make Alternative 2.A in Action 2 the preferred alternative: No action
- MSY for royal red shrimp is estimated at a range between 392,000 and 650,000
pounds of tails, annually
Motion carried with one
opposed.
Motion:
to adopt Alternative 3.B in Action 3 as the preferred alternative: OY for
royal red shrimp is equal to MSY
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that the preferred alternative in Action 1 be changed to Alternative 1.C:
Require a royal red shrimp endorsement to the commercial shrimp vessel permit to
harvest royal red shrimp from the Gulf EEZ
Motion carried with one
opposed.
Motion: that the royal red shrimp
fishery endorsement be limited to vessels/individuals that have had royal red
landings.
Motion failed.
Motion: to add and make
Alternative 10.E the preferred alternative:
Establish a 10-year moratorium on the issuance of commercial shrimp
vessel permits. To be eligible for a
commercial shrimp vessel permit under the moratorium, vessels must have been
issued a valid commercial shrimp vessel permit by NOAA Fisheries prior to and
including May 2, 2005, and must have landed 10,000 pounds or more heads on by a
documented vessel or a vessel of 40 feet or greater, in either of the years 2003
or 2004.
Motion failed.
Motion:
a vessel would also qualify for a shrimp vessel permit if that vessel can
demonstrate it:
-
has obtained a valid
shrimp vessel permit by 5-2-05
-
40-foot length or
documented vessel
-
At least 20,000 pounds
of heads on shrimp landings in 2003 or 2004
Substitute Motion:
in addition to the above alternatives any vessel that can show prior
to the cut off date it was legally operating in the shrimp fishery within
the waters of one of the five
Gulf of Mexico
states it can be eligible for a federal shrimp permit under the moratorium.
Substitute Motion withdrawn
2nd Substitute motion:
Preferred Alternative 10.E: Establish a 10-year moratorium on the issuance
of commercial shrimp vessel permits. To be eligible for a commercial shrimp
vessel permit under the moratorium, vessels must have applied for or have
been issued a permit prior to and including March 9, 2005.
2nd Substitute
Motion failed by a vote of 6 to 8
Original Motion carried (motion was subsequently
reconsidered - see below)
Motion:
to reconsider the motion regarding Action 10.
Motion carried with one
opposed.
Motion:
to add as Alternative 10.E – establish a 10-year moratorium on the
issuance of commercial shrimp vessel permits.
To be eligible for a commercial shrimp vessel permit under the
moratorium, vessels must have been issued a valid commercial shrimp vessel
permit by NOAA Fisheries prior to and including May 2, 2005.
Motion carried by a vote of 9
to 6
Motion:
to add an Alternative 10.F; In addition to the requirements in
Alternatives 10.B and 10.C, a vessel would also qualify for a shrimp vessel
permit if that vessel can demonstrate it:
Motion carried by a vote of 10
to 5.
Motion:
to remove the words “during the moratorium” from Alternatives 11.A
and 11.B.
Motion carried with no
objection.
Motion:
that we request staff and NMFS to provide additional in-depth economic
and community analysis of the impacts of all the alternatives in Action 10 for
each of the five Gulf states, especially in terms of the impacts on the inshore
fishery.
Motion carried by a vote of 8
to 5 with one abstention.
Motion: to defer discussion on
Shrimp Amendment 14 to the next Council Meeting.
Motion withdrawn.
Sustainable Fisheries Committee
Motion:
that the Ecosystem SSC be scheduled to convene as soon as possible
Motion carried
Motion:
The RFP include a clause that the contract include a minimum of 5
stakeholder meetings up to a maximum of 10, with the price of additional
meetings over 5 bid on a per meeting basis.
Motion carried with no
objection.
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