This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Award No. NA87FC0003.

NEWS RELEASE
RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY
CONTACT: WAYNE E. SWINGLE

COUNCIL TO TAKE FINAL ACTION ON MACKEREL AMENDMENT 9 AND GENERIC ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT AMENDMENT

Tampa, Florida - June 26, 1998 - The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will meet July 20-24, 1998 at the Lafayette Hilton and Towers, Lafayette, Louisiana. At its meeting, the Council will hear additional public testimony on Draft Mackerel Amendment 9, and the Draft Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Generic Amendment. Public testimony is scheduled on these issues starting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 1998. Persons who will testify must turn in their registration cards before the start of the testimony period. Written comments should be received in the Council office no later than Friday, July 17, 1998.

Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 contains the following alternatives:

• Possible changes to the fishing year for Gulf group king mackerel.
• Possible prohibitions of sale of Gulf mackerel caught under the recreational allocation.
• Possible reallocations of TAC for the commercial fishery for Gulf group king mackerel in the Eastern Zone.
• Possible reallocations of TAC for Gulf group king mackerel between the recreational and commercial sectors to 70 percent recreational and 30 percent commercial.
• Possible establishment of two (2) subdivisions of TAC for the commercial, hook-and-line allocation of Gulf group king mackerel by area for the Florida west coast.
• Possible subdivisions of TAC for commercial Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone (Alabama through Texas) by area, season, or a combination of area and season.
• Possible trip limits for vessels fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone.
• Possible additional restrictions on the use of net gear to harvest Gulf group king mackerel off the Florida west coast; including a phase-out, a moratorium on additional net endorsements with requirements for continuing existing net endorsements, restrictions on the transferability of net endorsements, and restriction of the use of nets to primarily the waters off Monroe and Collier Counties.
• Possible increase in the minimum size limit for Gulf group king mackerel to 24 or 26 inches fork length.
• Possible re-establishment of an annual allocation or a TAC percentage of Gulf group Spanish mackerel for the purse seine fishery with consideration of trip limits and area restrictions.
• Possible retention and sale of cut-off (damaged) legal-sized king and Spanish mackerel within established trip limits.

Following is a summary of the Draft EFH Amendment:

• EFH is identified and described based on areas where various life stages of 21 selected managed species and the coral complex commonly occur. The selected species are shrimp; red drum; reef fish; coastal migratory pelagic species; stone crab; spiny lobster; and the coral complex.
• The selected species represent about a third of the species under management by the Council. Collectively, these species commonly occur throughout all of the marine and estuarine waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Consequently, EFH for the remaining managed species would be included with that of the species discussed. EFH for the remaining managed species will be further addressed in future FMP amendments, as appropriate.
• EFH is defined as everywhere that the above managed species commonly occur. Because these species collectively occur in all estuarine and marine habitats of the Gulf of Mexico, EFH is separated into estuarine and marine components. For the estuarine component, EFH includes all estuarine waters and substrates (mud, sand, shell, rock, and associated biological communities), including the sub-tidal vegetation (seagrasses and algae) and adjacent inter-tidal vegetation (marshes and mangroves). In the marine waters of the Gulf of Mexico, EFH includes virtually all marine waters and substrates (mud, sand, shell, rock, and associated biological communities) from the shoreline to the seaward limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• Threats to EFH from fishing and nonfishing activities are identified.
• Options to conserve and enhance EFH are provided and research needs are identified.
• No management measures and, therefore, no regulations are proposed at this time. Fishing-related management measures to minimize any identified impacts are deferred to future amendments when the Council has the information necessary to decide if the measures are practicable.

On Monday morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. a joint meeting of the Shrimp, Stone Crab, and Spiny Lobster Management Committees will consider the Options Paper on the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) Amendment. A joint meeting of the Mackerel, Reef Fish, and Red Drum Management Committees will also consider the Options Paper on SFA beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The Shrimp Management Committee will convene at 1:00 p.m. on Monday to consider reports on overfishing of shrimp stocks, the Tortugas shrimp fishery, and fishing violations in the Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary. The Mackerel Management Committee will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Monday to consider actions of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) on Amendment 9 and take final action. They will also consider further regulatory action in setting total allowable catch (TAC). At 5:00 p.m. on Monday a joint meeting of the Ad Hoc Sustainable Fisheries Commitee and the Law Enforcement Committee will meet to consider allowable gear regulations.

The Habitat Protection Committee will convene at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday to consider recommendations for final action on the Draft EFH Generic Amendment.

Other committees meeting on Monday include the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring Committee and the Budget Committee. All committee and Council sessions are open to the public, except a closed session to appoint a Reef Fish Stock Assessment Panel member. This closed session is scheduled before the Council from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

During the Council session on Thursday and Friday, the Council will hear presentations regarding the an update on Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD) evaluations, the Options Paper for the Generic SFA Amendment, the NMFS Billfish/Highly Migratory Species APs meeting, the USCG Enforcement Workshop, the G&SAFDF Shrimp Effort and Red Snapper Meetings, SAFMC Liaison, and reports by enforcement and the state directors. The Council will also consider revising or temporarily suspending its SOPPs provision providing the term of office for the chairman.

A copy of the agenda can be obtained by calling 813-228-2815. Although other issues not on the agenda may come before the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agenda listed as available by this notice.

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office by July 13, 1998.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is 1 of 8 regional fishery management councils that were established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council prepares fishery management plans that are designed to manage fishery resources in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

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