This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Award No. NA07FC0015.

NEWS RELEASE
RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY
CONTACT: RICHARD L. LEARD (813) 228-2815

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED ON DRAFT DOLPHIN AND WAHOO FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN

Tampa, Florida - July 7, 2000 - The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public hearings on a "Draft Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin, Coryphaena hippurus, and Wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri, Fishery in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico" (Dolphin/Wahoo FMP). The Dolphin/Wahoo FMP has been prepared by the South Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean fishery management councils. The first 10 actions, with options, of the Dolphin/Wahoo FMP contain measures that are applicable to the dolphin and wahoo stocks in the jurisdictions of all 3 councils. These include measures to: define the management units; address dealer, vessel, and operator permits; consider data reporting requirements; identify estimates of maximum sustainable yield, optimum yield, and overfishing/overfished criteria; and, framework options to enable seasonal adjustments to the management structure. Other actions, with options, are separately applicable to each council’s area of jurisdiction, and include actions that may be implemented through the framework procedures, e.g. minimum size limits, bag limits, trip limits, and allocations, among others.

The hearings will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the following locations and dates:

The Council will also hear public testimony before taking final action on the Dolphin/Wahoo FMP which is scheduled for September 2000. The Council will accept written comments until the time that final action is taken.

The meetings are open to the public and physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office by July 24, 2000.

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 Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. This news release, and other Council news releases, can be viewed at the Council’s web site, http://www.gulfcouncil.org. In addition, Council press releases may be received via e-mail by sending a blank e-mail message to pressreleases@gulfcouncil.org with SUBSCRIBE as the subject.

X X X