Reef Fish Management Plans
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Reef Fish Amendment 35 - Amendment Guide
A 2009 greater amberjack stock assessment update shows that the stock remains overfished and continues to experience overfishing. This amendment sets the Annual Catch Limit at 1,780,000 pounds whole weight and establishes an Annual Catch Target of 1,539,000 pounds whole weight. The amendment also establishes a 2,000-pound commercial trip limit. Approval and implementation is pending.
Reef Fish Amendment 34 - Amendment Guide
Amendment 34 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan was approved by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in February 2012. The amendment addresses crew size limits for dually permitted vessels. Dually permitted vessels are vessels with both a charter for-hire permit and a commercial reef fish permit. The amendment eliminates the earned income qualification requirement for the renewal of commercial reef fish permits and increases the maximum crew size from three to four. Implementation is pending.
Reef Fish Amendment 32 - Amendment Guide
Amendment 32 establishes annual catch limits and annual catch targets for 2012 to 2015 for gag and for 2012 for red grouper. The amendment also:
- establishes a rebuilding plan for gag
- sets recreational bag limits, size limits and closed seasons for gag/red grouper in 2012
- contains a commercial gag and shallow-water grouper quota adjustment to account for dead discards
- makes adjustments to multi-use IFQ shares in the grouper individual fishing quota program
- reduces the commercial gag size limit
- modifies the offshore time and areas closures
- revises gag, red grouper, and shallow-water grouper accountability measures
Amendment 32 became effective March 12, 2012.
A 2011 regulatory framework action for greater amberjack is intended to avoid in-season quota closures during peak economic fishing months, maximize social and economic benefits, and potentially provide biological benefits by protecting the stock during the peak spawning period. This regulatory framework action modifies the existing greater amberjack recreational fishing season, creating a June 1 - July 31 closed season. This closure coincides with the open recreational seasons for other managed reef fish species such as red snapper. By dividing the recreational greater amberjack season into two portions that bracket the red snapper season recreational anglers have the opportunity to fish for at least one of the targeted species year round (provided the recreational quota is not exceeded). This gives the for-hire and private recreational sectors the opportunity for a greater number of fishing days for highly targeted or prized reef fish species, potentially improving the social and economic benefits.
A 2011 regulatory amendment for red snapper increases the red snapper total allowable catch from 6.945 million pounds (MP) to 7.185 MP. This increase is consistent with goals and objectives of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s red snapper rebuilding plan, and provides a substantial safety buffer by keeping the total allowable catch 25 percent below the overfishing limit (which is also the maximum rebuilding yield). Based on the current 51% commercial and 49% recreational allocation of red snapper, the increase in total allowable catch will adjust the commercial and recreational quotas from 3.542 and 3.403 MP to 3.66 MP and 3.51 MP in 2011. The commercial sector is under an individual fishing quota program and has maintained landings within their quota in recent years. The projected recreational fishing season length will be announced before the season opens on June 1.
A 2010 regulatory amendment to the reef fish fishery management plan sets the red grouper total allowable catch at 5.68 MP GW for 2011. Based on the 76%:24% commercial and recreational allocation of red grouper, the commercial quota will be 4.32 MP GW and the recreational allocation will be 1.36 MP GW for 2011. The total allowable catch and commercial quota will remain at the 2011 levels until modified by a subsequent amendment or framework procedure.
The regulatory amendment also provides a more specific definition of buoy gear by limiting the number of hooks, limiting the terminal end weight, restricting materials used for the line, restricting the length of the drop line, and where the hooks may be attached. In addition, the Council requested that each buoy must display the official number of the vessel (USCG documentation number or state registration number) to assist law enforcement in monitoring the use of the gear, which requires rulemaking.
Amendment 31 addresses sea turtle interactions with bottom longline fishing gear in the reef fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico, received Council approval in August and was implemented May 26, 2010.
Management actions contained in the amendment include:
- Longline endorsement requirement - Vessels must have average annual reef fish landings of 40,000 pounds gutted weight or more from 1999 through 2007;
- Reef fish bottom longline fishing restricted to outside the 35-fathom depth contour from June - August;
- Vessels are limited to 1000 hooks of which no more than 750 of which can be rigged for fishing or fished.
A 2010 regulatory amendment for red snapper increases the red snapper total allowable catch making the resulting recreational and commercial quotas consistent with goals and objectives of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's red snapper rebuilding plan. This regulatory amendment increases red snapper total allowable catch from 5.0 million pounds (MP) to 6.945 MP.
Amendment 30B addresses the overfishing of Gag grouper, and defines its maximum stock size threshold (MSST) and optimum yield (OY). The amendment also sets interim allocations of gag and red grouper catches between recreational and commercial fisheries, and makes adjustments to the red grouper total allowable catch (TAC) to reflect the current status of the stock, which is currently at OY levels. Additionally, the amendment establishes annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) for the commercial and recreational red grouper fisheries, commercial and recreational gag fisheries, and commercial aggregate shallow-water fishery.
For the commercial sector, the amendment for 2009 reduces the aggregate shallow-water grouper quota from 8.80 mp to 7.8 mp, increases the red grouper quota from 5.31 mp to 5.75 mp, and sets a gag quota of 1.32 mp. The gag and shallow-water grouper quotas are scheduled to increase in subsequent years as the gag stock rebuilds. When 80 percent of a grouper species quota is reached, the allowable catch per trip for that species will be reduced to an incidental catch limit of 200 pounds until the species quota is filled in order to reduce discard mortality of that species while fishermen target other species.
The amendment repeals the commercial closed season of February 15 to March 15 on gag, black and red grouper, and replaces it with a January through April seasonal area closure to all fishing at the Edges 40 fathom contour, a 390 nautical square mile gag spawning region northwest of Steamboat Lumps. In addition, the Steamboat Lumps and Madison-Swanson fishing area restrictions will be continued indefinitely.
For the recreational sector, the amendment reduces the aggregate grouper bag limit from five fish to four, increases the red grouper bag limit from one fish to two, and sets a two-fish bag limit for gag. A recreational closed season on shallow-water grouper was established from February 1 through March 31.
Finally, the amendment requires that all vessels with federal commercial or charter reef fish permits must comply with the more restrictive of state or federal reef fish regulations when fishing in state waters.
Implemented August, 2008, Amendment 30A addresses the overfishing and overfished status of Gray Triggerfish and Greater Amberjack.
The amendment proposes to reduce the harvest of both greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in order to end overfishing and rebuild the stocks. The amendment also proposes to adjust the allocation of gray triggerfish and greater amberjack catches between recreational and commercial fisheries and set management thresholds and targets to comply with the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) for gray triggerfish.
Amendment 29 was approved by the Council in January, 2009 and established an individual fishing quota (IFQ) system for the commercial grouper and tilefish fishery, which began January 1, 2010.
Reef Fish Amendment 28
Amendment 28 is under consideration for the possible allocation of red grouper.
