Gulf Council Pre-Meeting Highlight

Howdy,
The following is an update on what to count on at the next meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in Austin, Texas on August 15-19, 2011. I encourage you to submit public comment to gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org by August 9, 2011, so that it can be provided into the briefing components presented to Council members ahead of the meeting. As always, if you have any concerns, remember to make contact with me directly at Emily.muehlstein@gulfcouncil.org.

Your Chum,
Emily Muehlstein
Fisheries Outreach Expert
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

P.S. You don’t have to like us to “like” us on Facebook

On the Plate – Troubles up for Last Action

Reef Fish Amendment 32
This proposed amendment to the reef fish administration program offers with the rebuilding of the gag stock and the administration of red grouper. The proposed amendment is made up of 7 actions that tackle the adhering to:
1.Rebuilding prepare for gag
2.Recreational bag limits, measurement limits, and closed seasons for gag and adjustments to the red grouper bag limits
three.Industrial gag and shallow-h2o grouper quota changes to account for dead discards
four.Adjustments to commercial multi-use IFQ shares
5.Commercial gag measurement limit
six.Time and place closures
seven.Accountability actions
A information to the proposed amendment is available at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFM…%20Booklet.pdf

Generic Annual Catch Limit and Accountability Measures Amendment
The Council is essential by legislation (the Magnuson-Stevens Act) to finish and stop overfishing by means of the use of yearly catch limits and accountability measures by the finish of this calendar year. These needs have been, or are becoming, addressed in various amendments for gag, red grouper, red snapper, gray triggerfish, better amberjack, cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, and spiny lobster. This generic amendment will address the remaining stocks with the consideration of 8 actions:
one.Administration of species by other state/federal agencies
two.Removing of stocks from the management prepare
3.Species groupings
4.Acceptable biological catch management rule
five.Yearly catch reduce/yearly catch target manage rule
six.Generic framework treatment
seven.Initial specification of annual catch limits
eight.Jurisdictional apportionment of black grouper, yellowtail snapper, and mutton snapper amongst Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Councils
nine. Set up commercial and recreational sector allocations for black grouper
10.Accountability actions

A presentation explaining the proposed amendment can be viewed at:
http://vimeo.com/26636369

Mackerel – Amendment 18
This proposed amendment addresses a amount of different actions that offer with cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
1.Modifications to administration of cero, dolphin, tiny tunny, and bluefish.
two.Modification of framework procedure
three.Establishment of separate Atlantic and Gulf Migratory groups of Cobia.
four.Yearly Catch Limits, Yearly Catch Targets, and accountability actions for cobia, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel.
A manual to the actions in the amendment can be discovered at:
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFM…%20Booklet.pdf

Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment
The Scientific and Statistical Committee has advised that the red grouper Appropriate Biological Catch be arranged at seven.93 million kilos (mp). The Council has initiated a regulatory amendment that will improve the red grouper Complete Allowable Catch for 2011 through 2015. This will enhance the Total Allowable Catch as follows:
Year Old Total Allowable Catch New Whole Allowable Catch
2011 5.68 mp 6.88 mp
2012 7.22 mp 7.07 mp
2013 7.39 mp 7.27 mp
2014 seven.46 mp 7.41 mp
2015+ seven.53 mp 7.52 mp
* mp = hundreds of thousands of kilos
This amendment will also tackle an improve in the red grouper recreational bag restrict (also in the generic Yearly Catch Limits and Accountability Measures amendment).

In the Cooler- Issues that Nevertheless Need Planning Prior to Closing Motion

Red Snapper Fall Year- Draft Regulatory Amendment
This proposed amendment would revise the structure of the drop recreational snapper time. At this meeting Council is anticipated to pick desired alternatives for steps becoming deemed:
1.Revise or get rid of the October through December fixed closed time. Currently, the recreational red snapper time ought to stop by September, 30th. Pushing the probable closure date back again will allow Council to have more red snapper season administration choices.
two.Provide for weekends only, or weekdays only fishing durations. This would present Council more options for administration in-time and throughout a supplemental period if the fishery is reopened following getting prematurely closed.
3.Boost the 2012 red snapper Whole Allowable Catch primarily based on the 2011 red snapper re-run analyses.

Public hearings for this regulatory amendment will be held sometime after the August 2011 Council meeting.

Amberjack Draft Amendment 35
Larger Amberjack stock has been beneath a rebuilding prepare given that 2003 since it was determined to be overfished. The Magnuson-Stevens Acts calls for that overfished stocks be rebuilt within ten a long time, and that deadline is rapidly approaching. In March 2011, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the most current larger amberjack stock evaluation and established that the appropriate biological catch really should be arranged at one.78 million pounds. The Yearly Catch Restrict can not be set larger than the appropriate biological catch degree, so the Council considers adjusting the latest stock Annual Catch Limit centered on the recommendations created by the Scientific and Statistical Committee. The adhering to proposed actions in this amendment will also take into account alterations to recreational and business administration measures:
1.Modify stock Yearly Catch Limits based on Scientific and Statistical Committee suggestions
2.Considers including a trip reduce to the commercial sector and modifying the fixed closed year
three.Considers altering the fixed closed period (currently, June and July), adjusting the minimal dimensions reduce for the recreational fishery, and exploring proportional fish to angler bag limits.