Regulatory Amendment 19 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

Download or read book Regulatory Amendment 19 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment update for black sea bass was completed in 2013, and suggests the annual catch limit (ACL) for this species could be increased based upon the new acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels recommended by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (South Atlantic Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The stock assessment update indicates black sea bass is no longer undergoing overfishing, is not overfished, and the stock is rebuilt. Based on the outcome of the stock assessment update for black sea bass, the SSC applied the approved ABC control rule to black sea bass, revised P* to be 40%, and recommended new ABC values for 2013-2015. At their December 2012 meeting, the South Atlantic Council determined it would be appropriate to modify certain management measures that are currently in place for black sea bass including changes to the commercial and recreational fishing years. The South Atlantic Council is considering modification to black sea bass management measures in Regulatory Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper Grouper FMP), which is currently being developed. The South Atlantic Council stated in Section 1.4 of the Comprehensive ACL Amendment that necessary changes to the ABCs, ACLs, annual catch targets (ACT), and accountability measures for snapper grouper species would be made through the framework procedure modified in Amendment 17B to the Snapper Grouper FMP, which is a more rapid process than a plan amendment. In Regulatory Amendment 19 to the Snapper Grouper FMP (Regulatory Amendment 19), the South Atlantic Council is proposing: adjustments to the ACLs (including sector ACLs), recreational ACT, and optimum yield for black sea bass based on the ABC recommendation of the SSC, which is supported by the recent stock assessment update; and an annual prohibition on the use of black sea bass pots from November 1 through April 30 to minimize the probability of interactions between black sea bass pot gear and Endangered Species Act-listed whales during large whale migrations and right whale calving season off the southeastern coast"--Summary (page iii).