Fishery Management Plan for Coral and Coral Reefs (1982) (PDF file) Set optimum yield for stony corals and sea fans at zero, except as may be authorized for scientific and educational purposes under permit issued by NMFS Southeast regional administrator; OY for octocorals, except sea fans, was set at the level harvested by U.S. fishermen with the expected level of harvest
Amendment 1 (1990)
Implemented a combined octocoral quota for Gulf and South Atlantic EEZ.
Amendment 2 (1994)
Provided definitions of live rock and allowable octocoral; Prohibited all wild live rock harvest north of Dade County, FL; Prohibited chipping throughout South Atlantic jurisdiction; Required permit for possession or harvest of aquaculture operation in the EEZ; and Implemented a phase-out of all wild rock harvest South of Dade County, FL.
Amendment 3 (1995)
Established a live rock aquaculture permit system for the South Atlantic EEZ; Prohibited octocoral harvest north of Cape Canaveral, Florida; Prohibited anchoring of fishing vessels in the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern; This amendment established a separate fishery management plan for the South Atlantic.
Notice of Availability Proposed Rule Final Rule
Amendment 4 (1998)
Identified Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for coral, coral reefs and live/hard bottom habitats of the south Atlantic region.; established EFH-Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) for coral, coral reefs and live/hard bottom habitats; expanded the Oculina Bank HAPC to an area bounded to the west by 80oW. longitude, to the north by 28o30'N. latitude, to the south by 27o30'N. latitude, and to the east by the 100 fathom (600 feet) depth contour; established the following two Satellite Oculina HAPCs: (1) Satellite Oculina HAPC #1 is bounded on the north by 28o30'N. latitude, on the south by 28o29'N. latitude, on the east by 80oW. longitude, and on the west by 80o3' W. longitude, an (2) Satellite Oculina HAPC #2 is bounded on the north by 28o17'N. latitude, on the south by 28o16'N. latitude, on the east by 80oW. longitude, and on the west by 80o3'W. longitude.
Proposed Rule Final Rule
Amendment 5 (1998)
Amended the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) as required to make definitions of MSY, OY, overfishing and overfished consistent with "National Standard Guidelines"; identified and defined fishing communities and addressed bycatch management measures.
The FMP, as amended, prohibits taking of coral reefs, and, specifically, stony corals and black corals, fire coral and hydrocorals and two species of seafans. The plan provides for a limited harvest of soft corals or octocorals except the two prohibited species of seafans and establishes coral habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC). Within HAPCs, fishing with bottom longlines, traps, pots, and bottom trawls is prohibited. Several HAPCs have been designated in conjunction with the Oculina Bank, off Ft. Pierce on Florida’s East Coast. In addition, toxic chemicals may not be used to take fish or other marine organisms in or on a “coral area” including patch reefs, outer bank reefs, deepwater banks, and hard bottoms. Collection of dead coral or calcium carbonate rock (known as “live rock” in the aquarium trade) was prohibited and a live rock aquaculture permit system for the South Atlantic EEZ was established to encourage aquaculture of live rock as a substitute. The plan also established criteria for issuance of permits to take prohibited coral for scientific, research, and educational, purposes and a permit system for use of allowable chemicals and harvest of octocorals (50,000 colony annual quota in the EEZ). The Council has been successful in protecting the fragile coral resources in the South Atlantic from degradation due to direct harvest and/or unintended damage from bottom tending fishing gear.