Archive – Public Hearings & Scoping Meetings – Jan/Feb 2016

Current Public Hearing & Scoping Meeting Schedule- January/February 2016

See Public Hearing & Scoping Meeting Archives here.

Meeting Schedule - Meeting Dates and Locations 

Below is the schedule for Q&A webinars with Council staff and the schedule of public hearing and scoping meetings. 

Q&A webinars provide the public opportunity to watch a presentation on each amendment and ask Council staff questions prior to the public hearing meetings. Public hearing and scoping meetings provide the public opportunity to talk with local Council representatives and provide formal comment on the record about each amendment. 

The Council will also accept written comments through 5:00 PM on February 10, 2016. See below for instructions on submitting written comments. 

Amendment Overview:

Scoping - 

Snapper Grouper Amendment 41 - Includes actions to specify the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), Maximum Stock Size Threshold (MSST), revise the Annual Catch Limit (ACL) and Optimum Yield (OY) and recreational Annual Catch Target (ACT).  The amendment also includes options to modify the recreational bag limit.

Public Hearing - 

Atlantic Generic Charter/For-Hire Reporting Amendment - The amendment will effect the fishery management plans for Snapper Grouper, Atlantic Dolphin Wahoo and Coastal Migratory Pelagic fisheries. The amendment includes actions to require mandatory electronic reporting for charter (six-pack) vessels and modifies existing reporting requirements for . The reporting requirements would affect vessels involved in the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper fishery, Dolphin Wahoo fishery, and Coastal Migratory Pelagic fishery along the Atlantic coast.headboats. 

Snapper Grouper Amendment 37 - The amendment includes actions to modify the management boundary between the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, establish two separate stocks in the South Atlantic with a “Georgia/North Carolina” stock and a “Florida Keys/East Florida” stock for management purposes, specify the MSY, MSST, ACLs and ACTs for both stocks and establish a rebuilding plan for the Florida Keys/East Florida stock.  The rebuilding plan includes measures to increase the minimum size limit, establish a commercial trip limit, reduce the recreational bag limit, and establish a recreational fishing season. The amendment would also establish Accountability Measures for both stocks.

Coastal Migratory Pelagic Amendment 26 - Actions in the amendment include modifying the management/stock boundary for Gulf and Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel, updating the biological reference points and revising the ABC, OY, ACLs and recreational ACT for Atlantic Group king mackerel, creating an incidental catch allowance of Atlantic group king mackerel caught in the shark gillnet fishery, establishing split season commercial quotas for harvest of Atlantic group king mackerel in the Southern Zone, and establishing boundaries and trip limits for a [new] Florida East Coast management zone for Atlantic group king mackerel. 

Meeting Materials: Amendment Documents & Presentations

Note: View all of the video presentations at the SAFMC YouTube channel! Look at the January 2016 Public Hearing Amendments playlist and choose which presentation to watch. 

Submitting Public Comment

Written comments can be submitted through:

• E-mail - mike.collins@safmc.net (Please reference the name of the amendment you are submitting comments about in the subject line of your e-mail.)

• Fax - 843. 769.4520

• Mail - Send written comments to Gregg Waugh, Executive Director, SAFMC, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC  29405.

• Deadline for written comments - February 10, 2016 (by 5:00 PM)