The South Atlantic Bite

Posted 18 hours ago

Newsworthy Notes – August 7th, 2025

The deadline for providing written public comment to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council on measures proposed for a Rock Shrimp Fishery Access Area has been extended until Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 5 p.m.

The extension was proposed by a constituent during a public hearing held earlier this week via webinar. The Council is considering allowing the rock shrimp industry access to historic fishing grounds along the eastern edge of the northern extension of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC). The Oculina Bank HAPC is located off the east coast of Florida and encompasses areas where deepwater coral, Oculina varicosa, and associated habitats are found. Within the Coral HAPCs, the use of fishing gear (bottom longline, bottom and mid-water trawl, dredge, pot, and trap), anchoring by fishing vessels, and possession of deepwater coral is prohibited.

Additional information, including details about the in-person public hearing scheduled for today in St. Augustine, an online public comment form, public hearing document with maps of the preferred alternative, and a video presentation is available from the Council’s website:https://safmc.net/events/august-2025-public-hearings-comprehensive-amendment-coral-11-shrimp-12/.

SAFMC Seminar Series:A review of 15 years of fishery independent research and monitoring efforts to inform the assessment and management of South Atlantic Red Snapper

Tuesday, August 12, 2025 | 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. via webinar | Webinar Registration

The Council’s Science Seminar Series continues this month with a special look at Red Snapper in the South Atlantic. Dr. Ted Switzer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) will explain how FWRI has helped collect important information about Red Snapper over the last 15 years.

The 2010 closure of the Red Snapper fishery greatly reduced the ability to collect data directly from fishermen targeting Red Snapper. Consequently, FWRI initiated a research and monitoring program to augment the existing Southeast Reef Fish Survey that uses traps and cameras to monitor the fishery. These efforts were based largely on parallel work conducted in the Gulf of America.

From the outset, research and monitoring surveys were developed and implemented with close cooperation of stakeholders to integrate their knowledge and experience while also fostering buy-in. Beginning as an angler-based tagging study in 2010, this research and monitoring program has evolved form a series of one-off studies into an additional time series of abundance and age composition to track the population of South Atlantic Red Snapper

Join Dr. Switzer on Tuesday, August 12 as he provides an overview of the evolution of the program, key challenges, and lessons learned along the way. Register now to attend the seminar and receive email reminders. The seminar is open to the public and a Q&A session will be held following the presentation.

Council Seeks Public Input on Executive Order to Restore Seafood Competitiveness

On April 17, 2025, President Trump issued Executive order 14276: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. Among other things, the Executive Order requires the eight regional fishery management councils in the U.S. to identify actions that would stabilize markets, improve access, enhance economic profitability, and prevent closures.

The Council is currently seeking public input on the Executive Order through August 15, 2025. An online comment form and background information is available from the council’s Executive Order webpage. The web page includes a list of discussion questions to assist in generating comments on the topics of reducing burdens and increasing productivity, as well as innovative science and management.

The Council will consider input from its advisory panels and members of the public during its September meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.

Additional Snippets:

New Mobile App Simplifies Reporting of Illegal Hunting, Fishing, and Boating Activity in South Carolina

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Law Enforcement Division has partnered with the Hunt Regs App to offer a free and effective way for license holders to report illegal hunting, fishing, and boating activities across the state. The app directly connects users to the Operation Game Thief Program, alerting local game wardens and supervisors in real time. Reports can quality for cash awards, depending on the nature of the violation. Learn more and access the free app at: https://www.huntregsapp.com/southcarolinalandingpage/.

Tracking Illegal Fishing in Marine Protected Areas

Satellites and AI show most bans are respected, and could help enforce future ones

Marine protected areas cover more than 8% of the world’s oceans today, but that get a bad rap as being protected on paper only. See this recent article in The Conversation to learn more about a new global study showing that MPAs where industrial fishing is fully banned are largely succeeding at preventing poaching. The article features a global map of highly-protected and fully-protected areas, including some in the South Atlantic region.

Mark Your Calendar

Keep track of meetings scheduled by the Council from the Meetings page of the website and register for meeting webinars as information becomes available. Register early and receive email reminders as the meeting date(s) approach!