Snapper Grouper Amendment 4

Implemented Regulations

• Created a new list of objectives for the FMP:
  • Prevent overfishing in all species by maintaining the spawning stock ratio (SSR) at or above target levels.
  • Collect necessary data to develop, monitor and assess biological, economic and social impacts of management measures designed to prevent overfishing, obtain desired SSR levels and address the other stated problems.
  • Promote orderly utilization of the resource.
  • Provide for a flexible management system that minimizes regulatory delays while retaining substantial Council and public involvement in management decisions, and rapidly adapts to changes in resource abundance, new scientific information, and changes in fishing patterns among user groups.
  • Minimize habitat damage due to direct and indirect effects of recreational and commercial fishing activities.
  • Promote public comprehension of, voluntary compliance with, and enforcement of the management measures.
• Defined Spawning stock ratio (SSR), overfishing (in and general and then for goliath and all other species), rebuilding plan, fishery descriptions and utilization patterns.
• Defined permits and permit conditions (see amendment for conditions).
• Defined fishery-dependent data collection methods and assessment grouper and annual adjustments.
• Established a 8″ TL min size for lane snapper and retained the 8″ TL min size for black sea bass, 12″ TL min size for yellowtail, gray, mutton, schoolmaster, queen, blackfin, cubera, dog, mahogany, and silk snapper, 12″ TL min size for red porgy and commercially caught vermilion snapper, and 10″ TL min size for recreationally caught vermilion snapper, 20″ TL min size for red snapper, gag, red, black, scamp, yellowfin, and yellowmouth grouper.
• 28″ FL min size for recreational fishery and 36″ FL or 28″ core length in the commercial fishery for greater amberjack.
• Established a 0 quota and bag limit for Nassau grouper.
• Specified a vermilion snapper bag limit of 10 fish, possession limits are one day except for charter/head boat which may have a two-day possession limit and for excursion boats which may have up to a three-day possession limit.
• Specified a snapper aggregate bag limit of 10 excluding vermilion snapper and specify that no more than two can be red snappers. Possession limits are one day except for charter/head boats which may have a two-day possession limit and for excursion boats which may up to a three-day possession.
• Specified a grouper aggregate bag limit of five excluding Nassau grouper and goliath which would remain with 0 bag limits, possession limits are one day except for charter/head boats which may have a two-day possession limit and for excursion boats which may have up to a three-day possession limit.
• Specified a greater amberjack bag limit of three. Possession limits are one day except for charter/head boats which have a two-day possession limit and for excursion boats which may have up to a three-day possession limit.
• Addressed enforcement concerns that have recently surfaced with the wreckfish trip limits by implementing the following until replaced with a limited entry program:
  • It shall be deemed that all wreckfish possessed by any fisherman or dealer were taken in the EEZ unless it can be established through documentation that these fish were from outside the management unit.
  • There shall be no o:am:-ff-loading of any fishing vessel possessing wreckfish except during the hours from pm local time.
  • There shall be no off-loading of any fishing vessel possessing wreckfish without hrs prior notice to the NMFS LEO.
  • Dealers of snapper grouper must make available to authorized officers all records of landings and/or purchase of wreckfish upon demand.
  • The possession or landing or wreckfish without heads and fins intact is prohibited
• Add spadefish, lesser amberjack, and banded rudderfish to the FMU.
• Required that all snapper grouper species need to be landed with head and fins intact.
• Established a commercial spawning closure where commercial fishermen cannot retain more than the recreational bag limit of 3 fish during the month of April.
• Established a commercial spawning closure where commercial fishermen cannot retain more than the recreational bag limit during the month of May and June.
• Removed Little River Artificial Reef SMZ from the management plan.
• Allowed NMFS regional director is authorized to designate special research zones, in consultation with the Council, where fishing may either be prohibited or permitted on a controlled basis.
• Prohibited the use of entanglement nets (including but not limited to, gill nets and trammel nets) for the harvest of species in the snapper grouper MU.
• Prohibited the practice of bottom longlining in the wreckfish fishery in the entire SA EEZ until a limited entry system is developed and then determine if the prohibition should continue.
• Prohibited the use of powerheads/bang sticks for harvesting species in the MU within designated SMZs off S. Carolina. It is the Council’s intent that the possession of powerheads/bang sticks and mutilated fish be prohibited, possession of powerheads/bang sticks for safety purposes is allowed.
• Fish Traps: add gear, vessel and trap identification and permit requirements for black sea bass traps, prohibit the use of fish traps in the SA EEZ with the exception of BSB traps north of Cape Canaveral.
• Experimental gear – established a process where the regional director may issue permits for experimental gear on a limited basis to collect data and non-conforming gear is limited to the bag limit for species with a bag limit; for species with no bag limit, no retention is allowed.