South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
The Council held a series of in-person public hearings from Morehead City, NC to Key Largo, FL in the past two weeks to gather public input and help answer concerns and questions as the Council continues to solicit public comment for two actions proposed in Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 35.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold public hearings and scoping meetings in January and early February to solicit input on proposed measures for species in the snapper grouper management complex.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking a Best Fishing Practices (BFP) Outreach Specialist that will support the Council’s Best Fishing Practices Outreach Initiative and the Outreach and Communication Program.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in North Carolina covered a broad range of topics as the Council addressed federal fishery management issues. The Council held meetings of its Snapper Grouper Committee, Mackerel Cobia Committee, Outreach and Communications Committee, and meetings of the Full Council throughout the week. A public comment session was also held on Wednesday.
The Council is seeking a contractor to study and document interests, motivations, and concerns of fishermen who might participate in the SAFMC’s growing Citizen Science Program. The Council’s Citizen Science Program involves fishermen, scientists, and managers in the design and support of projects that address research needs identified by the Council. For many fisheries in the South Atlantic, there are long-standing data needs and limited resources for data collection.
These are all topics that will be addressed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council when it convenes its December meeting next week at the Blockade Runner Resort Hotel in Wrightsville Beach, NC to address federal fishery management issues. In addition, the Council has scheduled a Climate Change Scenario Planning Workshop on Monday, December 5th as part of the week-long meeting.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold its December 2022 meeting at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina beginning next Monday, December 5th, and continuing through Friday, December 9th at noon. The meeting will be held at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort, 275 Waynick Boulevard, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480.
It’s a problem all too common to many offshore fishermen – a shark partially or completely consumes a fish before you have the chance to get it near the boat. Although sharks are managed by NOAA Fisheries through their Highly Migratory Species Division, Council members continue to hear from frustrated fishermen about shark depredation and the biological and economic costs.
Fishery biologists, stock assessment scientists, and other natural resource specialists from state and federal agencies will meet in Charleston, SC next week to address a broad range of federal fisheries topics and provide recommendations to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
The Council’s seminar series continues next Tuesday, October 11, 2022, via webinar with a presentation by Dr. Nate Bacheler with NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center on how underwater video cameras are being used on traps as part of the Southeast Reef Fish Survey.
