Black Sea Bass Management Options Approved for Public Scoping; NOAA Fisheries Provides Red Snapper Update
December 2024 Council Meeting News Release
Discussions on management options for Black Sea Bass in federal waters continued last week during the meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Due to low stock abundance, options are being considered to reduce allowable catch levels for Black Sea Bass.
The Council reviewed input from its Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel and Scientific and Statistical Committee while considering management options to include in Amendment 56 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment currently includes options to review allocations between commercial and recreational sectors, changes to fishing year start dates, and to reopen nearshore areas to the use of on-demand (ropeless) black sea bass pot commercial gear.
Amendment 56 may also include options to reduce recreational discards of Black Sea Bass through actions such as the use of single-hook rigs, closed nearshore areas in federal waters, changes to recreational bag and size limits, and a recreational seasonal closure. Public scoping meetings to get input on the options being considered will be held via webinar prior to the Council’s March 2025 meeting.
Red Snapper
NOAA Fisheries provided an update on the status of the Secretarial Amendment being developed by the agency to end overfishing of Red Snapper in the South Atlantic. During the Council meeting, a Fishery Bulletin was released by NOAA Fisheries that summarized actions being considered. The Council was informed that the Southeast Fisheries Science Center is conducting an update to the Red Snapper stock assessment to inform actions in the Secretarial Amendment. The Council will receive additional information from NOAA Fisheries during its March 2025 meeting.
Council members also received an update on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Exempted Fishing Permit Project. The ongoing project, funded through NOAA Fisheries, collaborates with fishermen to obtain catch and discard data, test ways to reduce discards, and allow additional harvest of Red Snapper. Participants must complete an online education course, report their fishing trips via an app, and complete an angler satisfaction survey. The project is currently scheduled to last until July 2025.
Dolphin
The Council received a presentation on the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) being completed for the Dolphin fishery. Dolphin are managed by the Council in federal waters along the entire Atlantic coast. The Council is considering management options for Dolphin through Regulatory Amendment 3 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan. The Dolphin MSE is intended to help the Council identify and evaluate management actions to ensure a sustainable fishery. The Council will hold a meeting of its Dolphin Wahoo Advisory Panel in the spring and continue to discuss management options during its June 9-13, 2025, meeting in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
For-Hire Reporting
The Council continued discussions on the need to improve compliance from nearly 2000 federally permitted for-hire (charter) vessels in the South Atlantic required to report through the Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting (SEFHIER) Program. SEFEIER is administered by NOAA Fisheries and designed to improve data collection in the for-hire fishery. The program was initiated in 2021, but there are concerns about the level of participation. Council members shared frustration from for-hire fishermen who have participated in the program for the past four years without having seen the results of those efforts. The Council reviewed input from its Social and Economic Panel during the meeting and is developing an amendment to improve the program. A new For-Hire Reporting Advisory Panel and the Council’s Law Enforcement AP will meet prior to the Council’s March 2025 meeting to provide recommendations.
Additional Information
Additional information about the Council’s December meeting, including individual committee reports and reports from meetings of the Full Council, is now available from the Council’s website: https://safmc.net/events/december-2024-council-meeting/. The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for March 3-7, 2025, in Jekyll Island, Georgia.