The South Atlantic Bite
Newsworthy Notes – March 27th, 2025
Spring Advisory Panel Meetings
Register now to attend via webinar; meeting materials available online
Members of the Council’s advisory panels provide insight into local and area fisheries including the commercial, recreational, and for-hire sectors, as well as enforcement, habitat protection, and other federal fisheries management issues. The Council has 11 advisory panels (APs) as well as ad hoc APs to temporarily address specific issues. Meetings are open to the public and available via webinar as they occur.
Interested in serving on an advisory panel? Open advisory panel seats are advertised by the Council prior to their June and December meetings each year. Application forms and additional information about the advisory panels is available from the Council’s website. Three advisory panels are scheduled to meet beginning next week. Detailed information, including webinar registration links, briefing book materials, and an online public comment form is available two weeks prior to each meeting.
Upcoming Advisory Panel Meetings
Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel (March 31 – April 1, 2025)
Crowne Plaza Hotel | Charleston, SC | Meeting Information
Agenda items include an overview of Mackerel Port Meetings held along the Atlantic coast in 2024-25 and the draft report from those stakeholder meetings. AP members will also provide input on an amendment under development to improve for-hire reporting, as well as the Council’s “Lines of Communications” constituent meetings scheduled to begin later this year.
Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel | April 2-3, 2025
Crowne Plaza Hotel | Charleston, SC | Meeting Information
The Snapper Grouper AP will receive updates on the Florida Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit Discard Research Project and provide recommendations to the Council for the management of Golden Tilefish, Gag, and Black Sea Bass.
Dolphin Wahoo Advisory Panel | April 22-23, 2025
Town and Country Inn | Charleston, SC | Meeting Information
AP members will review a draft of Regulatory Amendment 3 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan addressing proposed changes to minimum size limits and recreational bag limits for Dolphin as well as other amendments under development by the Council and ongoing Council programs and initiatives.
Note: Each of the advisory panels will also review the Council’s 2023-2027 Research and Monitoring Prioritization Plan and receive updates on the Citizen Science Program.
Seminar Series: South Atlantic Black Sea Bass – Distribution Shifts, Juvenile Recruitment, and Genetic Stock Structure
April 8, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Webinar registration
What is happening with Black Sea Bass in the South Atlantic? Join staff from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) as they provide an overview of where the South Atlantic Black Sea Bass stock is, how it has been changing, and recent work to better understand these changes. SCDNR staff will focus on three completed or ongoing projects that address the interaction between distribution and stock size, estimates of juvenile recruitment, and genetic stock structure.
This seminar is part of the Council’s ongoing seminar series designed to take a closer look at scientific studies and topics relevant to fisheries in federal waters of the South Atlantic. They are open to the public and time is allowed for discussion following the presentations. Previous presentations are archived on the Council’s website. Register now for this upcoming webinar and receive email reminders at the date approaches! Learn more about the seminar series and access previous presentations by visiting the Council’s website.
Regulation Notes: April Spawning Season Closure for Greater Amberjack and Other Reminders
Keeping up with current federal fishing regulations can be a challenge. Spawning season closures, seasonal openings, and closures occurring due to meeting annual catch limits keep things changing throughout the year.
Carry the latest fishing regulations with you by downloading the free Fish Rules mobile app. Fish Rules provides state and federal fishing regulations based on your location, in an easy to understand format. With a glance, know if a fish is in season, how many you can keep, how big they have to be, and more. There are Fish Rules applications for both recreational and commercial regulations.
Regulation Notes:
Greater Amberjack – An annual spawning season closure prohibits harvest for both recreational and commercial sectors April 1 – April 30.
Gag Grouper – NOAA Fisheries recently announced that the recreational season for 2025 will open on May 1 and close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on June 26, 2025.
Golden Tilefish – The recreational season opens January 1 each year and NOAA Fisheres announced the season closed March 21, 2025.
Additional information on seasonal closures is available from the NOAA Fisheries website. You can also find federal regulations for species managed by the Council on our website.
Additional Snippets:
SC Wildlife ‘Webinar Wednesdays’ Focuses on FISHstory
In a nod to Earth Day, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation is hosting a series of webinars in April. The first webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, April 2nd will feature the Council’s Citizen Science Project FISHstory. Citizen Science Program Coordinator Julia Byrd will describe the project that uses historic fishing photos to provide information useful for federal fisheries management, project results to date, and how to get involved. Learn more: Wild Webinar Wednesdays – South Carolina Wildlife Federation
NPR Series Highlights Issues with Sharks and Council Member Jimmy Hull’s Involvement in the Fishery
Sharks on the Line is a 3-part feature by NPR’s WUSF that is highlighting issues with sharks in Florida, including increasing frustration with shark depredation as recreational fishing effort increases and shark populations continue to rebuild. Part 2 of the series “Tight lines” includes an interview with Florida Council member Jimmy Hull, a full-time commercial fisherman whose catch includes sharks. The interview includes challenges facing the commercial fishery and Jimmy’s personal perspective gained from spending decades on the water.
Pilot Test of Field Forensic Device Identifies More Than 40 Tons of Trafficked Fish
NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is bringing the forensics lab directly into the hands of enforcement staff with a new rapid genetics device to help them stop seafood fraud and illegal trade. See how a new innovative tool, developed in conjunction with Florida International University, is being used to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing across the U.S. in this feature story from NOAA Fisheries.
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!