The South Atlantic Bite

The Council’s Seminar Series continues in April with a presentation by staff from Florida Atlantic University – Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute on Fish Acoustic Detection Algorithm Research (FADAR). The seminar will focus on FADAR, a method to identify grouper and other fish potentially spawning or communicating. Attendees will learn how this method has been used to identify Nassau grouper in the South Atlantic region and is being applied in other areas.

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Note that these seminars are for informational purposes only and no management actions will be taken. Learn more about this and other seminars in the series by visiting the Council’s website.

Interested in federal fisheries management and want to get more involved? Apply now for open seats on the Council’s advisory panels.

The Council’s advisory panels (APs) inform and advise the Council in development of federal fishery management plans and amendments. Members include recreational, commercial and for-hire fishermen, seafood dealers and processors, scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as environmental groups and fishing organizations, and concerned citizens.

Seats on APs may be allotted by state and fishery sector, with others considered “at large” and open to any interested person. Seats are currently available on the following advisory panels: Habitat and Ecosystem; Law Enforcement; Mackerel Cobia; Shrimp; Deepwater Shrimp; and Snapper Grouper. See the recent news release for details.

Learn more about all of the Council’s advisory panels and access the online application form by visiting the Council’s website. Applications must be received by Friday, April 26, 2024 for the Council to consider during its June 10-14, 2024 meeting in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.

Amy Whitaker Dukes, Regional Fisheries Manager with the Marine Resources Division of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, was recently appointed to serve as the agency’s representative on the South Atlantic Council. Amy assumes the seat following the retirement of former Council member Mel Bell as the Director of the Office of Fisheries Management at the Division.

Amy is no stranger to the Council and the fishery management process. In her position at SCDNR’s Marine Resources Division, she is responsible for managing the state’s commercial and recreational marine fisheries-dependent data collections and ensuring data collected are complete, accurate, and timely. Amy has over 17 years of experience working on a variety of projects and programs related to the collection of fishery-dependent data, both at the state and federal level. She also serves as the Program Director for the SC Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.

Learn more about Amy and her fisheries management philosophy as well as other members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Fish are under pressure – a lot of it.

Over the past several decades, the fishing industry has undergone a remarkable transformation. Whether it be the use of GPS-controlled self-anchoring trolling motors, the widespread adoption of multiple outboards on offshore rigs, or event the use of sophisticated sonars, technology has skyrocketed in the industry, allowing anglers, new and old, more access to fisheries than ever before.

Read the complete article by David Hugo, South Atlantic Reef Fish Extension and Communications Fellow, recently published in Keys Weekly. David shares his personal perspectives and experiences with Best Fishing Practices while onboard a headboat out of Key West earlier this year.