South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

The South Atlantic Bite

Newsworthy Notes – July 23rd, 2024


Apply Now for Open Advisory Panel Seats

Get involved in the federal fishery management process by applying for open advisory panel seats. Advisory panel members provide information and recommendations and play a key role in the fishery management process.

The Council is soliciting applicants for the following:

  • For-Hire Reporting Advisory Panel – a new AP to provide input on federal reporting requirements for the recreational for-hire industry;
  • Georgia representative on the Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel
  • Citizen Science Program’s Operations Committee

Additional details, including links to application forms are available from the Council’s website. Applications are due by August 12, 2024 for consideration by the Council during their September 16-20, 2024 meeting in Charleston, SC.


King and Spanish Mackerel Port Meetings Continue in SC and GA

A series of port meetings continues in late July and August, providing a unique opportunity for fishermen and others interested in the King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel fisheries to share their perspectives and vision for the future. The port meetings are being hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and state partners along the Atlantic coast in 2024. Meetings were held in North Carolina in April, New England in May, and New York in June.

Attendees at the port meetings will have the chance to actively discuss their perspectives with other fishery participants and local Council members. The informal meetings allow stakeholders to share their insights and help determine the future of these fisheries. A complete list of the Council’s goals and objectives for the meetings is available from the Council’s website.

Download a Mackerel Port Meeting flyer and help publicize a port meeting in your area!

Two dead Spanish mackerel laying next to each other.
King mackerel swims close to the surface.

July 30th, 2024: 6pm to 8pm

Pooler, GA

National Museum of the
Mighty Eighth Air Force

175 Bourne Ave,
Pooler, GA 31322

August 1st, 2024: 6pm to 8pm

Townsend, GA

Sapelo Saltwater
Fishing Club

3576 Old Shellman Rd,
Townsend, GA 31331

August 7th, 2024: 6pm to 8pm

Murrells Inlet, SC

Murrells Inlet
Community Center

4462 Murrells Inlet Rd,
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

August 8th 2024: 6pm to 8pm

Charleston, SC

SC Department of
Natural Resources
Outdoor Classroom

217 Fort Johnson Rd,
Charleston, SC 29412


Attention Shrimp Industry Members – Information Needed to Assess Impacts of Imports

The International Trade Commission (ITC) continues anti-dumping and countervailing investigations of frozen warmwater shrimp imports from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As part of the final phase of the investigation, the ITC is requesting members of the U.S. shrimp industry complete detailed online questionnaires by July 26, 2024. The ITC also issued questionnaires to all U.S. shrimp importers, to U.S. shrimp purchasers, and foreign shrimp processors and exporters.

The responses to these questionnaires will be analyzed by the ITC to determine whether antidumping and countervailing duties on frozen warmwater shrimp imported from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam should be imposed. While antidumping duties are currently imposed on shrimp imports from India and Vietnam, these duties to not address any subsidies that the shrimp industries in those countries receive. Shrimp imports from Ecuador and Indonesia are currently imported duty-free.

Learn more by visiting the Southern Shrimp Alliance website and from the International Trade Commission.


FISHstory Citizen Science Project Back on the Zooniverse Platform

Use your fish ID skills and contribute

With hundreds of historic fishing photos from the South Atlantic region collected as part of the FISHstory project, the project is now officially back on Zooniverse, a crowd sourcing platform that allows the public to help unlock the information these photos contain.The FISHstory project uses historic dock photos from the 1940s – 1980s to document catch and size composition from this time period.

The photos tell important stories about offshore fishing in the South Atlantic before catch monitoring began, but it would take an incredibly long time to analyze them without help from members of the public. The Zooniverse platform trains volunteers to help count and identify the fish in these pictures. If you are interested in joining the FISHstory project on Zooniverse, get started here: www.zooniverse.org/projects/safmcadmin/fishstory.

Check out the FISHstory feature for July on SciStarter, a weekly, virtual series that features project scientists to learn about citizen science projects.

Big thanks to our partners at NC State University for lending their support and expertise to the FISHstory project! Learn more about FISHstory and the Council’s Citizen Science Program at: https://safmc.net/citizen-science/fishstory/.


SAFMC’s Best Fishing Practices Master Volunteer Program

Workshops continue in Florida during August

Fishermen who fish for snapper grouper species in federal waters take note! Plan now to attend an in-person two hour workshop in your area and be a part of the Council’s Best Fishing Practices (BFP) Master Volunteer Program (MVP). The workshops will focus on best practices that improve survival of released fish and how to get involved in the Council process, including Citizen Science projects. 

August 20th: New Smyrna Beach, FL 

Marine Discovery Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd 

August 21st: Jupiter, FL 

Jupiter Recreation Center, 6401 W Indiantown Rd

 

August 22nd: Key West, FL 

Beachside Resort and Residences, 3841 N Roosevelt Blvd 

August 27th: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (5-7pm)

Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Classroom 3, 505 Guana River Rd 


Additional Snippets:

Collaborate with FWC on Exempted Fishing Permits to Collect Better Datat on Red Snapper

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been awarded three Exempted Fishing Permits by NOAA Fisheries to conduct three unique studies. The studies will collect better data on Atlantic red snapper and other snapper-grouper species to improve management of these critical species in the South Atlantic. EFPs are permits that allow otherwise prohibited harvesting for specific purposes. These studies will enable FWC to collaborate with anglers, test innovative ways to reduce red snapper discards, increase harvest opportunities and improve angler satisfaction. Learn more.

Reopening of the Commercial Golden Tilefish Longline Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on July 24, 2024 for Eight Days

NOAA Fisheries announced that the golden tilefish longline commercial fishery will reopen for eight days beginning July 24, 2024. Updated commercial catch reports indicated that commercial landings have not met the 2024 revised commercial longline catch limit. Details are available in the Fishery Bulletin from NOAA Fisheries.

Huge Amberjack That Ate Snapper Off Angler’s Line Breaks SC Record

“I’ve caught amberjacks up to 80 pounds. But this fish was different – much stronger and larger than anything I’ve tangled before,” explained angler Jim Carroll. Read more and see the photos in this article from Outdoor Life about the SC record amberjack weighing in at 129 pounds!


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!

July 31 and August 1, 2024

Public Hearings – Snapper Grouper Reg Amendment 36

Via webinar

Additional information

August 13 and 14, 2024

Public Hearings – Snapper Grouper Amendment 55

Via webinar

Additional information

August 15, 2024

Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Meeting

Via webinar

Additional information

September 16-20, 2024

SAFMC Meeting

Charleston, SC

Additional information