For Immediate Release

July 15, 2021

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks a highly-qualified contractor to organize and expand a vessel position monitoring system for the federally permitted Gulf of Mexico shrimp industry.  The current Gulf of Mexico electronic logbook (ELB) program that utilized a 3G cellular network to transmit data is no longer supported as of December 2020.

The Council, in coordination with NMFS, is seeking to develop a new program that will provide continued collection, storage, and transmission of shrimp vessel position data that are used to estimate shrimping effort in the Gulf of Mexico.  This new program is intended to replace the current shrimp ELB program which no longer transmits data through the 3G cellular network.  The need for this study is to test the P-Sea WindPlot software program with a portion of the shrimp fleet in the near term to determine if it meets the needs of industry, Council, and NMFS.  The newly developed program will ultimately need to meet NMFS hardware and software approval to be utilized throughout the shrimp industry.

This is a 12-18-month project and a maximum $350,000 is available to fund the work.

The Request for Proposals including the full scope of work can be found here.

Proposals Submission Deadline: 11:59 PM, EDT on August 20, 2021

Contact us at [email protected] with questions.

The following NOAA Fisheries Bulletin is provided as a courtesy:

What/When:

• Commercial harvest of king mackerel in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Northern Zone (depicted in map below) will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 28, 2021.
• Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 1, 2021.

Why is this Closure Happening?

• The 2020/2021 commercial quota for the Gulf Northern Zone is 493,200 pounds.
• Updated landings data indicate that commercial harvest of king mackerel in this zone has exceeded its quota.
• In accordance with the regulations NOAA Fisheries is required to close harvest for a species when the quota has been met or is projected to be met.

During the Closure:

• No commercial fisherman may keep for sale king mackerel in or from the closed Northern Zone after 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 28, 2021.
• The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to trade in king mackerel that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold before 12:01 a.m., local time, June 28, 2021, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
• Persons aboard commercial vessels with a federal king mackerel permit may fish for and retain the recreational bag and possession limit of king mackerel during the open recreational season, even if commercial fishing for this species is closed in this zone or others.

The following NOAA Fisheries Bulletin is provided as a courtesy:

For Immediate Release

May 25, 2021

Federal commercial fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic are now available on the free Fish Rules Commercial mobile app. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council have partnered with Fish Rules, LLC to create an app to host up-to-date, accurate commercial regulations. Now available for free in both the Apple Store and Google Play Store, this mobile application is ready for download immediately.

The app populates with regulations and updates associated with each federal permit that is relevant to you. The app hosts species specific information including the amount of quota harvested, trip limits, and size limits. The app also hosts information on permit conditions and managed areas.

It’s also important to know that the app will function dockside and offshore when you’re out of cellular range.

Up until now, federal commercial fishing regulations have been hosted in the additional information section of the recreational Fish Rules App. Now that the Fish Rules App Commercial is available, those commercial regulations will be removed from the recreational app. We encourage you to transition to the Fish Rules Commercial App where you’ll find much more information relevant to commercial fishing.

We want to ensure that the Fish Rules App is as accurate, helpful, and user-friendly as possible. Don’t hesitate to contact us directly with questions, comments, and/or suggestions:

Gulf Council Contact:

Emily Muehlstein

[email protected]

South Atlantic Council Contact:

Cameron Rhodes

[email protected]

Recreational red snapper season is right around the corner and we’re all excited for a productive summer fishing season. Most of us take for granted how easy it is to identify the most popular fish in the Gulf because their obvious bright red color is a dead giveaway. Believe it or not, there are at least 4 other species of snapper in the Gulf that could be mistaken for red snapper. Two of the other red colored snapper species, vermilion and queen snapper, are pretty easy for the average angler to recognize, while two of them, blackfin and silk, are commonly mistaken for red snapper.

Vermilion snapper share the red eye color of a red snapper but they’re usually much smaller and the bottom fin closest to the tail (anal fin) is not sharply pointed like that of a red snapper.

Queen snapper are also pretty easy to distinguish from red snapper. They’re typically found much deeper, and they have a deeply forked, fancy tail that is not found on red snapper. Additionally, their eyes are relatively large and their bodies are longer and more slender than red snappers.

Silk snapper can look very similar to a red snapper. This is especial true when its unique yellow coloration isn’t obvious. Silk snapper are set apart from red snapper because they have yellow eyes and black trim on the edge of their tail. Overall their body shape and size closely resembles that of a red snapper so, keep an eye out for those subtle differences.

Blackfin snapper can also look very similar to a red snapper, and often inhabit the same depths and structure. The most obvious difference is a black half-moon shaped marking at the base of the pectoral fin. The eye of the blackfin is often more orange or copper than a red snapper and the blackfin snappers bottom fin closest to the tail (anal fin) is rounded, rather than pointy.

Knowing how to identify the other red snappers may help to ensure that you’re not cheating yourself out of an extra fish by accidently counting it against your red snapper bag limit. While red snapper is most often limited to two-fish per person, queen, blackfin, and silk snapper don’t have individual bag limits and are managed under a 10-snapper aggregate bag limit. The vermillion bag limit is 10 per person under the 20-reef fish aggregate bag limit. More detailed commercial and recreational regulations can be found on our fishing regulations webpage or on the recreational or commercial version of the Fish Rules Mobile App.

The following NOAA Fisheries Bulletin is provided as a courtesy:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will close to shrimp trawling 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on May 15, 2021, corresponding to the time Texas closes its state waters to shrimp trawling.

Federal waters off Texas are west of the line (from A to B) shown in the map below. Fishermen should not use any other division between Texas and Louisiana federal waters, including lines on NOAA Chart 1116A, which is to be used for mineral rights and not for navigation.

Why This Closure is Happening:

The shrimp fishery is closed annually off Texas to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded due to their small size.

The Texas closure ranges from 45 to 60 days. The closing date is based on catch rates of brown shrimp collected with seine gear by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, mean length of shrimp collected in April, percent of samples containing shrimp, and periods of maximum nocturnal ebb tidal flow.

Texas will re-open state waters to shrimp trawling based on sampling projections of when brown shrimp will reach a mean size of 112 mm, and when maximum duration ebb tides will occur. NOAA Fisheries will re-open federal waters off Texas when Texas re-opens its state waters. Historically, the re-opening has been on or about July 15. If there is a need to adjust the July 15 date for the re-opening, notification of the revised date will be published in the Federal Register and announced in a subsequent fishery bulletin.

The following NOAA Fisheries Bulletin is provided as a courtesy:

Gulf of Mexico Greater Amberjack Recreational Fishing Season Reopens May 1-31, 2021

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries reminds recreational fishermen that the Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack recreational fishing season reopens 12:01 a.m., local time, on May 1, 2021 and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2021.

What this Means:

• Preliminary landings indicate the recreational greater amberjack quota has not been met or projected to be met allowing the recreational fishing season to reopen May 1, 2021.
• The recreational fishing season for greater amberjack will close for the remainder of the fishing year during its second seasonal closure, starting June 1 through July 31.
• The 2021/2022 recreational greater amberjack fishing year will start on August 1, 2021.

Greater Amberjack Recreational Management Measures:

• Fishing Year: August 1 – July 31
• Seasonal Closure: November 1 – April 30 and June 1 – July 31
• Minimum Size Limit: 34 inch fork length
• Accountability Measures: Inseason closure and payback of any overage of the annual catch limit
• Bag Limit: 1 fish per person
• 2020/2021 annual catch limit: 1,309,620 lbs whole weight
• 2020/2021 annual catch target: 1,086,985 lbs whole weight

For Immediate Release

April 15, 2021

The Council chose to increase the 2021 red snapper overfishing limit (OFL) to 25,600,000 pounds whole weight, and the 2021 acceptable biological catch (ABC) to 15,400,000 pounds whole weight, as recommended by the Scientific and Statical Committee (SSC). The revised 2021 red snapper catch limits are as follows:

The Council also plans to have its Scientific and Statistical Committee review red snapper catch advice as soon as the final results of the Great Red Snapper Count (GRSC) and additional information from a fishery-independent combined video survey, and a report from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, can be considered. The Council specifically requested its SSC to consider the existing Acceptable Biological Catch Control Rule and National Standard Guidelines during its deliberation.

The Council also decided to adjust state-specific catch limits using the calibrations ratios developed by the Gulf States and NOAA’s Office of Science and Technology, and approved by the Council’s SSC, to allow state survey data to be converted to MRIP-CHTS ‘currency’. This will ensure that the data used to monitor harvest can be compared to the data used to set the annual catch limits. The calibration ratios are as follows:

The Council recommended that NOAA Fisheries delay implementation of this framework action until January 1, 2023.  The Council will submit the proposed changes to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation as soon as practicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this impact 2021 red snapper fishing season?

NOAA Fisheries sets the federally permitted for-hire fishing season. The Gulf states set the private angling recreational season in federal waters off each state. If approved, the proposed increase to the annual catch limit will be distributed among sectors based on existing allocations.  This framework action is expected to be implemented before the end of 2021.

Why is the overfishing limit set so much higher than the acceptable biological catch?

At its last meeting, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) reviewed the results of a catch analysis informed by the GRSC and an interim analysis of red snapper that uses the NMFS Bottom Longline Survey.  The GRSC-informed catch analysis showed a large increase in estimated red snapper biomass. However, the other interim analysis, which used the NMFS Bottom Longline Survey, showed a declining trend in abundance from 2016 – 2019.  As a result, the SSC defined the red snapper overfishing limit for 2021 as 25,600,000 pounds whole weight, based on the catch analysis informed by the GRSC.  However, due to uncertainty in estimates derived from the GRSC and the declining trend in abundance recognized by the NMFS Bottom Longline Survey, the SSC defined the acceptable biological catch limit as 15,400,000 pounds whole weight.

Can the Council set the annual catch limit any higher?

The Council is legally obligated to set the red snapper annual catch limit at or below the acceptable biological catch limit recommended by its SSC.

What is the timeline for the SSC review of red snapper catch advice and potential resulting management changes?

The meeting will be held after the Great Red Snapper Count is revised and finalized based on peer-review, and once the additional information from a fishery-independent combined video survey and report from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries become available. If red snapper catch advice is revised by the SSC, the Council could take final action to adjust catch levels later in 2021.

Does choosing to calibrate state data collection programs to MRIP-CHTS imply that one data collection program is better than another?

No. Calibration is not an evaluation of the quality of each data collection program. Calibration simply allows the harvest data collected by each state to be expressed in the same ‘currency’ in which the annual catch limit is set. Since the annual catch limits are expressed in MRIP-CHTS currency, the state data collection programs are calibrated to MRIP-CHTS for comparison purposes.

How/When will the results of the GRSC be incorporated into federal red snapper stock assessments and management?

The Council has decided to use the GRSC to revise the red snapper overfishing limit based on advice from its SSC during it March-April 2021 meeting. The Council has asked its SSC to also consider new information, including the finalized GRSC into for catch advice as practicable. The GRSC will be considered in the next red snapper stock assessment (SEDAR 74) which is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

For Immediate Release
April 5, 2021

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is seeking applicants for its Standing and Special Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC). Current members must reapply to be considered for future membership.

The Council has one standing and eight special Scientific and Statistical Committees comprised of individuals who have expertise in stock assessments, statistics, fishery biology, marine ecology, economics, sociology, anthropology, or other special sciences as they apply to fisheries management. Members provide independent scientific advice to the Council. More information on SSC membership and guidelines can be found here: https://gulfcouncil.org/committee-panel-membership/scientific-and-statistical/

SSC members are appointed by the Council and serve a 3-year term. Members are reimbursed for approved travel expenses and receive a daily stipend for their work.

The Council is recruiting for the following SSC’s:

• Standing
• Special Coral
• Special Mackerel
• Special Red Drum
• Special Reef Fish
• Special Shrimp
• Special Spiny Lobster
• Special Socioeconomic
• Special Ecosystem

The Standing SSC will consist of 18 members. Each Special SSC will consist of 3 members. When the Special SSC meets with the Standing SSC, the combined SSC votes as a whole committee.

Application Deadline: 5:00 PM, EDT on April 30, 2021

To apply to one of the Council SSCs, visit:  https://forms.gle/yVqsrU2txSgSiZrBA

In addition to completing the online application, email your CV and Statement of Financial Interest (SOFI) to: [email protected]

If you have any questions, please contact the Council office at 813-348-1630.

The following NOAA Fisheries Bulletin is provided as a courtesy: