It’s that time again… The Gulf Council is gearing up to meet next week – August 20th– 23rd – in New Orleans, Louisiana to work on a number of different fishery management issues. Check out the committee schedule and the full Council schedule to see when Council plans to discuss issues that are important…
This week, the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils are hosting public hearings on an amendment that considers making changes to the current seafood dealer reporting requirements. The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils want to improve the accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of data that is reported by seafood dealers…
Photo: Capt. Hickman The Council is working on an amendment that considers changing: 1. The accountability measure that shortens the entire shallow-water grouper season if the gag or red grouper Annual Catch Limit is exceeded. 2. The range of accountability measures that can be implemented within the Reef Fish Fishery Management…
A ‘one size fits all’ approach to fisheries management does not work. Not all fishermen are alike so different regulations are used for different types of fishermen. Although most fishermen share the same ultimate goals (more fish and more flexibility to fish) there are major differences between how and why commercial and recreational fishermen catch…
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet in Tampa, Florida on June 18th -21st. The meeting is open to the public, so check out the committee agenda and the full Council agenda to see what might interest you. We also encourage you to take advantage of a couple of opportunities for public participation…
Photo: Mike Miglini Rig Removal – Essential Fish Habitat Artificial reefs and their link to the Gulf fisheries has been a hot topic for the past few years. Scientists debate whether artificial reefs increase fish populations by expanding habitat opportunity or simply attract fish from other, less desirable habitat. It’s been difficult to determine…
Grouper Photo: Tim Sheerman If you fish for grouper recreationally or commercially, you might want to pay attention to a couple of things the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is considering. The Gulf Council is gearing up to discuss the 2013 recreational gag fishing season. This year, the federal gag season is open…
Gray Triggerfish How to measure the 14″ fork length minimum size limit The latest gray triggerfish stock assessment concluded that the stock is both overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Gulf Council has just asked that an interim rule be put into place to temporarily reduce overfishing until long-term management measures can be developed. The interim…
Greater Amberjack The Council took final action on Amendment 35 to the Reef Fish Management Plan. This amendment, if approved and implemented by NOAA Fisheries, will: Photo: Walter Stone • Set the Annual Catch Limit at 1,780,000 pounds and the Annual Catch Target at 1,539,000 pounds. • Retain the recreational 30’’ minimum size limit…
Ahoy, Next week’s Council meeting in Corpus Christi, Texas will cover a number of topics that might be of interest. This diagram should help you figure out in what stage of the process each issue is. And, check out this video for a full explanation of the process. I will be posting live updates on…