KEY MESSAGE:
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council requested 2019 commercial and recreational annual catch limits be reduced to a level equal to the combined 2017 commercial and recreational landings based on information indicating the red grouper population is not large enough to sustain current harvest levels.
WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:
The reduction to the annual catch limits will be effective May 17, 2019.
WHAT THIS MEANS:
Year |
Comm ACL |
Comm ACT/Quota |
Rec ACL |
Rec ACT |
2018 |
8.19 |
7.78 |
2.58 |
2.37 |
2019 |
3.16 |
3.00 |
1.00 |
0.92 |
DEFINITIONS:
Annual Catch Limit: is the amount of fish that can be harvested from the population each year.
Annual Catch Target: is a level of catch reduced from the annual catch limit to account for management uncertainty.
FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 84 FR 22389, published May 17, 2019
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
WHY DID THE COUNCIL REQUEST THE QUOTA REDUCTION?
WHY WAS 2019 COMMERCIAL RED GROUPER ALLOCATION WITHHELD ?
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS TEMPORARY RULE?
If you have further questions regarding this matter, please contact the Sustainable Fisheries Division in the Southeast Regional Office at the above address or by telephone at (727) 824-5305, weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Temporary Rule to Reduce Red Grouper Catch Levels may be found online at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Web site at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/emergency-rule-modify-gulf-mexico-red-grouper-annual-catch-limit.