The Gulf Council will convene a meeting of its Standing and Shrimp Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC) on July 21-22, 2026. The meeting will be held at the Gulf Council Office located at 4107 West Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, Florida, 33607.
The SSC will start by reviewing a new methodology for estimating shrimp trawl bycatch. They will hear presentations on the methods used to estimate finfish bycatch that is characterized by the observer program and their application to species such as red snapper with ongoing stock assessments. Then, the SSC will review and discuss alternative bycatch estimation methods for species, such as gray triggerfish, that are uncharacterized by the observer program and have an ongoing stock assessment. The SSC will also receive recommendations on both of these new methodologies from the shrimp trawl bycatch working group for finfish. Next, the SSC will review the minimum threshold number of federal Gulf shrimp permits, including an updated approach with an overview of the types of data for potential inclusion.
The SSC will then review the results of a peer review of the Fisheries Integrated Modeling System (FIMS). Next, they will discuss Gulf king mackerel landings and length compositions from Mexico and their inclusion and timeline for the ongoing stock assessment. Lastly, the SSC will review Gulf tilefish data triage and stock evaluation options.
For an agenda and meeting materials, click here.
Public comment will be held in-person and over the webinar each day before the meeting adjourns.
Register for the webinar here.
About The Gulf Council: The Gulf Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of America.