The Gulf Council (Council) met in Galveston, Texas, October 27-29, 2026. The Council began by adopting Council Committee assignments for the year. The following is a summary of other Council actions:
Mutton and Yellowtail Snapper
The Council took final action on Gulf Reef Fish Amendment 55 and South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Amendment 44. The Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils developed this joint Amendment to modify mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper management measures in response to new stock assessments (SEDAR 79 & 96) which indicated that both stocks were healthy as of 2023.
The Council recommended updating catch limits based on the results of the recent stock assessments and Scientific and Statistical Committee recommendations. The Council also recommended apportioning 15% of the mutton snapper and 17% of the yellowtail snapper annual catch limits (ACL) to the Gulf. These alternatives are not expected to result in fishery closures. Resulting overfishing limits (OFL), acceptable biological catch (ABC), and ACLs, expressed in pounds whole weight, are as follows:
The Council supported the South Atlantic Council's preferred alternatives on actions that pertain to sector allocations within the South Atlantic Council's jurisdiction. The Council will forward its final recommendations to the South Atlantic Council for final review and approval before the document is transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for consideration and implementation as soon as practicable.
Red Snapper
Private Recreational Accountability Measures
The Council took final action to modify the post-season accountability measures for private recreational red snapper to allow more flexibility without compromising the effectiveness of state management. Presently, if a Gulf state's landings exceed its state-specific annual catch limit (ACL) in a fishing year, then in the following year, that state's ACL will be reduced by the amount of the overage in the previous year.
The Council recommends that a payback should only be triggered if:
- the state landings exceed its ACL by more than 10%, or
- the state exceeds its ACL more than once in three years, or
- the state has an overage of any amount while the total private recreational landings from all states exceed the total private recreational ACL.
The document will be transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for consideration and implementation as soon as practicable.
For-Hire Red Snapper Management
The Council decided to postpone work on Reef Fish Amendment 64 - which considers delegating federal for-hire management authority for red snapper to the Gulf States, and Reef Fish Amendment 66 - which considers delegating authority for modifying specific federal for-hire red snapper management measures to NMFS Regional Administrator. The Council expects to resume discussions on these actions once results of a new stock assessment for red snapper (SEDAR 98) and new catch limit recommendations are completed.
Greater Amberjack
The Council heard the results of the Greater Amberjack Count, a multi-institutional study conducted in the Gulf and South Atlantic regions to estimate the absolute abundance of greater amberjack. While the Greater Amberjack Count was not designed to directly integrate into a stock assessment, the Council requested that its Scientific and Statistical Committee review the updated project report and determine how components of the project might be considered for inclusion in the upcoming greater amberjack stock assessment.
The Council discussed options for regional management of recreational greater amberjack modeled after scenarios considered in Amendment 50: State Management Program for Recreational Red Snapper. Specifically, the Council discussed historical landings by state and region and for private and for-hire components of the fishery. The Council also discussed basing allocation decisions on biomass rather than historical landings. The Council plans to continue work on Reef Fish Amendment 65 during a future meeting.
Hogfish
The Council heard the results of a recent stock assessment on West Florida hogfish (SEDAR 94) which estimated that the stock is healthy. The Council initiated work on a document to update catch limits for West Florida hogfish based on recommendations from its Scientific and Statistical Committee that include recreational data from Florida's State Reef Fish Survey (SRFS).
Commercial Individual Fishing Quota Program Permit Requirements
The Council continued work on Reef Fish Amendment 59A, which addresses participation requirements in the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. Previously selected preferred alternatives would require shareholder accounts to be associated with a valid or renewable federal commercial reef fish permit to obtain annual allocation and obtain and maintain IFQ shares. The Council discussed exemptions from permit requirements for non-profit organizations operating quota pools or other quota distribution programs and plans to continue work on the document during the next meeting.
Shrimp
The number of federal Gulf shrimp permits has dropped below the threshold that triggers the creation of a Shrimp Permit Pool Review Panel. The Council identified members of the Review Panel consisting of Shrimp Advisory Panel members, Scientific and Statistical Committee members, NMFS staff, and Council staff. The Review Panel will review details of a permit pool and recommend if Council action is necessary to address the reduction of federal Gulf shrimp permits.
The Council reviewed a draft of Shrimp Amendment 20, which will update the biological reference points as well as the criteria used to determine stock status for brown, white, and pink shrimp. The Council agreed on the purpose and need of management action and chose preferred alternatives that would set the overfishing limit, minimum stock size threshold, and acceptable biological catch for brown, white, and pink shrimp based on results of the most recent penaeid shrimp stock assessments (SEDAR 87). The Council requested that its Scientific and Statistical Committee revisit its maximum sustainable yield proxy recommendation for pink shrimp.
Recreational Data Collection
Federal
The Council heard a presentation from NOAA's Office of Science and Technology on the results of a pilot study examining how federal recreational fishing effort estimates collected using the Marine Recreational Information Program's Fishing Effort Survey (MRIP-FES) are affected by the order of survey questions and the time intervals used to administer the survey. The pilot study indicated that FES was overestimating recreational effort. The magnitude of impact varied by species and were more pronounced in fishing periods with low activity. Once NOAA finalizes new effort estimates, they will be made available for monitoring recreational catches in 2026 and integrating into stock assessments.
Mississippi and Alabama
Mississippi will discontinue its recreational data collection program Tails n' Scales, and transition exclusively to MS Creel beginning in 2027. Alabama also plans to replace its recreational data collection program, Snapper Check, with AL Creel after 2027. Both new programs are modeled after Louisiana's recreational catch and effort data collection program, LA Creel. The Council initiated work to update the ratios used to convert the different state recreational red snapper landings to a common data unit for stock assessment and management purposes.
Regulatory Streamlining
The Council received a presentation from the contractor engaged in developing mechanisms for improving the efficiency of routine and minor adjustment to management measures. This effort also aims to improve the timeliness of incorporating updated scientific information into the management process. The Council indicated it was supportive of developing a better process to update catch limits and other management changes as well as expanding the range of management actions that can be implemented under the abbreviated framework process. The contractor will continue work on this effort and will further develop potential mechanisms for streamlining the regulatory process.
Shark Depredation
While the Council does not manage sharks, public testimony has consistently indicated that shark depredation is negatively impacting the fishermen and fish that the Council is responsible for managing. The Council heard a presentation on historical trends in shark depredation and a presentation on work completed by NMFS's Shark Depredation Strategy Committee which has been tasked with understanding and mitigating shark depredation.
Exempted Fishing Permit
The Council recommends that NMFS approve an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to study, monitor, and model multispecies spawning aggregations in federal waters of the Gulf. Funded by NOAA's RESTORE Science Program, the project would use cooperative research with commercial and charter fishermen to collect reproductively mature Council-managed species. The permit would authorize up to 120 sampling trips over four years and the collection of up to 233 fish annually for two years.
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.