Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 51

Zusammenfassung

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted Amendment 51 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 51 to the FMP would revise the catch limits for snowy grouper and the associated sector harvest allocations. In addition, Amendment 51 would revise the commercial seasonal quotas, recreational fishing season, and recreational accountability measures (AMs). The purpose of Amendment 51 is to end overfishing of snowy grouper, rebuild the stock, and achieve optimum yield (OY) while minimizing, to the extent practicable, adverse social and economic effects.