Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 17A

Résumé

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. The amendment proposes to establish a rebuilding plan for red snapper, specify a proxy for the fishing mortality rate that will produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), specify the optimum yield (OY), specify the value for the minimum stock size threshold (MSST), and specify an annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measures (AMs) for red snapper. Amendment 17A would also prohibit harvest and possession of red snapper in or from Federal waters of the South Atlantic and in or from state waters for vessels holding a Federal snapper-grouper permit, and implement an area closure that extends from southern Georgia to northern Florida where all harvest and possession of snapper-grouper would be prohibited (except when fishing with black sea bass pots or spearfishing gear for species other than red snapper). Additionally, Amendment 17A would require the use of non-stainless steel circle hooks north of 28[deg] N. lat. and require a monitoring program f