Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Revisions to Headboat Reporting Requirements for Species Managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

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The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council) approved the Joint South Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico Generic Charter/Headboat Reporting in the South Atlantic Amendment (For-Hire Reporting Amendment) during its March 2013 meeting, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council) approved the amendment at its February 2013 meeting. The Councils submitted the amendment to NMFS for agency review under procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The For-Hire Reporting Amendment includes Amendment 31 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 6 to the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic; and Amendment 22 to the FMP for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. If approved, the For- Hire Reporting Amendment would amend the FMPs to modify data reporting for for-hire vessels in the South Atlantic. Under the preferred alternative, headboat vessels in the South Atlantic would be required to submit electronic fishing records to the NMFS' Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Scien