|
South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council - News Release
Advisory Panel Meetings Scheduled for Federal Fisheries Issues
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold
meetings of several of its advisory panels in the coming weeks.
Council advisory panels are made up of recreational and commercial
fishermen, industry representatives, environmentalists and other
interested members of the public who volunteer their time to advise
the Council about trends in fisheries, environmental concerns
relating to fish habitats, and management impacts on fishermen and
fishing communities. Members of the public are invited to attend.
All meetings will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Charleston
Airport, 5265 International Blvd., N. Charleston, SC 29418, phone
843/308-9330.
Schedule:
August 4–6 - Snapper Grouper AP Meeting – The
Snapper Grouper AP will review and provide recommendations on
Amendments 17A, 17B, and 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery
Management Plan. The amendments include measures to meet the
requirements of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act, implement
regulations to end overfishing of red snapper and rebuild the stock,
extend the fishery management unit northward, and develop/update
Limited Access Privilege Programs for the golden tilefish and
wreckfish fisheries. The AP will also review and provide
recommendations on the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment
currently under development. The meeting begins at 1:00 PM on
Tuesday, August 4 and ends at 3:00 PM on Thursday, August 6, 2009.
August 11-12 - Habitat and Environmental Protection
AP Meeting – Agenda items include updates on programs relative
to habitat issues in the South Atlantic region, including ocean
observing programs, Navy activities, and the South Atlantic
Governor’s Alliance, plus regional ecosystem research efforts. The
AP will also review the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment
and provide recommendations. The meeting begins at 8:30 AM on August
11 and will conclude at 12:00 Noon on August 12, 2009.
August 12-13 - Law Enforcement AP Meeting – The
Law Enforcement AP will develop recommendations for closed areas
proposed in Snapper Grouper Amendment 17A and 17B, including the
number and location of waypoints, transit provisions, definitions of
“gear stowed”, and other issues. Recommendations will also be
developed for Snapper Grouper Amendment 18, including a provision to
expand the snapper grouper management unit northward, and Amendment
20 addressing the existing Wreckfish Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ)
Program. The meeting will begin at 1:30 PM on August 12 and conclude
at 4:00 PM on August 13, 2009.
August 18-19 – King and Spanish Mackerel AP Meeting
– The AP will provide recommendations on Amendment 18 to the Coastal
Migratory Pelagic Fishery Management Plan to meet requirements of
the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the establishment
of Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures for species in
the plan. Amendment 18 is currently being developed jointly with the
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. The meeting will begin at
1:00 PM on August 18 and conclude at 3:00 PM on August 19, 2009.
August 19–20 - Dolphin Wahoo AP Meeting
- Members of the AP will review the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit
Amendment currently under development to meet the requirements of
the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act, including the establishment
of Annual Catch Limits, Annual Catch Targets, and Accountability
Measures for species currently not listed as undergoing overfishing,
including dolphin and wahoo. The amendment also includes management
alternatives addressing the sale of dolphin from for-hire (charter
and headboat) vessels and minimum size limits for dolphin caught in
federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina
and in the Mid-Atlantic and New England areas. The meeting begins at
3:30 PM on August 19 and ends at 5:00 PM on August, 20, 2009.
September 1-2 – Coral AP Meeting – The AP will
provide recommendations to meet requirements of the reauthorized
Magnuson-Stevens Act, including Acceptable Biological Catch,
Overfishing Levels, Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures
for South Atlantic Octocorals. Recommendations will also be provided
for new Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and Habitat Areas of Particular
Concern (HAPC) designations proposed in Comprehensive
Ecosystem-Based Amendment 2, and management alternatives that
address impacts to Acroporids from the spiny lobster fishery. The
meeting will begin at 8:30 AM on September 1 and conclude at 12:00
Noon on September 2, 2009.
Additional information regarding these meetings,
including meeting agendas and briefing book materials will be posted
at www.safmc.net as they become available.
The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council is scheduled for September 14 – 18, 2009 in
Charleston, SC. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one
of eight regional councils, conserves and manages fish stocks from
three to 200 miles offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and east Florida. |
