Council Approves Management Measures for Red Snapper, Gag and Black Grouper

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved measures to reduce the annual catch limit for red snapper and help address release mortality for red snapper and other species managed as part of the snapper grouper complex. Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 35 would reduce the total Annual Catch Limit from 42,510 fish to 28,000 fish once implemented. The catch limit reduction is required to address the overfishing status of the stock, primarily due to the continued high number of fish being released by recreational fishermen as the stock continues to rebuild. To help address release mortality, the amendment would limit recreational anglers fishing for snapper grouper species to one hook per line when using natural baits in federal waters in the South Atlantic. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the measures are expected to go into place later this year. NOAA Fisheries will make an announcement regarding the 2023 fishing seasons for red snapper prior to any opening in July.

Approval of Regulatory Amendment 35 is part of the Council’s multi-step approach to address management of red snapper and the entire snapper grouper fishery. A Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) is being developed for the snapper grouper fishery, exploring various management tools in a holistic approach to management. The Council received a presentation on development of the MSE during the meeting. Additional information is now available from the Council’s website https://safmc. net/science-sedar/snapper-groupermanagement-strategy-evaluation/. In addition, the Council is moving forward with Snapper Grouper Amendment 46 to establish a private recreational permit for the South Atlantic snapper grouper fishery. Public scoping meetings were held earlier this year and the Council will continue to receive input from its advisory panels as the amendment is developed. The Council also approved Snapper Grouper Amendment 53 to end overfishing for gag grouper and establish a rebuilding plan. The Council considered public hearing comments before recommending the amendment for Secretarial approval. The amendment will modify annual catch limits and allocations for gag and create a recreational vessel limit for both gag and black grouper of 2 fish per day or two fish per trip, not to exceed the daily bag limit of 1 fish (either gag or black grouper) per person per day, whichever is more restrictive. The amendment would also prohibit retention of gag and black grouper by the captain and crew of federally permitted for-hire vessels. Black grouper are included in the measures because of concerns over misidentification between gag and black grouper by the recreational sector. The amendment would also reduce the commercial trip limit for gag to 300 pounds gutted weight.

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