NOAA seeks comments on new criteria to better inform Gulf of Mexico reef fish and red drum management

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on new criteria used to inform Gulf of Mexico reef fish and red drum management. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council recommended these criteria changes for two amendments, Amendment 48 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Amendment 5 to the FMP for the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendments 48/5). 

Comments are due by May 9, 2022.

Summary of Proposed Criteria Changes:

• The Gulf Council recommended changes to values or proxies used to determine if overfishing has occurred, or if the stock or stock complex is overfished for some reef fish species and red drum.
  • Overfishing means too many fish are being harvested from a population.
  • Overfished means that the population is too low.
• Gulf reef fish stocks and stock complexes affected by this action are: cubera snapper, lane snapper, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, hogfish, goliath grouper, the shallow-water grouper complex, the deep-water grouper complex, the tilefish complex, the jacks complex, and the mid-water snapper complex.

How to Comment On the Notice of Availability:

The comment period for the notice of availability is open now through May 9, 2022.  You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail.  Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries. 

Formal Federal Register Name/Number:  87 FR 13274, published March 9, 2022.

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. 

1. Go to: https://www.regulations.gov/ and enter ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2021–0023’’ in the Search box

2. Click the "Comment Now!" icon, complete the required fields.

3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail: Submit written comments to Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the maximum sustainable yield or MSY?

• It is the largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a fish population under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions.

What is the optimum yield or OY?

• It is the amount of fish that will provide the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect to food production and recreational opportunities, and taking into account protection of marine ecosystems.
• It is reduced from MSY as qualified by any relevant economic, social, or ecological factors.
• In the case of an overfished population, it allows for rebuilding to a level that produces the MSY for the population.

What is the maximum fishing mortality rate or MFMT?

• A population is considered undergoing overfishing (too many fish are being removed from the population) if the fishing mortality rate (F) is above MFMT.
• MFMT may not exceed F_MSY or F_{MSY Proxy}.
• F_MSY or F_{MSY Proxy} is the rate of fishing mortality that, if applied over the long term, would result in catching the MSY or MSY proxy.

What is the minimum stock size threshold or MSST?

• A fish species is considered overfished if the population falls below the minimum stock size.
• MSST cannot be less than 50% of the population size.

What are MSY proxies?

• In stock assessments, sometimes MSY cannot be calculated and so a proxy is used instead.
• The most common proxy used is some percent of the spawning potential ratio (SPR).
  • SPR assumes that a certain amount of fish must survive and spawn in order to replenish the stock.
  • It is calculated as the average number of eggs per fish over its lifetime when the stock is fished compared to the average number of eggs per fish over its lifetime when the stock is not fished.
  • For most reef fish species, 30% SPR is used for the MSY proxy.
  • For goliath grouper, a more conservative SPR of 50% is used because this species is vulnerable to overfishing because of its long life-span and slow growth rate.

Helpful links

For more information on Amendment 48/5, go to:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendment-48-gulf-reef-fish-fmp-and-amendment-5-gulf-red-drum-fmp

For more information on what status determination criteria are:

https://gulfcouncil.org/fisheries-science/#1600443849348-c10a8864-346e

Sign Up For Text Message Alerts - Find Out About Immediate Openings and Closures

NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery related alerts via text message (SMS).  Standard message & data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time.

Text alerts you may receive include:

• Immediate fishery openings and closures
• Any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly

Sign up for one or more of the following groups:

• Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFRECFISH to 888777
• Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFCOMMFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLRECFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLCOMMFISH to 888777
• Caribbean Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text CARIBFISH to 888777

Join us every other Friday on NOAA Fish Instagram for Rec Fish Friday! 

Other contacts:

Media: Kim Amendola, 727-551-5707

            Allison Garrett, 727-551-5750