Key Messages:
- Amendment 55 responds to a Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment, which determined scamp and yellowmouth grouper to be overfished, but not undergoing overfishing.
- Amendment 55 and its proposed rule would:
- Remove yellowmouth grouper from the other South Atlantic shallow water grouper complex and establish a new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex.
- Establish catch levels, sector management measures, and accountability measures for the new complex and establish catch levels for the revised other South Atlantic shallow water grouper complex
- Establish a rebuilding plan, sector allocations, and status determination criteria for the scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex.
Summary of Proposed Rule Changes:
- Reorganize the other South Atlantic shallow water grouper complex by removing yellowmouth grouper from it and establish a new complex containing both scamp and yellowmouth grouper. Rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, and yellowfin grouper would remain in the reorganized other South Atlantic shallow water grouper complex.
For the new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex
- Establish an acceptable biological catch equal to the total annual catch limit:
- 67,450 pounds (lb) whole weight (ww), for the 2025 fishing year;
- 72,200 lb ww, for the 2026 fishing year;
- 75,050 lb ww, for the 2027 fishing year;
- 77,900 lb ww, for the 2028 fishing year; and
- 79,800 lb ww, for 2029 and subsequent fishing years.
- Commercial and recreational allocation percentages would change each year from 2025 through 2029 and then remain set at the 2029 level.
- Commercial allocation percentages would range from 64.90% - 62.59%.
- Recreational allocation percentages would range from 35.10% - 37.41%.
- Establish commercial annual catch limits:
- 43,772 lb ww, for the 2025 fishing year;
- 46,147 lb ww, for the 2026 fishing year;
- 47,572 lb ww, for the 2027 fishing year;
- 48,997 lb ww, for the 2028 fishing year; and
- 49,947 lb ww, for the 2029 and subsequent fishing years.
- Establish recreational annual catch limits:
- 23,678 lb ww, for the 2025 fishing year;
- 26,053 lb ww for the 2026 fishing year;
- 27,478 lb ww for the 2027 fishing year;
- 28,903 lb ww for the 2028 fishing year; and
- 29,853 lb ww, for the 2029 and subsequent fishing years.
- Establish an aggregate commercial trip limit for scamp and yellowmouth grouper of 300 lb gutted weight.
- Establish an aggregate complex bag limit of one fish (either scamp or yellowmouth grouper combined) per person per day within the overall three fish grouper and tilefish combined aggregate.
- Establish commercial accountability measures:
- In-season: Commercial closure for the remainder of the fishing year, if commercial landings for scamp and yellowmouth grouper, combined, reach or are projected to reach the commercial annual catch limit of the complex.
- Post-season: If commercial landings for scamp and yellowmouth grouper, combined, exceed the complex commercial annual catch limit, regardless of stock status or whether the total annual catch limit was exceeded, the commercial annual catch limit of the complex for the following fishing year would be reduced by the amount of the commercial annual catch limit overage in the prior fishing year.
- Establish recreational accountability measures:
- Post-season: If recreational landings for the Scamp and yellowmouth grouper, combined, exceed the complex recreational annual catch limit, the length of the following year’s recreational fishing season for the complex will be reduced by the amount necessary to prevent the recreational annual catch limit for the complex from being exceeded in the following year, regardless of stock status.
- Establish the status determination criteria for the new complex based on the stock assessment.
- Establish a 10-year rebuilding plan beginning in 2025.
For the species that remain in the other South Atlantic shallow water grouper complex
- Establish a total annual catch limit of 100,151 lb ww.
- Establish a commercial annual catch limit of 53,380 lb ww.
- Establish a recreational annual catch limit of 46,771 lb ww.
Amendment 55 can be found here: https://safmc.net/documents/snapper-grouper-amendment-55-final-12-10-2024/.
How to Comment on the Amendment and Proposed Rule:
The comment period for the notice of availability is open now through May 16, 2025. The comment period on the proposed rule is expected to fall within this same timeframe, and comments on both the amendment and proposed rule will be considered in the final rule. You may submit comments by electronic submission via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal described below 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.
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
1. Go to: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2024-0132
2. Click the "Open for Comments" icon, then the "Comment" icon, and then complete the required fields.
3. Enter or attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to:
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office,
Sustainable Fisheries Division
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505
Formal Federal Register Name/Number: 90 FR 12287, published March 17, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are changes being proposed for scamp and yellowmouth grouper within the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan (FMP)?
- The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NOAA Fisheries developed Amendment 55 to the Snapper-Grouper FMP (Amendment 55) in response to a stock assessment conducted through the SEDAR process for scamp and yellowmouth grouper (SEDAR 68, Operational Assessment [OA], 2022).
- SEDAR 68 OA (2022) assessed scamp and yellowmouth grouper in the South Atlantic as a single species due to misidentification issues between the two species.
- The stock assessment determined scamp and yellowmouth grouper to be overfished (not enough fish to sustain the population), but not undergoing overfishing (too many fish are being taken out of the population).
What actions are considered in Amendment 55?
- Action 1. Reorganize the Other South Atlantic Shallow Water Grouper complex and establish a new South Atlantic Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 2. Establish the maximum sustainable yield, maximum fishing mortality threshold, minimum stock size threshold, and optimum yield for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Sub Action 2a. Establish the maximum sustainable yield for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Sub Action 2b. Establish the maximum fishing mortality threshold for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Sub Action 2c. Establish the minimum stock size threshold for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Sub Action 2d. Establish the optimum yield for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 3. Establish a rebuilding timeframe for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 4. Establish the acceptable biological catch and total annual catch limit for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 5. Establish sector allocations and sector annual catch limits for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 6. Modify the recreational bag limit for scamp and yellowmouth grouper.
- Action 7. Establish an aggregate commercial trip limit for scamp and yellowmouth grouper.
- Action 8. Establish commercial accountability measures for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 9. Establish recreational accountability measures for the Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper complex.
- Action 10. Revise the total annual catch limit and sector annual catch limits for the Other South Atlantic Shallow Water Grouper complex
How will the proposed changes help rebuild the populations of scamp and yellowmouth grouper?
- Decreases in the catch limits for both the commercial and recreational sectors, and the aggregate recreational bag limits; establishing a commercial trip limit, and effective accountability measures, would collectively contribute towards rebuilding of the populations.
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. Comments sent by any other method (such as postal mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered.
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Permits Mailbox: The Permits Office in St. Petersburg, Florida, now has a Permits mailbox in the front lobby (263 13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701). You can now drop off original permits for permit transfers. Envelopes with information labels will be provided so that your documents can be attached to the correct application. The mailbox will be checked daily. For more information, contact the Permits Office at 877-376-4877.
Contacts:
Quick Glance Contact List for the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
Media Contact: Allison Garrett, 727-551-5750
Recreational Fishing Coordinator: Sean Meehan, 727-385-5202
Communications Specialist: Lauren Westcott 727-249-5881
