Dolphinfish Management Strategy Evaluation At-A-Glance
Learn about the dolphinfish management strategy evaluation process.
Project Overview
Scientists from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and North Carolina State University are undertaking a management strategy evaluation (MSE) to develop an indicator-based or ‘empirical’ management procedure for dolphinfish (also known as mahi mahi) in the South Atlantic U.S.
Current Dolphin Management
Allowable Biological Catch is based on the third highest landings from 1994 - 2007.
“The Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan was developed to maintain existing harvest levels of dolphin, including the historical allocation between recreational and commercial fisheries, and ensure that no new fisheries develop.” (SAFMC)
- Allowable Biological Catch = Annual Catch Limit (ACL) = 24,570,764 pounds whole weight (Amendment 10)
- Recreational allocation = 93% of total Annual Catch Limit (sector ACL = 22,850,811 pounds whole weight)
- Commercial allocation = 7% of total Annual Catch Limit (sector ACL = 1,719,954 pounds whole weight)
Recreational Regulations: |
|||
Area |
Minimum Size |
Bag Limit |
Vessel Limit |
Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
|
None |
10 fish per person; not to exceed vessel limit |
54 fish (excluding headboats) |
Atlantic EEZ (Florida - South Carolina) |
20 inches fork length |
Commercial Regulations: |
||
Area |
Minimum Size |
Vessel Limit |
Atlantic EEZ (North Carolina - Maine) |
None |
|
Atlantic EEZ (Florida - South Carolina)
|
20 inches fork length |
The dolphin fishery is federally unregulated within the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Challenges with Current Management Approach
- Dolphinfish are highly migratory and have an international distribution
- The stock is data limited with no stock assessment
- The species is short-lived and environmentally driven productivity
- There has been static management in the past
- There are regional differences in management objectives
- U.S. management is limited to the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone along the U.S. Atlantic Coast
Proposed Solutions
- An empirical (indicator-based) management procedure will allow for adaptive management
- In years where more dolphinfish are available to the fishery, catch limits should increase while in years where less dolphinfish are available to the fishery, catch limits should decrease.
- Developing spatial management options for equitable opportunity across states or regions
- Providing allocation options to achieve multiple competing objectives
Dolphinfish Fishery Landings Statistics and Environmental Trends
See the updated landings figure on the Dolphinfish Management Strategy Evaluation in the U.S. Atlantic web page for an updated version reflecting post-Amendment 10 allocations
Definitions
Management procedure — a predefined decision rule that adaptively specifies how a resource is managed as the size of the resource changes as measured by ongoing data collection
Empirical management procedure — empirical (or indicator-based) management procedure uses an indicator of stock abundance, usually an index of abundance, to adjust catch advice. This is in contrast to a model-based management procedure, wherein population dynamics models (stock assessment and projections) are used to estimate stock status and thereby determine management advice
Management strategy evaluation (MSE) — a framework in which management procedures are developed and “torture-tested” to ensure that they are robust to stock and fishery uncertainties and maximize the management objectives of the system
Management objectives — quantitatively defined management goals of the stock and fishery that are typically stakeholder-defined and used to measure the performance of candidate management procedures
For More Information
Contact Cassidy Peterson at cassidy.peterson@noaa.gov or (910) 708-2686.