Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Monitoring under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan (FMP)

The preliminary annual landings in the tables below correspond to the fishery management units (FMU) set under the 2010 and 2011 ACL Amendments to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s Reef Fish FMP.

Southeast

For annual ACL monitoring, landings for each FMU are evaluated relative to the ACL based on a moving three-year average of landings using the most recent, complete three years of landings data available. For Puerto Rico, ACLs for reef fish FMUs are managed by sector (commercial and recreational) and sector-specific landings for each FMU are compared to the sector-specific ACL and the total (commercial + recreational) ACL. Landings and ACLs are reported in pounds round weight.

If landings exceed the applicable ACL for a FMU, or in Puerto Rico if landings exceed the applicable sector ACL and total ACL for a FMU, the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries will file a notification with the Office of the Federal Register, at or near the beginning of the following fishing year, to reduce the length of the fishing season for the FMU that year by the amount necessary to ensure landings do not exceed the applicable ACL. If NOAA Fisheries determines the ACL was exceeded because of enhanced data collection and monitoring efforts instead of an increase in total catch, NOAA Fisheries will not reduce the length of the fishing season for the applicable FMU.

Any required fishing season reduction will be applied from September 30 backward, toward the beginning of the fishing year. If the length of the fishing season reduction exceeds the time period of January 1 through September 30, any additional fishing season reduction will be applied from October 1 forward, toward the end of the fishing year.

Preliminary Commercial Landings and Commercial ACLs for Puerto Rico Reef Fish FMUs

Reef Fish FMU	ACL	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Angelfish	8,984	.	.	.	57	90	.	.	.
Boxfish	86,115	48,632	35,613	38,722	41,621	38,986	33,604	40,390	42,336
Goatfish	17,565	11,532	5,956	7,390	7,157	6,773	4,196	6,778	4,422
Groupers	177,513	67,048	51,030	63,180	75,838	71,200	43,589	61,907	68,710
Grunts	182,396	33,723	23,243	25,162	26,357	27,652	21,001	27,049	27,595
Jacks	86,059	50,617	32,662	41,041	49,792	39,766	31,293	38,510	61,316
Parrotfish	52,737	60,156	48,593	53,910	45,599	47,122	23,114	34,962	37,555
Snapper Unit 1	284,685	204,098	138,310	215,635	203,824	243,283	225,211	223,174	340,288
Snapper Unit 2	145,916	184,621	108,532	174,478	180,738	124,428	95,122	112,214	165,151
Snapper Unit 3	345,775	218,288	145,512	167,467	159,898	136,043	112,625	140,861	166,997
Snapper Unit 4	373,295	209,368	131,254	193,179	178,093	188,221	126,399	150,602	165,397
Scups & Porgies	24,739	32,928	18,372	18,044	16,939	18,938	14,471	19,979	17,544
Squirrelfish	16,663	8,789	5,820	6,219	7,990	5,328	2,820	3,399	2,780
Surgeonfish	7,179	.	.	65	108	.	112	.	CONF
Triggerfish & Filefish	58,475	76,826	64,112	71,832	71,407	66,160	40,441	57,140	56,867
Wrasses	54,147	68,599	48,942	60,045	54,778	54,197	31,914	71,856	59,187

* 2020 data are not available.

Preliminary Recreational Landings and Recreational ACLs for Puerto Rico Reef Fish FMUs

Reef Fish FMU	ACL	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Angelfish	4,492	.	379	.	.	.	.
Boxfish	4,616	1,582	1,304	986	7,696	1,066	.
Goatfish	362	110	.	.	195	.	.
Groupers	77,213	18,170	3,379	30,589	7,449	109,447	1,430
Grunts	5,028	3,343	716	2,730	997	5,153	113
Jacks	51,001	58,828	34,904	81,560	48,660	194,529	17,938
Parrotfish	15,263	9,732	8,728	44,736	19,394	1,315	123
Scups & Porgies	2,577	2,177	156	5,611	-	18,930	655
Snapper Unit 1	95,526	41,361	25,889	24,934	24,206	35,245	18,765
Snapper Unit 2	34,810	3,924	.	.	794	12,513	.
Snapper Unit 3	83,158	45,170	47,400	59,773	74,060	136,047	52,656
Snapper Unit 4	28,509	16,266	5,018	9,365	27,864	47,108	33,619
Squirrelfish	3,891	330	.	388	1,298	258	-
Surgeonfish	3,590	.	.	.	.	.	-
Triggerfish & Filefish	21,929	14,250	2,198	39,887	27,577	4,233	-
Wrasses	5,050	4,482	3,606	43,891	1,495	2,004	47

* Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) estimates are provided for 2012 and 2013 and Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) estimates for 2014 to 2017. There are no factors available to adjust MRFSS estimates to MRIP estimates in the Caribbean. The 2017 MRIP survey was not operational for Waves 1 and 2 (months Jan-Feb and Mar-Apr) due to contractual issues and for Waves 5 and 6 (months Sept-Oct and Nov-Dec) due to Hurricane Maria. Recreational surveys have not resumed following 2017.

Preliminary Commercial Landings and ACLs for St. Thomas and St. John Reef Fish FMUs

Reef Fish FMU	ACL	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Angelfish	7,897	16,077	16,204	21,106	19,457	21,600	17,512	16,547	14,096	14,318
Boxfish	27,880	12,303	10,982	11,333	11,425	10,860	7,938	5,884	4,964	5,105
Goatfish	320	CONF	CONF	.	CONF	CONF	.	.	.	.
Groupers	51,849	41,412	38,681	38,076	33,611	43,105	35,012	30,425	33,954	34,874
Grunts	37,617	16,113	11,566	11,701	11,862	15,501	17,947	19,981	19,344	17,988
Jacks	52,907	45,551	25,430	43,956	34,030	25,191	30,479	27,063	22,497	19,101
Parrotfish	42,500	17,224	17,660	16,283	14,588	15,208	11,724	9,890	12,069	7,814
Scups & Porgies	21,819	10,112	9,433	10,388	10,224	9,205	6,583	7,135	5,492	5,290
Snappers	133,775	53,965	36,462	51,191	40,523	43,126	35,520	33,951	34,688	34,319
Squirrelfish	4,241	9,817	9,504	9,258	7,334	8,914	5,598	6,105	5,293	5,264
Surgeonfish	29,249	15,093	12,580	13,184	11,460	15,751	12,727	10,679	10,296	9,106
Triggerfish & Filefish	74,447	46,047	45,048	51,537	51,520	52,918	39,365	42,249	35,342	40,944
Wrasses	585	1,823	1,903	2,639	2,184	2,646	2,694	2,885	2,812	3,445

Preliminary Commercial Landings and ACLs for St. Croix Reef Fish FMUs

Reef Fish FMU	ACL	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Angelfish	305	14,268	8,890	5,406	5,579	6,545	6,144	1,611	1,556	3,978
Boxfish	8,433	1,822	1,755	1,047	1,132	1,505	1,431	196	290	455
Goatfish	3,766	534	339	255	174	1,507	2,332	793	284	2,740
Groupers	30,435	29,866	22,977	14,182	13,575	16,645	15,106	3,124	5,386	8,222
Grunts	36,881	24,784	18,644	10,308	10,996	10,763	6,267	2,804	3,962	6,388
Jacks	15,489	8,360	14,563	4,286	4,987	4,890	3,411	1,988	1,218	3,003
Parrotfish	240,000	118,867	107,437	75,442	86,345	90,061	69,598	17,989	21,111	53,478
Scups & Porgies	4,638	212	96	45	44	387	313	117	142	189
Snappers	102,946	67,522	65,370	44,381	44,147	52,017	40,987	11,741	15,830	31,809
Squirrelfish	121	600	490	283	450	480	227	468	476	1,071
Surgeonfish	33,603	21,245	12,641	9,624	9,364	14,155	10,362	2,295	3,734	10,788
Triggerfish & Filefish	24,980	22,658	13,950	8,831	9,242	9,857	9,630	4,427	3,151	3,070
Wrasses	7	24	CONF	.	CONF	269	102	23	27	109

Species included in the Reef Fish FMUs

Angelfish: Queen angelfish, gray angelfish, French angelfish

Boxfish: Honeycomb cowfish, scrawled cowfish, trunkfish, spotted trunkfish, smooth trunkfish

Goatfish: Spotted goatfish, yellow goatfish

Groupers: Nassau grouper**, goliath grouper**, coney, graysby, red hind, rock hind, black grouper, red grouper, tiger grouper, yellowfin grouper, misty grouper, yellowedge grouper

Grunts: White grunt, margate, tomtate, bluestriped grunt, French grunt, porkfish

Jacks: Blue runner, horse-eye jack, black jack, almaco jack, bar jack, greater amberjack, yellow jack

Parrotfish: Blue parrotfish**, midnight parrotfish**, rainbow parrotfish**, queen parrotfish, rainbow parrotfish, redfin parrotfish, redtail parrotfish, stoplight parrotfish, redband parrotfish, striped parrotfish

Scups & Porgies: Jolthead porgy, sea bream, sheepshead porgy, pluma

Snapper Unit 1: Black snapper, blackfin snapper, silk snapper, vermilion snapper, wenchman

Snapper Unit 2: Cardinal snapper, queen snapper

Snapper Unit 3: Gray snapper, lane snapper, mutton snapper, dog snapper, schoolmaster, mahogany snapper

Snapper Unit 4: Yellowtail snapper

Squirrelfish: Blackbar soldierfish, bigeye, longspine squirrelfish, squirrelfish

Surgeonfish: Blue tang, ocean surgeonfish, doctorfish

Triggerfish & Filefish: Ocean triggerfish, queen triggerfish, sargassum triggerfish, scrawled filefish, whitespotted filefish, black durgon

Wrasses: Hogfish, puddingwife, Spanish hogfish

** Harvest is prohibited

FOR THE MOST CURRENT FEDERAL REGULATIONS: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic

Last updated by Southeast Regional Office on 03/22/2022

Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Monitoring under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan (FMP)

Preliminary Commercial Landings and Commercial ACLs for Puerto Rico Reef Fish FMUs

* 2020 data are not available.

Preliminary Recreational Landings and Recreational ACLs for Puerto Rico Reef Fish FMUs

Preliminary Commercial Landings and ACLs for St. Thomas and St. John Reef Fish FMUs

Preliminary Commercial Landings and ACLs for St. Croix Reef Fish FMUs

Species included in the Reef Fish FMUs

** Harvest is prohibited

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