2021 and 2020-2021 South Atlantic Recreational Landings

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center has provided the following preliminary landings estimates for species in the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s area of jurisdiction subject to annual catch limits (ACLs).

Southeast

This page was updated on: 5/31/2022

SEASONAL CLOSURES: South Atlantic Seasons and Closures
TRIP LIMITS AND BAG LIMITS: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
FOR THE MOST CURRENT FEDERAL REGULATIONS: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic
FOR OTHER FISHING YEARS
- 2022 and 2021-2022 fishing years
- 2020 and 2019-2020 fishing years
- 2019 and 2018-2019 fishing years
- Historical Landings: Historical landings for the South Atlantic
FOR ALL LANDINGS: Southeast Region Annual Catch Limit Monitoring

Preliminary Landings* for Fishing Year: January 1 - December 31, 2021

*by Two-month Wave

Species Complex	Jan-Feb	Mar-Apr	May-Jun	Jul-Aug	Sep-Oct	Nov-Dec	Total Reported	Annual Catch Limit	Dataset	Units	Percent of ACL	Current Status
Atlantic spadefish	9	1,535	49,919	8,823	3,354	37	63,677	661,926	CHTS	ww	10%	CLOSED
Bar Jack	3	1,654	123	11	1,222	52	3,065	49,021	CHTS	ww	6%	CLOSED
Black grouper^a	150	182	40,580	14,069	9,379	7,840	72,200	165,750	MRFSS	ww	44%	CLOSED
Blueline Tilefish^a	116	256	57,164	109,403	227	0	167,166	116,820	CHTS	ww	143%	CLOSED
Deepwater complex^b	1,874	11,337	355	6,900	4,717	901	26,084	38,628	CHTS	ww	68%	CLOSED
Dolphin	78,891	147,926	1,076,713	674,363	696,417	74,705	2,749,015	13,810,361	CHTS	ww	20%	CLOSED
Gag^a	0	0	46,766	21,878	11,137	2,570	82,351	359,832	CHTS	gw	23%	CLOSED
Golden tilefish	1,132	0	1,576	108	257	0	3,073	2,316	CHTS	numbers	133%	CLOSED on 9/20/21
Gray triggerfish	40,306	25,552	73,859	75,394	180,429	8,201	403,741	404,675	CHTS	ww	100%	CLOSED
Grunts^c	115,251	43,694	44,051	67,873	42,414	23,033	336,316	618,122	CHTS	ww	54%	CLOSED
Hogfish NC-GA	0	21	0	10	6	5	42	988	CHTS	numbers	4%	CLOSED
Hogfish FLK-EFL	0	0	4,052	351	2,727	1	7,131	29,096	CHTS	numbers	25%	CLOSED
Jacks^d	106,601	21,767	36,360	118,690	55,840	7,713	346,971	267,799	CHTS	ww	130%	CLOSED
Mutton snapper	20,089	16,899	15,925	12,251	13,447	21,735	100,346	127,115	CHTS	numbers	79%	CLOSED
Porgies^a,e	17,651	25,612	17,777	26,699	8,545	14,670	110,954	106,914	CHTS	ww	104%	CLOSED
Red Grouper^a	321	859	26,680	8,453	7,849	60,826	104,988	90,720	CHTS	ww	116%	CLOSED
Red Porgy^a	898	1,769	11,435	7,285	22,562	356	44,305	164,000	CHTS	ww	27%	CLOSED
Scamp^a	80	84	5,822	8,004	3,315	203	17,508	116,369	CHTS	ww	15%	CLOSED
Shallow water grouper^a,f	1,438	4	3,434	5,214	1,899	774	12,763	48,648	CHTS	ww	26%	CLOSED
Snappers^g	63,634	46,830	75,205	194,705	110,256	39,168	529,798	1,169,308	CHTS	ww	45%	CLOSED
Snowy Grouper^a	101	131	539	379	32	7	1,189	5,315	CHTS	numbers	22%	CLOSED
Vermilion snapper	65,898	28,513	147,510	118,670	122,099	24,400	507,090	450,560	CHTS	ww	113%	CLOSED
Wahoo	35,621	32,036	44,982	54,860	122,097	14,564	304,160	1,724,418	CHTS	ww	18%	CLOSED
Wreckfish^a	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19,455	CHTS	ww	0%	CLOSED
Red Snapper**	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	29,656	CHTS	ww	x	CLOSED
Goliath grouper	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	0	MRFSS	ww	x	PROHIBITED
Nassau grouper	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	0	MRFSS	gw	x	PROHIBITED
Speckled hind	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	0	MRFSS	ww	x	PROHIBITED
Warsaw grouper	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	0	MRFSS	ww	x	PROHIBITED

MRFSS, MRIP, and Headboat recreational landings available from January 1 through August 31, 2021.
The survey to estimate recreational landings has changed over the years. Details of the changes can be found at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/recreational-fishing-data
The different recreational surveys are listed in the tables as MRFSS, CHTS, and FES. MRFSS is the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey.
CHTS is the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Coastal Household Telephone Survey, and FES is the MRIP Fishing Effort Survey.

Note: Amendment 31 removed Atlantic cobia (from Georgia through New York) from the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan. Atlantic cobia is now managed under the purview of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission because the majority of Atlantic cobia landings are in state waters.

Preliminary Landings* for 2020-2021 Fishing Year: Season Varies (See Table)

*by Two-month Wave

Species Complex	Season	Mar-Apr	May-Jun	Jul-Aug	Sep-Oct	Nov-Dec	Jan-Feb	Total Reported	Annual Catch Limit	Units	Dataset	Percent of ACL	Current Status
Greater Amberjack	Mar 1 - Feb 29**	46,035	240,066	182,603	52,273	27,526	78,394	626,897	1,167,837	as reported	MRFSS	54%	CLOSED
King Mackerel	Mar 1 - Feb 29**	91,404	556,998	608,055	298,252	156,852	192,959	1,904,520	8,000,000	as reported	CHTS	24%	CLOSED
Spanish Mackerel	Mar 1 - Feb 29**	54,959	229,994	335,080	504,053	125,880	221,480	1,471,446	2,727,000	ww	CHTS	54%	CLOSED

Species Complex	Season	August	Sep-Oct	Nov-Dec	Jan-Feb	Mar-Apr	May-Jun	Jul	Total Reported	Annual Catch Limit (ww)	Dataset	Percent of ACL	Current Status
Yellowtail Snapper	Aug 1-Jul 31**	33,611	26,032	86,955	42,291	218,598	185,151	57,390	650,028	1,440,990	MRFSS	45%	CLOSED

Species Complex	Season	Apr	May-Jun	Jul-Aug	Sep-Oct	Nov-Dec	Jan-Feb	Mar	Total Reported	Annual Catch Limit (ww)	Dataset	Percent of ACL	Current Status
Black Sea Bass	Apr 1 - Mar 31**	3,243	27,353	35,056	10,180	14,330	1,442	13,021	104,626	366,510	CHTS	29%	CLOSED

*All landings include both MRFSS/MRIP and Headboat landings.

**Fishing seasons were modified in Regulatory Amendment 14 for black sea bass and greater amberjack. The fishing season for Yellowtail snapper was modified in Regulatory Amendment 25, which took effect on August 12, 2016.

Definitions

ww: pounds whole weight; gw: pounds gutted weight; numbers: number of fish

Recreational Dataset: All landings are MRIP, except the following species are MRFSS: Black grouper, Red snapper, Goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, Speckled hind, and Warsaw grouper. The datasets used to monitor the recreational ACLs for some stocks were changed from MRFSS to the MRIP. The dataset to monitor the other stocks will be changed to MRIP in future amendments. Landings include MRIP or MRIP converted to MRFSS and headboat landings.

Notes

(a) There is a seasonal regulation in place; For a list of seasonal closures and harvest limitations, please visit South Atlantic Seasonal Closures and Harvest Limitations

(b) Deepwater Complex: yellowedge grouper, silk snapper, misty grouper, queen snapper, sand tilefish, blackfin snapper

(d) Jacks: Almaco jack, banded rudderfish, lesser amberjack

(e) Porgies: Jolthead, knobbed, saucereye, whitebone, scup

(f) Shallow Water Grouper: Red hind, rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper

(g) Snappers: Gray, lane, cubera

(h) The majority of red grouper landings came north of Key West (Gulf of Mexico region). These Key West red grouper landings were not applied to the South Atlantic ACL.

Source: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Quota Monitoring Program, Miami, Florida.

For additional information contact Mary Vara at 727-824-5305.

Return to the Southeast Region Annual Catch Limit Monitoring page

Last updated by Southeast Regional Office on 05/31/2022