Exempted Fishing Permit: Mote Marine Lab Red Grouper Full Retention Study
This study would assess the efficacy of an optimized retention management strategy in the eastern Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery with red grouper, Epinephelus morio, as the test species.
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The application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) was submitted by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium on April 17, 2023, and involves assessing the efficacy of an optimized retention management strategy in the eastern Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery with red grouper, Epinephelus morio, as the test species. If granted, the EFP would allow the retention of undersized red grouper in federal Gulf waters seaward of 35 fathoms on three federally reef fish permitted bottom longline vessels with electronic monitoring systems, which use multiple cameras and sensors to record fishing activity, catch, and discards. The proposed EFP activity is a component of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Electronic Monitoring (EM) and Recording grant No. 76682. The EFP would exempt harvest activities from federal regulations specific to commercial red grouper in federal waters of the Gulf at 50 CFR 622.37(b)(2)(i).
Exempted Fishing Permit
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Contact NOAA Staff
To reach Sustainable Fisheries staff, please call 727-824-5305
For questions about this EFP: Rich.Malinowski@noaa.gov