SAFMC PUBLIC HEARINGS
November 2-16, 2009
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recently held a series of public hearings in November regarding proposed management measures within Amendments 17A, 17B, and Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. Formal comments received during the hearings were recorded and will be distributed to all Council members for consideration in management decisions.
Written comments on the amendments were accepted until November 25, 2009. The Council will consider all comments received on the amendments during its December 6-11, 2009 meeting in Atlantic Beach, NC.
Meeting Postcard Announcement (PDF) (posted 10/9/09)
September 2009 Council meeting follow-up news release
PUBLIC HEARING DOCUMENTS (posted 10/19/09) - Public Hearing versions of Amendments 17A, 17B and 18 including a comprehensive listing of management alternatives under consideration and appendices plus Public Hearing Summaries for each amendment.
We're going live! Live video of the Public Hearings will be available. Type "SAFMC" in the search block on USTREAM to view the hearings as they occur.
Amendment Highlights
(A complete list of management actions and alternatives is included in the Public Hearing documents.)
Snapper Grouper Amendment 17A - Red snapper are currently undergoing overfishing and are overfished. Amendment 17A establishes Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) for red snapper, long term management measures to rebuild the red snapper stock, and a monitoring program for red snapper. Management options include closure of the red snapper fishery plus alternatives for area closures for all snapper grouper fishing to address bycatch of red snapper, permitted fishing zone, and various monitoring program alternatives.
Snapper Grouper Amendment 17B - Establishment of ACLs and AMs for 9 remaining species in the snapper-grouper complex currently listed as undergoing overfishing. Alternatives include a proposed deepwater closure, allocations for golden tilefish, aggregate ACLs for gag, black grouper and red grouper, and AMs to close fisheries once the ACL is met.
Snapper Grouper Amendment 18 - Additional measures are being considered for the snapper-grouper complex, including expansion of the management unit northward, limiting access for the golden tilefish fishery, measures for the black sea bass pot fishery, change in fishing year for golden tilefish, improvements in fisheries statistics, and designation of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) as necessary.
Public Hearing schedule:
Note! All Public Hearings were held from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm with the exception of the Newport News, Virginia Public Hearing on November 16, which was held at 6:00 pm.
Monday, 11/2/09
Hilton Garden Inn Charleston Airport
5265 International Boulevard
North Charleston, South Carolina 29418
Phone: 843/308-9330 843/308-9330
Tuesday, 11/3/09
Hilton New Bern Riverfront
100 Middle Street
New Bern, North Carolina 28562
Phone: 252/638-3585 252/638-3585
Thursday, 11/5/09
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, Georgia 31322
Phone: 912/748-8888 912/748-8888
Tuesday, 11/10/09
Key Largo Grande
97000 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, Florida 33037
Phone: 305/852-5553 305/852-5553
Wednesday, 11/11/09
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Phone: 321/784-0000 321/784-0000
Thursday, 11/12/09
Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront
1201 Riverplace Boulevard
Jacksonville, Florida 32207
Phone: 904/398-8800 904/398-8800
Monday, 11/16/09 (*scheduled at 6:00 pm)
Virginia Marine Resources Commission office
2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor
Newport News, VA 23607
Phone: 757/247-2200 757/247-2200