The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is holding a series of 8 public hearings to solicit public comment on Amendment 14 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment would establish 8 marine protected areas in federal waters in the South Atlantic. The MPAs are being considered to protect a portion of the population and habitat of long-lived, slow growing deepwater snapper grouper species (snowy grouper, misty grouper, specked hind, yellowedge grouper, warsaw grouper, golden tilefish, and blueline tilefish) from directed fishing pressure.
Proposed as “Type II” MPAs, fishing for or possession of snapper grouper species would be prohibited in the areas, but fishermen would be allowed to troll for pelagic species such as tuna, mackerel, and billfish. Amendment 14 includes alternatives for the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems as an enforcement tool for the MPAs. Additionally, the Council intends to work closely with NOAA Fisheries’ Highly Migratory Species Division to prohibit the use of bottom longlines by shark fishermen in the proposed areas.
Deepwater species are most vulnerable to overfishing because they live longer than 50 years, do not survive the trauma of being captured from deeper water, and they have complex life histories. The MPAs are intended to be used in concert with traditional management measures (bag limits, trip limits, size limits, etc.) to enhance the optimum size and age structure of these slow-growing, long-lived species. In addition, the proposed MPAs are intended to serve as a nursery area and refuge for deepwater species during various developmental stages. The sites under consideration are the result of a collaborative approach, representing years of planning and recommendations from advisory panels and public input through workshops, scoping meetings, and informational hearings.
Public hearings will be held in coastal areas in the southeast, beginning on September 5, 2006 and concluding with a final hearing during the Council's September 18-22, 2006 meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Council is expected to take final action to approve Amendment 14 during the December 4-8, 2006 meeting in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.
Written comments for Amendment 14 are being accepted by the Council until September 29, 2006. Copies of the public hearing document are now available on the MPA Information Page, or may be obtained from the Council office. Comments should be addressed to: Bob Mahood, Executive Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699. Email comments to: SGAM14@safmc.net
SNAPPER GROUPER AMENDMENT 14 (MPA)
PUBLIC HEARINGS
All hearings are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
September 5, 2006
Hampton Inn
678 Citadel Haven Drive
Charleston, SC 29414
Phone: 843/573-1200
September 6, 2006
Baywatch Resort
2701 S. Ocean Boulevard
N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
843/272-4600
September 7, 2006
Holiday Inn Sunspree
1706 N. Lumina Avenue
Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
910/256-2231
September 11, 2006
Holton’s Seafood Restaurant
13711 East Oglethorpe Highway
Midway, GA 31320
Phone: 912/884-9151
September 12, 2006
Hampton Inn St. Augustine
430 A1A Beach Boulevard
St. Augustine, FL 32080
904/471-4000
September 13, 2006
Hutchinson Island Marriott
555 N.E. Ocean Boulevard
Stuart, FL 34996
772/225-3700
September 14, 2006
Islander Resort
MM 82.1 Oceanfront
Islamorada, FL 33036
305/664-2031
September 19, 2006
Westin Hilton Head
2 Grasslawn Avenue
Hilton Head, SC 29928
843/681-4000