1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FROM COUNCIL
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is soliciting public input on possible options regarding the allocation of fishery resources between recreational and commercial user groups. Allocations within the recreational (e.g., for-hire and private) and commercial (e.g., hook-and-line, black sea bass pots, and longlines) sectors are also under consideration.
The reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act requires the Councils to establish Annual Catch Limits (pounds or numbers of fish) for each species and Accountability Measures that ensure the catch limit is not exceeded in any year by any sector. To do this the Council must allocate the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) from the stock assessment process between recreational and commercial sectors.
The public scoping meetings provide an opportunity for members of the public to make suggestions BEFORE the Council has made any decisions. Scoping meetings are held as part of this process and are less formal than public hearings. Public scoping occurs prior to the Council taking any position on a management issue. The public can provide comments during public scoping meetings and/or in writing to the Council office.
2. CCA FLORIDA COMMENT
As recreational bag limits for groupers and red snapper decline, and more season closures are added, the growing question among the angling public is “who owns the fish.” More than a hundred years ago, commercial exploitation and market hunting for deer, ducks, and other publicly owned wildlife ended. Harvest was allowed by general public under strict limits and seasons. Marine fisheries are also publicly owned natural resources. Should they not be treated the same way?
Federal fishery laws and standards are contained in the Magnuson-Stevens Federal Fisheries Act. One of the act’s standards states that allocation of harvest must be “fair and equitable” and carried out “in such a manner that no particular individual, corporation or other entity acquires excessive share of such privileges.” The National Marine Fisheries Services’ (NMFS) interpretation and implementation of that standard is causing great concern for CCA and other angling interests.
There are many allocation issues in recent history of federal fisheries management. The best, or perhaps worst, example of inequitable allocation is red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. The federal process has determined that up to 81% of the red grouper harvest should be taken by commercial interests. Recreational fishers have been continuously reduced to the point where the recreational bag limit is only one fish, with the addition of another one month closure. CCA filed a lawsuit in 2005 against NMFS when it attempted to enact Interim Rules to close the entire Gulf of Mexico to all recreational take, for all groupers, for three months. CCA won the lawsuit and only red grouper was limited. During the battle, it was shown that commercial longline boats take the majority of the commercial allocation of red grouper. It was also shown that just 25 commercial longline boats took more red grouper than what was allocated to all the recreational fishers in the entire Gulf of Mexico!
It is difficult to believe how such an allocation could possibly be considered fair and equitable.
Growing dissatisfaction over inequitable allocations like red grouper and the recent move to dramatically reduce the Gulf recreational amberjack allocation is causing action at the federal council level. The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council has started a Fisheries Management Amendment to address the allocation issue. Concerns are being expressed about the use of recent catch records as means to determine allocations. That is a problem since recreational landings in grouper, amberjack, and other species have been reduced and manipulated by inequitable regulations that have more impact on recreational than commercial take.
3. PUBLIC WORKSHOPS
The SAFMC has scheduled the following three public workshops around Florida to take public input.
YOU ARE STRONGLY URGED TO ATTEND ONE!
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Mutiny Hotel
2951 South Bayshore Drive
Coconut Grove, Florida 33133
Phone: 305-441-2100
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Phone: 321-784-0000
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Quality Inn – Stellar Conference Center
125 Venure Drive
Brunswick, Georgia 31525
Phone: 912-265-4600
Written comments must be received by 5 pm on February 22, 2008. Comments can be emailed to: CompAllocScoping@safmc.net
The scoping document is being distributed prior to the scoping meetings to give everyone a chance to prepare comments. Copies of the scoping document will also be available on the Council’s web site at www.safmc.net and distributed at the following scoping meeting.
CCA FLORIDA WILL BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE ENTIRE PROCESS! HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR INDIVIDUALS TO APPEAR AND PARTICIPATE. NUMBERS MATTER IN THIS EXERCISE AND WE URGE ALL CCA MEMBERS AND ANGLERS TO BECOME INVOLVED!
