The 18th quota monitoring report (March 26, 2004) of commercial king mackerel and Spanish mackerel landings, etc., for the 2003/2004 fishing year attached .

GULF GROUP KING MACKEREL

The commercial fisheries for Gulf group king mackerel opened for the 2003/2004 fishing year on July 1, 2003. The Florida east coast subzone, however, opened on November 1, 2003, and will close on 03/31/2004. The commercial trip limit for this zone was increased to 75 fish/day on February 1, 2004.

On March 20, 2004, NOAA Fisheries reduced the trip limit to 500 pounds/day for commercial hook-and-line vessels fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the southern Florida west coast subzone. NOAA Fisheries determined that 75 percent, or 390,234 pounds, of the 520,312-quota was harvested by that date.

The king mackerel gillnet season for the southern Florida west coast subzone began at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2004. The gillnet fishery is now closed on weekends from 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning to 6:00 a.m. Monday morning. If the gillnet quota is not harvested this 2003/2004 fishing season, the gillnet fishery will close July 1, 2004, and remain closed until January 18, 2005, the beginning of the 2004/2005 fishing season for this fishery segment.

ATLANTIC GROUP KING MACKEREL AND ATLANTIC/GULF GROUP SPANISH MACKEREL

The 2003/2004 fishing year for the Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel and Spanish mackerel and the Gulf migratory group of Spanish mackerel began on April 1, 2003, and will end on March 31, 2004. For these three mackerel groups, the 2004/2005 fishing year will begin April 1, 2004.

For commercial vessels fishing for Atlantic group Spanish mackerel in the EEZ off the Florida east coast, NOAA Fisheries reduced the daily trip limit to 1,500 pounds on March 1, 2004. The unlimited trip limit season for this fishery segment began at 6:00 a.m. on December 1, 2003. On April 1, 2004, the beginning of the 2004/2005 fishing year, the commercial trip limit for this fishery segment will increase to 3,500 pounds.

Thanks again to our folks at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center for monitoring these mackerel landings. Also, thanks to those who have kindly provided feedback to improve/maintain the accuracy and utility of these reports.