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Mackerel Quota Report for 2003/2004 Fishing Year
The 19th and final quota monitoring report (April 21, 2004) of commercial king
mackerel and Spanish mackerel landings, etc., for the 2003/2004 fishing year
is attached 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 ended 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 THE ATLANTIC AND GULF GROUPS OF 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 ended on March 31, 2004. For these three mackerel groups, the 2004/2005 fishing year began on 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 increased to 3,500 pounds per day.
For additional information contact Jason Rueter (727) 824-5350