On April 3, 2008, NOAA Fisheries Service published a proposed rule to transfer the management authority for Atlantic coast red drum in federal waters from the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act). The purpose of this proposed action is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of managing Atlantic coast red drum. This proposed action is unrelated to the recent Executive Order designating red drum a game fish species in federal waters of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
Current Red Drum Management
Currently, the red drum fishery off the South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic coastal states is managed under two separate Fishery Management Plans (FMP).
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) manages red drum in federal waters under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) manages red drum in state waters under the Atlantic Coastal Act.
Transfer of Regulatory Authority
Through this proposed rule the Council and the Commission seek to remove the Magnuson-Stevens Act regulations implementing the Council’s FMP and to establish comparable regulations by a Commission FMP under the Atlantic Coastal Act.
The transfer of management authority is intended to reduce management costs and unnecessary duplication of management efforts.
Under the Atlantic Coastal Act, the existing harvest and possession prohibition in federal waters will continue to be enforced by the NOAA Fisheries Service and the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Secretary of Commerce will continue to have regulatory authority over red drum in federal waters.
