South Atlantic stocks of snowy grouper, black sea bass, and red porgy are currently overfished. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to implement rebuilding plans for all overfished fish stocks. Using the most recent stock assessment reports and data, the Council has proposed, in Amendment 15A, redefined management reference points and rebuilding plans and or strategies for each stock. Rebuilding plans are created in an effort to increase fish populations to a sustainable level within a specified period of time. None of the measures in Amendment 15A involve changes to current regulations; therefore no proposed or final rule is required at this time.
Proposed Amendment 15A Actions
Snowy Grouper
Define maximum sustainable yield as 313,056 lbs whole weight.
Redefine the maximum fishery mortality threshold as 0.05.
Define optimum yield as 303,871 lbs whole weight.
Define minimum stock size threshold as 3,498,735 lbs whole weight.
Set a 34 year (one generation) rebuilding schedule, where the first year is 2006.
Define a rebuilding strategy that maintains a constant fishing mortality rate throughout the rebuilding time frame. The total allowable catch (TAC), 102,960 lbs whole weight starting in 2009, would remain in effect until modified through subsequent action.
Red Porgy
Redefine maximum sustainable yield as 625,699 lbs whole weight.
Redefine the maximum fishery mortality threshold as 0.20.
Define optimum yield as 608,099 lbs whole weight.
Define a rebuilding strategy that maintains a constant fishing mortality rate throughout the 18 year rebuilding time frame. The TAC would be 395,281 lbs whole weight and would remain in effect until modified through subsequent action.
Black Sea Bass
Define maximum sustainable yield as 2,777,825 lbs whole weight.
Redefine the maximum fishery mortality threshold as 0.43.
Define optimum yield as 2,742,551 lbs whole weight.
Set a rebuilding schedule of 10 years (one generation), where the first year is 2006.
Define a rebuilding strategy that maintains a constant catch throughout the rebuilding time frame. The TAC would be 847,000 lbs whole weight, which would go into effect in 2009 and remain in effect until modified.
