Gulf Coast Fisherman

May 1, 2008 (MASGP-08-001-05)

DMR EXTENDS OYSTER HARVEST

Due to the opening of the Bonnet Carrè Spillway, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) extended oyster harvest in certain areas. Beginning Monday, April 14, Area II Approved Waters opened for harvest, with a commercial daily vessel limit of 50 sacks. DMR determined that this extension will permit the utilization of oysters that may be lost due to extreme low salinity conditions caused by the Bonnet Carrè Spillway flood waters.

The DMR is extending oyster harvest in certain areas through Saturday, May 10, 2008 and subject to the opening criteria as set forth in the management plan for each area. Some of these areas may be currently in the closed status and may be opened for harvest once water quality criteria have been met.

Area I B Conditionally Approved: This area includes the St. Josephs or St. Joes reef.
Area II Approved: This area includes southern portions of the Pass Marianne and Telegraph reefs, Buoy reef and the shell keys referred to as Pelican, Fletchers, and Umbrella.
Area II A Conditionally Approved: (for tonging only) This area includes northern portions of the Pass Christian and Henderson Point reefs and Hornets reef.
Area II B Conditionally Approved: This area includes the St. Stanislaus and Waveland reefs.
Area II C Conditionally Approved: This area includes southern portions of the Pass Christian and Henderson Point reefs, Square Handkerchief reef and northern portions of the Pass Marianne and Telegraph reefs.

All other Mississippi waters and reef areas, including all 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 shell plant or cultch plant areas within the above described areas, will remain closed to harvest, with the exception of the Pass Christian tonging reef, which may be opened to harvest. All oyster harvesters must be checked out at the appropriate DMR Oyster Check Station by no later than 2 p.m. For the most current information on open and closed areas, call the DMR 24-hour Oyster Information Hot Line at (228) 374-5167 or (800) 385-5902.

ALABAMA HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES BAN ON GILL NETS

On April 22, 2008, an Alabama House of Representatives committee approved a ban on commercial gill nets in the state's salt and brackish waters, but opponents warned of a floor fight in the full House. The bill had support from environmentalists and recreational interests, who said the mile-long nets were tearing up the bottom of Mobile Bay and threatening fish stocks in the area. Commercial fishermen who attended the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee meeting said the bill represents a direct threat to their livelihood. State Rep. Spencer Collier, R-Bayou la Batre, promised a filibuster unless mandatory buyout provisions were made voluntary. The bill sponsored by Rep. Jamie Ison, R-Mobile, would ban the use of commercial gill nets effective October 1, 2008. Net fishermen would be given the option of taking five payments equal to 35 percent of their highest annual income in 2004, 2005 or 2006, or a one-time buyout of 125 percent of their highest annual income during that period. The compensation would be funded through an $8 surcharge on saltwater fishing licenses over the next five years. Alabama commercial fishermen account for half of the total catch of Spanish mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico. Edwin Lamberth, chairman of the Mobile-based Coastal Conservation Association's government relations committee, argued that the catches were hurting the state's $463.5 million recreational fishing industry. Commercial fishermen and seafood industry representatives said local fish stocks are stable and that a ban would destroy local livelihoods. Commercial fishermen also argued that the gill net ban would end up hurting fishing-related businesses. A bill that would have allowed gill net fishermen to retire their nets voluntarily in exchange for compensation was approved by the House of Representatives last year but died in the Senate. That bill included a provision for the state to conduct a five-year study to determine whether gill nets were responsible for reducing fish populations. Rep. Collier, whose south Mobile County district includes many fishermen, was disappointed by the vote and said he would not accept the bill in its current form. (Source: Press-Register, April 23, 2008)

PROPOSED RULE FOR GREATER AMBERJACK AND GRAY TRIGGERFISH

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would implement measures to end overfishing and rebuild greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico. The most recent assessments for these species indicate reductions in harvest are needed to end overfishing and allow the stocks to recover within each species respective rebuilding schedule. For 2008, the overall harvest of greater amberjack needs to be reduced by 32 percent, and for gray triggerfish, reduced by at least 49 percent. To ensure these targets are met, the rule proposes annual catch limits and accountability measures for these species. These measures are outlined in Amendment 30A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico submitted by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on April 8, 2008, with the comment period ending May 23, 2008.

For greater amberjack, the proposed rule would:

Increase the recreational minimum size limit to 30 inches fork length (FL).
Set the bag limit for captain(s) and crew of for-hire vessels at zero.
Establish a greater amberjack commercial fishery quota of 0.503 million pounds (mp) and a recreational fishery quota of 1.368 mp.

For gray triggerfish, the proposed rule would:

Increase the gray triggerfish recreational and commercial minimum size limit to 14 inches FL.
Establish a gray triggerfish commercial hard quota of 80,000 pounds for 2008, 93,000 pounds for 2009, and 106,000 pounds for 2010.

Proposed rules for both species give the NMFS Assistant Administrator (AA) the authority to shorten the fishing season for a sector if landings go over the catch limits. For greater amberjack, the AA would have the authority to shorten the season within the fishing year and in the following year if limits are exceeded or are projected to be exceeded. For gray triggerfish, the recreational rules would provide the AA the authority to shorten the fishing year in the following year if the catch limit is exceeded, while the commercial rules would give the AA the authority to shorten the fishing season within the fishing year and in the following year if the commercial limit is exceeded. Gray triggerfish catch limits would be defined as multi-year running average landings, with exception of the first year which would use only 2008 landings.

Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern time, on May 23, 2008. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Mail: Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. Fax: 727-824-5308, Attention: Peter Hood. The proposed rule is also available via the Internet at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html (do an advanced search under proposed rules for page 19040). Printed or electronic copies of the rule and Amendment 30B can be obtained from the Southeast Regional Office by contacting Peter Hood (see address above). Comments must be received by May 23, 2008, to be considered by NMFS in its decision on the final rule. All comments received by NMFS specific to the proposed rule will be addressed in the final rule.

Sincerely,

Dave Burrage

Marine Resources Specialist
MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center