Regulatory Amendment to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan to Set 1999211 GAG/Black Grouper Management Measures (Revised)

摘要

Groupers, excluding protected species, are managed as a single unit for211u001erecreational harvest and as two units, shallow-water grouper and deep-water 211u001egrouper, for commercial harvest. Although groupers are managed as aggregate 211u001eunits, specific management measures may be applied to individual species within 211u001ethe aggregates. Thus, a 20-inch total length (TL) minimum size limit exists for 211u001ered grouper, gag, black grouper, and yellowfin grouper, but not for other grouper 211u001especies (a 16-inch minimum size limit has been proposed for scamp under Reef Fish 211u001eAmendment 16B). This regulatory amendment proposes changes to the management 211u001emeasures applied to gag, red, and black grouper. These changes would be 211u001eimplemented under the Reef Fish Fishery management Plan's (FMP) framework 211u001eprocedure for setting total allowable catch (TAC). The existing TAC consists of a 211u001ecommercial 9.8 million pound shallow-water grouper quota, 1.6 million pound deep-211u001ewater grouper quota, and 6.1 million pound recreational allocation for all 211u001egroupers combined. The reasons why changes are being proposed are discussed in 211u001ethe section titled 'Purpose and Need for Action.'