Pubic Invited to Comment on Marine Protected Areas for Snapper and Grouper Interested members of the public are invited to provide comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery. The proposed actions would establish eight marine protected areas (MPAs) in federal waters of the South Atlantic (one off southern North Carolina, three off South Carolina, and three off Georgia). Within these MPAs, harvest and possession of snapper and grouper species would be prohibited, as would the use of shark bottom longline gear. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council used a collaborative approach to identify MPA sites that would best protect a portion of the population and habitat of long-lived, deep-water snapper and grouper species, while minimizing adverse social and economic effects. The intent is to achieve a more natural sex ratio, age, and size structure of these species within the MPAs. All comments must be received by 5pm EST on January 29, 2007. For more information, read the
Ju**********@no**.gov
.
Pubic Invited to Comment on Marine Protected Areas for Snapper and Grouper
Interested members of the public are invited to provide comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery. The proposed actions would establish eight marine protected areas (MPAs) in federal waters of the South Atlantic (one off southern North Carolina, three off South Carolina, and three off Georgia). Within these MPAs, harvest and possession of snapper and grouper species would be prohibited, as would the use of shark bottom longline gear. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council used a collaborative approach to identify MPA sites that would best protect a portion of the population and habitat of long-lived, deep-water snapper and grouper species, while minimizing adverse social and economic effects. The intent is to achieve a more natural sex ratio, age, and size structure of these species within the MPAs.
All comments must be received by 5pm EST on January 29, 2007.
For more information, read the
fishery bulletin or contactJu**********@no**.gov
.