South Atlantic Council and Committees to Meet; Sept 18-22 in Charleston, SC The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold several meetings on September 18-22, including meetings of the King and Spanish Mackerel Committee and the Snapper Grouper Committee. In addition, the Council will hold a public hearing on Amendment 14 to the Snapper Grouper […]
Boaters Asked to Stay a Safe Distance from Wild Dolphins NOAA Fisheries Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are urging all boaters to keep their distance from wild dolphins. NOAA recommends that people remain at least 50 yards from dolphins and use binoculars if they want a better look. (Learn more about […]
NOAA Fisheries to Hold Public Meetings on Swordfish Management NOAA Fisheries has scheduled a series of public meetings regarding potential management measures for the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery. The North Atlantic stock of swordfish is no longer overfished, and NOAA anticipates that a new assessment in September 2006 may identify the stock as fully rebuilt. […]
NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE PUBLISHES FINAL 2006 LIST OF FISHERIES NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service published its annual list of commercial fisheries that interact with marine mammals today. The List of Fisheries categorizes each U.S. commercial fishery based on the level of interaction each fishery has with marine mammals. The annual list is required by the […]
General Category 3 Fish Bag Limit Extended Through September 30 The daily Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) retention limit for vessels fishing under the General category quota has been raised to 3 fish per vessel per day/trip for the month of September. This action is being taken to enhance commercial General category BFT fishing opportunities for […]
NOAA Publishes Annual “List of Fisheries” Classified According to Rates of Marine Mammal Bycatch NOAA Fisheries has published its final List of Fisheries for 2006, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). NOAA Fisheries classifies each commercial fishery on the list into one of three categories, based upon the level of serious injury […]
Hearings Planned on Marine Protected Areas The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is planning a series of public hearings in September regarding Amendment 14 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 14 would establish a series of 8 marine protected areas (MPAs) in Federal waters off the South Atlantic to protect a portion of […]
Comment Period Extended for Proposed Rule to Address Ship Strikes of Endangered Right Whales On June 26, 2006 , NOAA Fisheries proposed regulations to implement speed restrictions on vessels longer than 65 ft in certain locations and at certain times of the year along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. The proposal is designed to reduce the […]
Landings of Large Medium and Giant Bluefin to date As of 08/03/2006 fishing year landings of Atlantic bluefin tuna are as follows: The Coastwide General Category has landed 12.7 mt out of 1163.3 mt to date. The Harpoon category: 17.9 mt out of 124.0 mt to date. Longline North: 8.9 mt out of 150.4 mt […]
Non-Native Aquarium Fish Found in Florida Waters; Citizens Asked to Help Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species NOAA’s National Center for Coastal Ocean Sciences reports that the Red Sea Bannerfish has been found living on Paul’s Reef off Palm Beach, FL. This species is native to the Red Sea in the Middle East, but is […]
