New Regulations for Wreckfish in the South Atlantic Region
US - NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule implementing Amendment 20A to the Fishery Management…US - NOAA Fisheries has published a final rule implementing Amendment 20A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 20A).
Regulations will be effective on October 26, 2012.
Amendment 20A affects the commercial sector of the wreckfish component of the snapper-grouper fishery, which is managed under an individual transferable quota programme. Since the programme began in 1992, some wreckfish shares have become inactive, meaning some shareholders are not using their shares, nor making them available to other active fishermen. Therefore, the final rule for Amendment 20A includes the following actions intended to maximize harvest potential for active commercial wreckfish shareholders:
- Define and revoke inactive wreckfish shares.
- Redistribute revoked shares to active shareholders.
- Establish an appeals process for determinations of share status and redistribution.
- Define a cap on the number of shares one entity may own.