Testing traps to target lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic, including within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: final programmatic environmental assessment

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Regional Office (SERO) proposes to issue exempted fishing permits (EFPs) for the testing of otherwise prohibited fishing gear and for compensation/exploratory fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, including the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). NMFS has received an application for an EFP to test whether certain trap types would be effective at capturing lionfish while minimizing bycatch of other species and effects to the environment, and expects to receive additional proposals. In addition, NOAA's Office of Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) has received one permit application to test lionfish traps in the FKNMS. NMFS and ONMS anticipate that some future permit applications may propose testing within the waters of FKNMS, thus ONMS is acting as a co-lead on this Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). In particular, ONMS proposes to issue general use permits to future permit applicants for alterations of the seafloor due to placement of traps to target lionfish on the seafloor. EFPs are required for the testing of fishing gear and for compensation/exploratory fishing that would otherwise be prohibited under federal fishing regulations.