Modifications to the Greater Amberjack Fishing Year and the Recreational Fixed Closed Season: Final Framework Action to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico

In 2016, the greater amberjack stock assessment update to Southeast Data Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 33 (2016) was completed and reviewed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) at their March 2017 meeting. The SSC accepted the greater amberjack update assessment as the best scientific information available and concluded that greater amberjack was still overfished and undergoing overfishing and the stock would not be rebuilt by 2019 as previously projected. To address the results of the most recent stock assessment, the Council recently completed a framework action (GMFMC 2017) and requested that the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) implement a rule to modify the acceptable biological catch (ABC), sector specific annual catch limits (ACL), and annual catch targets (ACT) for greater amberjack (Table 1.1.1.). Relative to the status quo, this results in a reduction in harvest for the 2018 and 2019 fishing years, with an increase in 2020 and beyond, and is expected to end overfishing and rebuild the stock by 2027 Award no. NA15NMF44100111