Amendment 21 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan Includes Regulatory Impact Review, Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, and Environmental Assessment

In June 2000, NMFS implemented a series of management actions proposed under the August 1999 Regulatory Amendment to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan to Set 1999 Gag/Black Grouper Management Measures (Revised) (GMFMC 1999a). These actions included raising the minimum size limit for gag from 20 inches total length to 22 inches for recreational harvest and 24 inches for commercial harvest; closing the commercial fishery to harvest of red, gag and black grouper during February 15 to March 15; and creating two marine reserves, Steamboat Lumps and Madison-Swanson (Figure 1) that are closed to all fishing except for the highly migratory species (tunas, swordfish, oceanic sharks, and billfishes). These actions were taken in response to a 1997 gag stock assessment (Schirripa and Legault 1997) and recommendation from the Reef Fish Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) that gag, while not overfished, may be undergoing overfishing (GMFMC 1998a). 2003 Award Nos. NA17FC2203 ; NA03NMF4410028 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SER (Southeast Region) SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/nkrh-4t96 Public Domain 1862