South Atlantic Nassau Grouper Landings and Discards

On June 29, 2016, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a final rule in the Federal Register listing Nassau grouper as threatened under the Endangered Species Act; the listing will be effective July 29, 2016. Consequently, the ongoing consultation on the continued authorization of Snapper-Grouper fishing must now consider potential effects on Nassau grouper as well. Although Snapper-Grouper regulations prohibit retention of the species, they can still be incidentally caught during fishing for other snapper-grouper species off Florida, so may be adversely affected. 2016 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SER (Southeast Region) Submitted Public Domain 1930