The Atlantic Coast red drum fishery management plan : including an environmental impact statement and regulatory impact review

Objectives of the plan are to: 1) Maintain a spawning stock biomass sufficient to prevent recruitment failure by cooperatively working with the States to provide 30% escapement of juvenile red drum to the spawning stock and control fishing mortality to achieve at least a 30% spawning stock biomass per recruit level; 2) Provide a flexible management system to address incompatibility and inconsistency among state and federal regulations which minimizes regulatory delay while retaining substantial Council and public input into management decisions and which can adapt to changes in resource abundance, new scientific information and changes in fishing patterns among user groups or by area; and 3) Promote cooperative collection of biological, economic and sociological data required to effectively monitor and assess the status of the red drum resource and evaluate management efforts.