Pursuant to the action requested by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council), NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service would promulgate regulations to modify the calibration ratios used to compare the recreational red snapper landings estimates derived from the state surveys used by Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi to the estimates derived from the federal Marine Recreational Information Program Coastal Household Telephone Survey, which were used in the most recent red snapper stock assessment. These calibration ratios are used to convert the federal red snapper private angling catch limit for each of the states into state-specific catch limits that are directly comparable to the estimates produced by each state’s survey. The Framework Action and proposed rule would update the calibration ratio for Alabama from 0.4875 to 0.548, for Florida from 1.0602 to 1.34, and for Mississippi from 0.3840 to 0.503, and apply those updated ratios to the current federal catch limits for each state. project which requires review by the MS Department of Marine Resources to ensure compliance with the state’s approved Coastal Program under the Coastal Zone Management Act.
In addition, the proposed rule would increase the gray snapper overfishing limit to 7.546 million pounds, the acceptable biological catch to 6.226 million pounds, and the stock annual catch limit to 5.728 million pounds based on the most recent stock assessment and recommendations from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. The Framework Action and NOAA’s statement that they have determined the proposed action to be consistent to the maximum extent practicable with the enforceable policies of the MS Coastal Zone Management Program can be viewed in full at the link below.
Any person wishing to make comments or objections to the proposed activity must submit those comments in writing to Katie Nelson by mail at the Department of Marine Resources at 1141 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi, Mississippi 39530, by email at katie.nelson@dmr.ms.gov, or by using the form below before 1:00 p.m. on the day August 25, 2023.
Comment Submission Form
You should receive an acknowledgement of your comment from Katie Nelson by email. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact katie.nelson@dmr.ms.gov.
