NOAA Fisheries announces a new rule, effective October 27, 2014, which makes changes to the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery. The final rule published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2014 (79 FR 57830). The rule includes administrative revisions to the commercial red snapper and grouper-tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs that improve […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week documenting the numbers of fish stock assessments that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducted between 2005 and 2013. The report identifies a discrepancy in the number of assessments conducted by region. For example, the report shows that during the period audited NMFS conducted only […]
fish, Fishing, National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS, NOAA
From the Southeast Fishery Bulletin: July, 31, 2014, NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to implement Framework Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Region. The proposed rule for Framework Amendment 1 published in the Federal Register (79 […]
fish, Fishing, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, NOAA, Regulations, Spanish Mackerel
The National Marine Fisheries Service announced yesterday by way of the Federal Register that it has received a petition and a request for public comment on the petition for rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), a non-governmental organization, has petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce to promulgate regulations to prohibit […]
On June 2, 2014 NOAA Fisheries announced in the Southeast Fishery Bulletin the dates for the 2014 recreational and commercial red snapper harvest season for South Atlantic federal waters, and now those dates are rapidly approaching. The recreational 2014 catch limit is set at 22,576 fish. The recreational fishing season will open for two weekends […]
Yesterday, NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced via the Federal Register the implementation of Amendment 5 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery Off the Atlantic States. Amendment 5 revises the annual catch limit for commercial harvesting of dolphin and wahoo. The final rule will permit an increase from […]
Dolphin, fish, Fishing, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Wahoo
The National Marine Fisheries division of NOAA today posted an adjustment in the regulations for the harvesting of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) for vessels licensed under the charter/headboat category fishing commercially. According to the NMFS document published today in the Federal Register the Atlantic bluefin tuna daily retention limit of one large, medium, or giant […]
Bluefin Tuna, Commercial Fishing, fish, Fishing, NMFS, NOAA, Regulations
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will begin a voluntary red snapper reporting program for recreational fishermen on June 1. This program will allow agency officials to better track how many red snapper are being harvested and landed in Mississippi. The program received unanimous approval by the Commission on Marine Resources at its meeting on […]
Press release from NOAA Southeast Fisheries: The 2014 Gulf of Mexico red snapper recreational season in federal waters is 9 days, opening at 12:01 a.m., June 1, 2014, and closing at 12:01 a.m., on June 10, 2014. The red snapper bag limit is 2 fish with a 16-inch minimum total length size limit. At its […]
fish, Fishing, Gulf of Mexico, NOAA, Red Snapper, Regulations
NOAA Fisheries has announced plans to develop a national recreational fishing policy during its second national Saltwater Recreational Fishing Summit. The policy will broadly guide future actions and better integrate recreational fishing with NOAA Fisheries’ mission. More than 100 leaders from the saltwater recreational fishing community met with NOAA Fisheries leadership at the summit, held […]
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced today that it will be seeking new members for the Recreational Fisheries Working Group of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. NMFS plans to fill vacancies that start in February and that may last as long as two years, with the possibility of reappointment. The deadline for application is January 22, 2014. […]
NOAA Fisheries released a report today about commercial and recreational Atlantic swordfish landings between January 1, 2013 and October 31, 2013. From the report: The table below provides preliminary landings estimates and remaining quotas as of October 31, 2013, for the Atlantic swordfish fisheries for the 2013 fishing year. We estimate landings using commercial dealer reports and reports […]
NOAA Fisheries has released a report detailing data from the 3rd Quarter of the 2013 fishing year regarding recreational billfish landings. From the report: The table below provides preliminary landings in numbers of fish for Atlantic blue and white marlin,roundscale spearfish, and western Atlantic sailfish for the 2013 fishing year through September 30, 2013. Landings are compiled using self-reported […]
Billfish, blue marlin, fish, Fishing, NOAA, Roundscale Spearfish, Sailfish, white marlin
Press release from NOAA Fisheries: On August 21, 2013, NMFS published a proposed rule (78 FR 52032) for Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP to reduce bluefin tuna dead discards in the pelagic longline fishery via gear restricted areas and an individual bycatch cap, enhance reporting in all categories, reallocate U.S. bluefin […]
Well, as we all assumed it would, the U.S. Government has shutdown. And while yesterday we addressed what this might mean for the Saltwater Nation in terms of beach access, today we need to point out that the shutdown has also closed NOAA. So, members of the Saltwater Nation, you may want to switch to […]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be offering a number of free workshops in the coming months, including a series of Atlantic shark identification workshops and protected species safe handling, release, and identification workshops. The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held on October 17, 2013 in Braintree, MA; November 17, 2013 in […]
Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, NOAA, South Carolina
Beginning this weekend off the coast of San Francisco, marine scientists from NOAA will begin a week-long test of a new mobile app designed to help reduce the numbers of whales struck and killed by commercial vessels. The app, developed by Conserve.IO, uses crowd-sourced information from sailors, fishermen and marine scientists who spot whales to track whales […]
From NOAA press release FB13-073: NOAA Announces a Quota Increase for Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper and a 14-Day Supplemental Recreational Season Beginning October 1, 2013 NOAA Fisheries announces a rule increasing the allowable catch for red snapper from 8.46 million pounds (mp) to 11 mp. The recreational quota will increase from 4.145 mp to 5.39 mp and the commercial quota will increase from 4.315 mp to 5.61 mp. Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will […]
fish, Fishing, Gulf of Mexico, NOAA, Red Snapper, Regulations
A new National Weather Service study reports that more people die from lightening strikes in the U.S. while fishing than while engaging in other activities. The report studied 238 lightening-induced deaths in the U.S. from 2006 to 2012. The report shows that the majority of lightening strike deaths (152 of 238) occurred during leisure activities. […]
As Inventive Fishing reported two days ago, Brownsville Federal Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries joint lawsuit to stop the National Marine Fisheries Service emergency closure of the recreational red snapper season. Following the ruling no closure date for the 2013 season had been […]
fish, Fishing, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Red Snapper, Regulations