Release: Immediate
Date: Feb. 11, 2013
Contact: Sustainable Fisheries
Phone: 727-824-5305

Trip Limit Decreased to 300 Pounds Per Day for Commercial Harvest of
Golden Tilefish in the South Atlantic Effective February 18, 2013

The daily vessel trip limit for the commercial harvest of golden tilefish in the South Atlantic is reduced to 300 pounds, effective 12:01 a.m. (local time) February 18, 2013. NOAA Fisheries has determined 75 percent of the 541,295-pound annual catch limit will be landed by February 18, 2013.
 
Reduction of the commercial golden tilefish trip limit in the South Atlantic complies with regulations implemented under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The 300-pound trip limit applies to vessels with a South Atlantic Unlimited Snapper-Grouper Permit, fishing for golden tilefish in or from the exclusive economic zone in the South Atlantic region. Vessels with a South Atlantic 225 Pound Snapper-Grouper Permit are restricted to 225 pounds per trip. The 300-pound trip limit will remain in effect until the quota is reached and golden tilefish closes or until the end of the current fishing year (December 31, 2013), whichever occurs first.
 
This summary is not a substitute for the actual regulations. We encourage you to read the full text of the federal regulations, available at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishery_bulletins/index.html.

To view a complete list of Fishery Bulletins, visit the NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office website at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
 
Relevant copies are also posted on the Council's website at www.safmc.net.

FB13-008

Release: Immediate
Date: Feb. 7, 2013
Contact: Sustainable Fisheries
Phone: 727-824-5305

Commercial Harvest of Vermilion Snapper in South Atlantic Waters
Will Close on February 13, 2013

Commercial harvest of vermilion snapper in South Atlantic waters will close, at 12:01 a.m. (local time) February 13, 2013. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on July 1, 2013. The 2013 January - June commercial catch limit is 315,523 pounds gutted weight. Reports indicate the catch limit will be met by February 13, 2013.

The operator of a vessel that has been issued a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and that is landing vermilion snapper for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such vermilion snapper prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, February 13, 2013. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of vermilion snapper that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) February 13, 2013, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the closure:

• Harvest or possession of vermilion snapper is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits.
• Sale and purchase of vermilion snapper is prohibited.
• The closure applies in both state and federal waters.
• The bag limit is zero for captain and crew on charter vessels and headboats.

This closure is necessary to protect the snapper-grouper resource.

FB13-007 SOUTHEAST FISHERY BULLETIN (South Atlantic)

Release: Immediate
Date: Feb. 4, 2013
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-726-7021

MOREHEAD CITY — Putting together a stock assessment is a little like interlocking pieces of a puzzle, pulling together different datasets, to get the whole picture.

The latest edition of Fish Eye News takes a closer look at what some of these datasets are, how the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries collects this information, and why it is so important to fisheries management.

Fish Eye News is a web-based newsletter issued by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. It is posted on the agency’s website at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/fen-q1-13/fen-winter-2013.

The intent of Fish Eye News is to draw attention to issues affecting marine fisheries in North Carolina and promote a better understanding of agency functions. Publications may reprint all or part of the articles.

For more information, contact Patricia Smith, the division’s public information officer, at 252-808-8025 or Tricia.Smith@ncdenr.gov.

nr-05-2013