Gulf Fishery Council Schedules Routine Fish Stock Meeting
Published Date: 4/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Gulf Fishery Management Council is holding a one-day meeting on May 8, 2025, to review important fish stock data and shrimp bycatch estimates that affect Gulf fishermen and seafood lovers. They’ll discuss new fishing limits and conservation plans to keep fish populations healthy, which could impact fishing rules and business decisions. The meeting is open to the public and aims to balance fishing with protecting endangered species.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Possible new fishing limits for Gulf stocks
On May 8, 2025, the Gulf Council's Scientific and Statistical Committees will review revised overfishing limits (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for SEDAR 88 and discuss OFL/ABC projection settings and SEDAR 68 projections for scamp and yellowmouth grouper. These reviews could lead to new fishing limits or conservation measures that affect Gulf fishermen and seafood supply and may influence fishing business decisions.
Shrimp bycatch analyses may affect shrimpers
The SSC will review the Center for Independent Experts' Independent Peer Review of the shrimp bycatch estimation methodology, new bycatch estimates, and analyses for smalltooth sawfish and giant manta ray, plus population viability analyses for endangered and threatened resources that interact with the shrimp fishery. Those reviews could lead to management changes that affect shrimp fishery operations and related business decisions.
Public access to meeting and comment opportunities
The one-day meeting on May 8, 2025 (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT) is in-person at the Gulf Council office in Tampa, FL, and will also be broadcast via webinar; registration is available at www.gulfcouncil.org. Public comments will be heard at the end of the day, and requests for sign language or other auxiliary aids must be made at least 5 days before the meeting.
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Key Dates
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