# 2026-19182: Shrimpers Eye Ban Lift Near Sacred Coral Bank: Trawls vs. Reefs?

2026-19182, Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic and the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendments 11/12, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-09-18, effective Written comments on Amendments 11/12 must be received on or before November 17, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19182
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-19182
- Title: Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic and the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendments 11/12
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 59098
- Published: 2026-09-18
- Effective: Written comments on Amendments 11/12 must be received on or before November 17, 2026.
- Comments close: 2026-11-17
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 0648-BN92
- Last updated: 2026-09-25

## In one line

Shrimpers Eye Ban Lift Near Sacred Coral Bank: Trawls vs. Reefs?

## Summary

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council wants to open a new shrimp fishing area near the Oculina Bank coral habitat where rock shrimp trawling is now banned. This change aims to bring back historic shrimp fishing spots while protecting deep-water corals. Shrimp fishers and coral conservationists should weigh in by November 17, 2026, as this could impact fishing access and the environment.

## Abstract

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic (Coral FMP) and Amendment 12 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Shrimp FMP; jointly Amendments 11/12) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. If approved, Amendments 11/12 would establish a shrimp fishery access area (SFAA) along the eastern boundary of the northern extension of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern (OHAPC) where trawling for rock shrimp is currently prohibited. The purpose of Amendments 11/12 is to reinstate access to historic rock shrimp fishing grounds, achieve optimum yield (OY) in the rock shrimp fishery, while minimizing impacts to deep-water corals in the OHAPC.

## Effects PRIA read

- Reopens Historic Rock Shrimp Grounds: benefit, high. The rule would create a 14.10 square nautical mile shrimp fishery access area (SFAA) inside the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern where rock shrimp trawling is currently banned. If approved, only vessels with a valid Federal limited-access commercial vessel permit for South Atlantic r…
- VMS, Transit, and Gear Rules Stay in Place: cost, low. Current monitoring and transit rules would remain unchanged: vessels with a rock shrimp limited-access endorsement must use an NMFS-approved vessel monitoring system (VMS) and maintain a transmission rate of one position per 5 minutes when transiting or fishing in the area. Transit must be direct a…
- Surveys and Bycatch Analysis Support Opening: benefit, medium. Amendments 11/12 rely on new science: a 2022 visual towed-camera survey found no live, dead, or rubble Oculina coral in the proposed SFAA, and April 2025 high-resolution mapping shows low-relief sandy and muddy bottoms. A bycatch practicability analysis using 2018–2022 observer data found bycatch i…

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## Sources
- [2026-19182 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/18/2026-19182/coral-coral-reefs-and-livehardbottom-habitats-of-the-south-atlantic-and-the-shrimp-fishery-of-the)
- [2026-19182 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-18/pdf/2026-19182.pdf)

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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19182 (as of 2026-09-25).