Monday, March 26, 2007

Quota Cuts for Mackerel Proposed by SAMFC

Last week members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) met in Hatteras and proposed reducing the harvest quotas for both king and spanish mackerel. Under Amendment 18 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fishery Management Plan, coastwide total allowable catches for king and spanish mackerel would be reduced from 10 million to 7.1 million pounds for king mackerel and from 7.04 to 6.7 million pounds for spanish mackerel. In addition, if the quotas are met the commercial fisheries would close for the remainder of the season. The limits managed by the SAMFC cover the entire southeast coast of the US include both a commercial fishing quota and a recreational fishing allocation. This is especially important in light of the recent restrictions to the commercial snapper-grouper fishery and the increased pressure those changes could have on mackerel populations. More on the markerel proposal is available from the Outer Banks Sentinel.

Archive Link 0 Comments Tell a Friend