NMFS has sent out a notice that in the South Atlantic the trip limit for golden tilefish has been decreased to 300 lbs per day. Hunh?
They do this when 75% of the quota has been landed. They first call it a Trip Limit, then say it is now set at 300 lbs per day. If this is accurate, I don’t know how they consider it a “trip limit” when it is really a “daily limit” which is apparently designed to make actually targeting these fish a no-profit proposition, but what do I know?
Maybe you can make more sense of this than I.
- In the headline of the notice, they say “trip limit decreased to 300 pounds per day”.
- Then in the first paragraph of the notice they say “the daily vessel trip limit … is reduced to 300 lbs, effective April 21…”
- Then in the next paragraph they refer to it 3 times as simply a “trip limit” with no more references to “daily” or “per day”.
Who’s driving this bus, anyway? Is it a trip limit (xx lb per trip) or a daily limit (xx lb per day)? They are distinctly different things. What exactly is a “daily vessel”? Does it have to come home “nightly”? Once again, you might be wise to consult a lawyer before going offshore.
Or call Catherine Bruger at 1 727 824 5305 and ask her if she knows what it all means.
Anyway, here’s the full bulletin for anyone who wants to read it and didn’t get a copy in the mail.
SOFA Members Note: This notice, as far as I can tell, applies to the South Atlantic, not the Gulf of Mexico.