Apparently the “compromise” worked out between industry reps and the Gulf Council and mentioned in the previous post to this blog wasn’t good enough.
FB09-027 has arrived and it is a doozy.
NOAA Fisheries Service implemented an emergency
rule, effective May 18, 2009, through October 28, 2009,
to reduce the sea turtle bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico
bottom longline reef fish fishery. The emergency rule
prohibits bottom longlining for Gulf reef fish east of
85o30’W longitude (near Cape San Blas, Florida) in the
portion of the Exclusive Economic Zone shoreward of
the provided waypoints (see table). The boundary
generally follows the 50-fathom depth contour (see
map). Once the deepwater grouper and tilefish quotas
have been filled, the use of bottom longline gear to
harvest reef fish in water of all depths east of 85o30’W
longitude will be prohibited.
Full text of the bulletin is available here.
The bulletin came from SERO (Southeast Regional Office) and says “For additional information on this bulletin, please contact Cynthia Meyer”, but it doesn’t give a way to reach her. The website is http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov and the contact information in the email is all for Barbara Niswander, Division Secretary of the SERO office. If you want to voice your opinion you may have to contact Ms. Niswander at Barbara.Niswander@noaa.gov and ask for more details.
If you want to receive Fishery Bulletins via email as soon as they are published you can send an email to
SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov
and request to be put on their list.