Archive for category Grouper IFQ
NOAA Announces an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program for Groupers and Tilefishes in the Gulf of Mexico
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ, Permits, Regulations on August 31st, 2009
FB09-o48 has arrived. It lays out some dates leading up to the January 1, 2010 implementation of the Grouper IFQ program. No big surprises here. Nice to get some solid information, though.
On July 2, 2009, NOAA Fisheries Service approved Amendment 29 addressing new commercial regulations for Gulf of Mexico reef fish. A final rule implementing these regulations published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2009. The rule establishes a grouper and tilefish IFQ program for commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico, establishes design elements of the IFQ program, makes changes to the red snapper IFQ program to align that program with the grouper and tilefish IFQ program, allows consolidation of reef fish commercial vessel permits, and establishes dual classifications for speckled hind and warsaw grouper. Most provisions of the rule are effective January 1, 2010; however, some provisions will be effective earlier to allow for operations required prior to implementation.
Full text available here.
Full pdf available here.
NOAA Seeking Public Comment on IFQ Rules
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on April 30th, 2009
FB09-028 has arrived.
NOAA Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Rule Changes to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Fishery Including an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment
on a proposed rule for the Gulf of Mexico reef fish
fishery. The proposed rule published in the Federal
Register on April 30, 2009 (74 FR 20134). The
public comment period ends on June 15, 2009.
The proposed rule establishes the parameters for the IFQ proposal for the Grouper and Tilefish Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. The full text of the bulletin, which has details of the plan (although no firm figures) and instructions for making public comments is available here.
FB09-022 Public Comment on Amendment 29 – IFQ Issues
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on April 8th, 2009
NMFS has released Fishery Bulletin 2009 – 022 which outlines the Public Commentary Period for Amendment 29. Amendment 29 addresses the implementation of the proposed IFQ system for grouper.
If you have a stake in the grouper fishery, you should read the bulletin. It’s available here.
Some Guidelines For Comments:
Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m.,
Eastern Time, on June 8, 2009. You may submit
comments by any of the following methods:
● Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received are
part of the public record and will generally be posted to
http://www.regulations.gov without change. All
personal identifying information (for example, name,
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter
may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential
business information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept
anonymous comments. To submit comments enter
“NOAA-NMFS-2008-0223” in the keyword search and
then check the box “send a comment or submission.”
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file
formats only.
● Mail: Susan Gerhart, Southeast Regional Office,
NOAA Fisheries Service, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
Also:
Comments received by June 8, 2009, whether
specifically directed to the amendment or the proposed
rule, will be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service in
its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve
the amendment. Comments received after that date will
not be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service in this
decision. All comments received by NOAA Fisheries
Service on the amendment or the proposed rule during
their respective comment periods will be addressed in
the final rule.
Again, the full bulletin is available from the S.O.F.A. website. Click Here.
Gulf Council Approves IFQ Program for GOM Reef Fishery
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on January 30th, 2009
The full Gulf Council voted in favor of the IFQ Program for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fishery on Thursday, Jan 29, 2009, The next step is for the rule to be approved by the Commerce Department (which is pretty much considered a slam dunk). It likely won’t be implemented before 2010. If you qualify for this fishery and haven’t already done so, you should get your landings figures from NMFS and check them closely against your records.
Important Gulf Council Meeting Opens Today
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ, Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on January 26th, 2009
The Gulf Council is meeting today through Thursday in Bay St. Louis Mississippi at the Hollywood Casino and the future of the bottom longline fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the pivotal points to be addressed. There are other very important issues that will be taken up, aquaculture proposals for the Gulf of Mexico and Final decisions on Amendment 29 (IFQs), but none may be of greater importance to all Gulf Fishermen than the Longline vs. Sea Turtle issue. If the bottom longline industry is closed down or severely restricted in their ability to target red grouper, the value of everyone’s future stake in the fishery, IFQ shares or whatever it may be, may be negatively impacted to a huge degree.
Our S.O.F.A. representatives will be in attendance, as will people from GFA and other fishery groups, and we will bring you any news coming from the meetings as soon as we get it. In the meantime, if you are anywhere near Bay St. Louis, MI and can make it there to speak up, it would be a very good idea.
Gulf of Mexico Commercial Grouper and Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program (IFQ) Referendum Result
Posted by admin in Grouper IFQ, Regulations on January 6th, 2009
The results are in and the vote is a pretty substantial YES. 81% Yes to 18% No. At least it is a definitive margin.
Now, how long before this gets implemented?
Full text of the NOAA report…. Read the rest of this entry »
Important IFQ update – FB08-067
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ, Gulf Fishing News, Regulations on December 9th, 2008
Yesterday, the mailman brought the IFQ Referendum Ballot via registered mail. If you didn’t get yours yet, or don’t get it very soon you might want to ask why not.
Today, the emailman brought FB08-067 which is titled:
Gulf of Mexico Commercial Grouper/Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program Referendum Being Conducted
It states the obvious and provides a couple of generic links to the NMFS sites where you can then search (often fruitlessly) for the information they tell you they are linking to. Ain’t bureaucracy great?
Seeking Public Comment on Gulf Grouper/Tilefish IFQ Program
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ, Gulf Fishing News on July 3rd, 2008
FB08-038 has been released and deserves your attention. In part…
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)/Amendment 29 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The DEIS evaluates the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s (Council) proposal to establish a regulatory program to reduce overcapacity and effort in the commercial grouper and tilefish fisheries. The Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of the DEIS on July 3, 2008 (73 FR 38204).”
The EPA?
Yes, the EPA did indeed make that announcement. It is so far buried that the government site that indexes the Federal Register failed to make mention of it but it is indeed buried posted on page 38,204 of the Federal Register…
EIS No. 20080256, Draft EIS, NOA, 00,
Amendment 29 Reef Fish Fishery
Management Plan, Effort Management
in the Commercial Grouper and
Tilefish Fisheries, Reducing
Overcapacity, Gulf of Mexico,
Comment Period Ends: 08/18/2008,
Contact: Roy E. Crabtree 727–824–
5301.
Read full text of the Fisheries Bulletin FB08-038 here.
Read full text (pdf) of the proposed Amendment 29 and the DEIS, outlining their preferred plans and other options here.
NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE IS SEEKING COMMENTS ON A PROPOSED RULE REGARDING REFERENDA GUIDELINES FOR IFQ PROGRAMS
Posted by blog admin in Grouper IFQ on May 24th, 2008
Southeast Fishery Bulletin FB08-032 has arrived and we quote (emphasis ours):
“NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) is seeking comment on a proposed rule that would establish referendum guidelines and procedures for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). These guidelines and procedures are for the Council to follow in determining procedures and voting eligibility requirements for referenda on Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) programs. The intended effect of these procedures and guidelines is to ensure IFQ program referenda are fair and equitable.”
While we doubt very much that an IFQ program referendum can ever be completely fair and equitable, particularly in such a diverse fishery as the Gulf of Mexico grouper fishery, it can’t hurt to keep an eye on these things and provide input when it is begrudgingly solicited.
Full text of the bulletin is here in pdf format.
We would like to apply for the contract to sell these people blue printer paper.
GROUPER IFQ NEWS UPDATE
Posted by admin in Grouper IFQ on May 2nd, 2008
The NMFS and NOAA have made an entry in the Federal Register regarding guidelines and procedures for the upcoming referendum regarding IFQs in the Gulf Grouper Fishery. Read the rest of this entry »