SUMMARIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR REEF FISH AMENDMENT 30A AND SCOPING HEARINGS FOR REEF FISH AMENDMENT 29

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1 SUMMARIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR REEF FISH AMENDMENT 30A AND SCOPING HEARINGS FOR REEF FISH AMENDMENT 29 Tab B, No. 5 Biloxi, MS, September 10, 2007 Council and Staff William Perret, Chair Stu Kennedy Tina Trezza Seven member of the public were present. The meeting was convened at 6 PM by Chairman Perret. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of the actions proposed in Reef Fish Amendment 30A. Four members of the public spoke to Amendment 30A. Bill Abbott MS recreational fisherman, read a prepared statement on 30A. Maintain the original allocation from Reef Fish Amendment 1, 84% recreational:16% commercial. The Council and NMFS failed to prevent the commercial fishery from increasing their share. Prefer a vessel limit because the fractional bag limit will not be understood or be enforceable. For gray triggerfish, implement a 12 inch FL minimum size Pete Umberstock MS recreational fisherman. There is no allocation for gray triggerfish from Amendment 1 so there is no status quo. He does not believe the 20% release mortality for greater amberjack. Maintain status quo on both species for the recreational fishery. Tom Becker MS charter captain, wanted Status Quo for action 1 because the Council failed to control commercial fishing; status quo for action 2, no modification to the rebuilding plan, status quo for action 3 no accountability because MRFSS is not accurate; and status quo for recreational regulations. For gray triggerfish, allocate at 93% recreational/7% commercial; regulate gulf-wide; increase size limit to 13 FL. John Greene AL Charter captain, wanted status quo for Action 1(Allocation) 84% recreational/ 16% commercial; the 20% release mortality for the recreational fishrery is too high; increase size to 30 FL and add Capt& crew for 15% recreational reduction. For gray triggerfish, doesn t believe there is sufficient life history information to regulate gray triggerfish but if necessary, regulate gulf-wide and increase size. Public Hearing adjourned at approximately 7 PM No members of the public were interested in Scoping Document 29 1

2 New Orleans, LA September 10, 2007 Council/Staff: Harlon Pearce Assane Diagne Karen Hoak One member of the public was present. The hearing was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the W Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana by Chairman Harlon Pearce and the Chairman s statement was read. Mr. McAdams, being fully aware of the issues pertaining to Amendment 30a, requested to waive seeing the presentation and offer his statement on behalf of CCA. In summary, regarding gray triggerfish, CCA recommends a change in length from a 12-inch total length to a 12-inch fork length to solve the overfishing problem. Regarding greater amberjack, they maintain that the significant factors that led to overfishing were the lack of a commercial quota and any effort to hold that sector within its allocated share. Today, commercial landings have risen to 32 percent of the total catch, double its allocation that was assigned in CCA recommends maintaining status quo on the allocation and increasing the recreational minimum size to 30 or 31 inches with the bag limit remaining at 1. Most importantly, the Council should set a commercial quota that is enforced at no more than 294,000 pounds a year. The full statement will be provided to the Council at the meeting in October The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. 2

3 Gulf Shores, AL, September 11, 2007 Council and Staff Bob Shipp, Chair Stu Kennedy Tina Trezza 18 Members of the public were present. The meeting was convened at 6 PM by Chairman Shipp who requested that speakers stick to recommendations about the actions being considered in 30A and not discuss their concerns about other species or the stock assessments since they are not subject to revision at this point. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of the actions proposed in Reef Fish Amendment 30A. 15 members of the public spoke to Amendment 30A, all were members of the For-Hire recreational fishery but one, a private recreational fisherman. Comments and recommendations for the actions in Amendment 30A were nearly unanimous so the following is the consensus of the speakers recommendations. Allocation of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish should remain as designated by Reef Fish Amendment 1; 84% recreational: 16% commercial for greater amberjack and 93% recreational:7% commercial for gray triggerfish. The reason cited was that the commercial fishery has not been managed well enough and has been allowed to exceed their share of the resource since Reef Fish Amendment 1 was enacted. Hold the commercial fishery accountable by enforcing the law. Several speakers recommended Gulf-wide management over regional management for gray triggerfish; no others spoke to the action. No comments were made directly reference the proposed rebuilding plans for greater amberjack or gray triggerfish; however several speakers lumped all the greater amberjack actions into one recommendation for status quo. One speaker recommended no accountability measure be enacted for greater amberjack. Also, no recommendations were made about status determination criteria for gray triggerfish. Consensus for recreational management measures for greater amberjack were: a larger minimum size limit preferably 30 FL; no captain and crew bag limit; fractional bag limits are a bad idea, would not be understood and would be difficult to enforce; and season closures would hurt the For-Hire industry. However, one speaker recommended a season closure from March through May in water deeper than 300 feet due to observed concentrations of large ripe females around structure in those areas. Consensus for recreational management measures for gray triggerfish were: a larger minimum size limit ranging from 12 to 14 FL, consensus was 13 to 14 FL; and recommendations on bag limit changes ranged from 6 to 10 within the aggregate 20 reef fish bag limit. One speaker mentioned season closures from November through January only if absolutely necessary. 3

4 There were general comments about the status of gray triggerfish. Some believed that the stock had declined recently in their areas. Reasons included hurricane movement of fish west or loss of habitat. Public Hearing adjourned at approximately 7:30 PM. No members of the public were interested in Scoping Document 29 so that hearing was not conducted. 4

5 Galveston, TX, September 11, 2007 Council/Staff: Joe Hendrix Assane Diagne Karen Hoak Three members of the public were present. The hearing was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Galveston, Texas by Chairman Joe Hendrix. A presentation on Reef Fish Amendment 30A was given by Dr. Diagne, and then the public was invited to speak. Mr. Little, a recreational spear fisher and scuba diver, expressed concern about law enforcement for the commercial sector. He also had reservations about the overfished status and felt the recreational fishing of this species was overstated. He would not support any action that would offer less than one amberjack per person. He felt that was too restrictive. Regarding triggerfish, he supports status quo for commercial and recreational fishers, but would like to see more stringent law enforcement of commercial fishermen. He commented that in the Bahamas, when the fishery is threatened, the first thing they do is close the fishery to outsiders, not their own citizens. He wanted to see our Council behave the same way and not give away our resources to other countries. Mr. Giles read a statement prepared by CCA. In summary, regarding gray triggerfish, CCA recommends a change in length from a 12-inch total length to a 12-inch fork length to solve the overfishing problem. Regarding greater amberjack, they maintain that the significant factors that led to overfishing were the lack of a commercial quota and any effort to hold that sector within its allocated share. Today, commercial landings have risen to 32 percent of the total catch, double its allocation that was assigned in CCA recommends maintaining status quo on the allocation and increasing the recreational minimum size to 30 or 31 inches with the bag limit remaining at 1. Most importantly, the Council should set a commercial quota that is enforced at no more than 294,000 pounds a year. The complete statement is included in the public record. Dr. Diagne gave a presentation on Amendment 29 followed by a brief question and answer period. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. 5

6 Panama City, FL, September 12, 2007 Council and Staff Bob Gill, Chair Stu Kennedy Tina Trezza 22 Members of the public were present The meeting was convened at 6 PM by Chairman Gill who requested that speakers stick to recommendations about the actions being considered in 30A. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of the actions proposed in Reef Fish Amendment 30A. Fourteen members of the public spoke to Amendment 30A, four were commercial fishermen or dealers and 10 were recreational For-Hire. There was consensus among the recreational speakers on greater amberjack and gray triggerfish that were similar to those in Gulf Shores. Allocation of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish should remain as designated by Reef Fish Amendment 1; 84% recreational: 16% commercial for greater amberjack and 93% recreational: 7% commercial for gray triggerfish. Reasons cited were the same as in Gulf Shores. Consensus for recreational management measures for greater amberjack were: a larger minimum size limit preferably 30 FL and no captain and crew bag limit. Consensus for recreational management measures for gray triggerfish included a 12 FL minimum size limit and a smaller bag limit (2 8 fish within the 20 fish aggregate) if necessary. Florida already changed to 12 FL and it should be given time to work. Commercial fishermen believed that they were not responsible for the changes in share of greater amberjack or gray triggerfish. The three month closure hurt the commercial fishery and greater amberjack is now primarily bycatch. They felt that size limits are not good for either commercial or recreational fisheries and should be reduced or eliminated. Several commercial fishermen felt that trip limits for greater amberjack and gray triggerfish would be reasonable ways to control fishing. One commercial speaker mentioned the need for an aggregate bag limit covering all recreationally caught fish. The Public Hearing for Amendment 30A was adjourned at 7:30PM, and after a short recess, the Scoping Hearing for Amendment 29, was opened. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of actions proposed for Amendment 29. Five commercial fishermen spoke. All but one supported an IFQ program above any of the others. Several speakers singled out latent permits, buyback, permit endorsements, or days-at-seas as programs they would not support. One speaker, who was a part-time commercial fisherman, did not support any of the proposed actions and wanted the fishery to continue under natural supply and demand (existing regulatory methods). He and several fishermen who supported IFQs spoke in favor of reducing or eliminating size limits and extending the commercial closed season to protect more spawners. Public Hearing for 29 adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM 6

7 Palacios, TX, September 12, 2007 Council/Staff: Joe Hendrix Assane Diagne Karen Hoak Attendance: 2 The hearing was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Palacios Community Center in Palacios, Texas by Chairman Joe Hendrix. A presentation on Reef Fish Amendment 30A was given by Dr. Diagne. Thereafter the public was invited to speak. Mr. Mendieta presented a statement on behalf of CCA. Regarding gray triggerfish, CCA recommends a change in length from a 12-inch total length to a12-inch fork length to solve the overfishing problem. Regarding greater AJ, they maintain that the significant factors that led to overfishing were the lack of a commercial quota and any effort to hold that sector within its allocated share. Today, commercial landings have risen to 32 percent of the total catch, double its allocation that was assigned in CCA recommends maintaining status quo on the allocation and increasing the recreational minimum size to 30or 31 inches with the bag limit remaining at 1. Most importantly, the Council should set a commercial quota that is enforced at no more than 294,000 pounds a year. He expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Council in protecting and preserving the resource. The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. 7

8 Corpus Christi, TX, September 13, 2007 Council/Staff: Joe Hendrix Assane Diagne Karen Hoak Attendance: 7 The public hearing meeting was convened at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas. Mr. Hendrix opened the meeting with the Chair statement and explained the two topics for the evening s discussion. Dr. Diagne gave a presentation on Amendment 30a. Afterward, the public was invited to comment. Dr. Holmgreen, Jr. gave a prepared statement on behalf of CCA. In part, regarding gray triggerfish, CCA recommends a change in length from a 12-inch total length to a12-inch fork length to solve the overfishing problem. Regarding greater amberjack, they maintain that the significant factors that led to overfishing were the lack of a commercial quota and any effort to hold that sector within its allocated share. Today, commercial landings have risen to 32 percent of the total catch, double its allocation that was assigned in CCA recommends maintaining status quo on the allocation and increasing the recreational minimum size to 30 or 31 inches with the bag limit remaining at 1. Most importantly, the Council should set a commercial quota that is enforced at no more than 294,000 pounds a year. The complete statement is included in the public record. Mr. Hazzard, a commercial fisherman, commented that within the commercial fishing industry, there are varying types of gear. Longliners represent the smallest catch in the GOM for these species. He does not care about triggerfish and amberjack is bycatch to him. He felt that the rationale that the entire commercial industry was responsible for the excessive catch was unfounded. Mr. Nugent, a charter boat owner/operator from Aransas Pass and President of Port Aransas Boatman s Association, spoke in favor of maintaining the allocation as specified in Amendment 1 (84/16). Prior comments regarding overfishing were directed at NMFS and their lack of enforcement rather than hammering on commercial fishermen for catching the fish. When it comes to red snapper, allocation must not be touched. However, commercial fishermen were not held to that same standard when it came to greater amberjack and gray triggerfish. The Council should provide rationale when proposing reallocating from one sector to another. Regarding Action 4, he proposed combining options such as 30 size limit with no take for captain and crew on for hire vessels, and perhaps a closed season. He felt that 1 fish for two people would create a fiasco. Mr. Nugent felt that in the field, that proposal was not realistic. For Action 9, he felt that the fork limit should be raised to 12 or 13 inches and keep allocation at Amendment 1 levels (93/7). Mr. Miglini agreed with Mr. Nugent s comments that the sector that overfished (commercial) should not be rewarded for improper practices by being given more of the fishery. He supported the original allocations and stronger enforcement. Regarding the commercial fisherman present, he was sympathetic to the difficulties in keeping a commercial operation profitable with TACs declining. He wanted to see more 8

9 cooperation between the sectors and elimination of illegal activities. He also felt that there are many species in Texas that are not overfished, but data coming from Florida indicates that the stocks are depleted. Perhaps more regionalized research would help. Mr. Wilson supports one greater amberjack per person, even if the size limit needed to be raised. He felt that the benefit to the economy from spending by the recreational sector far exceeded the benefit from spending by the commercial sector. Between restaurants, hotels, recreational vessels bought, boat maintenance people, captains, crews, gasoline and supplies, the economics are huge. He supported the idea of buying back licenses from commercial fishermen. He supported closed seasons as long as the fishery was closed for both sectors. He recommended that for commercial fishermen, that every fish caught should be accounted for. Mr. Hendrix explained that for commercial fishermen, all their catch is, in fact, accounted for through log book records. Regarding comparing commercial to recreational volume of expenditure and their economic impacts, Dr. Diagne noted that allocation should be based on the marginal values of fish not economic impacts. Mr. Hendrix noted that MSA required that the resource be managed for optimum yield. Dr. Thompson, a private fisher and diver, has seen a decline in greater amberjack near platforms. If the resource is in trouble, then everyone should share in the solutions. The increasing number of recreational boats is also having an impact on the stocks. He asked for clarification on how allocation was set initially. Mr. Hendrix told him that it was based on historical catch records. The last attempt at managing greater amberjack set a commercial size limit at 36. This, in turn, was expected to solve the overfishing problem, so no hard TAC was set at that time. The new proposal is to set a hard TAC for commercial fishers, so that is why allocation is being revisited. Mr. Smarr, representing the Recreational Fishing Alliance, spoke on the topic of triggerfish. He stated that this situation was an opportunity to implement an east-west management strategy for the Gulf. The western Gulf has a healthy triggerfish population and does not need to cut back because of overcapitalization in the eastern Gulf. Mr. Nugent had the idea that the stock assessment data was collected in the same area of the Gulf where the targeted fishing occurred, and he wondered if more extensive sampling had been done in other areas if the outcome determination would have been the same. The results of the stock assessment could be skewed. Dr. Diagne gave the presentation was given on the Scoping document for Amendment 29 and the public was invited to comment. Regarding buybacks, Mr. Wilson mentioned that the recreational sector might be interested in contributing to that program. Since inactive licenses could turn active at any time, Mr. Hendrix noted that even buying back inactive licenses was a viable option. Mr. Nugent brought up shares for the open market. In Red Snapper, shares could not be placed on the open market for 5 years. He wanted anyone to have the option to buy or lease shares. He did not approve of the tendency to create monopolies that came from too many shares being accumulated internally within a closed industry. He wondered how many Class 1 license holders, if they had to do it over again, would do so. He 9

10 strongly opposed any discussion of IFQ programs being proposed for the recreational sector. Mr. Miglini concurred with the comments by Mr. Nugent. He expressed concern about enforcement, particularly the lack of OLE agents. He recommended more spending on enforcement so that law-abiding fishermen are protected. Mr. Smarr (FRA) expressed adamant opposition to IFQs due to law enforcement issues. Outlaws abound, sharks and other species are being reduced, the charter industry is experiencing hard times, and they oppose the use of longlines due to the indiscriminate nature of that gear. Mr. Hazzard detailed the law enforcement procedures required of commercial fishermen in landing catch. He emphasized that both sectors are struggling financially and both sectors would like more allocation. He saw no drawback to leaving latent permits alone. Dr. Diagne asked if he was in favor of an IFQ program for grouper. He said that he would make it work because his company had the resources, but that many of his friends who are small operators would be put out of business. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. 10

11 St. Petersburg, FL, September 17, 2007 Council and Staff Julie Morris, Chair Stu Kennedy Tina Trezza 32 Members of the Public were Present The meeting was convened at 6 PM by Chairman Morris. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of the actions proposed in Reef Fish Amendment 30A. Fourteen members of the public spoke to Amendment 30A. Two written comments were provided. Ten recreational speakers supported the FRA positions on greater amberjack and gray triggerfish that were similar to the recommendations in Gulf Shores and Panama City Beach. Allocation of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish should remain as designated by Amendment 1; 84% recreational: 16% commercial for greater amberjack and 93% recreational: 7% commercial for gray triggerfish. Reasons cited were similar to the two previous hearing sites; the recreational fishery was impacted more severely by Amendment 1 regulations than the commercial fishery allowing the commercial fishery to exceed their allocation as stipulated by Reef Fish Amendment 1. Consensus by recreational fishers on greater amberjack recreational management measures included no support for a fractional bag limit stating that one fish per person was the minimum acceptable bag limit. Several fishers stated that greater amberjack was a gamefish and therefore more valuable the recreational fishery. A larger size limit, 30 FL was acceptable. Fishers opposed the elimination of captain and crew bag limits on the basis that they should be able to take home legal fish just as any other recreational fisher can do. Release mortality of greater amberjack was 10% or less rather than the 20% used in the analyses, so the recommendation for recreational management measures was to keep one fish per angler and increase the size limit to 30 FL under the assumption of status quo allocation (84% recreational) and 10% release mortality. Most fishers also felt that Accountability measures would not work if they are based on MRFSS which can not be used to do in-season monitoring. Consensus for recreational management measures for gray triggerfish included a 13 FL minimum size limit and maintaining the 20 fish aggregate assuming no change in the allocation and no regional management. Florida already changed to 12 FL. Again, consensus was that accountability for the recreational fishery would not work because it would have to be based primarily on MRFSS. Three commercial fishermen spoke and two written comments were provided. They recommended that allocations for greater amberjack and gray triggerfish remain as close to current as possible (32% commercial for amberjack and 21% commercial for triggerfish). A trip limit from 1,100 to 2,000 pounds for greater amberjack was reasonable however; if a quota was implemented then adding a trip limit would be 11

12 necessary to slow derby fishing. For gray triggerfish, increasing the size limit to 14 FL would be acceptable. Gulf Restoration Network supported most of the preferred alternatives in 30A. A few changes were recommended including 1 fish / angler for amberjack (no fractional bag limit), using the more conservative three-year stepped rebuilding plan for gray triggerfish, using more conservative single year (no three-year average) accountability measures, and trying to match the Florida gray triggerfish size limit of 12 FL to avoid confusion. The Public Hearing for Amendment 30A was adjourned at 7:30PM, and after a short recess, the Scoping Hearing for Amendment 29, was opened. Stu Kennedy provided a summary of actions proposed for Amendment 29. Seven commercial fishermen spoke; written comments were provided by seven fishermen. All supported an IFQ program and were unsupportive of any others actions. Most indicated that the fishery can t continue under the current management program, and that an IFQ would allow fishermen to be more professional and allow grouper fishermen to barter with red snapper IFQ holders for red snapper share which would reduce regulatory discards. Several speakers suggested that some of the actions such as the ITEQ and buyout should be moved to considered but rejected. Several speakers recommended that size limits should be reduced once the IFQ is implemented and others recommended that the IFQ program be implemented as soon as possible (by January 2009). Three NGOs spoke in favor of IFQ if done properly, provided the requirements in the MSRA for LAPP programs are followed. One NGO recommended implementation as soon as possible (1/2009). One recreational fisherman spoke in opposition to the IFQ program. He stated that it was wrong to allow the perception of ownership of a fishery resource. Public Hearing for 29 adjourned at approximately 8:30 PM 12

13 Marathon, FL, September 18, 2007 Council and Staff: Bobbi Walker Assane Diagne Trish Kennedy 3 members of the public were in attendance. The hearing was called to order at 6:20 p.m. at the Sombrero Cay Resort in Marathon, Florida by Chairman Bobbi Walker. Dr. Diagne gave a short presentation on Reef Fish Amendment 30A. Thereafter the public was invited to speak. Ed Walker, of Holiday Florida, explained he was a charterboat captain who fished in the Keys during the summer months. He was also a member of Fishing Rights Alliance (FRA). He strongly opposed the 1/2-fish bag limit for recreational fishermen. He felt it was unfair for the commercial fishermen to be allowed to retain all the fish they wanted. He supported raising the size limit to 30 inches or so. He was not opposed to the zerofish bag limit captain and crew. He was offended by the statement from Dr. Crabtree that all captains give their quota of fish to the customers. Mr. Walker personally did not give his quota of fish to his customers. He added that the proposed gag grouper regulations will be very harmful to the charterboat industry and that industry did not need further hardship by reducing the amberjack bag limit. The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. 13

14 Ft. Myers, FL, September 19, 2007 Council and Staff: Julie Morris Assane Diagne Trish Kennedy 11 members of the public were in attendance. The hearing was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel in Ft. Myers, Florida by Chairman Julie Morris. Dr. Diagne gave a presentation on Reef Fish Amendment 30A. Thereafter the public was invited to speak. Adam Wilson, Port Charlotte, Florida, stated he was a recreational fisherman who completed approximately 200 dives per year. He has seen a tremendous increase in the amberjack population. He opposed only being allowed ½ of an amberjack. He pointed out that he spent approximately $10,000 per year on fuel, tackle, bait, air fills, etc., to make approximately 35 trips per year as a recreational angler. He usually caught 1 amberjack on approximately half of his trips. He added that amberjack would go deep for cooler water in the summer, thus he only caught them during the winter months. He opposed the ½ fish per person alternative. The fish he caught recreationally fed his family and helped justify the cost of his hobby. He supported the 30 size limit noting he takes the largest fish he can. Also, he supported the comments of the Fishing Rights Alliance (FRA). Carl Gill, Port Charlotte, Florida, stated he was a recreational fisherman. He asked if red tide and pollution had been factored into the calculations that required a reduction in effort. This year he had not seen red tide but did see some algae growth on some ledges. He noticed less impact from the Caloosahatchee runoff. Les Hickman related he was a sport fisherman from Cape Coral, Florida and opposed the ½ fish per person alternative. He questioned why the Council was catering to the commercial sector. He believed the recreational sector was more financially important to the Gulf than the commercial sector. He also questioned if the snowbirds were factored into the economic value of the recreational sector. He strongly believed it was time for the commercial fishermen to conform to the regulations and should be limited in their catch. Robert Birch, stated he was a charterboat captain. The red tide and Caloosahatchee runoff were affecting/killing the bait fish but the runoff was improving and there were more baitfish than in the past. He believed the charterboat sector regulated the fish caught by their customers and should not be punished. He opposed the ½ fish per person alternative. He noted that the amberjack stock was coming back. Additionally, the goliath grouper were also coming back and were eating all the fish at the wrecks. He pointed out that the price of fuel was preventing many recreational fishermen from fishing. He noted that he did not target amberjack or triggerfish regularly. Marilyn Hickman, Cape Coral, Florida, reported that her son dove off the coast and was now seeing goliath grouper the size of Volkswagens. She suggested some type of 14

15 regulation be imposed on catching goliath grouper before they eat a majority of the fish stocks. Don Jones, a charterboat captain from Ft. Myers, Florida vehemently opposed the ½ fish per person alternative. He supported the 30 size limit. His customers liked a big fish that was a great fight and amberjack were known for their fight. It was unfair that the commercial sector could catch all the fish they wanted while the recreational sector could only have ½ fish. He favored having the Florida waters be managed separately from the rest of the Gulf. Also, the census data from Cedar Key to the Keys was very inaccurate, in his opinion. Dennis O Hern, St. Petersburg, Florida, speaking Executive Director of Fishing Rights Alliance (FRA) noted that recreational effort is down and May of 2008 would be the earliest the 2007 effort data would be available. He pointed out that the big boat ramps are not using their overflow parking any more and boat dealers were losing sales of larger offshore vessels. Persons were purchasing smaller more fuel efficient vessels if any at all. He stated that being allowed ½ or 1/3 of a fish is not worth taking a fishing trip. The FRA was adamantly opposed to the ½ fish per person alternative. Frank McCallister, Ft. Myers, Florida, stated he would like to see no reduction in amberjack for the recreational fishermen. He favored a 2,500 pound trip limit for the commercial sector. Dr. Diagne then gave a brief presentation on Reef Fish Amendment 29 Scoping Document and the public was invited to comment. Dennis O Hern, St. Petersburg, Florida, Executive Director of Fishing Rights Alliance (FRA), stated they strongly opposed the individual transferable quota (ITQ) proposal for grouper. The FRA believed the IFQ system would privatize a public resource. Vishwani Maharaj, St. Petersburg, Florida, speaking on behalf of Environmental Defense stated the EDF strong supported ITQ for both the commercial and recreational sectors. She added that ITQs were a sound business program. There being no further comments, the meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. 15

16 ~ 1 Coastal Conservation Association Testimony! Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Reef Fish Amendment 30A - Amberjack and Gray Triggerfsh Good evening. My name is ~ ~~ - -' I am here representing Coastal Conservation Association and I would like to than you for the opportty to speak this evening. CCA is a grassroots organization with alost 100,000 members in 17 state chapters across the countr dedicated to the conservation, promotion and enhancement of the present and futue availabilty of coasta resources for the benefit and enjoyment ofthe general public. CCA has been active in local, state and federal fishery management issues for more than 30 years. The Gulf Council has found that the harest of both gray triggerfish and amberjack need to be modified in order to correct problems withn those fisheries. Regarding gray trggerfsh, CCA recommends a change in length from a 12-inch total length to a12-inch fork lengt to solve the overfshing problem. The state of affairs surounding amberjack is more complicated. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has found that Gulf greater amberjack are overfished and that the catch levels must be reduced to generate a recovery. CCA does not disagree with this conclusion. However, we believe that the signficant factors that led to overfshing were the lack of a commercial quota and any effort to hold that sector within its allocated share. Today, commercial landings have risen to 32 percent of the total catch, double its allocation that was assigned in CCA recommends maintag status quo on the allocation and increasing the recreational minimum size to 30 or 31 inches with the bag limit remaining at 1. Most importantly, the Council should set a commercial quota that is enforced at no more than 294,000 pounds a year. To support this recommendation, I would like to make the following points:. The only reason that the recreational share of ths fishery has fallen to 68 percent today was the failure of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Gulf Council to control commercial harest.. The regulations implemented in 1990 were supposed to yield a 45 percent reduction in commercial and recreational landings. According to the data included in the public hearing documents, in the four years followig implementation of those reguations commercial landings dropped only 22 percent. In the same years, recreational landings were reduced by 42 percent. Why was ths failure to attain the conservation goal allowed to continue in the commercial sector? Why should the commercial sector benefit from that failure today?. There has never been a re-allocation of resources from the commercial to the recreational sector in the history of the Gulf Council's operations.. The allocation of Gulf amberjack does not need to be changed; it needs to be enforced. There is no sense or fairness or good governance in forcing the recreational sector to suffer from the lack of controls over the commercial fishery. On behalf of CCA, than you again for the opportity to present our comments on ths important recreational fishery.

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