**Gulf of Mexico Greater Amberjack and Gray Triggerfish**

**Proposed Amendment 30A Management Measures**

**Frequently Asked Questions**

***January 2008***

**Why is NOAA Fisheries Service proposing to implement new measures in
the Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack and gray triggerfish fisheries?**

-   The most recent greater amberjack stock assessment indicates the
    stock continues to be overfished and is undergoing overfishing,
    compromising the objectives of the current Gulf of Mexico Fishery
    Management Council's (Council) rebuilding plan.

-   Gray triggerfish are also undergoing overfishing, but the overfished
    status is currently unknown because the Council has yet to define an
    overfished threshold.

-   Adjusted catch levels and harvesting restrictions are proposed to
    rebuild these stocks and end overfishing. Additionally, management
    targets and thresholds for gray triggerfish will be set.

**What are rebuilding plans and why are they necessary?**

The Council must implement measures to rebuild overfished populations
managed under a fishery management plan (FMP). A **rebuilding plan** is
a strategy where the catch of a species is limited to a point where over
time the population can rebuild. The time frame for a rebuilding plan
should be as short as possible, considering the status and biology of
the overfished population as well as the needs of fishing communities.
No rebuilding plan can exceed 10 years unless biological or
environmental conditions dictate otherwise. Rebuilding plans usually
rely on annual landings to remain at or below a certain total allowable
catch (TAC) and incorporate accountability measures to deal with
overages.

**What are accountability measures and why are they necessary?**

If the TAC in a rebuilding plan is exceeded, the management strategies
may fail to rebuild the stock within the designated time frame. NOAA
Fisheries Service can implement emergency measures to bring the plan
back on track, but this process is time consuming, the measures are
temporary, and even with these measures overages could still occur.
**Accountability measures** are management activities such as seasonal
closures, decreased trip or bag limits, or adjustments to quotas that
the Regional Administrator (RA) has the authority to enact as soon as
possible to account for overages in landings.

**Why didn't the Council address allocation of greater amberjack and
gray triggerfish between the recreational and commercial sectors?**

At their November 2007 meeting, the Council recognized the difficulties
involved in this type of decision and established an Allocation Ad Hoc
Committee to examine fair and equitable ways to allocate all FMP
resources between recreational and commercial fisheries. Once completed,
the principles for setting allocations should be more transparent and
understandable to the various sectors in the fishery.

**Can I comment on the proposed measures?**

Yes. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept comments on the draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS) during a 45-day comment period
which ends January 28, 2008. The DEIS evaluates the environmental
consequences of the proposed actions and alternatives. There will be
more comment periods as the rule is developed. You may submit comments,
identified as 0648-AV34, by any one of the following methods:

-   E-mail:
    [[0648-AV34.DSEIS@noaa.gov]{.underline}](mailto:0648-AV34.DSEIS@noaa.gov). 
    Include in the subject line the following document identifier: 
    0648-AV34-DSEIS

-   Mail: Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue
    South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

-   Fax:  727-824-5308, Attention:  Peter Hood

**[Greater Amberjack]{.underline}**

**What are the preferred long-term measures to end greater amberjack
overfishing and allow stock recovery? How do the proposed management
measures differ from past measures?**

  ------------------ -------------------------- -------------------------
  **MANAGEMENT       **Existing Management      **Proposed Management
  ACTION**           Measures**                 Measures in Amendment
                                                30A**

  **Recreational bag One fish/person/day        One fish/person/day (zero
  limit**            (applies to captain & crew for captain & crew of
                     of for-hire vessels)       for-hire vessels)

  **Recreational     28" fork length            31" fork length
  minimum size                                  
  limit**                                       

  **Commercial       36" fork length            Same
  minimum size                                  
  limit**                                       

  **Commercial       June 1--end of February    Same
  fishing season**                              

  **Commercial       None                       503,000 pounds 2008-2010;
  quota**                                       938,000 pounds 2011-2012
  ------------------ -------------------------- -------------------------

**What is the proposed rebuilding plan for greater amberjack?**

The current rebuilding plan is a stepped process originally implemented
in 2003. Over the first two years of the current plan, harvest has
exceeded TAC by about 38 percent. The 2006 stock assessment indicated
that a 50 percent reduction in fishing mortality is needed starting in
2008 to meet the rebuilding plan target. Under the proposed revisions to
the rebuilding plan, directed TAC would be set to restrict the fishing
mortality for each three-year interval. TAC would be 1.9 million pounds
(mp) for 2008 through 2010 and 3.5 mp from 2011 through 2012. The
Council selected this plan because it has a greater than 50 percent
probability of allowing the stock to recover by 2012 and is the most
conservative of the alternatives.

**What are the preferred accountability measures?**

If annual landings for any sector exceed the annual share of TAC for
that sector, the RA can reduce the length of the fishing season for that
sector for the time necessary to recover the overage as soon as possible
but not later than the end of the following fishing year. If a
commercial quota is approved, the RA can reduce the commercial quota in
the following year by the amount the quota was exceeded in the previous
year.

**[Gray Triggerfish]{.underline}**

**What are the proposed long-term measures to end gray triggerfish
overfishing and allow stock recovery? How do the proposed management
measures differ from past measures?**

  ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------------------
  **MANAGEMENT      **2007 Management  **Proposed Management Measures in
  ACTION**          Measures**         Amendment 30A**

  **Recreational    12" fork length    14" fork length
  minimum size                         
  limit**                              

  **Recreational    Included in the 20 Same
  bag limit**       fish aggregate     
                    reef fish bag      
                    limit              

  **Commercial      12" total length   14" fork length
  minimum size                         
  limit**                              

  **Commercial      None               80,000 pounds 2008; 93,000 pounds
  quota**                              2009; 106,000 pounds 2010; 117,000
                                       pounds 2011; 127,000 pounds 2012;
                                       and 135,000 pounds 2013
  ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------------------

**What is the proposed rebuilding plan?**

If the preferred overfished definition is approved, gray triggerfish
would be overfished and therefore require a rebuilding plan. The
proposed rebuilding plan would allow the stock to rebuild within six
years. TAC would be set annually to keep fishing mortality at an
acceptable level. TAC for 2008 would be 0.5 mp, TAC in 2009 would be
0.58 mp, TAC in 2010 would be 0.66 mp, TAC in 2011 would be 0.73 mp, and
TAC in 2012 would be 0.79 mp. The Council selected this plan because it
allows harvest to increase annually and should rebuild the stock in less
than 10 years.

**What are the proposed accountability measures?**

If annual landings for any sector exceed the three-year running average
TAC, the RA can reduce the length of the fishing season in the following
fishing year for the sector experiencing the overage to return landings
to the target annual TAC level. If a commercial quota is approved, the
RA can reduce the commercial quota in the following fishing year by the
amount the quota was exceeded in the previous year(s).