To provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related to that study is integrated into the stock assessment.

To provide that the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete and the data related to that study is integrated into the stock assessment. 1. Conditions for Rules related to certain area closures (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Fishing is a major economic driver in the South Atlantic. In Florida alone, recreational anglers provide $14,000,000,000 in economic output and support 119,000 jobs. (2) Red snapper is a highly prized and sought after reef fish by both recreational and commercial fishermen. (3) The 6-day recreational red snapper season in 2018 added $13,000,000 to the gross domestic product of the South Atlantic region. (4) For the last 10 years, fishery managers have successfully been working to rebuild the red snapper stock in the South Atlantic. There is currently record high abundance and strong recruitment within the stock. (5) This record abundance has led to increased out-of-season encounters and discards which is driving red snapper mortality. (6) Despite these increased discards, it is the overriding opinion of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel that based on members’ collective on-the-water experience, the red snapper fishery is recovered. (7) However, options for future consideration to reduce out-of-season encounters and red snapper mortalities include shorter seasons and broad area closures for the snapper-grouper fishery in the South Atlantic. (8) The State of Florida is concerned with the economic implications of area closures for the South Atlantic snapper-grouper recreational fishery. (9) $5,100,000 has been invested in independent survey data over the last three fiscal years, including $3,300,000 for the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count to estimate the number of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the South Atlantic waters from North Carolina to Florida. (10) The National Marine Fisheries Service should incorporate data from this survey into the National Marine Fisheries Service stock assessments as expeditiously as possible to better inform fishery management decisions. (b) Condition on issuance of rule The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall not issue an interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until— (1) the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete; and (2) the data related to that study is integrated into the upcoming South Atlantic red snapper research track and operational stock assessment.

Summary: This bill prohibits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from issuing an interim or final rule that includes an area closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan until (1) the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is complete, and (2) the data related to such study is integrated into the South Atlantic red snapper research track and operational stock assessment.