Category Archives: South Atlantic
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will conduct a series of meetings throughout its region in the months ahead.
Two hearings will take place on Florida’s east coast, each between 4 and 7 p.m. The first takes place Tuesday at the Jacksonville Marriott, 4670 Salisbury Road, Jacksonville. The second takes place Wednesday at the Doubletree Hilton Cocoa Beach, 2080 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. @samfc.net
Uncle vs. nephew in marine-life criminal case
Two members of an Idaho family are scheduled to appear at the Key West federal courthouse one day apart in September, but the relatives might not be on speaking terms. On July 24, a Key West jury convicted Peter Covino IV, 20, of obstructing justice after he called a Florida Keys fish collector and told him to destroy records of the marine-life firm’s dealings with his uncle, Ammon Covino, 39 @keysnet.com
Few waters contain a more baffling hodgepodge of fishing rules than the Florida Keys
Recreational and commercial fishing in South Florida waters falls under the jurisdiction of three government agencies: The federal South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and the state FWC. Then toss in rules for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, national wildlife areas and species-specific closed areas. @keysnet
Results Are In for Public Survey on Goliath Grouper – News Bulletin From University of Florida IFAS and Florida Sea Grant, July 31, 2013
Among the survey results: Many commercial reef fishermen believe that goliath grouper negatively impact ecosystems by decimating other fish populations. In addition, goliath interfere with fishing operations and many commercial fishermen (43 percent of hook and line, 87 percent of spear fishermen) have had to change where and how they fish to reduce such interactions. More than 70 percent of commercial fishermen surveyed would like to see the goliath-harvesting moratorium lifted. continued@floridasportsman
East Coast Fishery Managers Sign Agreement to Coordinate Deep Sea Coral Conservation
Attached is a joint news release from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, New England Fishery Management Council, and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council continued here
Register for the webinar SAFMC Summer 2013 Newsletter – Red snapper update; Overview of Public Hearings
Read the newsletter here.
Warm is the new normal, say Atlantic oceanographers
The trend is being traced from the Florida coast up to Newfoundland, affecting native flora and fauna and causing concern among fishermen. continued@cbcnews
National Marine Fisheries Service whale protection rules will snare lobstermen
Earlier this month, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for proposed amendments to the federal Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The draft runs to substantially more than 500 pages, plus exhibits and appendices. continued@fenceviewer
The South Atlantic region welcomes back the Red Snapper
— After being closed for almost two years, the Red Snapper season is now open to the fishers again. continued@romenewstribune
Red snapper season to open
The commercial season will open on Aug. 26 and will end when the annual catch limit is projected to be met, NOAA officials said. The daily trip limit will be 75 pounds gutted weight with no minimum size limit. continued@daytonabeachnj
Commercial fishing brothers fight over fishing spot – Deputies reel one in for battery, criminal mischief
Lance Lamee, 51, asked his brother if he was going to fish the frontside or backside of the location, to which Lawrence replied “all of it” and that Lance wouldn’t be messing with him anymore.
Researchers have few options for going after lionfish at depths beyond scuba divers’ reach
“They pretty much have been unprecedented in any marine invasion. It’s the largest, the quickest, the most extensive marine invasion we’ve ever seen,” said Nova Southeastern University’s Matthew Johnston. continued@washingtonpost
South Atlantic Region FISHERY BULLETIN – Fishermen are reminded that the red snapper season in will not open in July 2013.
The opening of the commercial and recreational fishing seasons for red snapper will not occur in July 2013. info here
A poaching commercial fishing captain who reeled in hundreds of yellowtail snapper from a marine reserve get’s jail time
Evelio Lazar Egusquiza Fornes, 49, of Miami was arrested Feb. 12 after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found his yellowtail boat, the Candelaria, with lines in the water inside the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. continued@keysnet
Expanding habitat protection zones in the Key’s
A list of 24 nearshore areas proposed as new habitat-protection areas will be outlined to the Florida Keys National Marine 
Advisory Council. continued@keysnet
Hammerhead shark protection debated – National Marine Fisheries Service pushed by WildEarth Guardians and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
A proposal to protect the great hammerhead shark has sparked a debate over whether federal protection is necessary to conserve a majestic ocean predator or whether this would just impose an unnecessary burden on the fishing industry. continued@sunsentinal
NMFS Seeks Comments on Proposed Actions for Black Sea Bass in the South Atlantic – Possible Opening in 2013 of Commercial and Recreational Red Snapper Season
NOAA Fisheries NMFS will provide 30 days’ notice prior to potential commercial and recreational openings. Therefore, the opening of the commercial and recreational fishing seasons for red snapper will not occur in July 2013. Link
SW Florida blue crab trap closure starts July 10
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is requiring recreational and commercial blue crab traps in state waters, from the Palm Beach-Broward county line to the Pasco-Hernando county line, be removed from the water 
before July 10. [email protected]
The Worst Marine Invasion Ever – I could not believe what I found inside a lionfish.
“Do you know what this is?” James Morris looks at me, eyes twinkling, as he points to the guts of a dissected lionfish in his lab at the National Ocean Service’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C. 
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. Stands Up to Big Oil and Fights to Protect Atlantic Coast from Offshore Drilling. YES!
“I oppose H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act. By requiring offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, this bill threatens New Jersey’s coastal environment, fishing, tourism and the associated jobs and economic activity. This bill is the same old failed attempt by the Republican majority to give away public resources to wealthy, multi-national corporations at the cost of American taxpayers and our environment. Read more here
Fishery Bulletin – Commercial Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters Closes on July 7
Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will close, at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on July 7, 2013. Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2014. The 2013 commercial catch limit is 305,262 pounds whole weight. Reports indicate that commercial landings are rapidly approaching the 2013 catch limit. continued here
Rep Bill Cassidy and Sen. David Vitter – H.R. 1430, the Offshore Fairness Act of 2013.
This legislation will give states in the Gulf of Mexico and the south Atlantic the option to expand their offshore jurisdiction up to 10 miles off the coastline, thus giving them greater control over managing their own fisheries. It will also expand the boundary of the submerged land of the Outer Continental Shelf to 10 miles. This territorial extension will be available for the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. continued@dailycomet
Shark trackers plot migration of great whites up and down East Coast
The three East Coast sharks tracked by Ocearch are the first white sharks in history with Facebook followers. As of Saturday, both Lydia and Mary Lee, a 3,500-pounder named after Fischer’s mother, were in waters off the southeast coast of the United States. In early May, Lydia visited Georges Bank fishing grounds off Massachusetts. During one 12-minute period on May 6 she swam a distance comparable to the length of the ferry ride from Point Judith to Block Island and back. continued@providencejournal
Changes in Port Canaveral charter protects fishing industry
The local commercial fishing industry will receive added protection as part of a plan approved Tuesday by port commissioners. The commission gave its unanimous support to proposed changes in the port charter recognizing the
importance of the commercial fishing industry and assuring that such operations there would not be squeezed out by other development. continued@floridatoday
Savannah River fish passage could divert up to 100 percent of the Savannah River’s flow to a series of rock ramps
The newest proposed design for fish passage at New Savannah Bluff could divert up to 100 percent of the Savannah River’s flow to a series of rock ramps to be built on the channel’s South Carolina side. The project, with a current price tag of $30.2 million, would allow migratory fish such as sturgeon, American shad and striped bass to access spawning habitat upstream. continued@The Augusta Chronicle
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council News Release June 17, 2013
Federal Fishery Managers Decide Against Requirement for Vessel Monitoring Systems- After considering public comment and recommendations from its advisory panels, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has decided not to move forward with an amendment that would have required the use of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for vessels with a Federal Commercial Snapper Grouper Permit in the South Atlantic. Other actions. continued@SAFMC
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approves easier-to-follow marine fisheries regulations
Marine fisheries regulations will soon be easier to read, understand and enforce. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its June 12 meeting in Lakeland approved a proposal that will revise marine fisheries information in portions of 68B of the Florida Administrative Code, providing consistency among regulations and clarifying complex and confusing language. These changes go into effect Sept. 1. continued@browardnet
The Fish Tank Trade – Man sells 74 baby sharks caught in Florida waters – NMFS ain’t screwing around with these guys.
Dean Trinh, 43, of Milpitas, Calif., just north of San Jose, faces 30 years in prison if convicted on five counts of illegal purchase and sale of sharks (he allegedly didn’t have a permit) and one count of conspiracy, according to federal court records. Trinh was also indicted federally on May 23 in California in a similar case involving protected leopard sharks. In both cases, Trinh is accused of using his business, AquatopUSA, to sell the fish for display in aquariums. More cases. [email protected]
Georgia’s territorial waters open for commercial and recreational shrimp harvest
Georgia waters are now open for commercial and recreational harvest of food shrimp. As of Tuesday, commercial-food shrimp trawlers can operate in Georgia’s territorial waters open to power-drawn trawls. Commercial and recreational cast-netters, as well as those using a beach seine, can harvest food shrimp from waters open to the use of these gears. [email protected]
