Correction: NOAA Fisheries Announces Final Blueline Tilefish Amendment to the Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan
Correction: Date corrected in bold below.
NOAA Fisheries announces that we are implementing regulations
for Amendment 6 to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. This action sets commercial and recreational
management measures for the blueline tilefish fishery in the Mid-Atlantic.
Blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) is
also known as grey tilefish.
This rule goes into effect on December 15, 2017.
Blueline tilefish have been managed for many years under the
South Atlantic Council's Snapper
Grouper Fishery Management Plan, whose measures only apply south of
the Virginia/North Carolina border. The fishery in the Mid-Atlantic was
considered very small and remained unregulated until recently.
Recreational and commercial blueline tilefish catch has been
increasing steadily in the Greater Atlantic Region (Virginia to Maine) since
2011. In 2014, commercial landings increased more than 20-fold from the
previous several years' average. This rapid increase in unregulated harvest
represented a risk to the long-term sustainability of the stock, and triggered
the Mid-Atlantic Council to request emergency
management measures in 2015. Interim
management measures took effect in June 2016, while the Council
developed this proposed amendment.
Amendment 6 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan manages
the federal waters blueline tilefish fishery north of the Virginia/North
Carolina border, as part of the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. The rule requires fishermen to hold a valid Greater Atlantic Region open access tilefish commercial or charter/party permit to ensure adequate reporting and monitoring of blueline tilefish fishing activity.
Through this action, we are implementing a commercial
possession limit of 300 pounds per trip.
The recreational season will run from May 1-October 31, and will close as of December 15, 2017, when this rule becomes effective.
When the fishery re-opens in May, recreational fishermen will have limits of:
- 7 fish per person on Coast Guard inspected
for-hire vessels (party boats)
- 5 fish per person on uninspected for-hire
vessels (charter boats), and
- 3 fish per person on private recreational
vessels.
Amendment 6 also calls for new permitting and reporting requirements for private recreational vessels. These measures are not being implemented at this time. Because they require additional development and outreach, they will be implemented later through a separate rule, and will not be in effect for the 2018 fishing season that starts on May 1, 2018.
More information is available in the final rule as
filed in the Federal Register notice today, and in the permit holder bulletin
on our website.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, at 978-281-9175
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