Reef Fish Amendment 44
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9/5/2017 Minimum Stock Size Threshold (MSST) Revision for Reef Fish Stocks with Existing Status Determination Criteria 1 0.75 M MSY F 0.5 F / 0.25 0 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 B / BMSY Final Amendment 44 (revised) to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico Including Environmental Assessment and Fishery Impact Statement July 2017 This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA15NMF4410011. This page intentionally blank Amendment 44 – MSST i ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET Name of Action Final Amendment 44 (revised) to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico: Minimum Stock Size Threshold (MSST) Revision for Reef Fish Stocks with Existing Status Determination Criteria Responsible Agencies and Contact Persons Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) 813-348-1630 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100 813-348-1711 (fax) Tampa, Florida 33607 [email protected] Steven Atran ([email protected]) http://www.gulfcouncil.orgn National Marine Fisheries Service (Lead Agency) 727-824-5305 Southeast Regional Office 727-824-5308 (fax) 263 13th Avenue South http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Peter Hood ([email protected]) Type of Action ( ) Administrative ( ) Legislative ( ) Draft (X) Final Amendment 44 – MSST ii ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT ACL annual catch limit ALS Accumulated Landings System AM accountability measure Council Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EFH essential fish habitat EIS Economic Impact Statement EJ environmental justice ELMRP Estuarine Living Marine Resources Program ESA Endangered Species Act FMP fishery management plan FMU fishery management unit GMFMC Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Gulf Gulf of Mexico IFQ individual fishing quota IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change LAPP limited access privilege program M instantaneous rate of natural mortality Magnuson Stevens Act Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act MFMT maximum fishing mortality threshold MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act MRFSS Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey MRIP Marine Recreational Information Program MSST minimum stock size threshold MSY maximum sustainable yield NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOR net operating revenue NOS National Ocean Service NS1 National Standard 1 guidelines OY optimum yield PDARP Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan PS producer surplus RFFA reasonably foreseeable future action SDC status determination criteria Secretary Secretary of Commerce SEDAR Southeast Data, Assessment and Review SEFSC Southeast Fisheries Science Center SERO Southeast Regional Office SPR spawning potential ratio SRHS NMFS Southeast Region Headboat Survey Amendment 44 – MSST iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Environmental Assessment Cover Sheet ........................................................................................ ii Abbreviations Used in This Document .......................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Fishery Impact Statement .............................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 11 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 11 1.2 Purpose and Need .............................................................................................................. 12 1.3 History of Management ..................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2. Management Alternatives .......................................................................................... 15 2.1 Action 1 –Minimum Stock Size Threshold (MSST) for Species in the Reef Fish Fishery Management Unit ............................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 3. Affected Environment ................................................................................................ 20 3.1 Description of the Physical Environment .......................................................................... 20 3.2 Description of the Biological Environment ....................................................................... 21 3.3 Description of the Economic Environment........................................................................ 34 3.3.1 Commercial Sector...................................................................................................... 34 3.3.2 Recreational Sector ..................................................................................................... 46 3.4 Description of the Social Environment .............................................................................. 66 3.4.1 Coastal Counties ......................................................................................................... 67 3.4.2 Reef Fish Permits ........................................................................................................ 68 3.4.3 Environmental Justice ................................................................................................. 70 3.5 Description of the Administrative Environment ................................................................ 70 3.5.1 Federal Fishery Management ...................................................................................... 70 3.5.2 State Fishery Management .......................................................................................... 71 3.6 Description of the Fishery .................................................................................................. 72 3.6.1 Commercial Sector...................................................................................................... 72 3.6.2 Recreational Sector ..................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 4. Environmental Consequences .................................................................................... 78 4.1 Action 1: Minimum Stock Size Threshold for Species in the Reef Fish Fishery Management Unit ............................................................................................................... 78 4.1.1 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Physical Environment ........................................... 78 Amendment 44 – MSST iv 4.1.2 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Biological Environment ........................................ 79 4.1.3 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Economic Environment ........................................ 81 4.1.4 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Social Environment .............................................. 82 4.1.5 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Administrative Environment ................................ 84 4.2 Cumulative Effects Analysis.............................................................................................. 86 Chapter 5. List of Preparers ......................................................................................................... 88 Chapter 6. List of Agencies Consulted ........................................................................................ 89 Chapter 7. References .................................................................................................................. 90 Appendix A – Other Applicable Law ......................................................................................... 105 Appendix B – Summary of Habitat Utilization .......................................................................... 111 Appendix C – Analysis of Natural Fluctuations ......................................................................... 114 Appendix D – Time to Recover from Various Levels of MSST ................................................ 119 Appendix E – Summary of Comments Received ....................................................................... 123 Amendment 44 – MSST v LIST OF TABLES Table 1.3.1. Stocks with status determination criteria assigned. ................................................. 14 Table 2.1.1. Overfished status for currently overfished stocks under each alternative. .............. 16 Table 2.1.2. Percent MSST buffer under each alternative. ......................................................... 16 Table 2.1.3. Years to recover from four definitions of MSST in the absence of fishing mortality ....................................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 3.2.1. Species of the Reef Fish FMP grouped by family. ................................................. 24 Table 3.2.2. Total Gulf greenhouse gas emissions estimates