US Reef Fish Fishery Improvement Project Archive Date: May 2016

The US Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish FIP was suspended due to satisfaction of FIP participants with the outcomes that have been achieved. Gag is no longer experiencing overfishing and has been rebuilt to a sustainable population size; red snapper is no longer experiencing overfishing and is in the process of rebuilding; the recreational red snapper fishery is now subject to accountability measures to end overharvest; advancements have been made in ecosystem-based fishery management in the Gulf of Mexico; and electronic monitoring has been piloted in this fishery. (The final report on the electronic monitoring project is due to be released by Mote Marine Lab in July 2016 and will be added to this archive FIP report.) Though substantial progress has been made by this FIP, the participants are not currently interested in pursuing MSC certification due to market conditions. Industry or other stakeholders should contact SFP if there is interest in re- activating this FIP under industry leadership.

Species: northern red snapper ( campechanus) red grouper (Epinephelus morio) gag (Mycteroperca microlepis)

FIP Scope/Scale: Fishery level (US only)

Fishery Location: Gulf of Mexico, US - for map see Gulf of Mexico

FIP Participants: • Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance • Save On Seafood Co. • Gulf Wild

FIP Stakeholders: • Publix • Seattle Fish Company • Louisiana Foods • Darden • Environmental Defense Fund • The Ocean Conservancy • Southeastern Fisheries Association • Evans Meats • J. J. McDonnell • Wegmans • Wild Seafood Co. • Katie's Seafood

Sustainability Information: See Summary tab at these links on FishSource.com: Red Snapper - Gulf of Mexico, Gag - Gulf of Mexico, Red Grouper, long line - Gulf of Mexico, Red Grouper, vertical line - Gulf of Mexico

See also Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for red grouper, gag, and red snapper.

Date Publicly Announced: 2010

FIP Stage: 5, improvements in the water

Current Improvement Recommendations:

SFP recommends that supply chain take the following action: • Increase number and frequency of reef fish stock assessments. Only the most frequently harvested reef fish species have been assessed. The status of many other retained species is unknown. • Improve discard data collection methods and practices. Insufficient information on discards and discard survival is one of the primary sources of uncertainty in reef fish stock assessments. • Evaluate the Gulf of Mexico reef fish observer program. Perform an evaluation of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish observer program to determine statistically robust coverage levels, and then establish a plan to increase observer coverage to those levels.

Background: This FIP was initiated to address sustainability concerns that were outlined in a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) pre-assessment. While science-based catch limits are in place in the region and fisheries are rebounding under the current management plan, there is a lack of information on fish that are caught and thrown back (discards). Discards impact the overall health of those stocks and should be considered in management of the fishery. The fishermen engaged in this FIP are currently focused on improving the collection of discard data. Another initial focus of this FIP was to improve accountability in the recreational component of the red snapper fishery, which routinely exceeded their total allowable catch. This issue was resolved in early 2015 (see Progress Update narrative below for more information).

There are over 40 different species of grouper in the Gulf of Mexico, and the two most abundant are red grouper and gag grouper. In 2008, gag and red grouper accounted for more than 80 percent of the commercial grouper catch in the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly all of that catch is made off the west coast of Florida. Grouper are primarily harvested with vertical hook and line gear (commonly referred to as “bandit rigs”), secondarily with bottom longline.

Among a variety of snappers harvested in the Gulf of Mexico, red snapper is the most economically important. Many snapper that are red in color are passed off as red snapper in the marketplace, but the only species that legally can be labeled “red snapper” is the Northern red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus. Red snapper are primarily harvested with vertical hook and line gear (“bandit rigs”), and are predominantly caught off the shores of Texas and Louisiana, though the population is rapidly increasing in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The majority of US harvested grouper and snapper are sold domestically. In addition to the domestic supply, the US imports a significant quantity of fresh grouper and snapper. Approximately 50 percent of the US grouper supply and 75 percent of the US snapper supply is imported.

Years of heavy fishing pressure and inadequate regulations led to overfishing and overcapitalization in the US Gulf of Mexico reef fish fisheries. Groupers and red snapper are highly prized by both recreational and commercial fishermen and this demand has taken a toll on the stocks. In recent years, these fisheries have been guided by successful management plans and are rebuilding. Even with these successes, more can be done to improve accountability and data collection, reduce discards, and meet stock rebuilding timelines.

Key sustainability issues include: • High-quality and frequent stock assessments are needed to ensure the continued sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish resources. Though most of the primarily targeted reef fish have been assessed, uncertainty in the accuracy of the results is high and stock assessments are not repeated frequently enough. In addition, other reef fish species that are retained by this fishery need to be assessed. • Scientists and managers do not have adequate information on bycatch and discards in the commercial reef fish fishery. This information is necessary to estimate total mortality for use in stock assessments. Observer coverage is only 1 percent in the vertical line fleet and limited due to funding constraints. Because of the potential for sea turtle bycatch in the longline fleet, observer coverage in 2011 was increased to 17 percent. In addition, data generated from mandatory discard logbooks (20 percent of fleet selected annually) may be inaccurate. A number of fishermen submit reports of “no discards” almost exclusively, which is highly unlikely in such a multispecies fishery and where size and harvest limits necessitate regulatory discards.

FIP Objectives: • Reduce uncertainty and increase frequency of reef fish stock assessments. Red grouper, gag grouper, black grouper, yellowedge grouper, red snapper, , yellowtail snapper, tilefish, greater , and gray triggerfish have all been assessed at least once. Ideally assessment updates (new years of data added) would happen every year or every other year, with new benchmark assessments (using new models) every few years. As sufficient data are gathered, the other 20+ species in the reef fish complex should be assessed. FIP participants will continue to explore methods of improving the accuracy and quantity of fishery- dependent data. • Obtain better bycatch and discard data. FIP participants are currently working on cooperative research to obtain better bycatch and discard data for the red snapper fishery via onboard observers, as well as an electronic monitoring pilot project to assess its potential for enhanced monitoring of discards. The initial goal of the electronic monitoring (EM) project was to determine if EM is a suitable tool for collecting discard information. Initial results were promising but indicated that further work was needed, and that success (logistically and financially) could only be achieved by building regional capacity to implement EM programs in the southeast United States (instead of relying on remote contractors to perform the system installation/maintenance and data analysis). After regional capacity is in place and EM is shown to be an effective method of discard data collection, FIP participants will determine if they will pursue EM as a voluntary practice or if they will work with federal fishery regulators to make it part of the mandatory discard data collection program. Additionally, the federal government has contracted an independent statistical review of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish observer program that will provide improved methodologies for vessel selection protocols, as well as bycatch estimation techniques for both abundant and rare species. FIP participants will monitor progress on this review and press the government if need be.

Progress Update:

2011

• Fishermen began signing conservation covenants in early 2011 and those fishermen also started tagging their catch as “Gulf Wild” to ensure that it could be identified and separated from vessels that did not want to sign the covenants. • NOAA Fisheries increased observer coverage of the longline fleet to 19.5 percent to better monitor interactions with sea turtles. • In September, Seattle Fish Company sent a letter to federal fishery regulators in support of continued conservative management. • In November 2011, an electronic monitoring (EM) pilot project was launched by the Ocean Conservancy and the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance (RFSA). EM systems were installed on six Alliance-member fishing vessels to investigate the potential for video camera monitoring of discards.

2012

• The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance launched a cooperative research study with Texas Tech and Texas A&M to obtain better bycatch and discard data for the red snapper fishery. • In March 2012, the federal government implemented Reef Fish Amendment 32, which ended overfishing of gag and established a plan to allow the stock to rebuild to healthy levels within 10 years. • In May 2012, the federal government released the results of a red snapper stock assessment update indicating that overfishing of Gulf of Mexico red snapper has ended and the population is rebounding. • Several participants in the FIP actively advocated for maintaining the strength of the US fisheries law, the Magnuson Stevens Act, which has helped to rebuild fisheries in the Gulf through new management systems and the establishment of annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures. Seattle Fish Company gave public comment at the August Gulf Council meeting regarding the importance of continued good management. • The EM pilot project concluded in November 2012. Seven Alliance vessels participated, including two longline boats and five bandit boats. The vessels were geographically spread out as follows: 2 in the St. Petersburg, FL, area; 2 in Destin, FL; and 3 in Galveston, TX. Darden Restaurants funded an observer to rotate between the vessels to ground truth the video camera data and captain logbook data. FIP participants and stakeholders are seeking funding to continue basic electronic monitoring of discards, to expand the program to include more vessels, and for the second phase of a scientifically designed study to assess and develop the potential for a comprehensive electronic monitoring program in the southeast US. 2013 • Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance members gave public comment at the February and June 2013 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meetings (full council sessions) and at the emergency Gulf Council meeting in July 2013, requesting improved accountability for the recreational red snapper fishery.The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance and a number of their members participated in a lawsuit against the Department of Commerce, challenging federal management of the recreational red snapper fishery. • The final report from the EM pilot project was released in March. The report revealed that the EM is an effective method of monitoring and categorizing bycatch and discards for longline vessels, but further improvements to the EM systems are needed for vertical line vessels. In addition, regional capacity for implementing EM projects is needed to make such work logistically and financially viable. Project participants began seeking funding to continue refining these systems and build regional EM capacity for the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery. In June, Mote Marine Laboratory received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to lead the second phase of the EM study. At the request of Darden Restaurants and Publix Super Markets, Save On Seafood Co. and Greg Abrams Seafood joined the FIP and helped identify three more vessels to continue testing and refinement of the EM systems. The installation of these EM systems was funded by Darden through their commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative. The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance again identified seven member vessels to participate in the EM project, bringing the total number of participating vessels to ten. EM unit installation began in October 2013. • A new benchmark stock assessment for red snapper was completed in May. The assessment confirmed that overfishing has ended and the red snapper population is rebuilding. The population is now at 37 percent of the target population size, up from less than 5 percent at the start of the rebuilding program. • The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance began exploring an electronic logbook pilot to provide real-time data capture and monitoring of total catch and discard mortality. The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance also launched a cooperative research project to test a new fishery-dependent/independent hybrid data collection method. The project will collect data on red grouper, gag, scamp, red snapper, and vermilion snapper. • At the June Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting, Tj Tate of the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance announced the exploration of an industry-led Quota Bank, which will primarily address regulatory discard issues in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. • The Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance and Texas Tech University concluded their cooperative research project work on bycatch and discard data for the red snapper fishery. The study revealed that Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance vessels participating in the study had a lower red snapper average discard rate (4.75%) than the average discard rate for red snapper used by fisheries managers (30–40%, derived from logbook and observer program data). The study also revealed that some high-grading occurred on vessels in the western Gulf of Mexico (approximately 20% of discards), but not in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. • Gulf Wild separated from the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance and became a separate organization. Gulf Wild intends to maintain the Conservation Covenants as established under the Shareholders’ Alliance and began to have them formalized by legal experts. Gulf Wild formed a Conservation Standards Committee to review their conservation goals and commissioned a third-party company to establish criteria for an audit system. Gulf Wild also implemented a Bycatch of the Day program to market formerly discarded species. • The federal government launched an effort to implement an ecosystem-based management strategy across the Gulf of Mexico through the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA). The IEA is an interdisciplinary, interagency effort whose goal is to address all the various ecological services in one unified management framework. Through state-of-the-art ecosystem models, the IEA will seek to manage the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem from a more holistic, broader perspective than the current single-species models are capable of. In December 2013, NOAA published an Ecosystem Status Report for the Gulf of Mexico, which attempts to determine an historical baseline for the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, as well as the current status. The report outlines a set of ecosystem indicators that will be monitored to evaluate changes in the ecosystem status. 2014 • In March, The US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance and the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging federal management of the recreational red snapper fishery. As a result of the Court’s decision, any future management actions for red snapper – including any potential reallocation of quota to the recreational sector – must be developed with adequate accountability measures consistent with the Court’s order. By August, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council agreed on red snapper recreational fishery accountability measures in the form of an annual catch target and an overage adjustment that deducts any overages from the recreational quota from the next year’s quota when red snapper is under a rebuilding plan. The red snapper recreational fishery accountability measures proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on November 21, 2014, with the comment period ending December 22, 2014. Additionally, the Gulf Council also approved a “Sector Separation” plan (Amendment 40) that would establish sub-quotas for charter vessels and private anglers, allowing each sector within the recreational fishery to manage harvest of their sub-quota in a manner best suited to the needs of their fishery. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on January 16, 2015, with the comment period ending March 17, 2015. • Also in March, Gulf Wild launched the Bycatch Conservation Fund (BCF), a conservation tool for ultimately producing stable fisheries, sustainable seafood, and economic success in the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the conservation and research projects launched under the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance will be continued and expanded under Gulf Wild, while the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance will focus on management and policy advocacy. These conservation and research projects include the quota bank, which will allow fishermen to purchase extra red snapper quota instead of discarding fish for which they do not have quota; the Bycatch of the Day and other consumer outreach programs to promote consumption of less marketable fish that might otherwise be discarded; electronic logbooks; and a weak hook study to test gear modification to capture the correct size of fish and release the larger brood sows or other larger species, such as shark species. By mid-year, Gulf Wild had drafted new legally binding Conservation Covenants that were under review by the Gulf Wild Board of Directors. Additionally, proposals for a shark conservation research project were submitted to funders and 10 cents per pound of all tagged Bycatch of the Day was being donated to fund BCF programs. • The new gag stock assessment report was released in March. The assessment results indicate that gag was no longer experiencing overfishing, but was likely still overfished. The “overfished” determination was based on a spawning stock biomass of both males and females, which the review panel felt was a more conservative measure of spawning stock biomass given the likelihood for reproductive potential in this hermaphroditic stock to be male-limited. In June, the Gulf Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee reviewed the gag stock assessment and unanimously agreed instead to use only female spawning stock biomass when determining the status of the population (as opposed to the combined male and female biomass that was the basis for the Review Panel’s conclusions in March). Based on this metric, the gag population was declared no longer overfished or experiencing overfishing. • By June, the Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance fishery-dependent/independent hybrid data collection project (initiated in 2013) was in the final phase of data collection and preliminary data analysis had begun. The Alliance also began to explore funding opportunities for electronic logbooks, and Alliance members planned to be involved in formally testing this technology under an NMFS-managed pilot program in 2015. • Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance/Gulf Wild and Save On Seafood vessels continued to participate in Mote Marine Lab's electronic monitoring (EM) research project throughout 2014. Of the 10 vessels that were anticipated to participate in this project, only six were collecting data at the end of the year due to technical difficulties with equipment, vessel repairs, captain turnover, and fisher frustrations with a lack of government progress on an overall long-term plan to implement EM in this fishery.

2015

• In March 2015, NOAA implemented the new Gulf of Mexico red snapper recreational accountability measures in the form of an annual catch target and an overage adjustment that deducts any overages from the recreational quota from the next year’s quota when red snapper is under a rebuilding plan. • An additional vessel from the Save On Seafood supply chain began to participate in Mote Marine Lab's electronic monitoring project, bringing the total number of participating vessels to seven. • The results of the Shareholders' Alliance fishery-dependent/independent hybrid data collection cooperative research project indicated that the hybrid data collection method was as effective as other fishery-independent methods for all reef fishes, and better for some, and that this method warrants further consideration as a research and monitoring tool. • Mote Marine Lab received a no-cost extension from the funder of the electronic monitoring project, allowing Mote and the participating vessels to continue to collect data. • Mote Marine Lab received funding from the Environmental Defense Fund to continue the electronic monitoring project on eight vessels during 2016.

2016

• The US Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish FIP was suspended due to satisfaction of FIP participants with the outcomes that have been achieved. Gag is no longer experiencing overfishing and has been rebuilt to a sustainable population size; red snapper is no longer experiencing overfishing and is in the process of rebuilding; the recreational red snapper fishery is now subject to accountability measures to end overharvest; advancements have been made in ecosystem-based fishery management in the Gulf of Mexico; and electronic monitoring has been piloted in this fishery. (The final report on the electronic monitoring project is due to be released by Mote Marine Lab in July 2016 and will be added to this archive FIP report.) Though substantial progress has been made by this FIP, the participants are not currently interested in pursuing MSC certification due to market conditions. Industry or other stakeholders should contact SFP if there is interest in re-activating this FIP under industry leadership.

US Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish FIP Detailed Public Information

Fishery Problem • Summary of fishery status a. SFP own estimate, based on data from FishSource i. Current status:

1. Governance quality: The commercial fisheries for red snapper, red grouper, and gag are managed with strict quotas and accountability under a catch share program. The recreational red snapper fishery frequently exceeds their red snapper quota and there are no accountability measures in place. 2. Target stock: Red snapper remains overfished, but overfishing is not occurring and rebuilding is underway. Red grouper is below the target population size but is not overfished or experiencing overfishing. Gag is no longer overfished or experiencing overfishing. 3. Environmental impacts: The vertical lines and longlines (the latter targeting only grouper) used in this fishery have few negative impacts on the environment. More information is needed on discards. Observer coverage of the vertical hook and line sector remains low, at 1–3 percent, but coverage of the longline sector has increased (19.5 percent in 2011) to provide better monitoring of interactions with sea turtles. ii. Status at beginning of FIP:

1. The red snapper stock in the Gulf of Mexico has been overfished and undergoing overfishing since the late 1980s. However, a 2009 stock assessment update demonstrated the beginnings of rebuilding of the US Gulf of Mexico red snapper stock, and that the recruitment had increased in years since the early 2000s. The fishery has 1 – 3 percent observer coverage, which is very low.

2. Red grouper, while declining in recent years, has been above maximum sustainable yield since the late 1990s.

3. The grouper long line fishery has had issues with bycatch of sea turtles and observer coverage is very low (1–3 percent). b. Current status (January 2015) by other ranking systems

Species Monterey Bay Aquarium Northern Red Good Alternative Snapper Gag Grouper - Avoid longline Gag Grouper – Good Alternative vertical line Red Grouper Good Alternative