Allocation-Based Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels
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Tab B, No. 12(b) 3/30/2018 Allocation-Based Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels Draft Amendment 41 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico April 2018 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management National Oceanic & Atmospheric Council Administration 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100 National Marine Fisheries Service Tampa, Florida 33607 Southeast Regional Office 813-348-1630 263 13th Avenue South 813-348-1711 (fax) St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 888-833-1844 Toll Free 727-824-5305 [email protected] 727-824-5308 (fax) http://www.gulfcouncil.org http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov 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 left blank. Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Amendment 41 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Cover Sheet Draft Amendment 41 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico: Allocation-Based Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels, including a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Abstract: This DEIS is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act to assess the environmental impacts associated with a regulatory action. The DEIS will analyze the impacts of a range of alternatives for management actions to establish an allocation-based management program for the harvest of reef fish by vessels with a federal Gulf of Mexico charter/headboat permit for reef fish that are not eligible for the program being developed in Amendment 42. 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] Matthew Freeman ([email protected]) http://www.gulfcouncil.org 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 Susan Gerhart ([email protected]) Type of Action: ( ) Administrative ( ) Legislative (X) Draft ( ) Final Filing Dates with EPA: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare EIS published: May 17, 2016 Draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) filed with EPA: DEIS comment period ended: EPA comments on DEIS: Amendment 41: Allocation-Based iii Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT ABC acceptable biological catch ACL annual catch limit ACT annual catch target ALS accumulated landings system AM accountability measure ASAP Age Structured Assessment Program Bi Op biological opinion Charter AP Ad Hoc Red Snapper Charter For-hire Advisory Panel COI certificate of inspection Council Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council CS consumer surplus DEIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement DLMToolkit Data Limited Methods Toolkit DPS distinct population segment EA Environmental assessment EEZ exclusive economic zone EFH essential fish habitat EIS Environmental Impact Statement EJ environmental justice ESA Endangered Species Act For-hire permit Gulf Charter/Headboat permit for Reef Fish FL Fork length FMP Fishery Management Plan FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission GDP gross domestic product GPS global positioning system GT-IFQ grouper-tilefish individual fishing quota program Gulf Gulf of Mexico gw gutted weight HBC headboat collaborative HMS highly migratory species IBQ individual bluefin quota IFQ individual fishing quota IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IRFA Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis ITQ individual transferable quota Joint AP Ad Hoc Reef Fish Headboat and Red Snapper Charter Advisory Panels LA Creel Louisiana Recreational Creel Survey LAPP limited access privilege program Magnuson-Stevens Act Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act MFMT maximum fishing mortality threshold MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act mp million pounds MRFSS Marine Recreational Fisheries Survey and Statistics Amendment 41: Allocation-Based iv Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels MRIP Marine Recreational Information Program MSST minimum stock size threshold MSY maximum sustainable yield NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOR net operating revenue NS national standard OFL overfishing limit OSY optimum sustainable yield OY optimum yield PAH polyaromatic hydrocarbons PFA permit fishing allocation PFQ permit fishing quota PIMS permit information management system PS producer surplus RA Regional Administrator RS-IFQ red snapper individual fishing quota program SEAMAP Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program Secretary Secretary of Commerce SEDAR Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review SEFSC Southeast Fishery Science Center SERO Southeast Regional Office SPR spawning potential ratio SRHS Southeast Region Headboat Survey SSASPM State-Space Age-Structured Production Model SSB spawning stock biomass SSBR spawning stock biomass per recruit SSC Scientific and Statistical Committee TAC Total allowed catch TL total length TPWD Texas Parks and Wildlife Department VMS vessel monitoring system ww whole weight Amendment 41: Allocation-Based v Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations Used In This Document.......................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose and Need ....................................................................................................... 11 1.3 History of Management .............................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2. Management Alternatives .......................................................................................... 23 2.1 Action 1 – Type of Allocation-based Management Program ..................................... 23 2.2 Action 2 – Species to Include in the Charter For-Hire Management Program .......... 30 2.3 Action 3 – Charter Vessel Endorsement or Permit ..................................................... 32 2.4 Action 4 – Allocation of Annual Catch Limit to Charter Vessels .............................. 35 2.5 Action 5 – Units of Measure for Quota Distribution and Reporting .......................... 41 2.6 Action 6 – Distributing the Charter Quota to Charter Vessels ................................... 43 2.7 Action 7 – Adaptive Catch Share Management ......................................................... 48 Action 7.1: Adaptive Management Cycle ......................................................................... 54 Action 7.2: Reclamation of Shares .................................................................................... 56 Action 7.3: Redistribution of Reclaimed Shares ............................................................... 58 Action 7.4: Reclamation of Latent Shares ........................................................................ 60 2.8 Action 8 – Transferability of IFQ Shares ................................................................... 62 2.9 Action 9 – Maintenance of IFQ Shares ...................................................................... 64 2.10 Action 10 – Transferability of Annual Allocation...................................................... 66 2.11 Action 11 – Share Caps .............................................................................................. 69 2.12 Action 12 – Cap on Allocation Usage ........................................................................ 72 2.13 Action 13 – Retaining Annual Allocation before a Quota Reduction ........................ 75 2.14 Action 14 – Cost Recovery Fees ................................................................................ 77 Chapter 3. Affected Environment ................................................................................................ 79 3.1 Description of the Fishery .................................................................................................. 79 3.1.1 Commercial Sector...................................................................................................... 79 3.1.2 Recreational Sector ..................................................................................................... 80 3.2 Description of the Physical Environment .......................................................................... 83 Amendment 41: Allocation-Based vi Management for Federally Permitted Charter Vessels 3.3 Description of the Biological Environment ....................................................................... 85 3.3.1 Information on Reef Fish Species ............................................................................... 85 3.3.2