Amendment 16 proposes to:
- Increase the commercial annual catch limit for royal red shrimp from 334,000 pounds to 337,000 pounds and remove the quota.
- Remove the current in-season closure, while retaining the accountability measure that monitors landings and implements a closure only if the annual catch limit was exceeded in the previous year.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 16 to NOAA Fisheries for review, approval, and implementation.
Comments on the amendment and the proposed rule will be accepted through February 25, 2015.
For more information on Amendment 16, please visit the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Web site at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/shrimp/2014/am16/index.html.
Electronic copies of the amendment and rule are available at that Web site or from the e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov.
